Andy Kirkpatrick_ The technical scarf

January 10, 2011 09:15 AM

Looking through the US Patagonia site the other day I spotted a very sexy piece of kit; a Nano Puff scarf; your bog standard scarf, only made from a sandwich of nylon with a synth fill.  It’s the kind of design that’s brilliant in it’s simplicity, taking a very, very old idea, and matching it with a very new one (how about a Nano Puff kilt next?).

Seeing the scarf reminded me of two things, the first being something my dad told me years ago, sharing a bit of advice about winter climbing with his son; namely the technical benefits of the winter scarf.

You see my dad used to have a really long wooly scarf that he used to wear in winter, this being in the days before buffs, headovers or fancy headwear; were most climbers still wore those itchy wooly balaclavas.

This scarf of my dad’s was very long, kind of Tom Baker length, and he told me the following benefits of such a scarf.

The scarf could be rapped around the body for extra insulation, going around the back of the neck, under the arm pits after crossing over the chest, then rapped body warmer style.  This could be a life saver if you got benighted (my dad was the type of person who would get benighted, or make sure he was for the benefit of others). 

A scarf could be used as a makeshift bandage or tourniquet.

The length of it meant it could be rapped around the head Shemagh, great for gnarly Scottish winter weather (my dad was the team leader of RAF Leuchars mountain rescue team, so spent a lot of time in the Cairngorm).

The scarf could also be used as a makeshift rope, being thrown down to partners who needed a pull, or even used to descend short steps, with a knot being tied in the end and jammed in a crack.  I don’t think scarfs are CE tested, but I expect they are bloody strong.

Lastly they can also be used as a scarf.

Did I take my dad’s advice and begin wearing a scarf?  Well no.  His ideas, which showed an ability to think unconventionally about kit, were great, but not long after I was told by someone that Dougal Haston had been killed by the scarf he was wearing when he was caught in a small avalanche, and this kind of put me off the idea.