Do you wear a hat?

[Laundryman]

Sailing, and wearing a hat, seems to be part of the uniform. Whether it's to keep out the glare, rain off your glasses, stop sunburn on your head or just to keep warm, it seems there are benefits to wearing a hat. That is unless
you have hair like mine. I look a wally in every hat I've tried and within 10 minutes wearing a hat and my hair looks like Ken Dodd. Now I know at 63 I should be grateful that I still have hair, but that doesn't make me feel any better. My wife says I should grow my hair and put it in a pony tail. That's not going to happen. Any recommendations for a hat that will achieve the results and preserve my vanity? Thanks. Alan

 

[neil_s]

Yes, I like wearing hats, not just while sailing. The only way I've found to avoid the Ken Dodd effect is to keep your hair short!

 

[greggron]

Yup. Tilley in summer to keep the sun off and a dilarc ( http://www.philipmorrisdirect.co.uk...dium=organic&gclid=CP3MvrSAudQCFcK77Qodml4Gsw) in winter to keep the ears warm.

 

[lpdsn]

my hair looks like Ken Dodd.

Sailing does that with or without a hat. I came round Black Hd at the entrance of Belfast Lough a few years back and the Sw'ly was really being funnelled. It was prob F9 for a while. What with the wind and spray by the time I got in and actually saw myself in a mirror my hair was sticking out horizontally on one side and held in place by the salt.

 

[CAPTAIN FANTASTIC]

Have an ultra short haircut or even better shave it all off; the hat will fit nicely then.

 

[[163233]]

I did, but sadly I find myself seeking a new hat...


...ideally a free one.

 

[LONG_KEELER]

Hats are really good for sailing as they blow off frequently and provide the sailor with recovery skills - particularly
under sail.

My current summer hat is a Tilley type hat from Australia with double, yes double chin strap with aeration inlets for comfort . Excellent overhangs to keep rain off the specs and protection from the sun, particularly the tops of ears which can be painful to many sailors.

For winter, Musto beanie that covers the ears . Other than when sailing, any cheapo bobble or beanie . Unfortunately,
many of the cheapo type seem to rise upwards when wearing giving a Noddy or gnome impression.

On rare occasions, which for some reasons goes down extremely well with the ladies, I have a paper Trilby that looks like the real thing. On land, it provides lots of entertainment in anything over a F3 when trying to recover.

 

[Poignard]

You can't beat a traditional peaked yachting cap.

 

[johnalison]

I am not sufficiently endowed with thatching to advise the OP on hat fashions, but I have a selection of sailing hats, based largely on wind strength. Up to F4, I can wear my floppy sun hat, which my wife hates, and enjoy winding her up. At F4 I have a Tilleyish hat with a chin strap, because I look ridiculous in a Tilley. For F5-6 I can wear a peaked cap by Musto, with a collar attachment. In any cold weather, which for me is anything less than 18 degrees, I wear a woollen cap. I don't do f7 if I can help it.

 

[capnsensible]

Get ahead. Get a hat.

 

[TQA]

Baseball cap, stops me bald head getting sunburned, keeps the glare down and stays on when the trades are blowing.

 

[grumpy_o_g]

Baseball caps are great for wet weather - the long peak keeps the rain off my glasses if have to use them and also means that when I turn my head with the hood of my jacket up I don't find myself staring at the inside of the hood. I normally wear a hat if there's even a hint of sun or even on just a bright overcast day as I am severely folliclely challenged on top - beanie/tilley or baseball cap if it's not too cold or woolie hat or deer stalker type with ear flaps if it is. When it gets really hot (med or carribean type hot) I make the beanie wet (use fresh water) to help keep myself cool.

Last Saturday I drove up to London and back to see my lad and had the sun-roof open on both journey's. Add in while sat outside having a quiet drink and I was quite badly burnt. Just about stopped peeling now.

 

[Mctavish]

Deja vu. Wasn't this question asked recently...replies about baseball caps?
edit: it was here: http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?463652-What-hat-do-you-wear-for-sailing&highlight=baseball+cap
By recently, I mean in YBW-time.

 

[oldharry]

My current summer hat is a Tilley type hat from Australia with double, yes double chin strap with aeration inlets for comfort . Excellent overhangs to keep rain off the specs and protection from the sun, particularly the tops of ears which can be painful to many sailors.

r.

If its from Aussie land its not a Tilley. Many look alikes but nothing comes near the original Canadian made Tilley for comfort and durability. I Wear mine most of the time afloat, and quite a bit ashore being seriously follically challenged. It's the only hat SWMBO will wear, Which meant I had to get another one. Their lifetime guarantee doesn't cover misappropriation!

 

[Tomahawk]

I don't like a brim obscuring my view of the rig so I have taken to wearing welding bandanas.

BOC do a natty line of very brightly coloured styles.. all flameproof as well!

 

[Neeves]

I go with the bandanas - saves craning the neck, less likely to blow off in the wind, cheap (critically important).

 

[Halo]

Are those the ones with corks to keep the flies off ? .?

 

[KellysEye]

I always wore a hat if it was sunny when sailing and still do when out with the dog or gardening etc. And sunglasses that are polarised so I could see reefs.

 

[bbg]

My current summer hat is a Tilley type hat from Australia with double, yes double chin strap with aeration inlets for comfort .

One of those chin straps is for the back of the head. It keeps the hat from lifting at the back.

I find I often use the rear strap, and less often the chin strap.

 

[Champagne Murphy]

Speaking as someone who is friends with his dermatologist (simply because we spend a lot of time together (in a professional sense, you understand) and lost a sizeable chunk of nose to a BCC, I would strongly suggest wearing a hat with the biggest brim you can find. For reasons of practicality a Tilley, or reasonable facsimile of, fits the bill for me. It floats fairly well, it has chin straps, and the more recent ones are a little more tailored to avoid looking like Worzel Gummidge.
Also I have found no UV proof bags to fit over my head that I can breath through.