Hiking BandannasHiking bandannas have branched out quite a bit since my early hiking days. I remember 2 basic colors back in the "dark ages": blue and red. A recent stroll through the aisles of a sporting goods store gave me a rude shock: tie-dyed bandannas! Not only that, but every hue imaginable of the classic bandanna pattern spilled into a mind-bending display, so many that I ended up with a very elegant gray one because I couldn't commit to just one color. I like the simple life, can you tell? So what have I used my hiking bandannas for? 1. Air conditioning: Soak the bandanna in water, shove it under your hat - Voila! a cool breeze on your neck with every step. 2. Bug screen: Again, some assembly required (the classic "shove it under the hat" maneuver). 3. Emergency sanitary napkin: Fill it with dry moss & lichens, roll it into a somewhat pad shape, attach it to your underwear via 2 safety pins from your emergency kit. 4. Fly swatter: all rolled up and ready to flick the little nasties. Works even better when the bandanna is wet. 5. Wash cloth: At the end of a dusty trail, wash your face & body before crawling into your sleeping bag. 6. Extra padding: Have a not-so-great-fitting belt or strap on your pack? Whip out your bandanna and make some adjustments. 7. Eye patch: I once used my bandanna to create a "pirate patch" look for a fellow backpacker who developed a stye on his eyelid. He felt more comfortable with a cool compress over his eye each evening when we reached our camp spot. Warning: styes are contagious, so handle the bandanna carefully and pay attention to hygiene. You don't want an eye infection when you're miles and miles away from a doctor's office. 8. Hot pad: Grab that pot handle using the bandanna as hand protection. 9. Signal flag: "I'm over HERE!!" [On 2nd thought, maybe my gray bandanna won't be of much help anymore, now that I've retired my bright yellow one...) 10. Bad hair day coverage: Enough said. 11. First aid tool: Mopping up blood. Please don't ask... 12. Sweat mopper: I knot my bandanna around my neck on particularly hot days so I can use the 2 dangling ends to wipe away sweat from my eyes. If sunscreen drips from my forehead into my eyes, my eyes burn, so I preemptively remove the sweat with the bandanna. Works great!
Now it's your turn! Let's try to build a list of "101 uses for a hiking bandanna". Send 'em on in, and I'll post them here, along with your name (unless you prefer anonymity!). And be sure to tell us what color your bandanna is. Maybe we can try to match up colors to hiking personalities! Bright pink for extroverts? Soft violet for introverts?? Gray ones for people like me who get overwhelmed easily by too many choices? This could be fun!
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