Sun Hat vs Hoodie & Ball Cap

[Erik Hagen]

Been using a Sun Day Afternoons hat last couple of seasons and while I like the overall protection I’m not keen on the wide brim that reduces visibility especially for lookup up.  Considering going to something like a OR Echo Hoodie and pairing with a ball-cap as I’ve noticed more folks doing this on the trail.  For anyone who’s using this method what are your likes & dislikes?   I’ve never done the hoodie thing for prolong periods so wondering how comfortable it is and if they tend to overheat?  I would definitely go with a lighter color if I choose this route.

[Roger Caffin]

That is a funny one. Here in Australia broad-brimmed hats are definitely the preferred option. We get a lot of sun.

Cheers

[John S.]

A hoodie and ballcap to me would be hotter and give less peripheral vision than a Sunday Afternoons Ultra Adventure Hat.

[David Gardner]

Timely.

I’ve used wide brim hats, ball caps, wide brim hats with ventilating mesh, ball caps with ventilating mesh and a drape, even a “sun balaclava. All worked to varying degrees to shade me from the sun, but all are HOT. At least they are to me when I’m hiking just about anywhere when it’s not winter. So I wanted to give something else a try for the SHR this summer. There’s a fair amount of 3 and 4 class scrambling on the SHR also, with the potential for falls and rock falls.

So…don’t laugh, but I just ordered one of these to see how it works. I’ll attach a drape a la French Foreign Legion to shade my neck and the sides of my face.Solar powered, 4000mAh built-in battery claimed to power the fan for 6-12 hours even in the absence of sunlight, USB output interface which can be used as portable charger, head fan, head lamp, and Bluetooth answering phone function. Adjustable for proper fit, chin strap, hollow thermal insulating layer design.

[Roger Caffin]

Which says something about the Amazon customer base…

[jscott]

A ball cap shades your eyes and gives one the sense of being in shade; but lots of the face remains exposed. A hoodie will protect your neck and ears but I wonder if the chin and cheeks and mouth etc will still be exposed.

Sunday Afternoon pretty much shades the entire face. I understand no liking how the brim impedes vision looking up. However it’s possible to just flip up the front brim when suitable (in trees or with the sun at your back etc.) and then back down when needed.

[Michael B]

I am in favor of wide brimmed hats over a hoody and ball cap. As the orientation of a trail changes relative to sun position, the ball cap offers much less protection from when the sun is hitting you from the side. I used a ball cap on just a couple trips this year to try it, and I was sunburned on my face and lips. I don’t like slathering sunscreen on my face so I am going back to my wide brimmed hat. Oddly my hat of choice is a cotton HIC surf hat – not UL by any means and not a fabric most would consider as their first choice, but it keeps my head cool in the sun, and it has never bothered me even when soaking wet in a cool rain (granted, I don’t live where it gets ACTUALLY cold).
Similar to this
https://www.swimoutlet.com/p/peter-grimm-lachlan-25-brim-hat-8185465/

 

[David Gardner]

Roger, what does it say about the Amazon customer base?

[Brad W]

Done both, will never use anything other than ball cap and sun hoody and sometimes buff. With these you can combat almost any situation and nearly cover the majority of your face/neck.

[David Gardner]

These are made from high SPF fabric:

[Roger Caffin]

I can’t imagine anyone wearing either of those ‘sun hoods’ or ‘face masks’ in an Australian summer. You’d die.
Cheers

[JCH]

Roger is not cool like Gary Numan :)

[jscott]

https://www.sunprecautions.com/product/48100

this drape hat is very loose and cool. It can be “zipped” up all the way up over the nose with velcro. It’s also excellent as a mosquito hat–insects can’t bit through it. Better than netting in that you can just wear sunglasses and close the drape up over your nose, leaving vision free of netting.

Here’s from a review on line that I agree with:

“I found that the drape of the shade cap could be fastened to close just below the nose and above the upper lip line to give full facial protection from all angles. I was also surprised to discover that the detachable drape which fastened to the cap at top rear and side locations fastened in such a way to create a ventilation channel at the rear upper portion of the head so that the loose drape dropping to the shoulders and this air gap behind the head provided a comfortable ventilation of the cap relieving the upper head area of excessive heat accumulation. Highly recommend shade cap and crossover drape for full head/shoulder 100 SPF+ protection.”

[Sean P]

Like Roger, I also walk in Australian summer – almost always in above treeline alpine terrain with reflection from exposed rocks and with merciless UV from the Australian sun.

I have two main strategies for preventing sunburn – a wide brimmed/bucket hat or a OR ballcap with integral flap that covers ears and neck.

Neither work perfectly, I have still got a sunburned neck from a sombrero sized wide brim hat; this seems incredible but must must have come from reflection from rocks, and the legionnaires cap still exposes the side of the face and so sunscreen is still required.

I can’t imagine how hideous and stifling a buff/hoodie or whatever would be when walking – I’ve done it from necessity when snowshoeing and it it is extremely oppressive IMO. I’d rather not go walking in summer than enclose my neck and head with a hoodie or buff- yes I’ve tried it; a legionnaires cap is bad enough.

My next strategy might be to follow what we used in the Australian Army: a ‘giggle hat’, AKA bucket hat, with integral flap for neck protection.

[Marcus]

My primary hat is the Sunday Afternoons Compass (same hat, but with a full rigid brim).

A baseball hat is not adequate for SoCal sun. I dont like things draped on my neck either, makes me sweat a lot.

So far for easy to moderate terrain by FAR the best sun hat is a Zpacks/Gossamer/Six moons sun umbrella. I dont need a hat with the umbrella and I can shade up to 80% of my body with the umbrella, making it by far the coolest ‘hat’ alternative I’ve found. I’ll be using it this weekend again. Everyone thinks its odd until the afternoon heat kicks in. Then I go from fool to genius!

If the wind is >10-15mph or the terrain is rough (scrambling, scree) then the umbrella becomes less useful and its back to the Compass hat.

[Sloan]

I am a pale ginger who burns easily and I dislike using sunscreen so my sun protection comes from wearing proper clothing. I prefer a ball cap with drape/bandana I’m using the OR equinox. I like that you can always have exactly as much coverage as needed or ventilation allowed. You can remove the drape if it’s unnecessary and with the collar on my shirt turned up and the drape buttoned in the front I can get full sun protection from any angle

[HkNewman]

Just finished a trip using a ball cap and neck cape (both from OR).    Wasn’t bad but I miss the slight breezes that the cape blocks (likely the same with a hoody).  I’ll be returning to a full brim sun hat and Buff-type neck protection.

Started with a smaller Salomon cape that allowed more breeze but sun protection wasn’t complete (as sizzled parts of my neck showed).

wonder if the chin and cheeks and mouth etc will still be exposed

 

Theres reflection to deal with too, though I don’t slather the sunscreen on while wearing headwear providing overhead shade.

[Bill in Roswell]

Living in the southeast US paddling, sailing, hiking, camping, I’ve used both sunhat and sun hoody. Often interchangeably. Despite heat and humidity, a UL hoody (I have Patagonia and Montbell) is cooler than intense sun on my skin. Maybe I’m paranoid since I’ve had 4 skin cancer removals and expect a few more. Prefer the sunhat (ventilated REI knockoff of Sunday hat) for paddling. Prefer hoody and cap for sailing and hiking. Sunhats don’t fare well in the cockpit of a sailboat. Hoody has great options when hiking high/low. To my mind the head kit needs to fit your geography. Wish UL hoodies had been around when I ventured in Peru! Talk about intense sun…..

 

 

[Roger Caffin]

Roger is not cool like Gary Numan :)
I see he has a long extension lead going off to the left for the internal cooling system. Cute.

Cheers

[Erik Hagen]

Thanks for the comments.  Lots of ideas and things to think about.  For me it’s mainly for above tree line in the Sierras.  Usually doesn’t get too hot so it’s more about exposure.  Not expecting to be free of sunscreen, I still use with Sun Hat on cheeks and nose for all the reflective surfaces (snow, water, polished granite).

[Roger Caffin]

Mind you, we have used scarves and more across our faces in bright sun on open snow fields. AND sunscreen!

Cheers

[Daryl and Daryl]

I recall reading that farmers on tractors in the sun wearing  ball caps ended up with a lot of skin cancer on the parts of the face not protected by the cap (e.g. cheek bone area).

[John Vance]

I like the OR sun runner with cape.  Versatile and can be worn with the hood on my wind shirt, jacket, puffy, or rain wear.   It can be used with the cape down, up, or removed for ball cap use in towns.  On snow fields I use a buff or bandana for the nose down sun protection.

[Casper v]

I wear a ARC’TERYX – Remige Hoody       ( 160gr. ) with lightweight baseball cap 🙏

[Matthew / BPL]

I don’t understand the comment about Amazon’s customer base nor do I think this is a “funny one”.

Responding to the question at hand… I live in the Sonoran Desert where cloudy days are a novelty. I’m well experienced with walking in the sun. I prefer a Tropic Comfort Sun Hoody, made from thin polyester fabric with a very deep hood. If the sun is consistently behind me I wear it without a hat. With sun in front of me or to the side, I add an OR Sun Runner baseball cap (sans cape). If the sun is right in front of me or reflected light from the snow is a concern I find a cotton bandana to be a more breathable solution than a buff. YMMV but I haven’t found a cooler setup for the sun.

[Author]

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