shemagh help

S

s12.aaxtell

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Apr 9, 2009
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I have read lots of positive reviews of people using shemaghs (traditional arabic scarf like piece of clothing) and was wondering if anyone here could point me to a good source of buying them. I know places like cheaperthandirt and uscav have them but the cheaperthandirt ones apperently bleed ink and uscav charges 20 dollars which seems a bit steep. I am planning on working at a summer camp in the new mexico mountains this summer and wanted to get one or two to take with me. Any info would be great.

-Alex
 
they pretty much all bleed dye. Best thing to do is to throw them into the wash on HOT setting, toss in some Borax and run it thru a few times on HOT wash, HOT rinse to set the dye.
 
Sportsman's guide has bulk packs of them.

I picked mine up from a local army surplus store (I see you're in Michigan, I went to Joe's Army Navy in Royal Oak) Don't know where you're at though.
 
Alex, this is where I got mine. i use it all the time and it has never bled on me. But I've never washed it before either...yuck! I've worn it in rain storms and have sweated in it during the summer. I think I paid $12 or $15 for it.

http://www.ofagear.com/apparel.aspx
 
You should go to Afghanistan and Iraq. That's where I got mine and they're a lot cheaper there. You'll save a ton of money! Quality seems just fine, too. :)

Personally I don't much care for them. I find them to be too big for many applications and not quite big enough for others.

If you want something small and compact then look at something like a Buff or Recon Wrap, which are just rip offs of the old SAS Headovers. I've been using these in one form or the other for the last 17 years and they're great. Buff just came out with a merino wool version that's twice as long as the regular one, so much more versatile.

If you need something bigger then consider a sarong. It can also be used as a towel, light blanket, light hammock chair, fishing net, food gathering device, skirt (if that's your thing...we're not here to judge), head cover, etc.
 
Try Brigadeqm.com (Brigade quartermaster) they have them for $12.99, very good quality. I got mine in a trade with a Iraq vet.
 
Unfortunately these things are getting popular. On of our local places- Hodges Army Navy raised the price from $10 to $15 !!!
 
WJC01 said:
Unfortunately these things are getting popular. On of our local places- Hodges Army Navy raised the price from $10 to $15 !!!
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Dude, Hodges sucks. That place is the military surplus equivilant of beach resort tourist shops. You should try the Army Navy store that is just a few miles north. If you keep heading north from Hodges on 41, you'll see the big billboard (Army Navy Surplus) and it tells you to turn right there. Follow the signs through the industrial park and you'll find it. That, and a surplus store I found on hwy 140 in Woodstock, is where I go.
 
Thank you very much for all the responses. I do have a buff kage, I just wanted to try out a shemagh and see how it compares. I do love my buff though, very nice for keeping the sun of the neck.

-Alex (p.s. I am in Grand Rapids CM, I will check out our local surplus store as well.)
 
TAD Gear and Grey Group Training have the Spartan shemaghs with sculls on em. That's what I bought, it was like 7 bucks. totally worth it.
 
amazon.com has them for 10 and change with the regular free shipping with orders over 25.00.
 
Dylside said:
Dude, Hodges sucks. That place is the military surplus equivilant of beach resort tourist shops. You should try the Army Navy store that is just a few miles north. If you keep heading north from Hodges on 41, you'll see the big billboard (Army Navy Surplus) and it tells you to turn right there. Follow the signs through the industrial park and you'll find it. That, and a surplus store I found on hwy 140 in Woodstock, is where I go.
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Clear, but on the day I bought mine from Hodges for $10 the same one on the same day at the North location was $15. Hodges also carries the GI issue heat tabs-box containing 3 for 50 cents(a box)! If your familiar with them it's a deal that will not be beat!!!
Whats the name of the place in Woodstock? I'll have to check it out.
 
Dylside said:
Dude, Hodges sucks. That place is the military surplus equivilant of beach resort tourist shops. You should try the Army Navy store that is just a few miles north. If you keep heading north from Hodges on 41, you'll see the big billboard (Army Navy Surplus) and it tells you to turn right there. Follow the signs through the industrial park and you'll find it. That, and a surplus store I found on hwy 140 in Woodstock, is where I go.
Click to expand...

Been to both of those.. LOL I love that one on 140... what a hole in the wall LOL. Gotta love a surpluys store that has military trucks out front and no windows!
 
In my city, I buy them at the local Middle Eastern deli (they're usually over near the hookahs and tobacco section). They don't have the camo versions, but soak some mesquite chips for a day or two in water, strain the wood out of the resulting dye, then stain the shemagh in the mesquite dye. You can get light brown to very dark brown, so watch the process carefully. The dye is non-toxic, doesn't bleed as much and is a natural color.

Typically, the shemaghs I see in these delis are a higher quality, and larger, than the military versions sold on the internet. Prices run about $15, but there's no shipping.

All you need is a local deli that carries the shemagh and mesquite chips from the BBQ (grilling, up north) section of your grocery store for the mesquite chips.
 
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