Vala Alta Irish Linen Handkerchiefs, by Thomas Christianson

Other than using cotton balls for starting fires, it is generally best to avoid cotton for field use. Cotton fabric tends to attract and retain moisture, at which point it becomes uncomfortable and loses its insulating value. As a result, “cotton kills” has become a common saying regarding wearing cotton in the field.

Although there are not too many situations in which one’s life might depend on the insulating value of their handkerchief, there are many times when one’s comfort is dependent upon that article being dry. Linen handkerchiefs provide a stronger and faster drying alternative to cotton handkerchiefs. As an added bonus, linen is hypo-allergenic and even has mildly antiseptic properties.

Vala Alta manufactures an attractive line of handkerchiefs in the USA using Irish linen. I recently tested a couple of these handkerchiefs: one in the 12 x 12 inch size and the other in the 16 x 16 inch size. I found the 12 x 12 inch handkerchief to be a little undersized for my taste, but the 16 x 16 handkerchief was ideal. It was attractive, strong, and comfortable on my nose.

At the time of this writing, a five-pack of the 16 x 16 inch handkerchiefs cost $85 at https://valaalta.co. If you want handkerchiefs that will dry quickly if you need to wash them in the field, you might want to take a look at what Vala Alta has to offer.

Background

I carry a handkerchief pretty much every day. I have been doing so ever since I became old enough to understand that it was poor form to wipe my nose on my sleeve.

I have used two main types of handkerchiefs as part of my everyday carry (EDC) gear: white handkerchiefs about 14 x 14 inches in size and colored bandanas that measure about 20 x 20 inches. Both types of handkerchief were made out of cotton.

The white handkerchiefs are what I carried to the office, around the house, at church, out shopping, and in most clean and presentable environments. In those environments, the white color helped to signal to those around me that I was carrying a clean handkerchief.

The colored bandanas are what I carried in the field and while working around the property. The larger size came in handy if I needed to press the bandana into service as a pot holder, tourniquet, sweatband, dust mask, caution flag, water pre-filter, dog leash, etc. The colors helped to hide the fact that these bandanas may have become dirty and even stained in the course of my labors. For example, during the annual cleaning of my outside wood boiler, I usually ended up looking like a coal miner. And if I needed to wipe my brow or blow my nose during the course of that cleaning, then my bandana looked like a coal miner’s bandana.

I have owned most of my handkerchiefs and bandanas for decades. Others I inherited after decades of use by my father, father-in-law, and various uncles. The handkerchiefs have been washed and ironed and re-washed and re-ironed dozens of times. All of those years of laundering and use have worn them soft and easy on the nose.

I recently ran across Vala Alta Irish linen handkerchiefs online. Since I was aware of the drawbacks of cotton for field use, I was immediately interested. I contacted Vala Alta and asked them if they could provide me with a sample for testing and evaluation. They were kind enough to agree. Not long afterward, a package arrived in my mailbox.

First Impressions

The black plastic mailer from Vala Alta came via USPS Ground Advantage. I was interested to note that the mailer is home compostable (“Pop it into your home compost and watch it disappear”).

I cut open the mailer and removed the contents. They consisted of two handkerchiefs, each made of natural undyed linen. There are other colors available, but I found the natural color quite attractive.

The mailer also contained a packing list and a card with care instructions and origin information.

The flax for the linen is grown in Belguim. The fibers are then woven into cloth in Northern Ireland. That cloth is then shipped to the United States, where it is sewn into handkerchiefs.

The handkerchiefs are best washed in cool water with a mild detergent. Low-heat tumble drying will produce the softest finish. They can also be air-dried.

The tiny “Vala Alta” tag on each handkerchief is made of recycled polyester as is the thread that is used to sew the hems of the handkerchiefs.

I took the handkerchiefs to the ironing board and ironed them. Then I began to use them on a daily basis.

Testing

The linen fibers were initially a little harder on my nose than the well-washed cotton of my existing handkerchiefs. But just carrying a handkerchief in my back pocket for a short time helped the fibers to begin to soften. Laundering helped that softening process along even more.

I found 16 x 16 inches to be just about the optimum size for a handkerchief. I liked it being just a little larger than my 14 x 14 inch cotton handkerchiefs, while it was more compact than my 20 x 20 inch bandanas. The 12 x 12 inch size, on the other hand, seemed a bit on the dainty side, like something more appropriate for a lady to carry in her purse.

One day I noticed that my glasses were dirty. I wondered if I could use a linen handkerchief to dry them after washing as I typically do with a cotton handkerchief. After checking online, I was gratified to discover that linen and cotton are both recommended materials for drying the lenses of eyeglasses after washing.

The handkerchiefs worked well throughout the testing period keeping my nose clean and comfortable.

Vala Alta?

The name “Vala Alta” mystified me for a while. I could think of a possible translation for the “Alta” portion of the name as “high” from Spanish, but I could not come up with anything that made sense for “Vala”. I did an online search, and all I could come up with was a computer programming language. Finally, I wrote to the founder of the company, Mr. Dan Walsh, to ask about the name.

Mr. Walsh kindly replied, “I was thinking of naming the company after a mountain like the ski company, K2, so I was looking around at mountain names and stumbled upon Kala Patthar – of which I liked the Kala part so I kept that, but it felt incomplete. So I kept thinking and at that time I had recently gone on a hike in Sequoia National Park named “Alta Meadow” so I combined the Alta with Kala – and then changed the Kala to Vala because I thought is sounded better. And there you have it!”

Crying Ladies

The major task for my handkerchief is wiping my nose. But perhaps the second most useful task for a handkerchief is helping to cope with crying ladies.

As a pastor, I often find myself in the presence of crying ladies. Funerals, hospital visits, counseling appointments, and a host of other situations may leave a lady with a good reason to cry in the presence of one of her pastors. Most pastors, like most other men, feel pretty helpless and useless in the presence of crying ladies. Men are wired to try to protect ladies from situations that cause them to cry. (Unfortunately, men also create many of the situations that cause ladies to cry).

If you have ever seen Gone with the Wind (even though it is no longer politically correct to view that film), you may have noticed that Scarlett O’Hara cried a number of times in the film. And you may have also noticed that each time Scarlett cried, Rhett Butler gave her his handkerchief. Rhett was definitely on to something there.

I always keep my office, the church sanctuary, and the church family room well stocked with Kleenex. I find that handing a crying lady a box of Kleenex provides a great deal of comfort to me in any case if not to her.

If you don’t happen to have any Kleenex and are carrying a recently laundered handkerchief, it can be a good alternative (with suitable assurances as to its cleanliness). If your handkerchief is soiled, you are in a truly desperate situation. Paper toweling, clean toilet paper, or paper napkins can serve as field expedients at this point. When those alternatives are not available, you are left with the counsels of despair: cutting off your shirt tail with your EDC knife or running away.

Conclusion

Vala Alta makes some truly fine Irish linen handkerchiefs. If you want some better than average handkerchiefs for you or someone you love, Vala Alta handkerchiefs would be a good choice.

Disclaimer

Vala Alta provided me with samples of their 12 x 12 inch and 16 x 16 inch Irish linen handkerchiefs for testing and evaluation. I tried not to allow their kindness to interfere with my objectivity, and I believe that I have succeeded. I did not receive any other financial or other inducement to mention any vendor, product, or service in this article.