One of our most read about products ever on Run Oregon are Buff headwear and neckwear. It has been about 18 months since that post and we reached out to the fine folks at Buff to see about some of their new gear. Bloggers Drew and Rachel tried out a few products – the Shadow Dye UV Buff ($25) and CoolMax Reversible Hat ($27). Here are their thoughts:
Drew: Having never owned any sort of neckwear for running, I was very excited to try these out. The first thing I noticed is how thin both items are and while I was concerned at first about how well they would do in the sub freezing temps I run in, both items were simply awesome.
The Buff is designed to be worn in a multitude of ways and is probably best utilized as either a neckwarmer or to cover your mouth and ears. I tried both ways as shown on the chart that came with it. My preferred method quickly became as a neckwarmer and I now take it with me on all my night runs as well as early morning treks where the temps hover around 20 degrees.
The reversible hat (it’s a beanie, folks) is just right, honestly. I have a worn a couple of other beanies in the past that are probably a little too thick and I often find myself pulling them off very early in my runs. The Buff beanie can be worn even when the weather is in the upper 30’s to low 40’s and comes down to cover the ears better than most beanies I have worn.
Rachel:
My first encounter with Buff headwear came after my cousins had just purchased their own. They were ecstatic and raving about them, even going through the motions of showing me all the different ways you could wear them. I was skeptical at first to be perfectly honest until I purchased my own. You can literally wear this thing a million ways! I’m obsessed with mine, so you can imagine how stoked I was to be able to try out the UV Buff and the Buff beanie.
The UV Buff is made of 100% microfiber polyester and the details behind its magic include:
- Blocks 95% of UV rays*
- Soft, breathable Coolmax® Extreme fabric
- 100% seamless
- 12+ ways to wear
- Polygiene® Active Odor Control
- Moisture-wicking
- Thermal protection from cold & wind
- Quick-drying
- 2-way lateral stretch
- One size fits all adults
I personally like wearing my Buff around my neck while hiking and use it to wipe sweat or my nose; one or the other. I also wear it during runs as either a headband to keep my fly away hairs out of my face and to keep my ears warm. If I’m wearing a hat, I’ll wear my Buff around my neck to keep my neck warm.
The Cool Max Reversible Hat, also made of 100% microfiber polyester, has details that include: 
- Polygiene® Active Odor Control
- Moisture-wicking
- Thermal protection from cold & wind
- Quick-drying
- UV Protection
- Reflective
I’m not one to normally wear beanies while running, so chose to try out the beanie during a couple of hikes. The overall feel of the beanie seems really thin so I was skeptical about its ability to keep my head warm, but it surpassed my expectations. I liked that it kept my head warm but didn’t trap in heat like my wool beanies do. After wearing the beanie on a couple of long, rainy hikes, I would definitely be willing to convert to wearing beanies while running.
Bottom line: If you don’t own a Buff of any kind, get one!
