But a better way to prevent it from getting there is pool goggles ! (and not ski goggles. Those have vents !)
this post was submitted on 30 Jan 2026
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Wear ANSI impact rated airsoft goggles over the pool goggles to protect from rubber bullets.
A hard hat with ANSI impact rated face shield attached is also viable and allows a respirator. Make sure to use a chin strap with the hard hat.
I guess this is good advice but it also is too conspicuous. Pool goggles are discreet enough, you can have them around your neck under a scarf and quickly pull them up.
Too conspicuous? The idea is to let them know we're here, we're pissed off, and we're prepared to fight for what we demand. Why are you trying to go unnoticed in what's supposed to be an overt display of unity?
If you have the gear to withstand their tools, you should be obvious about it. You'll become a target and draw their fire away from those who are more vulnerable. If you're not willing to take a hit, give your gear to someone who is, take your signal whistle, position yourself at the back of the crowd, and keep watch for flankers.
I disagree. Hide the gear, in many circumstances they will arrest anyone obviously geared up before they even get to the event. Don't draw a target on yourself and don't make yourself like you're here to fight, make them look as bad as possible by making it obvious they are attacking innocents.
If you show up in your own riot gear it makes them look like heroes. Being discreet is very important for the optics, obviously with a few small concessions made for protection.
For example, using an umbrella makes you look like a resourceful underdog, while using a homemade shield makes you look like someone who came for a fight.
You don't want to look like you came to fight. You want to look like you came to peacefully protest, and they forced you to fight (notice I didn't say you shouldn't fight)
On the flip side, ski goggles will probably fair a lot better against paintballs
That's why you wear both pool goggles and impact rated goggles over them.
Or get actual safety goggles instead of something made for a different purpose?
They don't make safety goggles for gas, those are called gas masks and if you have an extra 600 bucks or so kicking around for a respirator with an impact rated face shield that is absolutely the best tool for the job. For the rest of us $20 for swim goggles, safety glasses, and an N95 is likely to be "good enough".
N95 is probably better than nothing, but for these purposes it's probably far from good enough
Most pepper sprays and such are oil based, and n-rated respirators are not oil resistant. For that you really want an R-, or even better P-rated mask for oily mists.
Disposable masks suitable for that do exist, but more often you're going to find reusable cartridge-based ones which will have some additional ratings that probably aren't relevant to specifically pepper spray but could maybe be relevant for other
White labeled cartridges are suitable for acid gases like chlorine
Black labeled are suitable for organic vapors like from paint thinners and other solvents
Yellow are suitable for both
Green are rated for ammonia and methylamine
Which respirator cartridges are the "normal" ones you get at the hardware store? Yellow?
I don't exactly go respirator-shopping super often, and I of course have no idea what stores around you stock, but dn my experience, yellow and black are pretty widely available, and I don't think that I've ever personally seen white or green in the wild, but I've also never specifically gone shopping for them either, since my main use case is for things like spray paint so I'm mostly concerned with organic solvents fumes.
A pair of safety goggles that seal well against your eyes will help you a ton against tear gas. You're still going to have breathing issues but you'll avoid the eye pain.
I used this trick when I needed to cut lots of onions.
Gas masks just aren't practical for large crowds due to the expense/training required. You're looking at $150 new, filters being about $40+ new. Sure you can get surplus for cheaper if you can find it, but most people can't, not enough to go around.
Also filters should be replaced after being esposed to chemicals they're designed to protect against. You probably could get away with using tear filters exposed to year gas.
They don't make safety goggles for gas, those are called gas masks
I mean, sure, the cheap safety googles (like this, not this) aren't going to be perfect against a tear gas canister or something like that, but I assume they'd at least help some (buying you time to act before it starts seeping in), and be half-decent against directed sprays. I guess if you really wanted to wear swimming goggles under them you could, but it almost seems like overkill unless you plan to be right up on the front line, goading the ICE goons to mace you.
My first inclination would've been to just grab the PPE I already have for home DIY (spray painting and such), which are googles like above, paired with a reusable half-face respirator with P100 cartridges (a 3M 65021, I think). If cobbling together sports equipment really is better than that, I want to understand why and I'm not sure I do yet.
Also, even if we are talking about a full face respirator, where'd you come up with the $600 figure? What's wrong with something like a 3M 6800 for $125?
P100 works on particulates only. To protect from tear gas, you'll need carbon / charcoal, gas filters. Look for painting filters.
Some P100 filters also have gas filters. Make sure you know what you have before you rely on it.
At a store like harbor freight you can get safety goggles, like safety glasses but goggles. They probably fit both issues.
Safety goggles are not airtight, they won't do shit for gas.
I highly doubt people using Lemmy ever go out ?
Watered down milk of magnesia or Pepto is a great solution. Well used in past protests.
The issue with milk, according to the ophtalmologist's video, is that when you got pepper sprayed there's a chance your cornea has been damaged, so that milk can give you an infection.
Milk of Magnesia is not dairy milk. It's an over the counter medication with antacid properties similar to Pepto bismol. Although taken orally they are not used in all the same instances.
Ah true, I misread
There's been a few studies on this, and most of the supposed remedies have been found to be little or no more effective than just rinsing with water or saline.
That said, in theory, I feel like baby shampoo is probably a pretty good bet, it makes sense on paper. Most pepper sprays are oil-based, soap/shampoo is a surfactant so it helps to rinse out those oily substances with water, and baby shampoo in particular is non-irritating to the eyes.
There's a few purpose-made products for this, I've seen a few recommendations for sudecon wipes from first-responder types. I have no recommendations about how to best get your hands on those sorts of products in case you're worried about leaving a paper trail.
For my own personal kit (that I just try to keep well-stacked for any eventuality, I have pepper spray on my dog's leash so I figured I should know what to do if I even accidentally mace myself) I've settled on sterile saline eye wash and baby shampoo. Haven't had to use it yet, so I can't attest to the effectiveness, but I figure it's gotta be better than nothing
And it makes enough sense on paper that I figure if nothing else maybe I'll be able to placebo effect myself into believing it did something.
If the stuff is oil based, dousing your face with cream, which is full of oil would get the crap out of your eyes faster, then you douse with water to disperse what's left of the oil/lipid. Edit: Just did some more reading and milk cream is not better as it can spoil and introduce bacteria into your eyes.
I knew just from the mention of shampoo what video would be referenced.
If a gas grenade lands near you, cover it with a traffic cone and pour water down the hole on top. Do NOT try to pick it up unless you're wearing an oven mit or silicone grill glove. Kicking it is fine though.
A 50/50 mix of Maalox antacid and saline also does well
Helpful!