Will Living in a Personal Bubble Protect You From the Horrors of the Outside World?

Apparently wearing a small piece of fabric affixed to your face has caused such fervent debate in our society that companies are trying to find new and “innovative” solutions to shield your face. Author Celeste Ng uncovered a real gem when she tweeted about these personal social distancing pods:

I was researching outdoor pop-up pods for cold-weather outdoor socially distanced hanging out, and instead discovered this delight, which I now share with you. pic.twitter.com/FQ8hAgsk2H

— Celeste Ng (@pronounced_ing) October 12, 2020

After some internet sleuthing, we discovered the pods are made by a company called Under the Weather, and ordered the basic model (the “ShieldPod”) for $US79.99 ($114)) to test it out.

We are no strangers to finding new devices and methods to help with social distancing, but these pods just seem excessive. For nearly $US100 ($142) after shipping and taxes, you could cover your entire upper body to serve the same purpose as just wearing a mask. We also found that the entire front panel unzips, seemingly defeating the entire purpose of the pod. (Upon closer inspection of the manufacturer’s website, the unzipping front panel specifically defeats the entire purpose of the pod.)

Upon taking the ShieldPod out into the world, we judged it effective at keeping others socially distant, but mostly because you look crazy wearing it and they want to stay away from you. (Jordan found people thought it was a Halloween costume, or possibly an overturned laundry hamper.)

So should you get your own personal pod, or try to hack a budget option? Check out the video below to find out.