Shady Sailing: Sunday Afternoon's Cruiser Hat

"Live your life, do your work, then take your hat." - Henry David Thoreau

Sometimes it's the little things that make a big difference on the water. Take for example the Cruiser Hat from Sunday Afternoons. It's just an outback style hat (Seen lots of those before!) but it's light weight, breathability and sun  protection will have your neck, face and eyes thanking you when you slip below to the cabin at night. While none of that is necessarily new for wide brimmed hats, at less than $40 it's a real bargain compared with some of the other sun hats you might be familiar with that are suitable for sailing.


I've been wearing mine this spring and almost always forget that it's even on because it's so light and airy. Another cool feature: The insides of the brim (3" front/sides, 4" on back) are foam, so the hat floats if you forget to use the chinstrap during your next windy sailing adventure. I also like that it packs flat without losing it's shape so it's easy to store in the limited space of a boat cabin.



If you're looking for an early Father's Day gift or just want to add a little shade to your summer sailing, the Cruiser Hat should fit the bill.
>> Don't forget to visit SFLF's Gear Review page for more sailing gear reviews/tests. <<

Comments

  1. Unknown19 May

    There is nothing worse than rain running down the back of your neck when you have to stand out in the cockpit. That is why I have my trusted wide brimmed hat.. it stops it completely. On the other hand it keeps the sun off as well

    ReplyDelete
  2. Gybe the sailor30 May

    Ahoy,

    Looks like a well thought out and constructed hat - like many others. But, is it designed for marina lounging and cantina hopping or bluewater sailing?

    Let me explain. All of the similar hats that I've tried from the inexpensive to the expensive (a T-name comes to mind) suffer from bow-brim blow up when headed to weather or facing the wind. In anything above a mild breeze, the brim flips up exposing the face to sun and rain.

    None provide shade to windward - does this one?

    Dennis
    s/v Ferrity

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Top 10 Favorite Affordable Bluewater Sailboats

Image
I've always said that my favorite boat is whichever one I currently own. Being able to call it "mine" makes it my favorite by default. My first boat was a $400 derelict that I loved (still love) deeply. And she loved me back. However, that doesn't mean there aren't other boats I love that I'd like to call "mine" someday. The following is my personal ranking of my favorite affordable (available for ~$50k) sailboats. I've rather arbitrarily set the price limit around $50k and called it "affordable" in hopes that one day one of these boats might fit my budget and help my family and I to sail far and live free. Also note that other than the top 3, these rankings change in my head almost daily and I really struggled to narrow the list down to just 10.   As you peruse my list, you'll notice that they're all bluewater cruisers . You won't find any modern designs, fin keels, spade rudders, sugar scoop transoms, carbo...
Read more

Go Small and Go Now! 5 Pocket Cruisers to Take you Anywhere

Image
"Go small, go simple, go now!" -Lin & Larry Pardey Iconic cruisers Lin and Larry Pardey are well-known among cruising enthusiasts for the above statement. Can it really be that easy? Grab yourself a small boat, outfit it properly but simply for offshore work, and get going while your dream and your body is still alive! Lin and Larry not only made the statement, they lived it. If you're looking to do the same, maybe some of the micro- or pocket-cruisers I've listed below can serve as your "go small" portion of the equation. Going small and choosing one of these or several other pocket cruisers will lead to trade-offs. Of course first and foremost you'll be giving up length, both on deck and at the waterline. This often leads to less storage space, less weight capacity, and slower sailing. But the upside is presumably less maintenance (less paint, less wood, fewer systems) and more affordable expenses. For example, replacing the s...
Read more

Escape to the Sea: How to get from the Great Lakes to the Caribbean

Image
Let's say winter's chill was something you could no longer take as a Great Lakes sailor. Or perhaps you just want to extend your sailing season beyond the boundaries of summer. What options do you have?  You could just opt for a bareboat charter somewhere in the Caribbean and consider the itch scratched. But then you'd miss out on all the adventure of moving a boat between the Great Lakes and the Caribbean. And you wouldn't be sailing  your  boat. I'm here to convince you that the best option is to sail your own boat south. What follows is an overview of the route you could take to get you and your boat to warmer water and weather from the Great Lakes. Route 1: St. Lawrence Seaway (including Lake Champlain shortcut) You're adventurous if you choose this route. From most starting locations in the Great Lakes, you'll also be seeing the most scenery and passing the ...
Read more