What is a buff?

Question

What is a "buff", how is it used, and why should I have one?

I've seen them advocated in numerous places, but I'm not sure why a tube of cloth is better around my neck than a scarf, etc.

Answer 1

To be honest I was dubious about getting something that I thought was gimmicky, but my son’s Scout troop was selling custom Buffs to raise group funds so I ended up buying one.

A Buff is just a tube of lightweight, stretchy material.

I’ve found them useful in three particular situations:

• They are thin, so can be worn like a hat under a bicycle helmet for extra warmth in the winter.
• Worn round the neck it provides a comfortable scarf that helps seal any gaps around my jacket collar.
• In summer, I dip it in a stream or river and wear it round my neck to help keep cool.

I think they are versatile and useful, but certainly not a full replacement for a scarf, hat, or whatever.

Answer 2

I know a few people who say they're useful - and they are certainly very versatile. There's nothing very complex about them, it's just a section of stretchy material that you can wear however you like.

They can be used wet for cooling, or dry underneath a hat for a bit of extra warmth, or as a scarf.

If you're on a gentle hike or a fun backpacking trip then there's no harm in having one, they're cheap and if nothing else a bit of fun! I wouldn't say they're an essential piece of serious gear though - kit dedicated to the task it's meant to do will almost always do a better job (a proper scarf will likely be a lot warmer than a buff as a scarf for instance.)