Fishing Hat

[jsquires]

When clients sign up for one of my trips, I give them one of my hats. It's a baseball cap with a really cool logo (advertising) on it. So I sign this guy up at the Fly Show recently and he declines the hat. I thought he didn't like it. But how could that be possible? It's such a cool hat. Turns out he never wears a hat that doesn't cover his ears, which is, of course, exactly what I should be doing.
I've fought skin cancer off and on for a long time - paying for the sins of youth - and I need to fight harder, according to my dermatologist. So I'm on a quest to find a good fishing hat.
Now, with the cast of characters on this forum, I already have a short-length movie of visual images running through my mind of the hats you guys wear, the full spectrum, I'm guessing.
So bearing in mind that I'm one of those unfortunate people who doesn't look good in any hat, so (and I know this will be hard) nothing real ugly as far as suggestions, please.
So what's your best/favorite fishing hat and where can I get one? Pictures would be nice (I think).

 

[caseywise]

my "clean" one

casey

 

[mcnerney]

That reminds me of a guided trip the wife and I did a few years ago with South Fork Outfitters. The guide we fished with had blonde hair and very light colored skin and you could see dark patches on his face, looked like pre-stage skin cancer, but he was only wearing a baseball styly cap.
How about something like this:
Boating Hat: Sun Protective Clothing - Coolibar

The rage these days is to wear a baseball cap and a buff.

 

[fly_guy12955]

Mostly I wear a wide brim top hat ( cowboy hats, etc),,and used sun block.

 

[Rip Tide]

I always wear an up-downer (ala Lefty) .
A couple of mine are no name cotton but the Goretex ones came from Columbia
I'm sure TFO must sell a logo model,

 

[runningfish]

I wear a soft linen gardening hat that I bought dirt cheap from Costco 360° long brim plus the back flap covering 180° UPF50, the same with Columbia, but only 45° flap. And a safety yellow hard helmet when I am streamer fishing.

 

[woodrivertroutbum]

I wear truckers like the first photo shared and if I am in the salt or on a pond in the open and exposed to the sun I wear my buff over my face and pull the back of it up over my ears and the back of my hat. I actually just got one the same exact colors as that one shown in the mail today except it has the Costa Del Mar logo on it.

 

[jpbfly]

This may be convenient
Wholesale fishing hats/cap 2012 New Folding hat Visor Fishing Camping Cap Front Back Hooded MZ11, Free shipping, $9.82-13.45/Piece | DHgate
as for me I've got around 10 hats(many offered by friends including Ard and Larry)...so I can often change

 

[jsquires]

This may be convenient
Wholesale fishing hats/cap 2012 New Folding hat Visor Fishing Camping Cap Front Back Hooded MZ11, Free shipping, $9.82-13.45/Piece | DHgate
as for me I've got around 10 hats(many offered by friends including Ard and Larry)...so I can often change

I think that one would be good for scaring the bears away.

 

[fredaevans]

So far, so good with my European high Militonan (sp?) skin colouring. I can walk through a well lite room and get a sun tan. Then zip beyond. Even my Doc says 'You are unusual.' No sun screen as I don't want to get it on my fly line/flies/bla-bla-bla.

But as for hats, look at the 'Tillies.' Ex 2.0 was/is a 'Redhead' and it took zip for her to get a hell of a burn. Slather on sun block and the Tilly and she had 'joy.'

fae

 

[jaybo41]

Mostly I wear ball caps. I go with your standard basic cotton model for most days and when the weather gets warm, I go to the trucker style caps. Unless I'm fishing under a thick canopy of trees on my favorite high gradient mountain stream, I use sunscreen. My ears got torched a couple of years ago so I quickly learned to make sure I've got sun screen and a hat that covers my ears.

Patagonia bucket hat is perfect. Folds up really nice, lightweight, and dries quick. I got mine on sale.

Casey, that's a killer hat. I have the cotton one with DA logo.

 

[sweetandsalt]

JPBFLY, That modular hat unit is...over the top. I am not going to wear it but I like it, conceptually.

I am a long time advocate of extra-long billed "Swordfisher" style fishing caps. I have numenrous variations in both cotton and SPF synthetics. They keep the sun off your face and, imprtantly too, sunglasses but not your ears and neck. I bought a new one this year that is long-billed but has a velcro removable ear/neck flap. I am going to see if I can adapt to it without having the cape portion live permanently in my vest.

This is not the one I found but here is the same idea from Simms:

Sunshield Hat - Headwear - SHOP

I am certain you can find the up-down Lefty-style hat in blank form to have your own logo embroidered.

 

[itchmesir]

If you don't look good in a hat... why not opt to wear a bandana instead? or a buff?

 

[jeep.ster]

I like the acu digital patrol cap with map pocket, 50/50 rip stop. I have a black, green and camo, too. They don't blow off your head in the wind and neither does the acu digital boonie hat.

Buy Headwear at Army Surplus World

I also use sunscreen.

 

[Liphookedau]

I'm like most others as I also like The Baseball Type Caps & have a Drawer Full of them even though as mentioned they are The worst Hats For Protection you can wear.
Just about every type of Show there is always someone either seller or giving Hats away as Trade Advertising.
In reallity The Large Brimmed,like The Cricketers wear or The Army Style Hats are far better for protection against getting Cooked as I am continually getting Skin Cancers Treated.
I find The ones which really cover up aren't as Cool as The open ones,they are Hot become stained & grubby from Sweat.
Brian.

 

[sweetandsalt]

Here is a Fishpond sun hat that my fsihing partner got last season. We had high water and were using the driftboat a lot so were out on the water for some long floats in the sun. He felt baked and bought this hat for the kind of sun protection we are talking about.

fishpond - FISHPOND BRIM HAT

 

[rockriver]

Boonie hat from my tours in Vietnam is my favorite; but, it's time to retire it to pass it on. I already have a fantastic replacement with Gore-Tex.

 

[nickj]

Boonie hat from my tours in Vietnam is my favorite; but, it's time to retire it to pass it on. I already have a fantastic replacement with Gore-Tex.

Yep, boonie hat. In addition to providing extra sun protection, I think they're more stealthy than a baseball hat with a brim. When you turn your baseball-hatted-head it's just another noticeable movement that can be picked up by spooky fish.

 

[pa dave]

I changed to a light colored boonie style hat for fishing and kayaking...looks goofy on me, but it does the job. It doesn't really concern me if I'm not a fashionable angler.

 

[klunker]

Surprised no mentioned it already, Tilley hats, lots of styles, water resistant, great for fishing. I have one that looks like this.

http://www.tilley.com/The-T4MO-Organic-AIRFLO-Hat.aspx

I too would of passed on your baseball cap. I wear the tilley hat in summer to keep my ears from getting sunburned. Of course if you have long hair the sun might not get to you ears. If its real hot out I just dip my hat in the river and put it on my head, helps to cool things off.