Mato & Hash Military Shemagh Tactical 100% Cotton Scarf Head Wrap

Great scarf, versatile, perfect size for winter warmth.

I like this Mato & Hash Military Shemagh. It is 100% cotton, which is necessary if you want to use this as a hot-weather accessory. You want something that is sweat-absorbent, like cotton. I was looking for a spring/summer scarf (for guys) and this one fits the bill perfectly. When it is slightly windy, this scarf works perfectly. I live in the Northeast US and although I have not worn it in the winter, I would prefer wearing a warmer woolen scarf during snowy weather. And winter weather is not the purpose of this scarf, I feel. The design is "woven" into the fabric: what I mean by that is that the black strands are woven into the base color shemagh. The design is not "block-printed" onto the shemagh. The first thing you have to do with this is to hand wash it in cold water and then hanging it to air dry. The dye/color will bleed. It did not leave stains on the shemagh after bleeding, which is good. It was just extra color that had to be washed off. If you don't do this and wear it and you sweat/shemagh gets wet with rain, it won't be a pretty sight... I would recommend hand washing it. I have not tried it in the washer/dryer. I do not think it will shrink, but it feels ok to just hand wash. I don't get it too dirty that i feel like it needs to go through a full machine wash cycle. I wear it as a scarf. It is large enough to wear as a headdress, which I sometimes do at home. Considering that I live in a major US city, I do not think it is a smart idea to cover my head and face, as some other reviewers have mentioned. The shemagh is perfect in size. I have attached a photo where the shemagh is folded in half (it is almost exactly square) and I have placed a 13" Macbook Pro next to it for reference.

This keffiyeh doesn't feel nearly as cheap as the price would imply. The quality is pretty good and it has become a staple of my autumn/spring attire. I bought it primarily for hiking in New York state and it is very comfortable and warm despite being thin enough to be breathable. It was even worn through the recent winter with temperatures down to -20*C with wind chill and served me well. On the opposite side of the spectrum, when visiting my in-laws in the hill country of central Texas it also works very well in the traditional style for keeping out the dust. It also generates a surprising number of compliments as a fashion item, and has, on more than one occasion, caused people in New York City to assume I'm French. Being English I'm not sure how to take that, but I think it's a compliment... All in all, I love it and will buy another the second it wears out.

If you see my other reviews, I really spare "I love it" to inanimate objects. Four stars is great. Mato & Hash for less money is truer for military wear. The Rothco is made in India; the Mato in Pakistan. I was hoping Rothco was correct when they called it coyote. NOT. It's a golden brown. That's how it looks on my calibrated screen, so I am betting the green they call OD is too green also. OTOH the Mato & Hash OD looks that way on my screen and when it arrived. Even after a warm/cold initial wash on wool/gentle with a small amount of Tide powder to remove any sizing. Neither had much smell, but the Mato & Hash had none after washing. Both were air dried. Rothco is not much heavier, if any, than the Mato version. Looking through each they have an equal gauze weave. So the Rothco is more a fashion statement gold, rather than a military color. It will get dyed. I would suggest save a buck and get the correct colors you want by ordering the Mato & Hash. It's even made in the home of the Taliban LOL.

I really like the way these scarfs make me stand out in a crowd. I wrap one of these bad boys around my head and walk in to the airport just to see what kind of beat down I recieve. I also like the reaction I get when I wear this scarf with a backpack, it gets really good when I drop the backpack and take off running yelling Ali Babba, Mohammad aka bar and Islamic sounding words. It's so funny because once the mob of people chase me down and corner me I then unwrap my face and say "gotcha!" That usually ends painfully but well worth it. I almost gave it 4 stars but I dont like how it makes my head sweat on hot days, I still don't understand how the people of the Middle East can wear these things on 115 degree days but hey maybe the sweat cools them down? Regardless you can't argue with the way these scarves can radically transform any outfit in your closet. Nothing yells "get down" or "everybody run" like one of these bad boys wrapped around your head. I think Obama would look really good in one of these in fact I bet he has several of them in and around the White House. So if you want to scare the hell out of a crowd of people or just have a really ugly face I highly suggest you add a couple of these to your cart, they are well made and worth the low cost.

It doesn't get that cold in Southern California, but it's all relative, and when it reaches 34-40 in the early morning hours to head to work, this shemagh makes it okay to head outside, even if you just use a hoodie, and/or a thermal. Heck, even a scarf that covers your neck and ears makes makes a hell of a difference. I have one that was bought from an Army Navy Surplus store several years ago. Still gets used from time to time, but wanted another one for myself to keep in my car at all times (can never be too prepared) for friends or dates (it's helped me in the past...dont judge me!). This one is about the same quality, although this one is a bit thicker when compared to that old Army Navy one. I love that it still kept me warm, and also help keep the sweat off of me during the early mornings in the office (the vent for the heat and ac was directly into my cubicle.... it's still a no-win situation), so it acted the same as I needed for part of the day. Theres not much to even compare, as this brand had exactly what I wanted. Oversized, but was not too cumbersome to use daily during those cold winter months. Washed multiple times and maintained the Blackout color. I even used it as a mask when heading into store when I forgot my N95 mask at home, or was in a rush to get my items...not a problem for most. All around, I love this thing, so much so that I took the chance and bought the different color ways I wanted (Blackout, Black/White, and White/Black). that old Army Navy one now stays as a back up for me...in an dates' ride...it went well, waiting for the 3rd date :)

Over the past six weeks I have ordered 6 shemaghs in a variety of colors. I plan on buying more, so I played the field and bought through various providers. At this point, I have ordered from Army Universe, Sunshine Joy, Rothco, and Mato & hash. All shemaghs have been washed at least once after receiving them, but otherwise haven't had much use. So far, I have not had any issues with moldy smells, or of the ink bleeding out and despite the differences between them, they are all functional shemaghs. The only issue that I've had with quality is that the white A.U. shemagh was rough and rigid with some sort of coating on the threads (judging by their other reviews, I may have just received a dud). The Sunshine Joy (which appears comparable to Tapp) shemaghs are slightly smaller, thinner, and have tassels on all sides. Of all my purchases, the Sunshine Joy shemaghs are the softest. The Mato & Hash and Rothco shemaghs are virtually identical and seem to be the highest quality material (also same size and pattern as Army Universe). However, Mato & Hash takes the cake on packaging and labeling, in that their product comes with instructions and any easily removable tag. I plan on completing my shemagh collection with Mato & Hash products.

This is my first opportunity to do a "touch and feel" evaluation on a Shemagh: 1) The base-layer cotton material is very lightweight with a thread count/inch of around 10. I am speculating that this is by design to allow the material to be highly breathable (note that one usage is to prevent dust/sand from entering the noes/mouth). An artifact of the low thread count/inch is that the material snags somewhat easily. 2) Initial inspection showed that the material had an odor that I am attributing to the dye. The odor was annoying enough that I opted to hand wash the Shemagh. 3) Hand washing was the correct technique. There was a great deal of dye that washed off and it would have certainly stained any other item had I washed it together with something else. I actually had to hand wash several times to remove most (but not all) of the dye. While there is still an odor, it is slight and easily tolerable. 4) Keep in mind that I am a Shemagh "newbie": I originally thought that the primary purpose of the Shemagh was simple protection from the sun (keep the sun off the head and back of the neck). It actually does much more: acts as a mini visor to keep the sun out of your eyes and also acts as eye black to further reduce glare. b) is a multi-purpose head wear where you can optionally use the face mask, use it as a scarf only (retain heat in cold weather and wet it for evaporation in hot weather. I'm compelled to confess that I have little knowledge of Middle East culture, so I was hesitant to try a Shemagh; however, I have a couple of military friends who swear by a Shemagh so I opted to give it a try and see what all the fuss was about. I am very happy that I overcame my initial bias and gave it a try. I am so impressed with it that I plan to purchase another in the future, although I am going to look for one made of thicker material (if it even exists).