Defender 2026 · Breathe-Easy Balaklava

Ever had your balaclava freeze to your face?

5 reasons the Breathe-Easy Balaklava is built around your breathing

The Breathe-Easy Balaklava beside a regular balaclava (3D render)

Review of our 2025 PowerStretch Balaclava

★★★★★
“… the balaclava feels very solid, has a good fit, and the material is the perfect thickness so that it doesn’t get in the way under a helmet or a high jacket collar.”
StevenVerified buyer · Belgium

By Saint Javelin · 100% Made in Ukraine

Breathe-Easy Balaklava vs a regular balaclava

Why it beats the balaclava you already own.

Breathe-EasyRegular balaclava
Breathe hard without a wet, frozen mask
Face panel in the fabric of the Army’s “waffle” layer
No cold gap: the long bib tucks into your collar
Pull it down to talk, and it springs back
100% Made in Ukraine

Breathe hard without a wet, frozen mask.

A regular balaclava soaks up every breath, then freezes to your face. Ours has a Polartec Power Grid panel over your nose and mouth: your breath goes out, fresh air comes in.

It’s designed not to soak through or freeze to your face.

Man in the Breathe-Easy Balaklava with the face panel up, arms crossed by a river below snowy peaks

Power Grid

The face panel is the fabric of the Army’s “waffle” layer.

Polartec says the US Army’s Gen III cold-weather Level II “waffle” layer is made from Power Grid, the grid fleece over your nose and mouth.

The hood is Polartec Power Stretch: smooth outside, soft fleece inside, with four-way stretch.

Close-up of the grid fleece face panel on the Breathe-Easy Balaklava

No cold gap between your collar and your face.

The front bib runs long and tucks into your collar, so your neck is sealed into your jacket. The back is cut shorter, so nothing bunches up.

Woman in the Breathe-Easy Balaklava, face panel up, the long front bib down over her collar

Pull it down to talk. It springs back up.

Elastic tape runs along the top of the face panel, so it doesn’t sag after you pull it down to talk or drink.

The Breathe-Easy Balaklava with the face panel up over the nose
Up
The same balaklava with the face panel pulled down to the neck
Down

Under a helmet or your hood, you won’t know it’s there.

The hood is cut close, so it sits under the Ninja Hoodie’s hood, a helmet or a watch cap without bulk. Snug, without squeezing.

The Breathe-Easy Balaklava worn panel-down under a ++ Watch Cap

The Defender 2026 collection

Made for where the weather turns.

Breathe hard. Keep your face warm.

Two sizes: S/M or L/XL

Shop the Balaklava

$36 · 100% Made in Ukraine

Reviews

People loved the last one. It sold out.

Heads up: these reviews are for a different product, our 2025 PowerStretch Balaclava. The Breathe-Easy Balaklava is brand new, so it has no reviews yet.

PowerStretch BalaclavaSold out

PowerStretch Balaclava (2025)

4.8 from 10 reviews

  • Review of the 2025 PowerStretch Balaclava

    ★★★★★
    “Love it definitely keeps my head warm especially because I work outside in the cold and its soft definitely recommend this to anyone that works outside”

    toddVerified buyer

    See it on Judge.me ↗

  • Review of the 2025 PowerStretch Balaclava

    ★★★★★
    “… Underwear for your head when topped with woollen caps. Goes on my head without removing my glasses.”

    KathieVerified buyer

    See it on Judge.me ↗

  • Review of the 2025 PowerStretch Balaclava

    ★★★★★
    “Perfect for cold Days! :)”

    DanielVerified buyerGermany

    See it on Judge.me ↗

  • Review of the 2025 PowerStretch Balaclava

    ★★★★★
    “Fits perfect, warm, would reccomend to everyone.”

    AnonymousVerified buyerLithuania

    See it on Judge.me ↗

The Breathe-Easy Balaklava is even better

  • Breathe hard without a wet mask: a Polartec Power Grid panel over your nose and mouth
  • No cold gap at your neck: a long bib that tucks into your collar
  • Pull it down to talk and it springs back: elastic tape along the top of the panel

Too nice to be real? Fair. Our mums didn’t write these, promise. They all live on Judge.me, and “Verified” means Judge.me matched the review to a real order.

Check our homework on Judge.me →

Who's behind it

The Saint Javelin story

  1. The original Saint Javelin sticker: a saint holding a Javelin missile
    February 2022

    The million-dollar sticker

    On February 16, 2022, former journalist Christian Borys printed 100 stickers of a saint holding a Javelin missile to raise money for Ukrainian charities. He sold over 10,000 and raised over $1M.

  2. Ukrainian soldiers holding a Saint Javelin flag
    Late 2022

    From meme to maker

    We started making our gear in Ukraine. In late 2022, we built and donated military winter gear to Ukrainian soldiers, which went on to inspire the Defender collection.

  3. Our team in the Yukon backcountry
    Since then

    Proving our gear

    Our gear has been proven around the world: in the hardest conditions in Ukraine, high in the Alps and even in the Yukon backcountry.

  4. A seamstress sewing Saint Javelin gear in a Ukrainian factory
    Today

    100% Made in Ukraine

    We built our production from the ground up. We bring the best materials we can find, like Polartec fleece, into Ukraine and work with manufacturers across the country to make our gear.

As seen in

  • The New York Times
  • BBC News
  • NBC News
  • The Washington Post
  • Forbes Ukraine

Rated 4.9 out of 5 across 5,400+ customer reviews

Everything you get

  • Breathe hard without a wet, frozen maskA Polartec Power Grid face panel.
  • No cold gap at your neckA long bib that tucks into your collar.
  • Pull it down, it springs backElastic tape along the top of the panel.
  • Fits under a hood or a helmetA close-cut Polartec Power Stretch hood.

Built around your breathing · 100% Made in Ukraine

Get the Breathe-Easy Balaklava

Power Stretch Breathe-Easy Balaklava, face panel up over the nose, worn by a man
Power Stretch Breathe-Easy Balaklava, Power Grid face panel close-up
Power Stretch Breathe-Easy Balaklava, face panel pulled down, worn by a man
Power Stretch Breathe-Easy Balaklava, face panel up, worn in the Yukon backcountry
Power Stretch Breathe-Easy Balaklava, face panel pulled down, under a ++ Watch Cap, worn by a man
Power Stretch Breathe-Easy Balaklava, face panel up over the nose, worn by a woman
Power Stretch Breathe-Easy Balaklava, face panel pulled down, worn by a woman
Power Stretch Breathe-Easy Balaklava, face panel pulled down, under a ++ Watch Cap, worn by a woman

1 / 8

Power Stretch Breathe-Easy Balaklava

$36

A Polartec Power Grid face panel and a Polartec Power Stretch hood. 100% Made in Ukraine.

Size: S/M
  • Breathe hard without a wet, frozen mask: a Polartec Power Grid face panel
  • No cold gap at your neck: a long front bib tucks into your collar
  • Pull it down to talk or drink, and it springs back: elastic tape along the panel
  • Fits under a hood or a helmet: a close-cut Power Stretch hood
  • Two sizes: S/M and L/XL
Full details and size chart

Questions we get

Which size should I get?

It comes in S/M and L/XL. The size chart is on the product page.

Will it freeze when I breathe hard?

It's designed not to: the Power Grid face panel lets your breath out and fresh air in, so it doesn't soak through or freeze to your face.

Can I wear it under a helmet?

Yes. The hood is cut close, so it sits under a hood, a helmet or a cap.

Is it military issue?

No. Polartec says the US Army's Gen III “waffle” layer is made from Power Grid, the fabric of our face panel, but the Balaklava is ours: designed for the outdoors and made in Ukraine.

Where is it made?

100% Made in Ukraine.

Tough gear,
for tough people.

Built around your breathing.

Shop the Balaklava

The Defender Collection 2026 · 100% Made in Ukraine