Do you wear a hat in summer?

[sweeper]

I come from a LONG line of Folliclly challenged males with skin cancer. I don't go outside wo/at least a ball cap.

 

[NewHampshire]

I wear an EMS nylon ballcap style. Never even thought about wether it played any part in heat dissipation. So thanks everyone for the tip there. Maybe next trip Ill stuff it in the bag while under the trees. Unfortunately out in the sun my hat is a MUST. Ive got cokebottle glasses that (and no Im not kidding) when I dont have the shade of a hat can actually be too bright for my eyes to take. Even with sunglasses on I still notice a distinct increase in the brightness. But below tree line is another story.
Brian

 

[LenDawg]

If I have too much goo, I wear a Moosehat that I got on top of Washington. Most of the time, I wear a regular ballcap to keep the sun out of my eyes and keep my head cool.

 

[Raymond]

I usually bring along a straw hat (used to be Susan's hand-me-downs, but last August I finally bought my own, an oversized one, in Bar Harbor), but it always ends up hanging off my hiking stick until I'm actually out in the sun.

The one time I really needed one was when we did Saddleback and The Horn, and I left it in the car. D'oh.

I also have one of those common Outdoor Research Seattle Sombreros (blue with black trim).

 

[Bob Kittredge]

I sweat like a bastid, but dasn't go hatless above treeline for fear of sunburn. I figure SPF 30 and a brimmed hat give me a fighting chance to avoid melanoma.

 

[HikerBob]

I recently picked up one of these on sale at one of the stores.

Wore it on Monadnock the other day and found it to be very comfy and I didn't overheat. I have been wearing a baseball cap but find that the closer fit makes my head heat up. The Tilley hat (and any similar style no doubt) maintains some airspace above the head and the small brass vents do seem to allow for some ventilation.

Bob

 

[Artex]

I also almost always wear a bandana in the warmer months. I've found that hats are just too hot for me. A bandana is cooler and dries out quicker. When I had long hair, it also kept it out of my eyes. Now it gives protection from the sun, since it's pretty short. I didnt' wear one last Sunday when we hiked the Baldfaces, and my scalp got slightly burned. I won't do that again.

 

[WhiteMTHike]

In my home state many of the hiking trails are in hunting areas so an orange hat or vest is required. Hunting season is not year round but I wear the orange hat anyway because you never know who might want to hunt out of season.

If I'm on a trail that's not in a hunting area (i.e. Audobon Society trail) and it's warm weather then I'll wear a visor.

 

[Pete_Hickey]

I don't usually wear a hat in summer, but about 6 weeks ago, when I was going to Death Valley to acclimate before climbing Whitney, I did. I had heard that it was important to wear a hat while hiking in the desert.

I looked around my house, but all I could find were toques and baclavas. I knew that those wouldn't be too useful in the desert.

Then I found this:

http://newmud.comm.uottawa.ca/~pete/hats/hat2.jpg

I knew it wasn't the best hat, but what the heck. It was all I had.

 

[dave.m]

http://newmud.comm.uottawa.ca/~pete/hats/hat2.jpg

I knew it wasn't the best hat, but what the heck. It was all I had.

That is horrifying. I mean, Cisco Systems? Man that is just so 90s.

 

[Rick]

I like a bandanna in the summer si I can soak it as I pass streams, but I also always carry a 2 oz EMS mesh baseball cap for those days that I am hiking westward into a setting sun or eastward into a rising sun. Especially in the spring when there are few leaves on the trees.
When I went to Alaska a few years back I broke down and bought the REI version of OR's Seattle Sombrero. I wonder why it took me so long to get one. They work miracles in the rain. I ALMOST wish for rain on trips now so I can use it more

 

[Rick]

Then I found this:

http://newmud.comm.uottawa.ca/~pete/hats/hat2.jpg

I knew it wasn't the best hat, but what the heck. It was all I had.

You take the cake!!!!!!
I thought I was pretty funky and cheap because I took my wife's old Easter bonnett (sans flowers, of course) with me when I backpacked across Joshua Tree a few years back.
BTW.... Have you ever heard of that TV show "Clean Sweep" on Home and Garden TV. You just might be a candidate if you got more stuff like that lying around!!!!

 

[twigeater]

I have a thick head of hair and besides the fact that I don't like the way baseball caps fit or feel, I feel stupid in them.
Bandana and sunglasses for me.

In the winter it's ear bands and sunglasses.
When my hair starts to thaw and/or is wet, I pull on a plain old winter hat.

sunscreen year round.

 

[SAR-EMT40]

I use either a bandana or I have one of the EMS ventilated nylon baseball caps. If the sun is on my back I turn it around so the brim now protects my neck from sunburn. Works great.

Keith

 

[sun=electric]

In the shady NE I wear nothing on the head. Above treeline or in open alpine areas (i.e. high altitude, Andes Mts etc.) I use my old OR Sonora Sombero. With a lot of dried sweat it will get stiff like a stetson, and then rinse back to soft and dry in a flash. It wicks sweat like mad and has a detachable chin strap for gusty times.

 

[ADK Rick]

Why #2??

Then I found this:

http://newmud.comm.uottawa.ca/~pete/hats/hat2.jpg

I knew it wasn't the best hat, but what the heck. It was all I had.

Pete, curious...what was the determining factor for this hat (hat2) versus hat1 and hat3, both of which have their relative attractive qualities??

ADK Rick

 

[Pete_Hickey]

Pete, curious...what was the determining factor for this hat (hat2) versus hat1 and hat3, both of which have their relative attractive qualities??

<

The horns help to keep the sun off my shoulders. Also, they make me look less human, enabling me to get closer to animals.


Also... It was a troll for curious people.

 

[alpinista]

I looked around my house, but all I could find were toques and baclavas.

Ummm, isn't that a dessert? Although given the headgear you opted for, perhaps that's more than appropriate!

 

[forestgnome]

I keep my hair very short(not a big fan of hot weather). I prefer a visor, and a hand towel which I keep in my hand. My head can breath and I wipe sweat with the towel. I add spf 50 lotion when hiking exposed places.

My wife has lots of gorgeous hair. She likes a visor and a tightly-pulled pony tail.

I always have a fleece hat in the pack, even in July.

 

[Warren]

Bandana wetted in the summer, but that's mostly to keep my hair from dreadlocking and becoming a nest. I carry a Royal Robbins floppy light Nylon hat I use instead of a hood in all but heavy rain or snow, I think I'm switching to a Kokat gore tex hat shaped like the classic fishermans rain cap. I've been using it kayaking this summer. It may be too much for sun protection, but for rain or snow it may do the trick.

In winter I tend to stick with a smartwool cap or a light micro fleece tube. The tube has been the best thing for the long hair.