Rothco Shemagh Tactical Desert Keffiyeh Scarf

Exactly what I hoped it would be.

I was surprised at how thin the shemagh was when it arrived, but after perfecting how to put it on I was surprised at how warm it became. I brought it along backpacking at Glacier National Park in early May where I really learned just how useful it was. Glacier in May is still very cold, it dipped below zero every night and snowed a few times while we were up there. When the sun disappears behind the mountains the temperature drops. I most often wore it around my neck while still tied in the configuration that I could pull it over as a hood and around my mouth as a mask. When tied like that it provides excellent insulation (hot or cold) and just feels really good. The cotton almost feels like fleece. I often wear it like that for a majority of the day at my cabin. When you have the mask around your face it blocks wind as well as any single-purpose mask you could ever buy. However, I wear glasses and often those single-purpose thinsulate or any other material masks always, always cause my breath to fog my glasses. I've never had my glasses fog up wearing my Shemagh. The hood keeps you as warm as a light wool cap, but with the benefit of covering most of your exposed skin instead of just the top of your head. I wear it at night because cold air still gets into your sleeping bag through the hole where your head is. I've found nothing better to stave off that cold than the Shemagh. Even in the heat, after several hours of backpacking I threw it over my back where my shirts were soaked in sweat and becoming too cool in the sun. It stopped the sun from evaporating too much sweat too quickly and kept the temperature much more even. When you're not using it, it's light and thin enough to pack anywhere comfortably. It was great to take along backpacking in the cold and it'll be the first thing packed when I head out next year, and I keep it on me at all times of the day any day of the year at my cabin. It's permanently a part of my cold-weather gear, and I even keep it in my car during the summer for those cold morning commutes. It was worth the $15 or so I paid and easily that much again.

I have some rothco shemaghs and a few from Explore land which is okay but compared to the rothco, rothco is superb. It is more thicker than the explore land and more tightly sown. No product is perfect I saw one loose thread but removing it never made damage so most likely a spare from factory. I am very pleased with how it's slightly more thicker and very big. These are slightly bigger than the explore land brands. When it comes to shemaghs with standard colors, I am sticking with the rothcos unless I want specific colors to add to my wardrobe. I have a black and a foliage one still going strong to this day for 4 years and there's no sign of rips, discoloration and deformities. If you want a quality shemagh that will hold up with reasonable use, you can't go wrong with these. My only wish is I wish all the shemaghs are prime so I can get them faster and to a secure Amazon pick up location as my neighborhood is bad. Even so I'm willing to send to my sister's place and retrieve them later. Everytime I want a shemagh of standard colors, I stick with rothco. Lol I know I sound like I'm sponsored to them but I ain't lying, these feel so much solid and bigger than others on Amazon.

Really solid, well made piece of material. Not some stringy, easily ripped cheap Chinese knockoff. This feels like it was authentically woven with quality materials. It's quite large, has some weight to it and has a good coloring. I definitely suggest two things before you throw it in your pack or use it in any way. Go through and tighten all the knots, some are very loose and if they come undone it will begin to unravel. Not a big deal, takes 3 minutes to go through and just tug each one until it's tight. And wash it. It comes with the fresh scent of stank on it from wherever it was made. Who knows how gnarly dirty the factories are in some random 3rd world garment factory. So before you wrap it around your face give it a good hand washing in the sink with a little laundry detergent and a capful of bleach. That should take care of the funk in it. Just be careful because there's a lot of excess dye in the material and I don't know what'll happen if it gets on other material. You need to rinse it for a solid 5 mins before the water runs clear. I definitely would NOT machine wash this the first time unless you do it with rags or dark unimportant clothes.

Good quality shemagh, like the ones you find overseas. Mine was made in India, and was woven material, not a dyed pattern. I think people who never had a “shmog” think that they are thick woolen scarves and comment that they are “poor quality and thin”. They are realatively thin linen material with a lumpy weave that will keep your neck and head surprisingly warm or cool depending on how you wrap it. It stunk a little when I got it, but they all do until you wash them with cold water and hang them out. Wear them a week in a hot climate and they’ll really stink! Mine appears to be a genuine Rothco, which I would say is very good quality. These have a zillion uses other than a headwrap. One suggestion if you are going to wear it “bandit” or “commando” style, don’t listen to the airsoft warriors who tell you to double-knot it; just single-knot it or just leave it unknotted and tucked in front to avoid getting easily choked. Good item overall! Update on the Coyote color that I also ordered : Same good quality as the grey one. Keep in mind these are made in India, probably on 150 year old looms that Britain left behind, and won’t compare to the exacting tight weave of your Burberry scarf and may have a few pulls or loose threads. Its a schemagh, not a fashion accessory. There’s also a lot of chatter in the comments about the actual shade of Coyote - yes, its not an exact match to the surplus USMC deuce gear that you just bought for your airsoft adventures, but it is an acceptable Coyote brown. Very good product overall.

Rothco is a big name is Mil equipment. And the quality shows.

I sort of bought this on a whim and I was pleasantly suprised!! I live in a very rainy area and i realised after i bought it, tat it would provide excellent warmth in a rainy windy enviroment. It has so many uses i recommend everyone have a faw on hand. I didnt realize all the uses untill I did research and stared at the awesomeness of it for a few hours. (joking). The list of things you can do with these would go on forever but Ill list a few ive thought of so far. You can use it as tactical camouflage, filter water of particles with it, use it as a back up gun sling, keep yourself warm with it, keep yourself cool with it. Shemaghs could be used as a pillow or small blanket. They are all around amazing. At first glance the fabric seems a bit flimsy but its actually quitw stretchy and tough. Anotehr bonus is the ends are already tied, i have heard that some you have to tie them yourself. I recommend hand washing it in cold water, it will release A LOT of dye off it. The one down side I would say is the stiching of the black pattern is slightly lose and might get caught on something but I honestly dont see this becoming a problem, just a possibility. One more con i would say Is the way it smells. I personally like the smell but some may find it annoying. And since you dont want it to shrink you cant wash it in warm soapy water and dry it in a dryer with a nice smelling dryer sheet so you sort of have to deal with the smell. Like i said though i think it smells good.

This is my 8th Rothco shemagh. They have all been great I got the grey with black weave this time. Very sturdy, good for when you want something that can be roughed around a bit and not worry about ruining, it will hold up for a while and the price is right. The weave looks great on both sides. One has more black showing, the other has more grey showing. The web page says it's made in China, the label says made in India, just like every Rothco I've bought. Label also says 100% cotton, as advertised. Feels like it too. The fabric is a little rough to the touch, but not as bad as the Explore Land shemaghs that I bought. It began softening up very nicely after hand washing once and wearing for a couple days.