Review: Platatac - HeadOver

As summer approaches, we get some very changable weather in Melbourne, even more so than the rest of the year. Some days blistering hot, some days chilly and wet. Still days, windy days, wet, dry. But mostly windy. I like to keep a hat in my bag as a part of my EDC, as sun-exposure and skin cancer are no-ones friends,bu t there are times when a hat just wont suit the conditions.


It's time like these that I opt for a bandana, wrapping my head and hair out of the sun and wind, and giving my neck some needed cover, however, even the ubiquitous bandana won't suit all the time. they shift around, come undone and generally fail when most needed. That's where head-socks come in. More adaptable than a beanie, more structured than a scarf or sehmagh, I really like them. I have reviewed the HeadSox brand offering previously.
This however is the Platatac PolyPro Headover .

This lightweight tube of stretchy polypropylene fabric runs at 50cm long by 40cm in circumference, putting it longer but a little bit more narrow than the HeadSox version.

A single seam along the middle makes the tube, but both ends are hemmed neatly, making this a tidy little addition to my collection, especially when I don't want any snagging options. As you probably know, I fall into the longhair Viking side the "grooming standards", with "high and tight" but I've always seen this as part of my warrior heritage (and I'm sticking to that!).

It does leave me with complications on occasion.
Getting my hair hung up in packs, vests and slings is really annoying, and truth be told, probably a safety risk. However, I've managed to go this far without getting into too much strife with it, mostly because I pony-tail it or braid it.

The other option, like I've mentioned, is bandana's, hats and headsocks. Here's how I like to wear my Platatac HeadOver:

As a neck-warmer, note how it drapes low, all the way to my collarbones. Very good for adding chafe resistance to vests and slings!

Doubled over, it acts as a cap, wrapping and shading my head, and keeping my hair out of the way, and secured. In this fashion, it acts as a turban, a very effective and simple form of hot-weather headgear that has been worn for millennia.

With my hair pulled through, it acts like a bandana, as well as a hair-channel. To get it on like this, I pull it all the way over my head to my neck, then drag one end up and over, catching all my hair, and ears, giving a slick and tight cover. I wear this when I have to wear a hat or helmet, but want my neck uncovered (or just want my hair managed). This gives the most breeze flow and wicking contact.




When I want to go "full tacticool", nothing beats the open faced balaclava, with one end pulled up over the ears and nose, with a hat over the top, you have maximum sun/grit/wind and identity protection,  the same neck abrasion protection of the neck-warmer "mode" and look like a bad-ass khaki ninja to boot.

For all my silliness with this, the HeadOver is a great piece. Maintaining protection from the environment and avoiding exposure is a critical element of any survival plan, and a simple, lightweight and versatile piece like this really adds to your options, at very little wight, bulk or fiscal costs.