Merino Buff Review by Elyse Braner
October 19, 2009 by Bryon Powell · 4 Comments
On a few of my maintenance runs during the cool mornings of March, I decided to deviate from my normal ponytail and ear warmers and try the Wool Buff 100% Merino headband ($27). When I first received the product, I was a little skeptical, because it was so different from anything I had worn in my training. I initially thought it would be something that only a hardcore mountain trail runner would wear. I was pleasantly surprised as I did my runs down the dark, early morning DC streets.
Not only is this product great for cold weather, it is highly functional. There are multiple ways that the Buff will keep you warm. I wore mine around my neck under my pullover for an added layer of warmth, as well as on my head, folded over as ear warmers. I was also able to make it into a really cute, thick headband. Due to the thickness of the headband, it stayed on my head and was really comfortable. This product can certainly take you from the ski slopes, to the hiking trails, to keeping your hair back while lounging around. This product is also highly technical. The fabric offers natural stretch, uv protection, and moisture control. I liked this version so much, that I ordered the original all-weather Buff (in pink, of course).
Additional
- If any of you have tried the merino wool Buff, please let everyone know what you think of it.
- Interested in the idea of the Buff, but live in a warmer climate. Check out iRunFar’s thorough review of the Original Buff.
[Disclosure: Buff provided a free sample Wool Buff for this review.]
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Filed under Apparel, Elyse's Closet ·
Bryon Powell is the Editor-in-Chief of iRunFar.com, which he founded five years ago. Also the author of Relentless Forward Progress: A Guide to Running Ultramarathons and a contributing editor at Trail Runner magazine, he's quickly approaching 10 years as an ultrarunner and 20 years as a trail runner. These days he calls Park City, Utah and its trails home.
All posts by Bryon Powell
Thanks for the review. I love my Buff and merino wool is an awesome material. I went to order a wool buff and discovered the color selection is BORING. No oranges, yellows, or purples. The only blue is navy. So very bland. I want people see a clash of colors in the bushes when I fall off a mountain.
Thanks for the review. I may have to pick one of these up.
In addition to the uses you mentioned I have found that the buff is the most comfortable item I have for combining with a headlamp. The wool option would be great for night running in cooler temps.
I wear a buff everyday. I love the new merino wool buff. I bought three. So far, they don't pill like my original and uv buffs have. I like the neutral colors.
I bought my first Merino buff today. I have been using a cotton buff for years but out in bad weather it would soak up lots of water and take forever to dry. After good experience with Merino shirts had to buy the Merino buff when I saw it in the store. Merino beats synthetics bigtime!