Colter Co’s Bandanas: A Survival Reference You Wear on Your Head

Gear Diary is reader-supported. When you buy through links posted on our site, we may earn a commission at no cost to you.

You can learn more by clicking here.

Do you know how to tie a knot? Me neither. Well, I know how to make a basic knot, but not the fancy kind. If I did need to know, I’d probably consult a survival reference app or a book. The last place I would check would be a bandana, but that’s the solution Colter Co pitched to us!

Colter Co's Bandanas: A Survival Reference You Wear on Your Head

Yes, a bandanna. And not just any bandana, this is one with “16 essential climbing, sailing and survival knot diagrams printed on a versatile and rugged 22″ bandana.” Well then, that sounds great. I get a head covering, and a survival reference I can access by removing said head covering.

Of course, I could always use an app … a quick search showed knot-tying apps ranged from free to $3.99 or so for a variety of knot reference tools. Admittedly, if I were lost in the wilderness and needed a knot, then I might not have signal or battery life left, so that’s one point for the bandana.

On the other hand, people survived the outdoors long before printed bandanas OR smartphones using simple books and notebooks. In fact, Amazon has a waterproof 6-card knot survival reference set for just $4.45! Incidentally, Amazon also sells bandanas by the dozen for under $12, so you could wear a bunch of head coverings and still reference your knots if you want.

In fact, you could buy two dozen bandanas AND the 6-card knot guide for ~$26. That’s cheaper than ONE Colter Co bandana at $28. Now, I have not handled the Colter bandana, so I don’t know what the quality is compared to the cheaper ones … but I cannot imagine a situation where I need a high quality bandana with knot guide but couldn’t carry a smartphone or 6 reference cards. There’s packing light and then there’s insane.

I have spent enough time shopping for and using outdoor gear that I know quality isn’t cheap. But I have a very hard time wrapping my head around a $28 bandana in general, and the knot gimmick doesn’t make me change my mind.

Am I being too hard on Colter Co? Is there something about the survival reference knot bandana that I don’t see? Let me know in the comments!

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Thanks for your support!


About the Author

Zek
Zek has been a gadget fiend for a long time, going back to their first PDA (a Palm M100). They quickly went from researching what PDA to buy to following tech news closely and keeping up with the latest and greatest stuff. They love writing about ebooks because they combine their two favorite activities; reading anything and everything, and talking about fun new tech toys. What could be better?