Ok, the time has come, this summer I need to wear a sun hat in the surf, there is more head than hair!
Who wears one, and what kind are you wearing? I'm sure I could walk into a shop and get one, but recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Cheers

you are from Victoria - no need to worry for another 6 months

FCS works well for me. You need to find one that fits your head nice and snug and make sure the strap does not pull up to much on ya. I like the wide brimmed ones.

a ripcurl bucket hat does me + zinc and rashie
i get about two seasons with one cap, i have to use one, thinning hair and a melanoma 10 years ago.

I tried it for a while Weiry due to my Slater hairstyle. It was f*cked. You gotta do it though. There was a guy living around here that always wore a Gath helmet. I'd see him sometimes up the local shopping centre . He looked odd without it. What about a bathing cap ? That'd be different.

smh - the hippisters will be wearing them this summer

I have two, and FCS bucket in black and an O'Neill bucket in blue. The blue is cooler on really hot days, and has a pocket for your car key, if you have a key you can take in the water.

I hate wearing them, because they can slide around in a wipe out, but better that than a head full of scars or worse.

A mate wears the baseball cap type, but no ear protection unless you get the one with the mesh, I reckon it looks like he's wearing a rubbery on his head though.....

Yeah - go light colour if u can, i have a wide brimmed dark one and it works great, but feels warmish some days. Any name brand, i reckon. (Just cos i cant be arsed going to my car to check what I got... ) They feel awkward the first couple of times. I now wear it so much that on the occasions when i I don't, I sometimes still grab the top of my head with one hand when I wipe out.
They are great for the long sessions on the 666 too. The SB riders love it when I arrive in the line-up with my hat and my gut and chat away about what a beautiful day it is and how i use to ride a 5'10 but now I'm just on a 10.

From next door... some more motivation to embrace the surf hat (and skin checks): www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Stand-Up-Paddle/SUP/Time-to-get-checked/?SearchTerms=skin,cancer

I'm bald as a babboons arse but I can't do hats. Thry just aren't comfortable.

So I end up using lots of sunscreen. May not be as good as a hat but it works for me. I don't get burnt unless I forget

Headhunter infantry. Sits low enough on your head so it doesn't move around

I've got a fcs bucket and baseball but neither are as comfortable as the headhunter.

I wear a hat and zinc all summer unless paddling out just before sunset

I have one of these http://www.surfstitch.com/product/west-surf-hat-black

I cut some material about 30mmx60mm from an old pair of boardies & the missus stitched it onto the back of my rashie. Made like a button hole & I tie that to the hat so I'm not chasing after it in the impact zone when it comes off. I prefer an all round brim coz the suns rarely directly above when I'm surfing & I wear it all year round these days coz I'm always getting biopsies these days (had one a few days ago). The side straps great for keeping the wind out of your ears as well

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Ted the Kiwi said..

smh - the hippisters will be wearing them this summer

Maybe I ought to get one then and a wig to wear underneath.

I have a Creatures of Leisure beige bucket hat. The brim can be shaped and it holds even after wiping out, duck diving etc.

(I wipe out more than I'd like)

Picked it up in Bali, love it .... The misses hates it.

Win, win

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smh said..

Ted the Kiwi said..

smh - the hippisters will be wearing them this summer

Maybe I ought to get one then and a wig to wear underneath.

^^^




i dont have any probs with them moving around on my head,
maybe its got something todo with the shape of your scone

Cheers for the advice guys, who really gives a s--t what you look like, as long as you're out there having fun, getting waves!

Just make sure the strap is anchored behind the ear as well as in front. I've lost a couple that weren't.

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weiry said..

smh said..

Ted the Kiwi said..

smh - the hippisters will be wearing them this summer

Maybe I ought to get one then and a wig to wear underneath.

^^^




i dont have any probs with them moving around on my head,
maybe its got something todo with the shape of your scone

Its a melon for sure.

They all pale in comparison to Protecsun from Michael Cundith's wife Toshie.
Best hats on the market and not made by a corporation.
Worth every cent.
Do not come off. Do not flop around on the sides destroying your peripheral vision.
This is the downfall of the inferior ones made by the big companies.
www.mcsurf.com.au/shopping/surf-hats/29/1

I've tried heaps. But i find two things i don't like. I don't like having something over my ears and when taking of looking down the line (when paddling) i find the brim tends to block my vision. I have one that when i paddle i push it making me look like Gilligan, but they bother me so i tend to leave them in the car

Now ya talkin' Cuttlefish, that there's a mighty fine hat!

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jbshack said..
I've tried heaps. But i find two things i don't like. I don't like having something over my ears and when taking of looking down the line (when paddling) i find the brim tends to block my vision. I have one that when i paddle i push it making me look like Gilligan, but they bother me so i tend to leave them in the car

Yep... I agree with the blocked vision thing. Worst on the SB, improved a little when you are getting in earlier on the LB and no worries on the 666. I have a mate who wears the surf cap, but backwards - it means the brim is no real benefit (although at least it's out of the way), but I guess the rest of the hat covers the bit our former hair used to.

I'm kind of lucky to have a helmet hair-do... Thick locks of slightly wavy hair, with greys setting in! LoL!

Also in Vic, you usually have your back to the sun, waiting for waves... But I will pull the hair over the ears, and keep my head in a position so my nose is shaded... Plus wear sunscreen... I guess it's like a hair hat! Hair at the back hits rashie or wettie, so back of neck gets a fair amount of hair protection.

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Cuttlefish said..

They all pale in comparison to Protecsun from Michael Cundith's wife Toshie.
Best hats on the market and not made by a corporation.
Worth every cent.
Do not come off. Do not flop around on the sides destroying your peripheral vision.
This is the downfall of the inferior ones made by the big companies.
www.mcsurf.com.au/shopping/surf-hats/29/1

Might havta grab one of those Indo surf hats

Surfed in a rip curl cap last few summers , pretty good .

Now surf in a gath surf convertible , 3 in.1 gives my head protection , peak at the front works as a cap , ear covers replace the need for a hoodie .

Only drama when I do end up underwater the ear covers tend to trap water in your ears , bit annoying .