Buff Headwear: Magic Fabric Tubes.

Every so often you are fortunate to come across a product that fits your needs, style, or desires like it was made for you.  When you first see it or use it, it is like a ‘slap the forehead’ moment and you wonder how you ever got along without it.

That happened to me with the Buff line of headwear.   From the head band to the Buff itself, these ‘tubes’ of sewn, multicolored fabric have been making me happy ever since I saw them at Interbike.  I have always been a headband wearer, or really, a ‘sweatband’ wearer.  I am a perspire-er of the first class.  I sweat, and not just the details.  So I have tried the thin stretchy bands, the thick cotton ones, pirate ones, some with rain gutters in them, etc.  Meh!  You get used to the moment you press against the headband with your helmet and it squeezes all the sweat out onto your face, glasses, and bike.  Ick.

And, besides that, I like a head cover too, especially on cooler to cold days, and my ears are very sensitive to wind and are prone to getting ear aches.  So, often I would pull my soggy sweatband down over my ears during a Fall ride into the wind with moderate results.

I sampled three of the Buff products:  The headband, the regular Buff (both in a Coolmax fabric and UV rated), and a Merino wool buff.  At the show, a lovely young lady named Kate took me through the different ways to wear a Buff.  Houdini was no slouch, but I think she could give him a run for his money.  See the You Tube Video for the quick change act.  I was intrigued, I was impressed, I was hooked.  I immediately was struck by the versatility and practicality of the Buff.  I wanted one or two.  So a couple of samples went into the bag and off I went.

Back at home, I tried to duplicate the ways to wear it with mixed results.  How do you spell ‘epic fail’?  Oh yeah...just like that.  My teenage son pitched in and enjoyed bringing me into this brave new world.  Looking in the mirror, I was dashing in my new Buff....very Errol Flynn.  But will I like it under a helmet and on the trail?

In a word - YES!  Actually, I love the Buff and you would have to pry it out of my cold, dead, fingers.  This is why:
●    The headband is the best I have used at holding and dissipating moisture when riding.  I double it over so it ends up being quite wide, covering from above my eyebrows to up past my forehead (which is increasing its acreage every year anyway).  I have never had one drip out of that band...not one rivulet of sweat that did not originate from below the area the band sits.  Impressive.  I think the amount of fabric that is there wicks sweat up into the helmet and then dissipates the perspiration.
●    It covers my ears...or not.  It is very thin so it can be rolled or folded into different widths, but it can easily cover my ears.  I like this for wind and such, but I also like it for UV protection for my skin which has taken a beating over the years.  Very nice.
●    It never feels intrusive under the helmet.
●    The full on Buff is a longer piece of fabric and can be worn all kinds of ways as shown.  I can begin with a Sahariane, covering the back of my neck in the sun, and move to a beanie later on.  Or vise versa, etc.  It is light and packs easy.  I would bring a couple on any bikepacking tour.  Darn versatile.
●    I bought a Merino wool Buff (tech info here) to see how that was, and wore it all day on a 7 hour enduro race that was held in cloudy, cool, and changing weather.  Despite being sweat-logged, I never was cold from that and it was excellent and comfy without being too thick while keeeping my ears warm on fast descents.  It also is longer than the regular Buff, or at least the one I bought is.  I may have clicked the ‘extra long’ box at order...not sure...but the extra length is great in the warmer fabric.

I noticed that the normal Buff, when worn on a hot day, does impede air flow across your head on slow climbs and hot days.  The flip side is a bit of an air conditioned feel whenever air is moving through the helmet and across the moist fabric.  A trade-off there.  I have hand washed them so far, but the models I have are machine washable, even the wool one.

I am a fan.  Buff rocks.