Sun Hat vs Hoodie & Ball Cap

[Gary Dunckel]

David, have you used your Arctic hat yet? I’m curious as to how it performed. It looks a lot like the Mission bucket hat that I alluded to earlier.

[two pints]

Perhaps this might be an option….  Wide brim.  Sun powered fan.

https://www.thewarmingstore.com/kool-breeze-gentleman-brown-w-wide-band-solar-cooling-hat-upf-50-protection.html

[David Gardner]

Gary – I have and I love it. Similar to the Mission but I think the brim is a bit wider and it has water absorbtion material in the dome. The IR reflective surface seems to work as promised, and the water pads definitely do. I hiked with the pads starting dry and compared to starting with them wet, and wet is definitely cooler. The pads also absorb a lot of sweat, which helps keep you cool and also keeps the sweat from running down into my eyes. I also like that it keeps my neck in the shade without a stifling cape and the top of my shoulders too. I’ll be using it in combination with a Columbia sun hoodie but only plan to use the hood when the sun is at low angles in the AM and PM and the temps aren’t as extreme.

two pints – Genius! Wish I’d known about that straw hat with a fan before I invested in the hard hat version; I would have given it a try.

I’m 99% settled on the Arctic Hat for my SHR trek 7/18 – 8/8. The only drawbacks I can see are the amount of wind it will catch and the fact that I can’t use it with my poncho to keep the hood open and pointed in the same direction as my face. I may take my OR Sun Runner along without the cape just to use as part of my rain system.

[John S.]

https://www.patagonia.com/voluntary-recall-of-capilene-cool-daily-and-tropic-comfort-upf-products/

Some of Our Capilene® Cool Daily and Tropic Comfort Styles Missed the Mark on 50+ UPF.

[David Thomas]

I like a sun-brella like the Chrome Dome.  8 ounces, but I feel 10-15F cooler underneath, have 360-degree visibility, and it works in some rain (vertical rain, but not in high winds).  It also creates a spot of solid shade during a break if you hang from a tree or cactus branch allowing you to use both hands for lunch or treating water.

Like low-cut hiking shoes 30 years ago, the newbies think you’ve made a goofy gear choice while the most experienced folks nod appreciatively.

I also use collared shirts a lot to keep the sun off the base of my neck.  100% nylon up here where I’m bashing through alders and dead spruce; 100% cotton in the Grand Canyon so I can soak it with stream water.  Stream water I apply to myself feels like for free evaporative cooling, while sweating out the same water feels like work (and leaves my skin all salty).

[Dave @ Oware]

Bandana under bucket hat or ball cap. Collar up. Sunscreen on face.  Bandana can be wet when very hot. Also can be moved to cover the face.

On glaciers, clown white blocks it all on nose, lips —

On the river I like the sun hoodies with a ball cap as I can stay cool by getting wet.

[Todd G]

I don’t know the solution and I sort of hate all the options honestly. I use a light rei cap, buff, and a bamboo sun hoody that breathes well. I think people are underestimating reflective uv damage. It is particularly great at high altitudes, with snow, water, and light colored mountains. If you’re doing 8 hours of that stuff it’s crazy hard to not get excess exposure from a dermatological perspective. A wide brimmed hat wouldn’t cut it.

[YoPrawn]

Todd, very good point. It’s really bad if there is any form of water molecules on the ground.

I started using a clear Zinc-oxide sun screen on my face to help prevent reflective UV damage. But only use that when too hot to wear my buff.

Anyone can see this effect going fishing for a sunny day using a wide hat. You’ll get sun burnt on the face still.

[Matthew / BPL]

It’s not my favorite way to hike but this is surprisingly comfortable in full sun.

[jscott]

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

the drape here can be pulled up over the bridge of nose, or left hanging, or completely unfastened so it’s hanging to the side. The fabric is Solumbra, 100% UPV. It also is impermeable to mosquitoes. I always used it in bug season for that reason alone. and it hangs loose, and is white, so cool.

When you enter a forest, just let it hang. When at sun in altitude, or on snow, pull it up over your nose as Mathew does. The difference is that cotton still lets harmful sun rays through. Solumbra does not.

You don’t have to be sun burned before damage can be done to the skin. this, according to my dermatologists, including the one who cut out a cancerous melanoma from my cheek.

[Atif Khan]

And now for something completely different…for summer heat Tuareg technology (see picture below) has been optimized for over 1,500 years in the Sahara:

1. Dark colors: Convection cooling.

2. Cotton: Hydrophilic.

3. Full body coverage: Sun protection and moisture retention.

4. Layers: Microclimate of evaporative cooling.

Each year we do a desert crossing with traditional cameleers and the above are some of the things they do to stay cool. The hikers who come in shorts and hats suffer. Hats and hoods trap heat; shorts and t-shirts waste valuable moisture (and speed water loss); and umbrellas disrupt next-to-body convection cooling.

Adapted to Western sensibilities, one might just wear very loose (as in 80’s baggy) dark colored 100% cotton pant, shirt, and shawl.

Initially you will feel warm but within 10 minutes of walking the sweat begins to cool you for the day.

For winter sun protection, follow the Inuit.

[Scott H]

there are hats that have a baseball type brim and then drape around sides of your head and neck.  Last weekend we were on a lake so I hade a buff for the neck and lower face with a wide brim hat to cover the other way, supplemented with sunscreen.  This all worked perfectly for me.  In the worst heat I was getting some sweat in the face but that is an issue for me no matter what.  I saw some of the posts above with what looked like a mummy head wrap, I have seen some boaters using something like this.  Unless i was a professional fisherman, I would not be caught dead in that.  I also feel a hat is compulsory for myself because the top of my head does not have a lot of hair.  I only do baseball caps for narrow conditions like a car trip or something where a brim is inconvenient but a nice straw fedora can be perfect for those situations.

[George W]

UV protection on the water is a different ball game, there are many options that don’t require the same weight and space considerations. Sort of like the RVs of the desert, camels, if you are riding on one the conditions are different.

To make one set of light and simple clothing function in the many different environments of a backpacking trip there are some compromises.

What I don’t like about dark clothing is you insanity put yourself at a 20 to 30 degree disadvantage compared to white on the surface of the fabric. This may be OK if the surface is moved further from your skin to allow for airflow, but this isn’t common when relying on limited clothing, as in one shirt.

What I look for is a shirt that doesn’t create that instant sensation of heat when you step out of the shade. Plus it needs to be simple and easy to adjust for changing conditions as you walk. If it’s not easy, simple, light and fast, you probably aren’t going to use it.

I live and hike where 100F isn’t an uncommon temperature, at least there’s not much humidity, so it’s somewhat tolerable.

I don’t like most sun hoodies once it gets really hot, most can do a good job where you don’t see extreme heat though.

I have one sun hoodie that works well when it’s hot, it is very light and there’s no sensation of instant heat when you step out of the shade. This results in more comfort with less fiddling when hiking. If I wear it in the house it feels a bit cold, the slightest breeze can chill you.

This shirt and a ball cap work well as a quick and simple combination that can be instantly adjusted as needed. Add a light colored buff and you can cover all exposed skin almost effortlessly with no weight penalty. A bandana will do the same thing, plus has other uses.

Im not saying I like the resulting limited air flow, but its adequate, and far less of a problem than over exposure.

A large hat is great, but difficult to pack when not required, and gets in the way on tight trails, brush, or when climbing.

So, for sun protection on multi day trips where I may be hiking on good trails in shaded woods, bushwacking, hiking midday in exposed areas in direct sun when the temps are high, wind, and significant temperature changes are common, the sun hoodie and ball cap is about the most versatile option for me.

[Author]

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