After reviewing some of the posts in the thread on my disaster kit (or, "BOB" if you must), I got to thinking about escape hoods. Showed a co-worker the hood that a number of federal employees are wearing and found it as funny looking as I did. (H---, it may be a good mask, but it does look stupid.) I did some quick internet research and found a number of escape hoods on the market. Some appear to be merely for protection from smoke, while others might actucally provide some protection from bio, chem, or radiological events. I provide the links for your perusal:

Draeger QuickAir, starting at $425.00.
Draeger Parat C Escape Hood, at $195.55.
Draeger DefendAir at $179.88.
Duram Mask at $109.00.
Essex Escape Hoods starting at $169.00 and going up, way up.
Personal Smoke Escape Hood at $29.95.
Phoenix Protective Escape Hood at $99.95.
Survivair Quick 2000 Hood at $179.95.
MSA Responder Escape Hood at $168.50.
EvacU8 Escape Smoke Hood at $69.95.
Palladium Protective Escape Hood at $73.68.
Potomac Escape Hood at $139.00.
Scape Hood at $269.00.
Kaptair Exitair Smoke Hood at $39.50.
Vectacor Model 5700 Escape Hood at ?!? (Who knows?)
Sundstroem SR 76 Chemical Escape Hood.

Keep in mind that no hood that does not provide a supplemental source of air offers more than a very transient protection against carbon monoxide or many of the byproducts of combustion such as hydrogen cyanide. (You volunteer and professional firemen can help with this!)

If you are worried about dust only, the most cost-effective protection is an N-95 sanding mask available at home repair centers like Lowes.

I bought the EVAC-U8 smoke hood because of a few things

1. It packs small ( slightly (30%) larger than a can of coke )
2. It filters out most chemicals found in smoke including carbon monoxide ( which is the most lethal gas in the bunch and the cause of most smoke inhalation deaths )
3. It's relative lower cost

It is not to be used in a low oxygen environment ( <15% i think ) and should not be used as a gas mask if there is a chem/bio attack.

The others I've considered either don't filter out carbon monoxide, come in a large pack or are just too darned expensive.

Jsut my thoughts.

This is good information, and in these troubled times it is something that many urban dwellers should give more than casual consideration to, but what disturbs me the most about all of these doo-dads and gadgets is the COST. Sure, I value my life (some days more than others), but am I going to plunk down $200 or more for an escape hood I may never need? Not likely, given my present financial state. I know there is the "what's your life worth?" argument, and I agree with it to an extent. But for most of us, other than minimal, low cost or improvised gear, spending $500-$2,000 on a bug-out bag is not only not practical, it's just plain impossible. Why do you think most of my recommendations on where to get survival stuff are check the local K-mart or Wal-mart? <img src="images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />That is one of the things I truly value about the Survival Forum - a lot of people on here have great ideas about how to do/make/remodel things so that survival is not only practical, but also cost-effective for the rest of us.

I will be getting the Essex 10 Plus hood as its supposed to have a better rating than the Evacuate8 stuff. Testing was apprently dione by US Coast Guard. Dough can correct me if I am wrong.

So how much does the EVAC-U8 cost, roughly?

That's my BIG problem -- finances.

Being "between gigs," as we say optimistically, I must watch every penny. The most expensive of those hoods would feed us for a good long time.

Where did you read of these ratings?

I pulled this information together because I was curious to see what was available after hearing that my employer is giving thought to masks or hoods for its employees. What surprised me is that the "good" stuff all seems to be between $150 and $200 and higher. What didn't surprise me, but was remarkable, was the wide variety of hoods on the market. Some are good, others are not, I suspect. I leave to others who know better to opine on the relative merits of each. I suspect a good part of the price is that that is what the going rate for clean air is in a time of crisis.

My opinion only. I would add something said many times before on this forum: equipment alone won't save you; training and mindset are critical to survival.

i think on most websites it costs around $69.95.

I got mine in singapore from a industrial safety store at about S$110 ( US$ 62 ).(then again, I bought 10 - one each for my family members as well) You might want to check out industrial and fire safety stores before plonking money down on the web.

If I may, I would like to quote Doug for his valuable advice as always:
" In Key West, Florida, on a Search and Rescue equipment Test and Exercise with the Coast Guard"

"The Plus 10 is much superior to the Evac-U8."

This does not mean that Evacu8 would not do the job well.

How about a respirator instead. It looks like you can get a 3M 6000 full face for $94, it is a dual cartridge and you can get a variety of types of cartidges.

-john

www.indlsafety.com