Best hat for wearing surfing?

[SuppaTime]

Help! I need something to provide a little relief from the tropical sun, especially early morning sun when it is still low in the sky, for SUP surfing.

Some people seem to wear a cheapo baseball type cap, but how do you hold on to it in whitewater? - one hand for the board, one for the paddle, and I am out of hands.

I am not thrilled with chin straps or neck cords. Looks like a potential disaster. Otherwise one of those floppy round hats would work.

Any recommendations?

Mahalo

[SUPcheat]

These are very benign and the visors actually help, lots of different brands, this an O'Neill 2mm.  They are easy to put on, don't get in the way, and don't pull off your face. The strap is velcro and soft, it doesn't grab enough do even feel it. Also give protection for water in ear. They help to keep sunglasses on, too, especially with a sunglasses strap under the hood.

I have been wearing it with a thin silk ski hood for added sun protection, since my helmet and impact vest were stolen in Santa Cruz last week.  Will be ordering another helmet and vest.

The floppy hats are nice right up until you fall off or get hit by some white water.  The ones I have used require an additional tether to keep from losing them.  Baseball caps are OK, but don't protect your ears.

[abmatt]

Floppy hats are fine for flat water or super small surf. The FCS surf baseball cap is great for anything more serious. Has chinstrap you don't even notice after the first time and it protects ears from sun. Visor blocks morning sun. I've duck dived  prone surfing in it and it was fine even for that. About $20. I've never lost one (I'm on the second after eventually trashing the first.) Worth considering. Good luck.

[headmount]

True about ear protection but if it's hot it looks like the pictured cap would boil your brain.  We just had a very hot and muggy race last weekend and I was wondering about even wearing my lightweight ball cap.  I've seen other paddlers not use anything.  So much heat is let go through the head yet my hair is at a minimum on top.  My ideal cap would have mesh in areas where I still have hair and solid in the rest... and it should be white.  Mine is orange.  My wife thinks it's safer and I just say yes

For surfing definitely no hat in hot weather and any kind of size.

[RATbeachrider]

For cruising, any hat would do for me.  For surfing, sus and prone, I'd the Maldives by Komunity Project but lost it ... great hat but no longer available.   I replaced it with the FCS Wet Bucket.  It has soft stretchable neck strap and soft protection pad for the ears.  I've dove of the SUP, duck dove with the short board and tuttle rolled the long board without the hat coming off or the hat pulling the strap against the neck.  Largest waves surfed with the hat  were few feet overhead.  At $24 it's worth the price against cancer.

[SUPcheat]

Couldn't comment on humidity. Santa Cruz does have hot days, have never had any discomfort, but low humidity and usually breezy. I just pull my thin, neoprene hood down on my neck, stays on like a necklace, then pull it back up whenever, it's pretty flexible.

I imagine one could also just use the very thin silk ski mask as well by itself, and that just pulls down onto the neck as well. That would be like a rash guard for the head. It would offer some sun protection.

 The main problem is chasing a hat around in surf when the waves hit, that's what I don't like. I have already lost a couple of baseball types and one floppy type.

[abmatt]

Noticed no heat issues with the chin strap ball cap, even in our crushing Florida summer humidity. Feels better in the shade! For midday summer sessions or Central America trips, I've got a really geeky but wonderfully functional quiksilver long sleeve rash guard w built in cap. Hours in the sun and my sleek head never gets burned 😄

[Dwight (DW)]

Some people seem to wear a cheapo baseball type cap, but how do you hold on to it in whitewater? -

When you dive under the whitewater, hold your head down, so the water pushes the hat down on your head. Never lost one doing that.

Buy the trucker hats with foam fronts. They float.

[Geoff C]

Some people seem to wear a cheapo baseball type cap, but how do you hold on to it in whitewater? -

When you dive under the whitewater, hold your head down, so the water pushes the hat down on your head. Never lost one doing that.

Buy the trucker hats with foam fronts. They float.


Agreed. Whenever I wipe out I always cross my arms over my head in case I hit the board or bottom. When I do lose it  it floats and can find it, usually.

[TallDude]

Plus 1, foam trucker hats. I almost always wear one when I surf. I try to get them free from whoever is handing them out at events. I have lost maybe 2 hats in five years.
Ron House and a few other locals wear the Patagonia surf brim hats. 

[surfcowboy]

I've worn a trucker up to head high and yeah, it pops off from time to time but I've never had to hold it if you do what DW says.

I've been meaning to put a snap or some Velcro on the end of my wetsuit zipper pull so I can use it as a hat leash snapped around the back strap of a trucker hat. You could probably tie it too.

[supthecreek]

If you buy a trucker hat... a bit too small... like you have to really work to get it on.... they never fall off.
The ear strap does an excellent job of protecting my ears from infection. I had 30 years of continual ear problems until I started wearing a chin strap Truckers Cap... no hearing loss since I went dorky.

[TallDude]

If I had a Forest Gump trucker hat, I'd wear it all the time.

[surfinJ]

Considering a baseball cap as a gopro platform.
Less conspicuous.

[JimK]

How about
dakine No zone Indo hat,
and Surf Trucker hats They all float, Well made, readily available, and have chinstrap and a couple have removeable neck protection (from the sun)

That is what we use ... If we ever get warm & sunny weather again
JimK
www.extremewindsurfing.com