Tactical Heavyweight Balaclava - Cold Weather Face Mask for Outdoor Sports, Skiing, Snowboarding & Hunting - Windproof & Breathable Winter Gear

The piece that come up in front is actually a 4 1/2" flap comprised of a double thickness of fleece material that goes all the way around the inside of the hood. This flap, when up, adds a significant amount of insulation around the entire lower part of the head as well as across the lower face. When the flap is down, it sits pretty much unnoticed and out of the way. This is a great design overall. The extra material, however, does make the hood bulkier which means it cannot be folded as small. For example, it will not fit in any of my vest or coat pockets (see update below).OK, there is an issue of a strong chemical smell when it first arrives. You will probably want to wash the hood before you wear it. I soaked it in a bucket of soapy water for a couple of hours with a good rinse afterwards before I machine washed it. The result is that 95% of the chemical smell is gone. I can now comfortable wear it but plan to repeat this process some time in the future.I have a large head and the hood fits me quite comfortably. The shroud tucks well into a vest or jacket. The fleece is thick enough to provides lots of warmth. I have a Condor Watch Cap Navy Blue that complements the hood quite well.Update 18 Jan 18: I mentioned above that the hood is too bulky to fit in my vest pocket. Well, with a little compression is actually fits fine. I can actually zip the pocket closed and carry the hood in the vest without any issues. My neck is very sensitive to the cold, and I often wear the hood in the down position with the flap up as a neck gaiter.