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Pieces of cloth in my pack?


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Home Forums General Forums General Lightweight Backpacking Discussion Pieces of cloth in my pack?

Viewing 9 posts - 1 through 9 (of 9 total)
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  • #3439757
    KRS
    BPL Member

    @krshome

    Locale: Virginia USA

    So i just recently bought a Buff and I like it a lot. The thinking was it would replace my trusty old bandana. I have yet to stop carrying the bandana as the Buff is not a replacement for it. I also carry a Light load Towel for wiping my body down after a sweaty hike and a small piece of a light load towel in my kitchen kit. I know I don’t need all four, but I feel like each does its own thing. Anyone else doing the same or am i just over thinking this? The weight is irrelevant here, Im just trying to do the less is more thinking.

    #3439766
    Matthew / BPL
    Moderator

    @matthewkphx

    My $.02. I carry two or three of those depending on weather.

    Buff is nice when it’s chilly. Very versatile but I bother bringing it when it’s hot. I tend to use it as a hat when I’m just a little chilly and then once the hooded puffy goes on I pull it down around my neck.

    Bandana is nice when it’s hot but you are not in the sun. It does double duty at the end of the day with a little water to rinse off some grime or to cool down mid-hike. Bandana is useful as a tool for improvising a sling or splint. I have a fluorescent orange one that offends my aesthetic sensibilities but might work well if I needed to signal someone or mark a location.

    Tiny Lightload towel in the bottom of the cook kit stuffsack is nice for keeping Esbit residue in one place although my setup burns really clean so it’s not much of an issue.

    #3439776
    Kenneth Keating
    BPL Member

    @kkkeating

    Locale: Sacramento, Calif

    I only carry three, a bandana, buff and microfiber towel and this works well for me.  The buff for high winds, sunburn protection when walking across long stretches of snow and for protection against mosquitoes.  I use the microfiber towel for washing and the bandana for drying and also for wetting and putting under my hat when it’s hot.  You can easily use the bandana for kitchen items.

    #3439784
    Paul Wagner
    BPL Member

    @balzaccom

    Locale: Wine Country

    My wife takes a Buff that I bought her as a gift…

    But nothing replaces the bandana for its use as a mini towel, crude water filter (takes the crud out, saving your real filter) face mask for smoke, washcloth, hot pad for cooking…etc.

    And we have a wonderful old children’s towel with a picture of Big Bird on it. It’s at least 28 years old, and it works better than any micro-fiber towel we’ve found. And it’s big enough to dry your whole body, not just a few spots.

    Is this what they mean by the big three?

    #3439801
    Kattt
    BPL Member

    @kattt

    A buff is in a different category imo, so take it and then…a bandanna should be enough. Make a knot in one corner so you can designate it for whatever you deem the dirtiest deed. Wash it whenever you have a chance, at every creek crossing etc.

    #3439913
    KRS
    BPL Member

    @krshome

    Locale: Virginia USA

    I have to admit I bought the Buff because it was marketed as a replacement for a bandana with more benefits. I have to agree with Paul though there is no replacement for a bandana. Now I do love the Buff but it is not in the same category. I look at it as an article of clothing but thats about it. As per one rag for everything, I like one for my body and one for my kitchen. I get to nasty to what to use my sweaty bandana to clean my pots out with.

    #3439924
    Kattt
    BPL Member

    @kattt

    I don’t bring a buff but I have 2 bandannas on me. One in the pack for food, pot wiping etc. The other either hangs in my belt loop or on my neck or elsewhere on me. That one has a knot ( the snot corner). It’s my cooling off by dipping it in creek and then aroung my neck rag, my extra shade cover, my sweat rag, my face washing rag. I bring baby wipes for other stuff.

    #3440017
    JCH
    BPL Member

    @pastyj-2-2

    Can we get a hallelujah for baby wipes?

    Wish they weren’t so heavy. Tried drying them out but for some reason they are not the same once rehydrated.  I’ve been known to count them out and ration (5 per day) for long trips. I never go in the woods without them.

    #3440037
    Kattt
    BPL Member

    @kattt

    “Can we get a hallelujah for baby wipes?”

    absolutely!!!

    Worth every gram as far as I am concerned.

     

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