The best fishing hats for men and women are comfy and protect your skin from the sun’s UV rays, which can burn your skin when you’re out on the water, especially when it’s hot. Some fishermen like sun hats while others prefer caps, but we’ll explore the positives and downsides of each, so you can pick which hat better match your requirements. Keep in mind that regardless of the fishing hat you pick, it is still an excellent practice to apply sunscreen when out on the lake.
I’m a hat sort of person. You’ll discover more than 50 different hats hanging on hooks in my garage at home. Some can be used for golf, others for walking the dog, and still others for fly fishing. However, picking a fly fishing hat isn’t as straightforward as just grabbing a hat to walk the dog. Devoted anglers fish in just about all kinds of weather, so finding the perfect style of hat may be tough. If you’re in the market for a new fly fishing hat, keep reading.
Brimmed Hats for Fly-Fishing
The best way to shield your face and neck from the sun when fishing is with a wide-brimmed hat. Baseball-style hats just don’t protect you enough; however, if it is particularly windy, they can be your best choice. Particularly when the weather is warm, I choose a lightweight, ventilated hat with a chin strap for wind protection. The Sun Booney Hat from Patagonia definitely fits the bill for keeping your face, ears, and neck shielded from the sun while the chin strap holds it firmly in place.
Hats for Fly Fishing in the Rain
I prefer to have a range of fishing hats for all types of weather circumstances. Since I usually carry a lightweight hooded GORE-TEX jacket in my fly fishing vest, I do not require a waterproof hat when it begins to rain. Nevertheless, I always have one with me, just in case something happens. In addition to being entirely waterproof, the Simms GORE-TEX Sombrero is also breathable for when the sun begins to shine.
The Best Hats for Fly Fishing in the Sun
A fishing hat serves the primary purpose of providing protection for the head and neck from the elements. It’s important to protect your skin from the sun, especially whether fishing for tarpon on the sea flats or for rainbow trout in the high mountains. The Patagonia Bimini Cap will keep you from getting a nasty sunburn. This fishing hat for warm weather features a Coolmax headband that wicks away perspiration and a rear drape that protects the neck.
Come into Jans on Park Avenue and ask one of our fly fishing specialists to show you our broad range of hats available. Some of our fishing hats might double as hiking hats, and vice versa.
Which fishing hat do you think is the best?
Long days on the lake call for a hat that can keep out the sun while yet allowing air to circulate and keep the wearer cool and dry. There are two ratings that quantify the capacity of a hat, cap, or other pieces of clothing to shield from the sun: SPF rating and UPF rating. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, these two grades signify quite different things.
WHAT DOES SPF RATING MEAN?
The SPF rating, which stands for Sun Protection Factor, refers to the effectiveness of a product in protecting skin from reddening due to Ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation. To put it another way, an SPF of 30 indicates that the exposed skin may stay out in the sun 30 times longer before it turns red. It also means that 1/30th (3%) of the UVB rays can reach your skin. To put it another way: skin with an SPF of 50 will be protected from the sun’s harmful UVB rays for 50 times longer before becoming red.
UNDERSTANDING THE UPF RATE?
The Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) rating measures a product’s ability to block both UVA and UVB radiation. The fundamental distinction between SPF and UPF is that SPF only relates to UVB rays, whereas UPF refers to both UVA and UVB rays.
SPF rating and UPF rating are also crucial elements to watch out for a while hunting for your new fishing hat. Up to 50 has the best UVA/UVB blockage and so is considered the highest UPF rating for hats and clothing. The problem with high UPF caps, hats, and clothing is that it is generally tight-knit and has minimal air movement, which is not suitable for fishing during the warmest months of the year.
EITHER A SUN HAT OR A BASEBALL CAP WILL DO WHEN FISHING.
Caps are a poor choice for sun protection when out on the water all day. They are most commonly available to anglers, and they can obstruct UV exposure to the top facial area, but there are better choices when seeking the best fishing hat for sun protection. Since baseball caps often only cover most of the top of the head, a fishing sun hat is your best bet for keeping your head and neck shaded from the sun.
HIGH UPF PROTECTION IN A BREATHABLE FISHING HAT
A fishing hat that is breathable and offers excellent UPF protection seems to be a unicorn in the outdoor world. Fishing hats with lower SPF ratings (between 15 and 20) tend to be more permeable and hence more comfortable to wear. Some hats with UPF ratings of up to 50 actually feature holes in the hat to assist greater airflow. Although the fabric is certified to protect the sun, the perforations for airflow appear to negate the cloth’s sun-blocking properties.
The lower SPF hats weren’t an option for me because I was 26 when I was diagnosed with skin cancer for the first time. I was looking for something that performed a fantastic job at protecting the sun, and I found out that the maximum rating for cloth is a UPF rating of 50. That implies 1/50th (2 percent ) of the UVA and UVB rays are prevented. What I needed was exactly what I got.
So I spent hundreds of dollars pursuing high UPF-rated hats, which all performed a terrific job at shielding the sun. Unfortunately, every one of the hats were hot and did not look very well. Most of the high UPF rating hats that were produced for skin cancer sufferers were quite pricey, and they were not meant for the active younger generation. I always received weird stares whenever I wore the hats in public, and I found myself pulling the hat off regularly to allow my head to cool off. This was when I finally decided to design my own fishing hat that is fashionable, breathable, comfy, and, most of all, performs an excellent job at protecting UVA and UVB solar rays.
The Best Fishing Hat
Those hot summer days on the water call for the best fishing hat in the world: one that can block UVA and UVB rays, one that is comfortable, one that looks good, and one that can breathe. People like me who are active and seeking a better alternative to what is currently available made a personal aim of introducing this hat years ago.
To begin, I ordered a range of high-UPF textiles to see which one had the best feel and then had to learn about the production process for materials. I discovered that good design, knitting, and sewing might improve the airflow through the hat, and this was extremely critical for high UPF textiles. Naturally, high UPF materials do not have the best airflow. While learning about various types of textiles as well as production procedures required almost a year of constant trial and error, I was able to produce a high-quality sun hat for active outdoorsmen after spending more money than I like to admit.
Check out the Fishing Sun Hat if you like fishing but want a hat that is comfortable, breathable, has an adjustable chin strap for windy days, and effectively blocks the sun.