The perils of hats

Yesterday I had a good long paddle on a small river that’s just packed with fallen trees. I was wearing my OR Sunrunner which is like a baseball hat with curtains on the sides and back for sun protection. It also has the chin loop to keep it on in wind. I was ducking and squeezing through some branches when one of them snagged on the hat brim and took the hat off my head and started choking me. I had to back up to release myself and fortunately that wasn’t hard since I was going upstream, plus getting strangled helped me react pretty quickly. Not long after a big bug that looked like a bee flew right in behind the side curtains. I pulled the hat off immediately in a mild panic but found nothing. A few minutes later a big beetle crawled across my bare leg (I was wearing shorts) and startled me one more time.

I have never found a hat that I like better than a baseball style one. -Good for keeping the sun out my eyes, swatting unwanted bugs, scooping up water and dumping it over my head on a 100 degree day, and most of them I get are free

My hat got caught on a branch and almost jerked me out of the boat when I had the chin strap on. I don’t use the chin strap any more when I’m near low hanging limbs.

Yea no chin straps BUT I do have a very small line attached to hat and a loop on pfd. it gets knocked off it goes no where. If caught the line would break and no pulling on me directly just the pfd. Safer option.

I definitely use chin straps when it’s windy.

I did almost get strangle one time when a storm blew up quickly and the the hat was blown off my head and the wind was so strong that the chin strap started choking me. Yuck.

@TomL said:
Yesterday I had a good long paddle on a small river that’s just packed with fallen trees. I was wearing my OR Sunrunner which is like a baseball hat with curtains on the sides and back for sun protection. It also has the chin loop to keep it on in wind. I was ducking and squeezing through some branches when one of them snagged on the hat brim and took the hat off my head and started choking me. I had to back up to release myself and fortunately that wasn’t hard since I was going upstream, plus getting strangled helped me react pretty quickly. Not long after a big bug that looked like a bee flew right in behind the side curtains. I pulled the hat off immediately in a mild panic but found nothing. A few minutes later a big beetle crawled across my bare leg (I was wearing shorts) and startled me one more time.

Yanoer would want to know what kind of bug and beetle… Never mind the hat… It is not fun to get strangled by vines or your own wardrobe for sure.

My hat demon… peril… is that I have too many of 'em. I like the idea of hats way more than I actually wear them. Kinda like my thing with flashlights. When my kids have my sanity put into question to take over my finances I bet they’ll show a judge all my damn hats and flashlights.

Hats are really important. I have many hats of many different styles. More baseball style caps than others. Also a variety of military cover. Boonies, fedoras and other miscellaneous stuff. I wear one of them almost every day. BUT NEVER A CHIN STRAP.

All that I can think of here is since there’s no warning label stating “WARNING: CHIN STRAP MAY BECOME STRAPPED TO CHIN” perhaps there’s money to be made with a lawsuit?

Depending the hat, you can take that chin strap and tighten it behind your head. I’ve got a boonie hat that works well with that technique, my REI Paddler hat not so much in a high wind.

I use the chin strap when the wind blows the brim straight up. On the infamous T hats, the strap normally stays inside the hat.

Chin straps hold.
Or chin straps break.
They’ll choke you in the tangles,
or resign to let wind take.

An affection for your topper,
is most nefarious at that!
As with love a man’s most foolish,
when he’s chasing down his hat.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=q5Y6UQLWPyY

@dc9mm said:
Yea no chin straps BUT I do have a very small line attached to hat and a loop on pfd. it gets knocked off it goes no where. If caught the line would break and no pulling on me directly just the pfd. Safer option.
I like this idea. I also like Jack’s “disposable hat” idea but I’d have to slather on sunscreen and I hate that.

@kayamedic said:

@TomL said:
Yanoer would want to know what kind of bug and beetle… Never mind the hat… It is not fun to get strangled by vines or your own wardrobe for sure.
It was a dark brown one, most likely a young male judging by the reckless, self-destructive behavior.

@Wolf said:
All that I can think of here is since there’s no warning label stating “WARNING: CHIN STRAP MAY BECOME STRAPPED TO CHIN” perhaps there’s money to be made with a lawsuit?
I fart in your general direction.

@Rex said:
My hat demon… peril… is that I have too many of 'em. I like the idea of hats way more than I actually wear them.

Yeah, me too. I always thought I looked kinda stupid in hats - maybe I just look kinda stupid without a hat?

I have cowboy hats, fedoras, baseball caps, etc. and I do like the idea of them.

My current favourite is an OR Swift Cap in white…

"Our most popular Training hat, the Swift Cap has sun protection and a full mesh liner crown for superior ventilation in warm weather, while the shaped brim and nylon panels offer serious protection from the sun. "

I hardly ever wear it!

Tie strap around ponytail. Works for me.

while poking around the mangroves my paddling hat serves as much as a helmet as it does a sunshade.
A lot of broken off branches still have pointy parts protruding that can give a nasty scrape.

There is never quite as much fun to be had as chasing a hat that has blown off your head in the waves of the Gulf of Mexico under broiling sun.

Been there done that. I also come equipped with enough savvy to know that a hat strap goes in back of your head in a serious tailwind and to bewared of straps in mangroves.

@TomL said:

I fart in your general direction.

I might have to take off my hat to reduce windage so that I can paddle upwind of you first. :slight_smile:

Better hide this post from my dermatologist. She would go ballistic about these hats and comments.

@Wolf said:

@TomL said:

I fart in your general direction.

I might have to take of my hat to reduce windage so that I can paddle upwind of you first. :slight_smile:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QSo0duY7-9s