Shemagh or Buff

[wildrover]

I have a shemagh and a meraklon headover (no buff tho').

I love and use both.
The headover in wet or damp cold and the shemagh in either dry cold or warm conditions.
As for looking like a terrorist..... A forty something, overweight scotsman(is there any other kind) I don't think so.

Chris

 

[Miyagi]

As for looking like a terrorist..... A forty something, overweight scotsman(is there any other kind) I don't think so.

Chris

That describes most of us on here.

All the best

Liam

 

[John Fenna]

I have a huge collection of Buffs and similar objects and one Shem...
I never leave the house without a Buff - I occassionally search out the Shem...
The greatest Buff available is the Merino version with which I have formed an un-naturally strong bond

 

[Dunelm]

the olive merino buff is well worth the price

 

[scottforsythe1]

Shemagh for me

 

[Miyagi]

5 meter long cheche for me

Or tagelmust (spelling?)

 

[gowersponger]

i wear a merino wall buff most days draws the sweat away and keeps you cool in the summer and keeps you warm in the winter to. plus i work on a beach and it comes in handy to pull up over the mouth when the dry sand is a blowing or to pull up over the nose if a work mate lets one rip

 

[stretch3144]

Shemagh. Extremely versatile!

 

[ananix]

I do have a shemag for every envioment, spring green, autum brown, city grey, but i rarely use them as i only find them usefull in regards to camouflage compared to other choices. And even in that regards i prefere my olive net scarf wich functions better if you are not mingling with the public as there it might draw to much attention.
Producs sold as "buff's" tend to be small tunnel scarfs, rendering them pretty much useless to other functions than clothing, or at the best only convering a small part of functionality also covered by scarfs or long tunnel scarfs.
For winter i use a 1m wollen tunnel scarf, without doubt the most versitile piece of clothing. Other seasons i wear a scouts scarf and a hat or benie. In the summer i sometimes wear a scarf (tagelmust) i picked up and learnt to tie at upland saharah.

 

[Large Sack]

scrim...

 

[Retired Member southey]

Shemaghs, really like em.

 

[Green Arrow]

I have both, but I wear my merino buff way more - smaller and more portable plus great insulation

 

[8thsinner]

I own three buffs and five shemaghs.
Interestingly I only bought three of the shemaghs, last year they kept popping up on sunday mornings around the city, Guess people lost them drunk and didn't care So I claimed them for myself. Yellow ones washed with green ones soon becomes green...
My new cheap black one is the one I wear most now. just thrown it over the shoulder under my jacket or shirt.
I used to wear my buff constantly, now I have an akubra again so the buff is actually wrapped under my hat band. It still comes in handy.
I have used the shemagh for everything for wrapping me up to wrapping up the shopping, furoshiki purse style thrown over the back.

I have never managed a comfortable fundoshi with it though...too warm...
But a shemagh around each leg as chaps under trousers is a great base layer for trapping heat in winter as long as it's tied up properly so it won't fall down.

I have a list as long as your arm for using shemaghs, buffs, bandanas and woolen blankets.
But if I were to choose only one for regular wear it would be the shemagh, it's size really does matter.
I am thinking any scarf around 105cm x 105cm in an absorbant material that dries fast would be a welcome addition to any kit list, however the 3000 yr old woven design used in the shemagh...Well it has it's own ancient history, more than can be said for most kit.
Although the buff too, was a modern reinvention from a victorian snood...a peasants hair tye.

I haven't picked up a merino buff yet, but will be getting two of them, like john I have an unnatural bond with the stuff, And he will probably agree, when you wear nothing but merino as a base layer for long periods your body adapts it's self some how. I have 6-7 merino base layers now, I still want more...

I am rambling on here but what it comes down to
Get s shemagh first, then get a buff, then if you don't have one, get a woolen blanket.

 

[J4C3]

Both
Buff = on your wrist or around your neck so always at hand.
Small flannel,small towel,dries very fast
great anti mossie veil and you can see thru it
good for at night in tent ,hammock to cover face

Shemagh
large towel ,scarf,ground seat
slower drying but more absorbent

i carry both very versatile but very different uses imo

 

[Neumo]

I am feeling a bit left out here as I usually dont take either of them.... I had a green shemagh that I used occaisionally but I washed it once and lots of green dye came out, so was a bit wary about using in the rain, as a water filter etc... I also had a green camo buff that I seemed to have lost but will try & find again, as it covers the face nicely when you want to get close to animals. I will probably get a Merino wool buff when I can spare the funds, as I have heard good things about these.

I see a lot of the american bushcrafters use & recommend a bandana, as it has 1001 uses (hats, filters, sling, face mask etc...) so I am thinking of finding a suitable woodland colour one to add to my pack. Like large chopping knives, I get the impression that most bushcrafters in the UK dont use them so much; it must be a cultural thing I suppose.

I think another green shemagh & a buff or two need to be aquired, as they sound a useful thing to have.

 

[J4C3]

i found the bdu imports buff better than the original Buff,slightly thicker and only £5.
Great for if the fire gets too smokey too

 

[Ph34r]

Shemagh! Useful for and as everything!

 

[Rebel]

Buff for me. I can wear it in town as well as in the countryside and I might look like a pirate if I wear it that style. If I wear a shemagh in town I'll look like a terrorist, an old guy trying to fit in with the local youth culture or like I'm making a political statement.

The Buff fits in my pocket quickly and easily and can be worn a variety of ways without any effort. I generally have one in my pocket even if I'm not wearing it just in case I need it. I have the merino wool one (which is quite a bit longer than the regular one), a few regular ones and the Windstopper one.

We have a few shemaghs at home, the kids like them as a fashion item but I don't get on with them in our climate. I also have a few bandanas that I bought before I discovered the buff. They don't get used any more. They are cotton which I find not so good to use here in the UK and I find the Buff to be more versatile.

Here's some fun ideas for how to use a bandana (don't clean your camera lenses or glasses with it, a buff it much safer for this task - you might damage them with a cotton cloth).

http://www.journeywoman.com/travel101/bandana.html

And here's a few ways to wear a Buff

I know how a shemagh is usually worn but this is how I usually see them.

 

[Ph34r]

"If I wear a shemagh in town I'll look like a terrorist"

No you wont (unless you have a beard )

 

[locum76]

I've been considering a buff to keep bugs out of my mouth and nose when cycling, but I've just spotted this thread and thought a shemagh may do instead. Does anyone else use a shemagh in that way?