Warm-weather hats
With the chillier months (hopefully!) behind us, Lucy Wallace checks out a selection of headgear to protect you from harm on sunny days
I CONFESS that I’ve come late to sunhats. I have a full head of very thick, long hair; and in my youth, I was ignorant about the need to protect myself from the harmful effects of the sun. I do find some sunhats overly hot, and fussy; and in warm weather, hot and fussy isn’t good. But lately I’ve learned to appreciate the benefits of the shade of a good brim, the cooling and reflective effect of lightweight fabric, and even the way a hat can help keep my ridiculous mane under control. I also recognise that, much as I love the sun, those glorious rays can cause serious harm in the form of heat exhaustion, heatstroke and long-term problems including skin cancer. An effective, lightweight sunhat isn’t just about comfort; it is an essential piece of mountain walking protection, and not something to leave home without if there is sun in the forecast. Like everyone, I need to protect my head from the sun if I’m out in it for a long time.
Sunhats are, as exemplified above, quite an individual thing. In preparation for this review I spoke to some of my less hairy friends, and found that we definitely have differing tastes about what constitutes the ideal hat. For the less hirsute, the essential element is good UPF protection on the top of the head to prevent sunburn. For me, it’s about shading my face and not getting too hot. A good sunhat needs to fit well, cast effective shade, protect against harmful UV rays, and breathe efficiently on hot days. If it folds away small, and has a stiff brim that doesn’t crease easily, even better. An internal band to absorb sweat is helpful when working hard.
Because sunhat preference is personal, in choosing just three to test I deliberately selected very different styles of hat, picking out a trio that represent, in my view, the best of their genre.
Methodology
The hats were tested during a glorious, dry spring, when we seemed to have wall-towall sunshine for weeks. It was pretty chilly at times but I managed to work up a good sweat, stomping up and down my local hills. While not on my head, they were carried stuffed in a dry-bag with my other spares in my rucksack. I’m outside everyday, thanks to my job, so all three models saw heavy use during this period and were well tested not just for function, but for durability too. The weights supplied are from my home digital scales.