I've been curious about trying a silk banadana, and wondering how it compares to a regular cotton banadana.

From how much space it takes up when folded to how much water it can absorb, etc.

Would anyone be able to do a comparison between the two?

I used to have a silk balaclava. It is far superior to cotton for retaining warmth and keeping you dry. It feels smoother against the skin, and is generally more breathable. I would think that a silk bandana would be similarly as comfortable. For soaking up moisture, like dobbing excess perspiration, the cotton may capture more. It will also retain that moisture against the skin more, which can be uncomfortable.

I used to get silk, but now I just usually get synthetics.

The best silk ones are not really sheer but just a little bit "nubbly" instead.
It is hard to describe but they are a bit thicker than sheers and the surface is just slightly rough.
I think another name is washed silk or raw silk.

Edit: Sorry, to compare them:
The silk is not as absorbent as the cotton, but it is a lot stronger, dries faster, rinses out easier and it does not absorb stains the same way. It does scrunch up into a smaller package

Cotton is cheaper and easier to get. Cotton is also a bit cooler when damp and when dry is good as a pot grabber. Some people I know put a bandanna under their hat so it hangs down the back of their neck. It prevents sunburn.

The synthetics are ok and quite strong. About the same as silk, but absorb very little water and make really poor towels, but they do rinse clean so easy and dry so fast that they are still handy.
I buy them from thrift stores which sell them as head scarves, get the biggest you can.
I find them handy for trail marking and tying stuff up too.

I carry both, cotton and at least one silk. Cotton bandanas get all the dirty jobs and the silk is reserved for neck duty. Protecting against sunburn, keeping mosquitoes from chomping, etc. Silk is so light you won't even know its in your kit.

Thanks guys!

Where would you guys recommend getting silk bandanas? I found River Junction (http://www.riverjunction.com/catalog/mensfurn/bandanas.html) using google... Looks ok.

Kris

Try Dakota Bandana at http://abe.midco.net/dakotabandanas/

You might search for men's silk scarves. You will get more hits I think.

I've been real happy with Jinglebobs. Not sure about shipping cost to where you are though.

I prefer silk; I've bought many from Jinglebobs and have two on me now.

Here are some numbers. I'm comparing a 20" silk with a 21" cotton, both good quality. The cotton weighs 31.4g, and a single silk weighs 10.8g. So the silk is 1/3rd the weight.

I normally fold these in half twice, and then in thirds concertina-style, to make a pad that measures about 3.5" square. This then gets carried in a back pocket until it's well and truly compressed. The cotton ends up about 0.75" thick. Stacking them up, 3 silk are well under the thickness of 1 cotton, and 4 silk are slightly over. I'd say the silk was 1/4th the thickness.

I also have some 35" silk. These I fold in halves then in concertina quarters so the pad is about 4.5" square. One of these larger silks weighs 30.3g, and two of them are about the same thickness as the 21" cotton. (I also tried the 42" silk, but found it inconveniently large, and won't include it in this comparison.)

The 21" cotton will hold about 120g of water; after roughly ringing it out that went down to 84g. For 20" silk the figures were 33g and 24g respectively. This suggests to me that the absorbency depends less on the material and more on the thickness or weight. 3 or 4 silk together weigh about the same, have about the same thickness, and have about the same absorbency, as 1 cotton.

The cotton is a lot cheaper. A 21" cotton is usually around $2, the 20" silk is $8. This does make you feel less inclined to use the silk for things which might get them dirty, or to cut them up, etc. If you actually carry 4 silk then that's $32 or 16 times the price to get the same absorbency.

Overall for me the silk is a clear winner. The 35" is the same weight and half the thickness as a 21" cotton, but much more versatile because of it's much larger area. The diagonal is around 50", which is long enough to go around any part of my body and leave enough to tie, which can be important for first aid, or if you need a belt, or whatever. It's big enough for a sling for an arm, which 21" isn't. If you need to cut it into 5" squares to use as toilet paper, the silk gives you 49 sheets and the cotton only 16. More is better. If you need thickness for insulation, you can double it up, or quadruple it.

The 20" silk doesn't perform as well as 21" cotton, but being 1/4th the thickness and 1/3rd the weight makes up for it. They are light and thin enough that I regularly carry one in a shirt breast pocket, where cotton would be too much. You can carry three or four silk in the space of one cotton, and that gives you more options for using them - it matters less if you get one dirty if you have others. You can bind three or four wounds instead of just one, etc.

Nowadays I like to carry a 35" in my right back pocket, and a 20" in my left back pocket with an emergency poncho. They are thin and flat enough not to be uncomfortable to sit on, and it's not the end of the world if one gets pick-pocketed. (The poncho is thin plastic for water-proofness, which is sometimes good to have too. It weighs 48g and is about 0.5" thick. There isn't room for that and another 35" silk, but there is room for the 20".)

Now thats a review! Thanks for the info!

I'll make an order this week for an assortment of silk bandanas to try some out!

BTW: can you launder them just like normal cotton ones?