What does a shemagh make you think of? Well, after reading this post. You’ll think about how much a tactical behemoth this one piece of clothing can do. You’re about to discover why the military, especially the army, uses this tactical scarf for camping survival.
We love tactical gear that has more than one function. It’s efficient. Multi-tools, a garden, tactical knives, all have multiple uses and functions in one item. This scarf is one of the kings when it comes to multi-functional and tactical.
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There are a surprisingly large number of uses for shemaghs. Dozens in fact. If a tactical scarf exists. It’s the shemagh tactical scarf. This just might be the most underrated survival item there is. Underestimation at it’s best.
37 Ways To Survive With a Shemagh Tactical Scarf
37) Use as a Scarf
Starting with number 37, of course, you can use the shemagh for exactly what it is. A scarf. Fortunately for us, it just happens to have at least 37 other tactical and survival uses.
36) Poultice
You can use it as a Poultice to speed up the healing process.
35) Baby Swaddler
If you happen to be around a newborn baby. And you happen to have nothing else for a baby swaddle. Grab your shemagh because it can be a great substitute for a baby swaddle.
34) Washcloth To Clean With
Like practically any cloth out there. The shemagh can be a washcloth as well. Use it to wash what you need to. Throw it in the washer and you have a washcloth for life that can also perform dozens of other functions.
33) Use As A Fishing Net
Forget to bring your net for fishing? Well, as long as you didn’t also forget your shemagh scarf, you can use that as a net.
32) Wick for a Lamp
You can use it as a substitute for a wick for your lamp.
31) Collect Dew
Use it to collect things, like dew for example.
30) Starting a Fire
Start a blazing fire with it if you have no other supplies to light a fire.
29) Secure a Splint
If you find yourself with an injury. You can secure a splint in place by tying it with the scarf.
28) Emergency Water Filter
If you don’t have any sort of water filter at all. You can use the shemagh as a filter. It won’t filter out small particles and I’m not saying it’s an effective option for filtering water. But it will at least filter out larger debris that would otherwise not be filtered out.
Most of these scarves are made of 100% cotton. So it’s an effective material
27) Clean Space
Need a clean space to lay objects on? You can spread out the cloth and have a nice clean surface to use.
26) Primitive Pillow
Wrap up the scarf and you have a comfortable cushion to use as a mini pillow. It’s all you need. Pillows, in general, are overrated.
25) Kneepad
Protect your knees from scrapes and bruises. If you’re doing work that requires a lot of knees on hard ground time. Wrap your shemagh around your knees for some padding between your knees and the ground.
24) Use It As A Belt
You can wrap it around you’re waste and now you have a belt.
23) Bandage For Small Wounds
Wrap it around a wound any body part that needs protection from air exposure or such. The shemagh can do it. For larger blood gushing wounds? Maybe not. But for smaller wounds that need some padding. You can skip carrying the band-aids if you have this scarf.
22) Protect Your Head From The Sun
The shemagh is popular in the middle east and other hotter climates. Mostly because you can wrap it around your head to protect your head from the blazing heat of the suns rays.
Watch this video for step by step instructions on how to tie a headwrap.
21) Protection from Dust, Sand, and Wind Storms
Not only will it help protect your head against sun exposure. Gain protection from dust, sand and wind storms as well. The shemagh is particularly good at this because it allows you to cover your entire face and get as close to your eyes as possible without actually covering your eyes.
Any movie you’ve seen that had a sandstorm scenario, you saw everyone wearing shemagh scarves in the scene.
20) Towel Sweat Rag
Great for hiking, running, or other sweat-inducing activities.
19) Use It As a Tool Carrying Belt
Not only can it help keep your pants up as a regular belt. It can also be a belt to carry your tools.
18) Bug Cover
On a camping trip and need some assistance keeping bugs away from your face? Yes it’s very annoying. You can wrap the scarf around your face and neck to help keep the bugs off.
17) Foot Wrap
Injured your ankle? Need to protect your bare feet from the harsh terrain? Wrap it around your foot and your good to go.
Watch this video to see exactly how to do it.
16) Traveling Bag
Need another bag but don’t want to carry another bag? Me too. Just use your shemagh.
Watch this video to see how to use the shemagh as a lightweight pack.
15) Ultimate Camouflage or Concealment
This scarf can be the ultimate concealment piece of clothing. Buy one with camo colors, wrap it around your face. No one will be able to see you in the outdoors.
14) Warm Layer
They can be warm if you buy one that is made of a thicker material.
13) Trail Marker
When you’re on a trail off the grid, getting lost is one of those worst case scenarios that are always in the back of your mind. At least it is for me. Which is why marking your trail as you go is so important. You can use the scarf to mark your trail if you have nothing else to do it.
This video shows you what I mean.
12) Strainer
Need to strain when you don’t have a strainer? The cloth makes a good material for straining your water or other liquids to remove smaller particles.
11) Camping Seat Cover
One aspect of camping is always finding yourself with a dirty seat cover on your camping chair. Somehow someway, the seat always gets dirty. And you don’t necessarily want to always be walking around with dirty pants. Use the scarf to cover the seat. Works perfectly.
10) Potholder
If you’re cooking over a fire, you can use this cloth as a potholder to remove the hot pot from the flames. Use the whole scarf to wrap your hand up to create a nice thick layer of protection from the scalding pot handle.
9) Tourniquet
Serious injury? Transform your shemagh into a tourniquet.
This video below shows you how.
8) Sling For Injured Arms
Use it as an arm sling if you injure your arm. It’s much more comfortable than a traditional arm sling too.
7) Sling to Use As A Deadly Weapon
Take it off your head, wrap a rock around it and within a few seconds, you have a deadly weapon.
Wrap a big rock up in the middle of it and start swinging. If an instant defense weapon ever existed, this is it.
6) Small Blanket For You Or a Large Blanket For Children
These things can be surprisingly large when you unfold them. You can at least cover your upper body if you need something to give you some warmth. If there’s a younger person that needs it. It will be a large blanket to them.
5) Water Collector
It’s useful to collect water with.
This video below shows you how.
4) Cool Yourself
Walking through the desert? If you have some water. You can have it absorb some and then wrap it around your head. It’s an effective method to reduce body temperature.
3) Sarong
Wrap around your waist if you just seeking modesty.
2) Rope
Not only is this scarf incredibly versatile. It’s tough. Tie it against a post or what you need to and use it as a rope. Tie a bowline knot or any knot you need it for.
1) Eye Mask
Last and not least. You can use it as an eye mask. Blocking all the light from your eyes when you’re trying to go to sleep has been shown to make a significant difference in the quality of sleep. So instead of buying an eye mask. Just use your shemagh. If you don’t have one yet, getting one for this reason alone would be more than worth the small investment.
Conclusion
Is there anything this thing can’t do? It would probably be a shorter list of what it cannot do.
The latest and greatest shemagh tactical scarf on the market is the Bioscarf:
