…Is a handkerchief. Unremarkable, I know, but here’s how this all got started…

I usually wear a baseball cap of some sort, because it’s comfortable, you don’t have to comb your hair and keeps the sun out of your eyes. However, in any temperatures above 60 it just makes my head unnecessarily hot. The hat had to go, and those who know me will understand that this was a tough concession to make. With no hat to shade my eyes, sunglasses became a necessity.

Quick tangent: I usually get $10 sunglasses because I know i’m just going to break them. For reason I decided to get a real pair of shades for the first time ever: Oakleys. For anyone wondering if they are worth the money, listen to this… On the second day I had them I accidentally dropped them off a 3 story building into a pile of gravel – not a scratch. Then I brought them on the Long Trail for 5 days during which time I managed to ruin all sorts of heartier-looking gear. Again, not a scratch. I break practically everything I own eventually but these things are resilient! Anyhow…

The problem that cropped up instantly sans hat was that sweat was constantly getting into my eyes and all over my new shades rendering them sub-optimal optics. This is where the bandanna comes in. You wrap that sucker up Axl Rose style, and next thing you know, no sun in your eyes, no sweat on your face, the top of head gets some air and lets off some steam (literally) and as an added bonus you get to look like a rock star whilst on the trail.