Horizons Unlimited - The HUBB - 40 Reasons NOT to Leave Home Without...

A kikoi. (similar to a sarong/sari but a thicker/stronger woven Massai version)

(Google it - can buy at www.kikoi.com etc) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/gr.../besttest6.jpg

Here is why it is indispensible:

First and foremost - it washes and dries in a jiffy - so can be kept clean and dry when most other things can't.

The ultimate STYLE /clothing item:

1. Wrap it round waist for a skirt (Boys too! David Beckham does it!)

2. Wrap it through legs tie on waist, for a pair of cullottes (wide fitting pants)

3. Wrap it around body and tie under arm, for a beach dress (especially usefull at a laundromat, when you can wash ALL your clothes, whilst you sit and wait in your kikoi!)

4. Wrap it around chest, tie on back for a cool top in hot weather

5. Wrap around hair - tie up, eh presto, glamourous head dress (hides dirty hair)

6. Wrap around shoulders in a 'shawl' style for cooler nights.

7. Wear as a scarf

8. My favourite: use as an impromptu dressing gown (wrap) so you can go to bed/sleeping bag nude (for whatever reason!) and not worry that you’ll be caught short if your tent collapses/sets alight/you have a pee in the middle of the night.

10. Hang it on your tent – or as a rug on the floor, as a bit of colourful decoration to cheer you up.

The ultimate MEDICAL item:

11. Use as a SLING for sprains or broken arms

12. Tie for a tourniquet

13. Perfect as a bandage or binding for a splint

14. Wet and put on sunburn – cooling and soothing. Even soak in aftersun lotion and apply to skin – keeps it cool.

15. Use as a covering over a bowl of steaming water for a head cold.

The ultimate CONVENIENCE item:

16. Use as a towel.

17. Use as a light blanket/sheet to sleep under when its hot

18. Use as a personal ‘clean sheet’ when sleeping in strange/dubious beds

19. Wrap it african style around your waist, and carry wood, fruit, babies, coconuts, groceries, bottles, kitchen sinks etc. etc. on your back with your ARMS FREE for climbing trees, or clapping hands.

20. Instant picnic/beach/sand blanket

21. Makes a perfect sun 'awning' stretched between bikes* see survival

22. Use as food storage - wrap food in it and hang from a tree - safe from insects or curious rodents/monkeys etc.

23. Wrap cameras/electronic gear to add layer of dustproofness and shock absorbing

24. Use as a ‘chastity shelter’ when you want to change/shower/kiss

25. Douse in perfume (or any smellies) and wrap around your face to avoid gagging in stinky toilets/slums/your teenagers’ bedrooms

26. Tie it on a stick and use as a flag so friends can find you in a crowd/you can find your tent easily when drunk.

The ultimate SURVIVAL item:

27. Wrap around face Tuareg style for a sahara-proof headress against sun and sand exposure.

28. If stuck in desert, do above, but wet it (or pee on it) to cool down

29. *Use as shade/awning if no shelter available

30. Use tied between two poles/sticks as a stretcher – (I’ve dragged someone who was too heavy to carry on mine!)

31. Choose brightly coloured kikoi – and this can become a handy beacon/flag when trying to attract attention

32. Use it as a fishing net.

33. When confronted with an angry bull/lama/camel use as a mantel to distract the animal. Can also be thrown down whilst running, to act as decoy

34. In dire emergency (I would suggest this only after you’ve eaten all your food, your friends and bits of yourself and there is no other way out) burn it, to send a smoke signal to the nearest village.

The ultimate MOTOR MECHANICAL item:

35. Works GREAT as a STRONG towing rope, rolled up

36. Worked as a tyre tool, tied round the wheel, to keep the pressure even, whilst we pumped the tyre up.

37. Tie bits of your bike frame together.

The ultimate FUN / ADVENTURE item:

38. Use as a rope for ‘tug-o-war’
39. When wet and rolled tightly, it makes a magnificent whip to chase people around with.
40. Use as a blindfold in “Guess Who” games.