Now is the time that people without the ties of children or with newly vacated empty nests, start to look to get away whilst those little darlings are locked away in schools and universities.

Winter sun can be found in far flung places like Mexico and Australia, and reasonably close ones like the Canaries and Morocco, and if you happen to be heading off to one of these the strength of the sun can catch you out. Although very warm during the day these destinations can also cool down quickly when the sun retreats, so this UV Protection Buff can be the perfect travel accessory.

If you haven’t come across a Buff before, it can be simply described as a totally seamless tube of fabric that has a multitude of uses.

One little tube can be a neckerchief, headband, wristband, mask, hairband, balaclava, scarf, scrunchie, saharaine, pirate cap, beanie or bandana.

(check out the abundance of YouTube vids to see how to create the different shape)

There are quite a few varieties of the Buff such as Original, Polar, Reflective, Merino & more, but the one we got to try is the UV Protection Buff.

Made with Coolmax Extreme it will wick moisture away from your skin faster than any other fabric, making it perfect for outdoor activity in the sun, and it’s also great as a lightweight scarf when it gets cool.

As a woman with quite a bit of hair on top of my head (unlike Mr Muddy, Damian) I found it a brilliant tool for keeping my hair under control when putting on the suncream. By the pool I tended to use it as a long length hair tube (see the 3rd picture above) which kept my fringe and ponytail off my skin, and then as a neckerchief whilst out and about. The 95% UV Protection it gives means that I didn’t have to keep slathering on cream on my neck.

I think this Buff is a near perfect accessory for both men & women, and there are plenty of plain colours and funky designs to pick from, but I find a lot of the t-shirt/shirts made for women have a scoop neck or an open neck, so if you forget to cream the delicate skin on your chest bone you could end up with a red V shape.

I have just discovered that Buff also do a Bandana Buff that has that extra V of material which would solve that chest gap issue. At the moment they are available in Polar fleece for the ski/snowboarding market, but I have hopes that they will bring them out in the lighter fabric for next year (fingers crossed).

Technical Stuff

• Weight: 40g/1.4 oz

• Size: 51cm x 24.5cm/20.1inches x 9.6inches (Designed to fit most adults, with heads measuring 53 – 62cm, but they also do Junior, Child and Baby sizes)

• No irritating seams or hems

• Machine washable and non iron.

• BUFF headwear will not lose its elasticity, is colour fast and will not fade.

• Treated with Polygiene your BUFF headwear will remain fresh as the silver ions prevent the build up of bacteria in the fabric

• Certified to meet Oeko-Tex Standard 100

Website: www.buffwear.co.uk

RRP: from £16.50