The recent thread about the fire in the high rise and this article got me to thinking:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17513214/

I've been considering adding a smoke hood to my Urban EDC, since I spend my working days in subways and high rises. Anyone have any experience with these? I see they range in price from $40 to $100+, and I would have to buy one for each member of the family so it could get pricy. Any input appreciated.

The Safe Escape Smoke Hood seems to be the best combination of cost, size, and effectiveness out there now. You can purchase them for about $70 from places like Aeromedix. Whatever you pick, I think it's worth it to choose a model that can filter carbon monoxide. There are many "smoke hoods" or masks out there that are compact and inexpensive, but don't do anything about CO.

You might want to search on the term "EVACU8" for some prior discussions about smoke hoods on ETS.

The fire in that article was caused by a space heater (known fire starters) and a cheap surge protector. You can rejoice that this situation does not necessarily call for purchasing more gear for your survival kit.

As for subway protection, you might want to look into a respirator mask vs. a hood. The more portable it is the more likely you are to carry it around and use it when necessary.