BUFF® Original EcoStretch Guide

Edward
Last Modified: 27 February 2023

The BUFF® Original EcoStretch in a Nutshell

The BUFF® Original EcoStretch is the foundation of the Buff® success story. It’s the successor of the “Original BUFF®” and is now made using Repreve® recycled performance microfibre as base material.

Heat, Cold, Wind & Rain? You will find comfort as the multifunctional headwear / neckwear concept of a tube allows you to wear it in 10 different ways.

It incorporates the latest technologies in performance headwear.

A 51 cm long, knitted tube of special Buff® microfibre
Popular in all Weather / all Activities
Replaces 10 different types of head wear
Chill Protection – Fills the gap between nothing & too warm
Heat Relief – Takes the heat off using your sweat
Comfort – Very comfy even when wet
Ultra thin – Fits nicely under any helmet
Free of Harmful Substances – Certified
Lasts several years of daily use
Fits Adults with a head circumference 53-62 cm
Weighs 35 gr (1.234 oz)

The most popular ways of using a Buff® Original Ecostretch

The ways to use a Buff® Original are only limited by your imagination.

Here is a compilation of how I see the Buff® Original worn the most when browsing the internet or meeting others out and about.

Just click on “Read More” and you will get more details like Youtube tutorials on how to create this particular style among other things. If you don’t find what you’re looking for or have any questions please drop me a comment at the end of the page.

Comfort Scarf for Adventurous Women

Want comfort on your adventures? The Original Buff® as comfort scarf is the nb. 1 choice among women. (www.amazonheart.org) The number 1 use on adventures. A comfort scarf if you’re a little bit out of your comfort zone. In this

A portrait frontal, full face photo of a man wearing a Original Buff® as helmet liner under his open face motorcycle touring helmet. A studio photoshoot with Buff® ambassador Jordi Viladoms in front of a black background. Jordi is wearing the Original Buff® as helmet liner. The front is pulled up to his nose as face mask. Source: buff.eu Copyright: © Original Buff® S.A. Released for the promotion of the Original Buff® in motorcycling.

Sweaty Gunky Helmets a Thing of the Past

Sweaty gunky helmet? A Buff® as helmet liner keeps your helmet fresh and clean So your helmet is gunky and smells.It takes hours to clean and yet the smell comes back. Next time you clean it use an anti-bacterial treatment

A front landscape shot of a man standing on an ice field in front of a large military supply air craft. The back loading dock is open and people are moving around the plane. It is the runway of the Scott Base in Antarctica. The man is wearing a one piece down overall with a fur hood. Around his neck is a Original Buff® as scarf. Source: Michael Nottage © permission to use on our website

Seals Off the Weak Link of Extreme Cold Overalls

Michael arriving at Scott Base, Antarctica. He send us this image because we couldn’t believe that the Original Buff® does something good in extreme cold. Turns out it’s great to seal off the jacket collar. The same reason motor bikers

A side landscape shot of a woman and a man hiking in a gorge. Both are wearing Original Buff® as neck cooler. The woman to the front right is looking over her left shoulder into the camera. The man in the background seems distracted. The scene looks warm. Both are wearing summer hiking gear. Source: buff.eu © distributed for the promotion of the Original Buff® in hiking / trekking

Heat Relief on a Hiking Trip

It’s warm, it’s stuffy. You are trekking and wouldn’t mind some heat relief. Just wear the Original Buff® loose around your neck as neck cooler. Make it a bit moist to enhance the effect. This is way better than having

This landscape selfie shows Roger Chao holding up the Australia Geographic Society Flag in the middle of the Greenland ice sheet. He is wearing specialist expedition gear. He later told me that he was wearing a Original Buff® as liner and he loved it. Soure: Roger Chao www.steppebysteppe.com.au © Permission to use on our websites

Rash Free Expeditions

You’re heading into extreme cold.Your gear is specialised survival gear. As it turns out it’s not perfect. Welded, tough seems can cause rashes among other things. That’s when you use the Original Buff® as a balaclava / liner around your

A landscape shot of a person lying on the ground in a sleeping bag. His entire head is covered with a Original Buff®. Another person is kneeling beside his head. He has put sunglasses on the sleeping persons face and is holding up the MDS event number 552. The photo was shot during the 2004 Marathon Des Sables. This is one way how to keept spiders and scorpions out during your sleep. Source: buff.eu © Distributed for the promotion of the Original Buff®

Stops Swallowing Bugs in your Sleep

So you fear swallowing spiders or scorpions in your sleep. Just wear your Original Buff® as shown in the picture. I recommend the Original Buff® for this as the High UV Buff® is a little bit too restrictive for my

A landscape frontal shot of a joung XC skiing athlete before a race. It's Ben Sim smiling into the camera during the 2009 World Championships. He is wearing a Australian Flag Original Buff® as warming scarf. This way sweat doesn't cause any chill around the neck. Source: Finn Marsland © permission to use on our websites for the promotion of the Original Buff® in cross country skiing

Sweaty, Cold Necks gone in XC Skiing

It’s cold & you are sweating. Pretty standard situation in XC ski races. The Original Buff® can fix this. Here we have Ben Sim wearing the Original Buff® as neck warmer. Ben is a member of the 2008/09 Australian National

A side shot landscape photo of two men in the snow. They are sitting in their sleeping bags with their legs stretched out . It looks as if they sleeped outside and it started snowing. They are both holding a cup of tea in their hands and look happy. The man in front is wearing a Original Buff® as ear warmer. The man in the back is wearing a Original Buff® as beanie. Source: buff.eu © distributed for the promotion of the Original Buff® in outdoor / adventure

Warm Head While Sleeping in the Cold

So you’re spending the night out and about & it’s cold enough to snow. Even in a tent a comfortable sleep can be a challenge. If you don’t have your head covered you loose quite some heat there. It takes

A side shot landscape photo of a man knealing in the snow. It looks like he is on a photo safari or researching wildlife. He is wearing a yellow cold weather ourtdoor jacket. He is also wearing a Original Buff® as beanie. The design is clearly recognisable as a National Geographing Collection design. Source: buff.eu © Distributed for the promotion of the Original Buff® in outdoor / adventure

Comfort on a Snowy Photography Trip

A bite in the air and you are active in the cold. You know that if you put a normal beanie or your hood on you’re going to sweat. This is where the Original Buff® as beanie excels. It doesn’t

A side landscape shot of a woman in motorcycle leather gear. Kath is wearing a Original Buff® as scarf and smiling into the camera. I took the photo because I was amazed how straight and nice her hair was after having the helmet on for hours. She had the Original Buff® on as hair cover whilst wearing the helmet. The background shows the 2004 Gold Coast Bike Week with marquees and people leisurely walking around. Source: Edward Copyright: ©2004 Buff Downunder Pty Ltd

No Helmet Hair for Professional Bikers

Looking like a broom after taking your helmet off? Just put your Original Buff® as hair cover over your head. It will come out looking like Kath’s on the image. Kath is a motorcycle driving instructor, drag racer, postie biker

Keeps Bugs & Flies out of your Leather Jacket

Your motorcycle jacket’s collar is a little bit too wide. The wind blows through and the odd bug gets in too. Use your Original Buff® to seal of the jacket. Unlike other scarves the Original Buff® excels in this area

A side landscape shot of a man sitting on his touring motorcycle. It is the Norwegian Buff® distributor on a tour through Norway. He wear full motorycle touring gear and a blue Original Buff®. Look closer and you can see the Buff® as scarf around the neck with the top pulled up over the chin. The weather looks like Norwegian Summer. Nice but on the cooler side. Source: buff.eu Copyright: Distributed for the promotion of the Original Buff® in motocycle touring

Cold Chin Eased on Motorcycle Tour

You’re on tour and your chin starts getting cold. Just pull your Original Buff® a bit up. It doesn’t have to stop at the chin. You decide. That’s the beauty of tubular headwear. It’s just the cold bite that lowers

The horizontal photo shows Rian and Dylan standing with their bicycles on the cliff of Uluwatu, Bali, Indonesia. They have cycled Indonesia from North to South and are celebrating their successful journey. Dylan is holding both arms up as a victory sign. Rian has got one arm up. He is holding a beer. Rian is wearing the Australia Flag Original Buff® as neck cooler. It appears mid day with hardly any shadow and a clear blue sky. It must be hot. Source: Eatsleepsurf.com.au Copyright: Unknown. We received the images as "Thank You" for providing the Buff®

Celebrating the Successful End of a Cycle Tour

Nothing beats the successful end of an adventure. It was Rian & Dylan’s first adventure. First time on a bicycle tour. First time in Indonesia. They made a great video. You’ll find it on eatsleepsurf.com.au. We equipped them with Original

The horizontal photo is a frontal shot of a woman and a man riding bicycles in a city mall. It is dark and both are wearing cold weather gear. The woman on the left is wearing a Reflective Buff® as face mask. The man on the right is wearing a Reflective Buff® as scarf. Source: buff.eu Copyright: Unknown. Distributed for the promotion of the Reflective Buff®

Stopping the Cold Biting on Night Commutes

It’s dark and the chill is biting during your daily commute. This is were the Original Buff® as face mask shines. It has just the right thickness to take the cold bite off. No sweating as it doesn’t warm you

The horizontal image is a frontal shot of a man on a bicycle tour. It's Rian from EatSleepSurf.com. He has stopped in a field and is smiling at the camera. Rian is wearing Buff® team wear and a Australia Flag Original Buff®. It's obvious that non of the fabrics are wet or clingy. The location is in the highlands of Indonesia. It looks hot. But there are signs that there is also a chilly breeze. Rian is wearing his Original Buff® in layers. His flags on the bike are also flying. Source: EatSleepSurf.com.au Copyright: EatSleepSuf.com.au

Sweat & Chill Reduced on Highlands Cycle Tour

Cycling in highlands you find this bad combination of the sun warming you and the wind chilling you. Add sweating and the resulting chill ruins your experience. This chill is tamed with a Buff®. Rian uses the layer method. In

A side landscape selfie of two men smiling in the camera. They are high up in the mountains nearly in the clouds. The right person Rian Cope sports lots of facial hair and a big scarf. The left person is using a Original Buff® to entirely cover his head. Only the eyes are uncovered. Source: Rian Cope www.EatSleepSurf.com.au © Allowed to use on our website

Cold Wind Protection for the Hair-less

High up in the mountains. You didn’t expect cold and all of the sudden you’re in the clouds. Great if you’ve got a big beard and long hair to keep you in the comfort zone. If not you can put

A side landscape shot of a man in the dark securing a hand torch with a Buff®. The man is wearing a polo shirt, a baseball cap and a Long Way Down Original Buff®. The Buff® is wrapped up tight around the cap and holds a hand torch in place. This way the man has both hands free for packing a bag. The photo was taken during a motorcycle tour so I assume they arrived their camp site in the the dark and have to set up camp in the dark. Source: buff.eu Copyright: Distributed for the promotion of the Original Buff® in motorcycle touring

Free Up Both Hands in the Dark

You arrive at your camp site in the dark. You need light and you’ve only got a hand torch. Just wrap your Original Buff® up in many layers to make it very firm. On as headband and the torch tucked

The landscape photo show a side shot of 2007 UCI World Marathon Champion Ralf Naef. Only his head and the top of his shoulders are visible. He is looking into the camera. He is wearing a Original Buff® as ear warmer under his mountain bike helmet. His face reveals that the race is soon to start. He looks anxious and concentrated at the same time. Source: buff.eu Copyright: Distributed for the promotion of the Original Buff® in cycling

Cold Ears Warmed on Early Morning Race

It’s freezing cold. The race is about to start. The Original Buff® as ear warmer gets you back into the comfort zone. Normal ear warmers are too bulky under the helmet. The Original Buff® molds itself around all nooks and

The photo shows a frontal upper body shot of Cyril Dessel before a 2006 Tour De France stage. He is wearing his AG2R team jersey and a Original Buff® as headband. The shun is shining and he looks at ease. Source: buff.eu Copyright: Distributed for the promotion of Original Buff® products

A Comforting Headband before a Tour De France Stage

The morning before a gruelling road cycle race. You want some comfort and relax. The Original Buff® gives you comfort where you want it. In this case as headband. Cyril Dessel isn’t covering his ears so I assume that it’s

The photo is vertical and shows female MTB rider Tory standing upright in front of a grey wall. She is wearing a Flightcentre Scott team cycle jersey and a Original Australia Flag Buff® as Alice Band. Her tired smile and her hair suggest that the photo is taken after a XC race. She smiles tired but happy. The Buff® as Alice Band keeps her hair together and tidy. Photographer: Unknown Copyright: Unknown. We received the image as a "Thank-You" for providing the Flight Centre Scott MTB team with Australia Flag Buff®

Taming Helmet Hair After the XC Race

So you didn’t wear your Buff® under the helmet and now you’ve got helmet hair. At least you can tame it with a Original Buff® as alice band. This is a classing example of not using your Buff® to it’s

Key Features a Buff® Original EcoStretch

It’s technical features that make a Buff® Original so popular and set it apart from other head or neckwear.

Here are the most important ones.

Photomontage: Left image Cutout of a man with a severely sunburned face. © Jonny Hunter, Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0), https://www.flickr.com/photos/jonnyhunter/3565036940/in/photostream/ Right image A flyfisher proudly displaying his catch. He is standing waist deep in salt water and he is wearing a High Uv Buff® as face mask. © Pat Ford

UV/Sun Protection

Ouch. That must hurt. The Buff® fabrics protect. (Jonny Butler / Pat Ford) Sunburns hurt. Skin cancer can kill. The Original EcoStretch and the Coolnet UV fabric give you UPF50 excellent protection (98% UV/Sun protection). This is an example of

Cooling, Warming & Chill-Protection

The Original Buff® is the only tube that can provide cooling, warming and chill protection in one product. How so? Cooling This is were 20 years of continuous improvement and a premium micro-fibre yarn come into effect. For cooling the

Photomontage Left image Stock photo. A grey t-shirt with sweat stains under sleeves and through the torso. Copyright: mjdphotography / 123RF Stock Photo Right Image A participant of an Adventure Race in Patagonia hikes up a mountain in full alpine gear. He is wearing an Original Buff® as beanie. You can see sweat on his face but the Buff® looks dry. © Unknown. Released by Original Buff S.A for the promotion of Buff® products.

Moisture Management

A wet T-shirt in the cold is so nasty. Moisture managed fabrics like Buff® keep you comfortable (123rf.com / buff.eu) Cotton is horrible when wet. It gets heavy, feels wet and clings. Add cold weather and your wellbeing goes south.

A toddler wearing a Baby Buff® as a face mask. The toddler looks happy. Source: buff.eu

Only Non-Toxic and Non-Itchy Ingredients – Oekotex Certified

The most dangerous way for a toxin to enter the body is not through the digestive system, but through the skin Andreas Schimkus, former senior industry adviser to the Council of Textile and Fashion Industries of Australia’s (TFIA) A Buff®

Product Details of a Buff® Original EcoStretch

Want more details? Just post a comment and I will answer.

The fabric is very thin and has no seams

The Original Buff® comes on a cardboard header

The back side of the Original Buff® packaging shows you how to wear your Buff®

It's not for you if...

The Buff® Original is designed to smoothen the edges of the cold and the heat. This makes it great if you don’t know what weather to expect.

But then of course there are reasons to go for a different fabric. Here are reasons to have a look at different products.

You feel hot & sweaty most of the time. The Coolnet UV+ Buff® will suit you better.

You feel cold most of the time. The Wool Buff® will suit you better.

Design Collection

We have designs for men, women, runners, bikers, …

Below are the 6 popular designs. For all designs click here

About the Author

Edward

I'm an engineer and IT professional that loves the outdoors. It started with hiking, mountain biking and snowboarding. 30 years later, I've added motorbiking, camping, boating, surfing, diving, sailing, freediving and 4WD offroad adventures. It makes a good balance to sitting in front of my laptop 🙂

The BUFF® Original EcoStretch in a Nutshell

The most popular ways of using a Buff® Original Ecostretch

Key Features a Buff® Original EcoStretch

Product Details of a Buff® Original EcoStretch

It's not for you if...

Design Collection

About the Author

Edward

What makes you itch?

How safe are we in Australia?

How do you find safe and non-itchy clothing in Australia?

So what are Buff® tested to?

Sources

Beware of UPF Claims without reference to the test!

Most Popular Use

Fishing

In the Snow

Travel

Endurance Sports

Limitations

Sources