The AvaLung II by Black Diamond weighs less than a pound, offers better breathing performance than your own lungs while under snow and wears easily over your existing outerwear.
DECENT FEATURES of the Black Diamond AvaLung II
Allows an avalanche victim to breathe fresh air directly from the snowpack
"It safes my life, i would probably marry it if i could."
12/09/09
With a little training it's absolutely easy to use. If you are in the backcountry this thing is a cheap way to increase the chances to survive an avalanche.And compared to airbag-backpacks it's more than cheap.
I purchased 3 avalungs as Christmas presents. I kept one, and gave the other two away. Fortunately, nobody has actually needed it. We’ve been practicing though. The avalung is a bit tough to figure out how to put on, but once they’re on, it’s barely noticeable. They make some awesome noises when you breathe through them, or when the wind blows across the mouthpiece, so that’s fun.