Question:
My Dermatologist tells me that unless I like our little get togethers with
her and her liquid nitrogen, I need to wear a wide brimmed hat.
I've been wearing an oil skin hat, which is fine in the cooler weather, but
tough in the heat. You can see the sun through a straw hat, so I don't
think that will help my bald head. The brim on a wide brimmed "boonie" hat
always seems to be getting bent up and in my eyes.
Would a felt hat work better?
Honestly, I feel kind of silly in a cowboy hat in upstate New York, but
after having a dozen spots "frozen" on my head last week, I'll live with
silly
Answer:
If you find a style you like, often you can find closeouts at
reioutlet.com or sierratradingpost.com
I use the women's version of this cap:
http://www.rei.com/product/47692067.htm
You can buy all kinds of hats here, including smart, with UV fabric
liners for exactly that reason. Try outdoor activities shops, or for
really smart, try outfitters for cruise holidays on big liners.
Keep taking care, it'll soon become second nature. I have a number
of sun hats, sets of sunscreen, sunglasses ect in car, rucksack, by the
outside doors etc which makes it easier.
A proper gentleman will wear a pith helmet of course, with neck shade.
Around my place my hardhat is pretty much a standard fixture, except I
usually leave the neck covering off (shouldn't, but....).
Gempler's is running pages of summer survival wear right now....here's
a link to their hat section. You should see something you like.
Good plan! I like the cowboy hardhat. I've often thought of riveting a
broad brim to my hardhat to make it like a doughboy helmet. (Why did
they go out of style!) A brimless hardhat runs an inch from the skull,
so extending the brim 3" would be like a 4" Stetson.
You don't need a special cover to use a hardhat as a rain hat. Its
weight and rigidity help it stay on in wind. Also, the band of a
hardhat passes low behind the head, which is where I wear the cord of a
straw hat on windy days. I'm sure the wind won't roll a hardhat along
the ground as it does my Stetson.
With a hardhat you don't have to worry so much about damage from sweat,
bumps, or abrasion. You get airflow around your head and can adjust the
band to make room for a knit cap in cold weather.
Here's a cowboy hardhat about half the price of Gempler's.
http://www.safetysaves.com/safety_wear/product.php?productid=426
Hmm.... white or straw? A pastel color may absorb a significant portion
of solar heat, but maybe the temperature difference between white and
straw would be small.
I know! I can go to a building-supply place and buy six inches of ridge
vent for my cowboy hardhat! And a solar-powered vent fan!
