11-11-2008, 09:47 PM
I've received a few e-mails asking about the red bandana and its significance to space-a travel, so I decided to give you a little of the history (at least, as I know it).
The paisley red bandana has become a sort of unofficial symbol of the space-available traveler (or "SPAT"). Quite a few members of Dirk Pepperd's Space-A Message Board display them when traveling. While there's no hard-and-fast standard for the SPAT bandana, they're generally of paisley design and in some shade of red.
Tied to your suitcase, backpack, or carry-on's handle, the red bandana signifies your spirit of adventure and identifies you to other space-a travelers in the terminal. (Note: recently some SPATs are being seen with bandanas on their suitcases who've never even heard of the tradition. They just like to mark their bags somehow and a bandana does the trick!)
The original "bandana-while-space-a'ing" tradition goes back at least decades. One pepperd.com member, Tomi D., reported seeing them in the 80s when he worked at Clark AB in the Philippines. At the time he ran into a group calling themselves "ROMEOS" ('Retired Old Men Enjoying Overseas') and they and their wives sported their bandanas on their bags. Later, after the turn of the century, Cherry C. (also at pepperd.com) tossed the idea into the ring for the pepperd.com members as well. Between Tomi D.'s and Cherry C.'s input and nods from other members, the idea stuck and continues on today.
I've gone a step further and personally designed a unique traveling bandana bearing the Take-a-Hop name and logo; a red bandana with a distinctly modern twist. Rather than using traditional paisley, this bandana's design is based upon aircraft outlines which can be found throughout the pattern. The center of the bandana bears the new Take-a-hop logo, which is repeated in smaller form at the four corners of the bandana. The bandanas are 21" x 21" in size, made from 100% cotton and made in U.S.A. (in South Carolina, to be exact). They bear single-sided printing (with the reverse side being white) and a red hemmed stitched-edge finish and are available nowhere else. Plain bandanas of similar quality (but, of course, not identical, since you can only get Take-a-Hop bandanas here) would normally cost you anywhere between about $1.00 and $6.00 at various local stores.
I pass the Take-a-Hop bandanas out as a way for me to say thank you for contributing toward the signup server. For donations of $10 or more, I'll drop a free bandana in the mail to you ($18 and you'll get two, $25 and you'll get three, $30 and you'll get four, $35 and you'll get five, and so on). Just make sure you've provided a current mailing address so you'll receive it. Your donation will help in a great way to keep the signup server going.
Donation buttons can be found on the signup page.
Let me end by thanking everyone for your continued trust and support!
Rob G.
The paisley red bandana has become a sort of unofficial symbol of the space-available traveler (or "SPAT"). Quite a few members of Dirk Pepperd's Space-A Message Board display them when traveling. While there's no hard-and-fast standard for the SPAT bandana, they're generally of paisley design and in some shade of red.
Tied to your suitcase, backpack, or carry-on's handle, the red bandana signifies your spirit of adventure and identifies you to other space-a travelers in the terminal. (Note: recently some SPATs are being seen with bandanas on their suitcases who've never even heard of the tradition. They just like to mark their bags somehow and a bandana does the trick!)
The original "bandana-while-space-a'ing" tradition goes back at least decades. One pepperd.com member, Tomi D., reported seeing them in the 80s when he worked at Clark AB in the Philippines. At the time he ran into a group calling themselves "ROMEOS" ('Retired Old Men Enjoying Overseas') and they and their wives sported their bandanas on their bags. Later, after the turn of the century, Cherry C. (also at pepperd.com) tossed the idea into the ring for the pepperd.com members as well. Between Tomi D.'s and Cherry C.'s input and nods from other members, the idea stuck and continues on today.
I've gone a step further and personally designed a unique traveling bandana bearing the Take-a-Hop name and logo; a red bandana with a distinctly modern twist. Rather than using traditional paisley, this bandana's design is based upon aircraft outlines which can be found throughout the pattern. The center of the bandana bears the new Take-a-hop logo, which is repeated in smaller form at the four corners of the bandana. The bandanas are 21" x 21" in size, made from 100% cotton and made in U.S.A. (in South Carolina, to be exact). They bear single-sided printing (with the reverse side being white) and a red hemmed stitched-edge finish and are available nowhere else. Plain bandanas of similar quality (but, of course, not identical, since you can only get Take-a-Hop bandanas here) would normally cost you anywhere between about $1.00 and $6.00 at various local stores.
I pass the Take-a-Hop bandanas out as a way for me to say thank you for contributing toward the signup server. For donations of $10 or more, I'll drop a free bandana in the mail to you ($18 and you'll get two, $25 and you'll get three, $30 and you'll get four, $35 and you'll get five, and so on). Just make sure you've provided a current mailing address so you'll receive it. Your donation will help in a great way to keep the signup server going.
Donation buttons can be found on the signup page.
Let me end by thanking everyone for your continued trust and support!
Rob G.