I was wondering if anyone here has experience with one of these hats. I thinking of using one for my Colorado Trail thru-hike. I want to know while using one of these hats do you never have to put sunscreen on you neck and face or does the hat fail to cover some areas like the front of your neck?

I burn really easily. I have been using the Sunday afternoon hats for a number of year. I have have only burned a few times using the full size hat... mostly when I under-estimated the the impact of a snow fields or water. I prefer the smaller size of the adventure hat, but it's a bit less protective. I have gotten minor burns wearing it more "normal" conditions, but it's better than anything else I have used.

--Mark

My significant other wears one when kayaking and its coverage is pretty amazing, even in 10kt wind. The thing's brim is gi-normous and the neck piece is pretty long. She loves it, wears it all the time...

...while I am wincing as I write from my mistake of forgetting suntan lotion yesterday on a hike and wearing only a visor. :-\

Stuart,

I've used a Sunday Afternoons hat for a couple of years now, and it's a pretty amazing hat. The 4" brim provides great coverage even when the sun is coming in at low angles, and the fabric drape at the back keeps my neck protected too. It floats, in case you lose it while on the water, but don't expect it to repel rain. Light showers, sure, but not any extended wet weather. It's a sun hat, after all.

Ventilation is decent, but you'll still get a hot head if you're working hard while wearing it (same with any hat). Despite the wide brim, wind hasn'nt been a problem. With the chin cord cinched down it stays on well.

When the sun is shining though, this is my go-to hat.

Thanks for the info guys. I think I will order one from REI and give it a try. It will be nice on long trip not having to put sunscreen on everyday (except when I am crossing snow fields). I just have to get over how dorky I will look wearing it.

I have been using this hat for about 8 years.

I use it when I go backpacking, dayhiking, and when I was relandscaping my yard digging trenches.

The hat is super dorky, but provides perfect protection from the sun and is great in the rain if you wear glasses because of the extra wide brim.

In fact, I removed the detachable hood from my rain jacket because I found that the brim on the rain jacket gave me zero protection for my glasses.

When it is raining and cold, I put a light fleece hat on and pop this hat on top of it to give me all the protection that I need.

I don't burn easy and I rarely use sunscreen, but I find that on long hikes, it great add to my comfort when the sun it out or if I need a little warmth when it gets cool.

The wide brim really keeps the glare out of my eyes.

When I wear sunglasses with out this hat, I am constantly annoyed with the glare from the sun that creeps in over the top of my sunglasses.

For me, it is one of my "Ten Essentials" that I don't want to be without when I go out on the trail.

The back of the hat has a small bit of velcro that allows you to "roll-up" the back of the hat, if you don't want or need the protection on the back of your neck. "Super dorky mode".

If you can get past the looks it is a great hat to have...function over looks.

-Tony

and i even wear it on other days of the week!

i love it - great hat with exceptional sun coverage

I see a fairly large number of hikers on the PCT using these hats. Especially in the southern sections: Mexican border to northern CA. The really give you a lot of UV protection.

I'm starting to consider one of these hats as well. Can anyone else compare this hat to a visor/bandana combo. I'm planning to use an umbrella in the desert on the PCT, but now I'm starting to worry about the times where I'm taking a break on a picnic bench where there isn't much shade, or just walking around town where I'll obviously be pale since I've been hiding from the sun under an umbrella the whole trip.

Like the original post said, I still worry that you could still get sunburned on the face with this hat. Can it really provide enough shade to cover the entire face? On snow-covered terrain I'd assume you still need sunscreen because of the reflecting UV insanity, so you may as well just cover yourself in sunscreen.

Eric,

I recently used this hat in Yosemite at Crocker Point, which is close to Badger Pass and overlooks the Valley and El Capitan.

There was a lot of snow and even with this hat, you will need sunscreen.

I don't burn easily, but on that trip I did get get darker, which is amazing considering that I am fairly dark skinned anyway.

For snow, it would be necessary to have suncreen on....a fair amount of UV/light is reflecting off the snow and can bake your neck and chin.

Does the brim provide enough protection for the face?

Depends on the angle of the sun/time of day.

I think that at even walking into the sun, the brim protects my eyes and maybe my nose.

You will still need some sunscreen on your cheeks, mouth, and chin.

The brim is floppy enough that I can bend it up or down a bit to adjust for the conditions.

The chin strap is nice in that it keeps it from blowing away in a strong wind.

Another nice thing that I like about the hat is that it has a fair amount of mess on the sides of it to vent....I think that the newer ones have smaller holes for venting.

Even on the hottest days, I still find that the benefits of wearing it is better than getting baked by the sun.

On a hot day, nothing is as nice as dunking the hat into a stream and plopping it on your head....it dries quickly.

-Tony

Edited by Valshar on 03/24/2008 17:10:18 MDT.

Pull it down to your eyebrows and you can leave the sunscreen at home. High style on the trail, but bring a light nylon runners ball cap to avoid odd looks when in town. Only slightly worse than the hat in my avatar!

>>I just have to get over how dorky I will look wearing it.

Warning. If you choose to wear this hat, you'll be traveling to the very heart of dorkness. See my avatar photo to the left. The best way to get over it is to wear the hat everywhere. Soon you'll develop an immunity to the stares of passersby and the taunts of school children.

You'll realize the benefits of the SA hat as soon as you hit the CT and are hiking the hot, dry sections up Waterton canyon and the Hayman burn.

I own one of the Sunday Afternoon hats and as you can see from my picture below it gets a lot of use.

Ditto to what everyone here has said. It weighs 81g, keeps me cool, protects my neck and face. It is the best sun hat I have owned but it sure does make me look geeky.

Edited by waterloggedwellies on 03/25/2008 15:13:47 MDT.

I too have been wearing one for over 10 years. I keep telling myself I need to become a respectable canoeist and get a Tilley but I just can not part such sweet company with my dorky hat.

On those hot days where you just can not stay cool, I love dipping the hat into the water, scooping up as much as I can and quickly placing it on top of my head before I lose a drop. The water will slowly run down the hat's tail keeping my back cool.

Edited by worth on 03/28/2008 18:39:15 MDT.

As a hiker / climber / surfer / cyclist and general outdoor enthusiast i used to make the mistake of NOT protecting myself.

Now i find Sunday Afternoons hats of greater importance than even my ever present sunglasses. Two major thumbs up!

The Adventure hat is my all-around choice. But i'll use the "Convertible" cap too. For light or heavy rain days the Cloudburst really rocks. It has all the best attributes of the adventure hat but is COMPLETELY water-proof too.

Has anyone tried their SHIRTS? i understand that they not only offer top-of-the-line sun-protection, but are so light and breathable that you stay cooler on hot days. i dunno. Your thoughts on their shirts would be appreciated.

flailer / craig

They have that hat on sale for $19 at Sunday Afternoons website in the sale section.

My very favorite hat! I got one a year ago and it's my #1 "essential."

It does keep the sun off face, neck and ears, but only if there is no reflection going on. Around water and snow, or at high altitude on light colored rock or soil, the hat will need some help from sunscreen. However, you use a lot less sunscreen with this hat. It does look dorky, but I really don't care. I've had several other broad-brimmed hats, and this is the only one that really does the job and doesn't bump against my pack.

I also wear cotton gloves (fingertips cut off) at high altitude to keep the backs of my hands from burning. Hands get a lot more exposure when using trekking poles. For next summer, I may get some of those hand shields that Sun Precautions sells, because I find the gloves difficult when accessing and using my camera.

My first choice of a hat for years-my son even has one too!!

Edited by Creachen on 10/29/2008 15:23:55 MDT.

I've been wanting a general-purpose wide-bimmed hat that is waterproof. My Columbia boonie hat (although somewhat heavy) is fine until it starts pouring. Anyone have first-hand experience with the Cloudburst compared to other waterproof hats from OR, Mountain Hardware, etc.?

I used to live in seattle and the only hat that I would take with me is the Cloudburst from Sunday Afternoons. We all know the weather there. To my understanding, it was compared to that of northface, columbia and others in a 5 min water test and it was the only one to be completely waterproof.

Thats enough for me to wear it in the drizzle. Also, the entire inside crown is a soft mesh material so the hat actually breaths. Go get one! I dont go out in the rain with out mine! Hope that helps!