Let's Wrap It Up: A Review of the Shemagh

This week we will be reviewing the shemagh, a middle eastern head garb that is popular with the soldiers over there because it is very useful in keeping sand out of their faces. We talked earlier about the bandanna being used to cover your face in a dust storm, this item is actually better to serve that purpose. The bottom part of the wrap can be pulled up to keep the sand out of my face and the top can be pulled down to keep the sand out of my eyes. The tighter the shemagh is tied, the better I am prepared. Not only is this useful in a hot environment, you could also use this in a cold environment to help combat wind chill and basically use this as a second scarf. Of course you can wear it as a scarf simply by tying it around your neck.

To tie the head wrap you want to start by folding it diagonally into a triangle just like we did with the bandanna. You are then going to place the long length of the wrap over your head with 1/3 of the length on one side and the other 2/3 on the opposite side. Make sure that your head is cowled like a cloak before you tie it off. You then want to take the short end, wrap it around your chin and hold it in place. Then take the long side and wrap it around your chin in the opposite direction and around the back of your head to meet the end from the short side. You can tie one overhand knot here, but I found that when I did it this way the wrap tended to slip so I recommend two. After that all that is left to do is adjust. It may take you two or three tries, but just get something that is comfortable to you.

Other uses for this fabric? Well it's 42" x 42" of fabric, which means it is a square and can be used as a sling in case of an emergency. This shemagh is definitely bigger than the bandanna fabric that I showed you earlier so I am going to tie this similar to how I did that fabric. I'm going to make a self tightening knot, or a loop, on one end, take the loose end through the loop, place your arm and neck into the sling and adjust. To adjust, all you need to do is pull the loose end until your arm is resting comfortably where it needs to be. Then tie the loose end in an overhand knot around the sling to keep it in place.

I'm not entirely sure if the shemagh is 100% cotton, but I would imagine it is. The texture is very similar to the flour sack towels, but it is just a bit softer. Really though when we're talking about bushcraft stuff we aren't talking about the fashion trend, or how soft it is, we're talking about its function. In addition to keeping the wind and sand off of you, it can also keep your head cool. Back in the day I rocked a turban a few times, not all the time, just a few times. To tie it off, you start it in the back like you do a bandanna, bring the ends around front, tie it off again, turn the knot to the back and tuck in the ends. And there you have a simple turban. This would help my head to regulate temperature. The only downside is that the wrap is very dark. I chose these colors because I am in the eastern woodlands and these colors act better to camouflage me. This can also aid in hunting as a sniper's veil if you drape it over you. As a side note I could also clean with this, but it's not something I actually tested because the fabric is so similar to the flour sack towels that I am not worried about it.

This wraps up the final installment of cotton and also the last of the 10 C's. This is the end of our first arc, the 10 C's of Survivability, An In Depth Look. I'm excited to be done with this, not because I didn't have fun, but now I can bring you my own content that I have actually done my own research on. That won't be next week, but the first of April. I will also be doing a livestream tonight that is March 19th at 11:30 pm EST until 12:05 am. This will be our typical farewell to cotton livestream as well as a farewell to something else and you won't want to miss it! As always feel free to comment by clicking the comment link at the end of the blog, hit the follow button in the top right corner, share this blog, and check back next week for a new one on Sunday 10pm (est). If you want to keep up with me and what I’m doing, Follow me on Facebook: @BPackBushcraft and on Twitter @BPackBushCraft. Lastly if video is more your style check out my YouTube Channel backpack bushcraft where there is a video version of this with the same title. Until next time, keep those fires burning and put another log on for me.