I must have missed this when I was attending school. Hey Grumpy I would not recommend a gas mask for confined space. Remember if you have an oxygen deficient location a gas mask will not work. Make sure you have an SCBA and that is a whole different subject we can go into.

One thing I do recommend is those of you with old gas masks you do want to replace them. Try the old ones out and put them on and practice with them get to know what it is like to breath through a filter. Before you are done take the new one and practice with it until you are comfortable donning and doffing it. Remember your canisters will last so long as they are still sealed. We are required to inspect out masks every 30 days however I think that is a little much. I do highly recommend you go through your equipment every 6 months. I know there are a lot of masks that are just stuffed in bags. If they are folded over it can cause problems so store them correctly. One other thing is they make tear offs for the lens. These are plastic sheet which protect the the lens of the mask. I can't stand looking through scratched lens.

If you want to do something challenging try shooting through these things. It takes some practice but it can be done. The big problem is being able to see your sights. Red dot make this much better. I am not a big one for lasers but this may be where they come in handy.