new thread
I found this thread on Dejanews. I hope the link works.
Victor,
The link did indeed work, and the thread, although almost a year old, made fascinating reading. There were a few useful suggestions such as tying in braids or in a bun, but there were also a number of ignorant comments such as 'cut it off' or 'backpacking and long hair don't mix'; dispite the fact that women have managed quite successfully to mix them for years, as did native Americans and many other 'pre-modern' societies. It's just that men who have always worn short hair have a 'learning curve' to go through when they let it grow long. My experience has always been that those who disparage long hair the most, are those who really desire it but for whatever reason (spouse, workplace, too lazy to care for it) keep their hair short.
It's a fact that men got the long hair and beard genes in their bodies because that's what turned the women on long ago, and the women got the long hair genes since that must have turned on the men as well! Before combs and efficient cutting tools were invented, hair probably got easily matted however and, if it got to be a problem, the user would likely have bitten off the problem hair! I suspect that some ancient bonding rituals were based on the need to groom each other's hair. In the wilderness, unwashed hair gets oily and this helps in the grooming and, of course, helps develop nice hairy aromas which must have been a sexual turn-on in the distant past but are a big-time turnoff now!
As for bugs and parasites, it's a tossup; hair protects us from some but are a haven to others.
In short (or should I say in long), hair can be a nuisance to modern man in the wilderness but it got us where we are now!
One of the easies methods is to put your hair in a ponytail [favoring to one side maybe] and bring it around front. This keeps it more in sight and out from under the pack and straps. And if the scenery is boring you can braid it to pass the time. If you want to sheild your hair from the nasties of the wilderness, and branchs, you can always stuff it under a hat. Of course, backpacking is easy on you hair compared to having a two-year old in a back-carrier! Bed rolls don't throw tantrums!