| 770 | Bandana | 2013-02-13 |
Yesterday, was a nice cool day in Nashville. After working through the morning, I left at about one for my daily run. Being a long time dedicated runner, I have drawers full of running clothing. Before each run, I carefully chose running clothing to match the weather.
It was cool when I left the house. A breeze was in my face and I had to pick up my pace to find a comfortable body temperature. Maybe, I should have grabbed a wind jacket ...
When I finally changed directions, I warmed up almost immediately. Soon I was leaking from my forehead. I immediately reached to my front pocket for my bandana, but it wasn't there. Annoyed I wiped the sweat away with my hand. Where was my bandana? I couldn't even remember the last time I had run without one.
I have carried a bandana with me while running since the early eighties. Oh, not the same one, but a bandana was always been with me. Being a sweater, when I get hot, perspiration beads on my forehead and cascades into my eyes. Left unchecked, at the end of a long run, my eyes would be as irritated as if I had swam underwater all day. I tried running with my eyes closed, but a better answer was the bandana. A quick wipe just mopped the sweat away. It is that easy.
A few minutes later in my run, I reached to my pocket again. I soon realized, I was nothing but a trained dog. As each bead of sweat appeared, I reached for the bandana. I could not prevent the trained response. No matter how hard I tried, the minute I was not focusing on 'not' reacting - then I was. Woof!
Not only do I carry a bandana running but I also carry one on most other outdoor endeavors. The bandana is as versatile as duct tape!
A few notes on bandana usage ...
My number one use is to wipe sweat off my forehead with the bandana.
Naturally, you can also use a bandana to manage nasal drainage or blow your nose.
Worn as a neck scarf the bandana keeps the sun off your neck.
Bandanas make good cloth napkins or tablecloths.
The porous material is a good pre-filter strainer for treating water.
If you are a pirate or a balding man like me, you can wear a bandana as a do-rag - to protect your exposed head from the sun.
In a forest fire, I wore a bandana across my face - bandit style - to help filter the smoky air.
I used one to hold a splint on a dislocated finger.
A bandana could also be used to put pressure on an open wound or hold gauze in place.
Use one to wipe the dew off a rain fly, or soak up water that has leaked in a tent.
A bandana is a great substitute for a towel or wash cloth.
Bandanas are a general cleaning rag.
An inexpensive bandana can be used as patching material to temporarily cover a hole.
A bright colored bandana could be used as a signal flag.
Holding a bandana in your hand while running in cold weather (without gloves), warms your hand. Warming the capillaries in your palm, must bring warmth to the rest of your hand.
After running out of TP, I have used a bandana to help clean up. Back at home, after carrying the bandana home in a plastic bag, I washed the bandana several times, but never thought it was clean enough to return it to the stack of bandanas used to wipe my face!
The uses for a bandana are endless. Whether you use one to wipe the sweat from you eyes or one of the other many uses, the bandana is a flexible multi-use tool that has earned the right to be carried by every outdoors person.
Happy Bandana trails