I’m worried about sun exposure in southern california and the higher elevations. Does anyone have recommendations for
a long sleeve sun shirt? (I’ve seen the Rail Riders eco-mesh adventure shirt and it seemed too scratchy. Does it soften with use?)
sun hat? (I’ve used a large straw hat and like the ventilation but it falls apart after 300 miles.)
sun glasses?
Thanks, April.
April
We take along a small sample bottle of some high quality greaseless face cream with a high SPF. Feels super on the windburn. Don’t forget the lips, they get fried also-high SPF Chapstick. Full UV block sunglasses are a must.
Bramble
Sly’s right, you need all three. Here’s what I use:
SUNSCREEN - be sure to put it on your face and hands. In the snow, don’t forget your neck and other places where the sun bounces up off the snow.
SUNHAT - You need something with a brim. I use the REI Paddler’s Hat. It has a brim like a normal sunhat, but it also has a hole in the back like a baseball cap. I can pull my ponytail out of the hole, which keeps my hair off my head, and I stay cooler. This is a very durable hat. Mine has lasted three thru-hikes.
SUNGLASSES - Don’t spend a ton of money. Get something at WalMart or Target. Look for sunglasses which are made out of bendable plastic. The really stiff sunglasses break easily.
yogi
yogi
LOL, i just sent April a private offer to basically give her my REI sierra shirt, which isn’t getting enough use and is just taking up space in my closet. i never had that problem with the zippers & my hipbelts, but i can see how some would. oh well.
i got a great pair of wraparound polarized sunglasses at REI for i think $16. some WalMarts carry cheap polarized glasses in their fishing departments. i prefer polarized, but to each their own.
tarbubble
Go to any fly fishing shop and they will have some clothing made for flats fishing. The stuff is made to dry quickly, be cool and protect from the sun. It’s pretty expensive at these stores though. I just purchased a fishing shirt from Sam’s Club for cheap and have seen this stuff in Cabela’s or LL Bean for cheaper prices.
Big B
I’ve used a white long sleeve shirt for sun protection on 2 long hikes now, and while they do protect you from the sun and keep you cool (compared to a dark colored shirt), they get dirty. Or, they just show the dirt more.
If you go that route, be prepared to look like a homeless person by the end. At least your shirt will look homeless.
Hat: Sunday Afternoons adventure hat is my choice.
Sunglasses: Polarized and what ever fits your face good.
Sunblock: Cactus Juice bug-replent-ish stuff. Does double duty and works decent with moderate mosquitos. Have yet to experience clouds of mosquitos, so I can’t say how well it would work then.
Steve
geokite
Jeff and I wore these on our PCT hike last year. They aren’t scratchy at all after the first wash. We never had any problems with them. They dry FAST!!! (soaking wet to bone dry in minutes in SoCal)
As for color, they were filthy, but people still commented on how clean we looked. We never understood it. Maybe it was because the dirtiest areas (the back and pack strap areas) were out of view as long as we kept our packs on!!
Good shirts, and they make them in other light colors (blue, khaki, and peach) if the white doesn’t sound appealing.
Chipper
… a string on your hat … one burst of wind and your hat’s off on it’s own adventure.
I met one poor guy who had shaved his head and hiked with no hat. Blisters on his feet were, needless to say, not his main concern.
Tilley hats are excellent hats. Pretty much indestructable. Have some holes for air circulation, nice stiff brim that won’t bend up in the wind. I believe that if your first hat from them ever goes missing they will replace it once.
Cheers,
Toes
toes
… that soaps and sunscreens (and bug repelent, etc) from hikers can cause serious damage to lakes and rivers. The less of it you can use the better.
Toes
toes
when I’m going to get sunburned, or when the mosquitos are making a meal out of me, I’m not thinking about the lakes and rivers. Sorry, this may be politically/environmentally incorrect, but that’s the real trail world, honey.
yogi
yogi
Hey Yogi, believe me, I understand! I can’t imagine surviving those Sierra stream crossings without bug spray. Sometimes I thought those little bastards had been military trained, their attacks seemed so well timed and highly coordinated.
It is reality in the trail world, and in the rest of the world too. I’m sure it’s a very similar justification that goes through the minds of General Electric’s executives when they decide to dump PCB’s in the Hudson River. “When we’ve got a bottom-line to consider and our investors to answer to we’re not thinking about lakes and rivers, that’s the reality of the business world.”
The ecosystem in Sierra lakes has been gradually changing and they’ve identified one of the possible causes as phosphates and the like from hiker’s sunscreen and bug sprays.
Honestly, I’d hate to come across as preachy, but if we know something is having a negative impact and we don’t change our behavior than we’re really no better than the corporate baddies, just on a smaller scale.
Maybe there are natural sunscreens and bug spray alternatives that won’t have as much of an impact?
toes
The more natural stuff with help of course, but it still has a bad affect on the environment.
But what you can do is live by the leave-no-trace ethics. Take a bottle of water and bring it 200 feet from any water sources and wash off there. This is the way to do it in the east, I’m not sure if it’s the same in the west.
Personally, I always try to wear as little of this stuff as I can, just because it’s nasty stuff for you and your skin. And believe me the bugs are bad in Vermont :-)!
The environment IS important as small as it may seem. And hikers should protect what we love. Besides, we don’t want to be drinking water with this stuff in it anyways! yuck!
gmg