Looking for Sith helmet, hood, balaclava & glove recommendations

[David Simmons]

Greetings!

Because I will be performing rigorous stage combat while wearing these items, breath-ability and fast evaporation are a necessity.

For the mask, I must have:

Excellent field of vision
Well vented, anti-fog lenses
VERY breathable
Composed of a material that can be painted/modded
Black in color

I would like compliment the half helmet with a hood, so it would be ideal if the mask had a small visor that either comes with it or could be added.  I need to be able to use velcro (or something else) to attach the hood to the top of the mask and keep it in place.  A Sith blinded by a hood blocking his view is not going to be very menacing!  I'm already going to be wearing a long-sleeved black top and a tunic, so it would be great if the hood was just that.  I want to minimize the layers because I'll already be sweating!

I've been looking at paintball masks so far, and the :  DYE Precision I4 seems like a good bet.  However, it's pretty expensive and I would like to hear of any other options which you're aware of that would fit my above list of requirements and are more moderately priced. 

The balaclava should be very breathable, and of the kind of fabric that maximizes sweat wicking & drying.  I will need one with a hole for the mouth as I will have dialogue and need to be heard clearly.

As for the gloves, I know that there are probably no options which will be super breathable, but at the least they should NOT be insulated. They need to fit like a second skin so that I will have maximum confidence in wielding my hilt(s).  It would be great if they ended right at the wrist.  Since I will be wearing a long sleeve top, longer cuffs are not necessary.

Thanks very much for reading all this and I look forward eagerly to your suggestions!

UPDATE:  Ok, I have a question (several actually):  62 views and NOT ONE COMMENT?  Should I go somewhere else?  What am I missing here?  Could there be another forum where this question might fit better?  Am I asking the wrong questions?  Does nobody give a *hit?

[Venin]

hey there.

So um it really, REALLY depends on your sith.   You see people do modern, Old Republic, Cross Universe and all.   

I personally would LOVE to get a paintball Army of Two mask and do it up for mine, but alas money.

I myself have actually done something very cheeky and bad >.> Went crazy on 2nd hand Halloween masks for like $1 in the second hand shop, then began cutting and sanding.   Ultimately, I plan to use clay or plaster and get casts of the sections I like and continue to cut and cast until I have a 100% unique helmet that not only fits my face, has good air currents so my visor doesn't fog, but also is rather cheap and hands on.

As for gloves, again its very much a personal thing.  personally, as a horse rider, I plan to grab an old worn pair of my leather gloves for a well worn and not brand new look.  then with 3m sintra, foamed pvc, shape finger armor and weather it.   if you plan to put armor or something over the top, worn horse riding gloves are fantastic if you can get the logos covered and such.  many are along the lines of lamb leather and are designed to keep your hands cool yet be endurable enough for a 600kg animal to pull on.  They are also designed so you can feel every subtle shift in the reins, so they are very protective, vented but do not block your hands in the slightest.   Normally they are also black and discreet, so they are not all flamboyant.

As for the hood idea... I've actually gone with a hood, but copied the assassins creed style subtly to give me more visibility.  you might want to look into a Mandalorian or Stormtrooper undersuit head, which is the same thing.  Then perhaps work a hood that velcros to it so it holds its half back look without looking like its pinned.

As for sleeves, I'm being cheeky again.   I am working on designing attachable velvet sleeves, just because I couldn't get the right colours in more natural cottons.  Sleeves that hook in under my pleather tunic/robe and look legitimate, yet don't restrict my movement or overheat me. 

I went to a con in the 5 layers of openweave linen and it went horrifically.  Never again.

Hope this rambling helps somehow.

[Beavercorp]

Check your local Paintball BSTs on Facebook, and kijiji/craigslist, I have an I4 and I love them, I would also consider a Grillz, they're fairly menacing as well.

I got my Grillz for 50 and I4 for 70 (Canadian) so like 35 and 50 US

[Guylo Ren]

I kind of winged it when I threw my costume together to attend the midnight showing of TFA... Discovered that the PPE cupboard in work yields up a wealth of breath mask options if you're going darkside,& assuming you're creating a character of your own.I chose one with some fairly heavy venting & filter assemblies,& customised it with a combination of plasticard panels & a can of black Games Workshop basecoat paint,also riveting on some black elastic straps for security.Although of course,if you're aiming for a canon character portrayal,your mask would need to be rather more specific!