gear we like, part 4: headbands

Ok so this one is going to be a touch controversial as not everyone looks good in a headband…in fact some would probably say that nobody looks good in a headband, but I would like to offer some evidence to the contrary, take this picture of my friend Matt, doesn’t he just look lovely?

Seeing as it is just a tiny bit unfair of me to use Matt as my sole [mildly embarrassing] example of headband wearing (sorry Matt!), here is a picture of me wearing mine to balance things out:

You’re probably now wondering why on Earth I am singing the praises of fleecy headbands now that I have managed to establish that they aren’t exactly the height of fashion (unless of course you wear one with sunglasses too, then you get points for the ‘French Alpine Guide’ look – after all, as everyone knows, French Alpine Guides are all about looking chic whilst p*ssing everyone else off with their lack of consideration or manners…but I digress…), so here we go.

Advantages:

• Keeps your ears warm (especially good when there is a biting cold wind)
• Don’t make you overheat as much as a hat when working hard (so fantastic for hill walking and walk-ins to climbs when it isn’t super cold, but still cold enough to want something on your head)
• Fits well under a helmet (doing pretty much the same job as a hat, bearing in mind your helmet will cover the top of your head anyway)
• Can be worn underneath a hat to give even more protection to your ears (great if your hat doesn’t quite cover your ears, or if it is really, really cold)

Disadvantages:

• Not as warm as a hat (duh!)
• Makes you look a bit ‘special’ (unless you’re in the Alps)

I must comment though, my head is obviously slightly smaller than the average circumference as it took me ages to find a headband that actually fit and didn’t slip down (thank you to Patrick and his trip to Millets of all places!!), so whilst they may well mostly be labelled as ‘one size fits all’, I can assure you, they don’t!

Also, in the UK outdoorsy headbands only seem to be available in black, which is arguably the best colour for most things, but I can’t help but think a funky brightly coloured one (or even one with stripes?!) would be great, after all you’re already choosing to look a bit odd by wearing one, so why not stand out properly!