How much is there to say about a tube of fabric? Turns out, quite a bit.

Buff is “the original multifunctional headwear” - a (usually) seamless tube of fabric that is most often worn as a scarf, beanie or combination in colder climes, or for sun protection and as a bandana where it’s hotter. The word is derived from the Spanish “bufanda”, meaning “scarf”. Most of my outdoorsy friends will have heard of Buff, though it’s a brand that teeters on the edge of its own success - in my view, it’s verging on becoming a small-b generic trademark, if it hasn’t already become one (like Hoover in the UK or Texta in Australia). I’m not surprised, because if the true generic alternative to “Buff” is “neck gaiter”, I know which I prefer.

I was approached by KitShack, who asked if I’d like a Buff to review. You betcha. To make this review a bit more meaningful, I’m comparing the Buff provided by KitShack with a Peter Storm Chute I got cheap from Millets.

I was offered a choice of Buff products from the huge range at KitShack (seriously, who knew there were so many Buffs?) and I ended up going with a Merino Wool Buff in grey with a wintery knit-style design. I can confirm that the wool is grey, but the pattern is not woven through (i.e. when you look at the inside, it’s all grey). This Buff has a flat hem at either end, which I think you kind of have to have with wool, but the original Buff and many of the other designs do not. Being wool, this is obviously not a vegan product, though Buff notes it is "mulesing free". The Buff is made in Spain, which is where the company originates. (Incidentally, the Merino sheep also originates in Spain, though they were first farmed in earnest in Australia. Now I’m remembering visiting the Big Merino in Goulburn. What an attraction.)

There was a much smaller collection of Peter Storm Chutes at Millets, which is partly because I was visiting a physical shop rather than an online retailer and partly because there are just not so many designs available. I bought a dark blue one with a water-drop outline design in light blue. The Chute is made of polyester and the colour is printed rather than woven (i.e. the inside of the Chute is white). It is completely seam- and hem-free.

I’d been considering getting one of these for a while, to replace a scarf when I go on long walks. I figured it would be more compact, less likely to blow around in the wind and catch on things and - importantly - it could be used as a beanie or bandana, too. Having tried the Buff and the Chute I think I’ll probably never take a scarf on a multi day walk again. I love scarves (as in, I have at least half a dozen winter scarves and I end up buying all these delightful floaty floral scarves at op-shops, even though I almost never wear them!) but this style is clearly the way forward, especially if you’re interested in reducing your pack weight.

The immediately obvious difference between the Buff and the Chute is size. The Chute is quite snug, which doesn’t make much of a difference when wearing it around the neck. Once I pull it up over my chin and mouth, however it starts getting tight. If I try to pull the tube up so that only my face peeps out (this is how I might wear it on a cold day under a raincoat), I can barely open my mouth. (NB: We met with a friend of ours last week who happened to have an original Buff. It seems to be only slightly bigger than the Chute - see below.)

The Buff is longer, wider and stretchier making for a looser, scrunchier fit around the neck. It’s easier to wear this as a hat or as a full head/neck tube - in head/neck tube configuration, there’s a bit of extra fabric around the face, but if you tuck the sides away nun/hijabi style it sits nicely under a raincoat. At first I was concerned that the Buff wouldn’t stay up when I pulled it up over my lower face, but it seems to sit there OK without falling down - the slightly rougher wool texture probably helps with this.

That is the other thing to note is the feel of the two items. The woollen Buff is rougher than the polyester Chute against the skin. It was a tiny bit itchy on me to start with, but not enough to put me off. It softened up after a week or so, but anyone who’s more sensitive to wool might want to choose a different style. (For reference, I sometimes wear merino wool thermals, which are silkier than this Buff.)

(Well, more things considered.)

I’ve been wearing these both for a few weeks, now. I wore the Chute on a 14km/8.5mi walk from Battle down to the sea (mostly following the Bexhill link of the 1066 Country Walk) on a cold day. It worked well. Once we got to the sea, the wind picked up, and I was glad to have my beanie to cover my ears as well as the Chute to use as a scarf.

I wore the Buff on a 21km/13mi walk around Bewl Water and on a snowy day trip to Hastings. It was nice and versatile - I wore it as both a scarf and beanie at Bewl water and it worked well. Once again, when the wind started to blow, I went back to my fleece-lined beanie to protect my ears. After that, the Buff was my go-to for most outdoorsy exploits, come rain or snow! I’ve also worn the Buff to work in the morning a few times and a couple of people have commented on it (favourably, natch) - it kind of matches my suit!

My first impressions are still pretty accurate. In this winter weather, my tendency is to go for the Buff rather than the Chute - it’s warmer and there’s more of it to go around. The additional length makes the Buff easier to fashion into a beanie-replacement, but neither item is a substitute for a proper, fleece-lined beanie when it’s both cold and windy - the wind cuts right through, even when the fabric is doubled over my ears. Again, for winter, the Buff feels a little snugglier, which is one thing I still prefer about a big scarf - the other being the ability to stuff the ends of the scarf down my top to help keep my chest warm. Having said that, I can still fully do up the zip of my raincoat with the Buff underneath, which isn't possible with a big scarf. I've worn the Buff more than the Chute, and I do wonder if it will get too loose to stay up around my ears - though it might spring back after washing.

The question that's been on my mind is which one to take to Australia. It’s unlikely to get very cold - 15-30 degrees (celsius) during the day, dropping to 5-15 degrees at night - but temperatures fluctuate more widely and frequently than in the UK and it might get stormy at times. The Chute is lighter, more compact and easier to wash (the Buff care instructions specify a warm hand wash). The Buff is warmer, more comforting and more versatile. Something for me to mull over for the next couple of weeks. Probably in the end we’ll take both and Dan will wear whichever one I don’t. We'll see.

In the meantime, the crux of any review: would I recommend these products? To anyone sitting on the fence about trying a Buff (or similar style item), I’d say go for it. They really are convenient. If you’re after just a little extra warmth around the neck and want to do it on the cheap, the Chute is fine. However, if you want something warmer and more cosy, with a wider range of styles and designs to choose from, check out the Buff collection - the range available at Kitshack runs from the original Buff style to reflective, windproof and polar versions, as well as neckwarmers, hoodies and, uh, the Dog Buff. Knock yourself out!

I hope you found this review useful. The Buff was sent to me free for a review by KitShack. As noted elsewhere on this site, when given gear for review, I review honestly and retain authorial control; I am not interested in publishing promoted content.

The last of my 2016 posts - two months together, as there's not much I haven't blogged already!

We celebrated two fortieth birthdays (not mine!) in November. I was very proud of the ridiculous quantities of decorations I managed to find. I think my favourite was this pirate and sea-themed banner, which is customisable for any age. Genius.

We went for a very windy (but beautiful) walk along the beach from Hastings to Bexhill with a couple of friends.

I might as well share this video of the waves again. I find it quite soothing. Maybe you need soothing, too.

As the days got shorter and the weather colder, we scaled back to smaller trips in order to get outside without the pressure of completing long walks. We climbed up East Hill in Hastings . . .

 . . . and went for a walk near Herstmonceux with our local LGBT walking group.

Later in December, we headed up to Norfolk for a week-long holiday. We stopped off in North London for a night, then broke the next day at Wandlebury. We'd briefly vsited Wandlebury a couple of months before and I wanted to check it out again.

I also wanted to go for a walk every day in Norfolk - and we almost managed it!

That's it! I quite enjoyed this reflection on what was a pretty good year (personally, if not globally). You can find my other 2016 year in review posts here: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September and October.