Polar Buff

Jon Senior jon_AT_restlesslemon_DOT_co_DOT_uk said:

Keith Willoughby said:

Any owners of a Polar Buff here? I want something to keep my ears warm
when I cycle, as I get headaches, and they seem to be just the
thing. How "polar" are they? Would I be better off with a normal one?

I was personally amazed by how warm the ordinary one is. I never needed
anything more during the last two winters here and frequently found
myself overheating with it. Having spoken to various riders, I'd suggest
that unless you get *very* cold, the polar one is best suited to walking
rather than riding.

Cheers. That's saved me 7 quid, then 🙂

--
Keith Willoughby http://flat222.org/keith/
It's worse than Benny Hill, and that's bad enough

Keith Willoughby said:

Any owners of a Polar Buff here? I want something to keep my ears warm
when I cycle, as I get headaches, and they seem to be just the
thing. How "polar" are they? Would I be better off with a normal one?

I have two Buffs. One is a genuine Polar Buff and one is a cheapo
non-polar copy from Lidl.

I use the cheapo one as an ear cosy under my h*lm*t. I get terrible
earache if the wind can get to my ears, but the simple non-polar buff
does a good enough job at keeping them warm. If the weather is very
cold or windy then I cover my whole head with the buff and fold a
double or triple layer over my ears. On other occasions, I fold it
over my ears and leave the rest of my head bare (apart from the
helmet).

The Polar Buff is lovely and snuggly for walking/camping but I've not
had the need to wear it on my bike yet.

Judith

Judith said:

I use the cheapo one as an ear cosy under my h*lm*t. I get terrible
earache if the wind can get to my ears,

Same here.

Quoted message said:

but the simple non-polar buff does a good enough job at keeping them
warm.

Thanks. It's unanimous, then. 🙂 I've ordered a plain one.

--
Keith Willoughby http://flat222.org/keith/
It's the only language they understand

Keith Willoughby said:

Any owners of a Polar Buff here? I want something to keep my ears warm
when I cycle, as I get headaches, and they seem to be just the
thing. How "polar" are they? Would I be better off with a normal one?

The "Polar" component is supplied by Polartec 100, which is lighter
than typical jacket-gauge fleece.

I do use a P-Buff on the bike, but it has to be pretty cool, either
frosty or getting that way. But once it is frosty or getting that
way then IME worth having.

The standard will do for a lot of journeys, especially if you go
for the double layer "hat" option (that's a way to fold it, not a
separate product). I'd suggest starting off with a "normal" one,
because even if it's not good enough all the way through the cold
there will be plenty of cases where it does cut the mustard, so I'm
very happy to own both. Quite often if it is chilly enough to use
the P-Buff I'll use a standard one around my neck as a light scarf
in addition.

Great pieces of kit, you really can't go wrong with the standard
weight, and just supplement it later if it's not warm enough.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

"Keith Willoughby" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Any owners of a Polar Buff here? I want something to keep my ears warm
when I cycle, as I get headaches, and they seem to be just the
thing. How "polar" are they? Would I be better off with a normal one?

One polar buff, one normal buff. My normal one gets year round use. Mainly
as a wrist band for wiping away sweat, however do sometimes use as a hat to
soak it up on really sweaty days.

Polar buff gets no use until the winter really gets going i.e. at the time
my thinsulate gloves are under my normal cycle gloves. Then I wear the polar
buff over my neck and face (polar bit over my nose and ears), and then a
woolly hat over the head to keep that bit warm. Pretty much balaclava'd up
against the elements.

Keith Willoughby said:

Any owners of a Polar Buff here? I want something to keep my ears warm
when I cycle, as I get headaches, and they seem to be just the
thing. How "polar" are they? Would I be better off with a normal one?

I was personally amazed by how warm the ordinary one is. I never needed
anything more during the last two winters here and frequently found
myself overheating with it. Having spoken to various riders, I'd suggest
that unless you get *very* cold, the polar one is best suited to walking
rather than riding.

Jon