30 Ways to Use a Sarong

* Tie round the waist for a beach skirt
* Wrap around the waist for a long skirt
* Fold in half and wrap around the waist for a short skirt
* Tie at the top of your chest for a simple beach dress
* Or over one shoulder and around your waist as a toga style dress
* Wear as trousers, no pins needed and takes less than a minute
* Keep warm by wearing a sarong as a scarf
* Or as a shawl
* As a blanket it can keep chills away too
* Worn as a headscarf is a fashion statement
* Wear as a kiffiyeah to keep dust out of your face
* To use as a bag simply wrap your things in the sarong, and tie the two ends together
* A sarong is a perfect beach mat
* Ideal as a picnic blanket
* Works well as a lightweight towel
* Use as a curtains to cut out the light
* Or keep out light by making an eye mask, just wrap the sarong around the top of your head and over your eyes
* Sarongs are also great when made into a papoose for carrying small children
* Some people fashion them into a hammock for their babies Use as an emergency bed sheet if your hostel mattress is a bit grim
* Sarongs are pretty good as a tourniquet in case of an emergency
* They make a great sling in an emergency too
* Also perfect as a bandage until you get medical help
* Sarongs can be used as emergency rope if needed
* As an emergency sail on a boat
* You can catch food when used as a fishing net
* Sarongs can be used as a colander

* Use as a coffee strainer when filters are nowhere to be found
* Wear it as an apron while cooking
* Or use as a tablecloth as a treat while on the road

A sarong is a rectangular piece of fabric longer than it is wide, usually found in a variety of colourful prints. Its versatility is what makes it so essential for any trip as well as for day to day use.

Depending where you are in the world, sarongs have many different names. The name "sarong" comes from Indonesia. In Hawaii, they're called pareos; in Fiji and Tahiti they're known as lava-lava or sulu; in parts of Africa they're called kente or kikoy; in Brazil they're known as canga, and they have many other names, depending where in the world you are.