In Mark Cunnington’s fictional carp fishing series, The Syndicate, one of the lead characters is called Rambo. Any carp will recognise him, as he’s similar to many real-life carp anglers. These carp anglers were always missing one thing, though – a bandana!
In all seriousness, the Evercool Bandana is quite a handy little thing to have around for any angler. I was a bit unsure of it when it arrived. In its dry state, it is just a strip of camo material, to all intents and purposes. (I should point out that these bandanas come in different colours – it’s just that the one that I have is camo).
However, I took a look at the instructions and, on an exceptionally hot May day, soaked the Evercool Bandana in cold water for about 20 minutes. This caused the bandana to swell, as the polymer beads inside absorbed the water at an incredible rate. The result was a cool bandana that, which I can only hazard a guess, feels similar to how a silicone implant must feel. Unfortunately, no volunteers were on hand to test this theory.
The bandana stays cool for quite a while (cooler than the water that I soaked it in, somehow!) and, if it does become warm again, you just resoak it. I suppose it works on a similar theory to the human body sweating, in that the water it contains captures the cold air from even the slightest breeze. In a survival programme shown on TV recently, Bear Grylls created a similar item by cutting up a t-shirt, urinating on it and then wrapping it around his head. Without even comparing the two bandanas, I can safely predict that the Evercool Bandana is the cleaner, safer and less smelly option of the two!
The Evercool Bandana range won’t catch you more fish, but as I’ve often said in previous reviews, a comfortable angler is usually a more alert and responsive angler.
Curiously, the Evercool Bandana is made by HeatMax, who, as you may have guessed by their name, are better known over here for their range of heat-related products, such as their handwarmers.
Recommended retail price is £4.75 and these bandanas are starting to trickle into UK tackleshops now. If you see one, it may well be worth adding it to your shopping basket.
