As the weather steadily gets warmer, it’s the perfect time to enjoy in the great outdoors. And what better way to enjoy nature than hitting your local nature trail for a hike? As you prep your hiking pack, boots, and water bottle, be sure to add a hat to your list of essential gear. These key reasons to wear a hat when you’re hiking will show you why.
As much as we all appreciate the sun after the long winter months, it’s possible to take the saying “soak up the sun” too far. The sun’s UV rays can damage your skin and eyes after hours on the trail. And sunburn, along with being an unpleasant way to end a hike, can increase the chance of skin cancer and cataracts.
Sunscreen and sunglasses can certainly help, but a wide-brimmed hat is also a great way to keep the sun off your face. That way, you can enjoy the sun without the burn.
You can do your best to keep an eye on the weather forecast, but rain showers can still come upon you unexpectedly. And if you’ve ever tried to walk through the woods with the rain in your eyes, you know it can be frustrating, to say the least.
A hat won’t necessarily keep you from getting soaked in the rain. However, the brim will shield your face, keeping the rain out of your eyes so that you can better find your way to shelter.
For most of us, bugs—from mosquitoes to horseflies—are our least favorite part of roaming the hiking trails. Bugs swarming around your face can be annoying at best and terribly itchy at worst.
Along with surrounding yourself with a cloud of bug spray, try wearing a wide-brimmed hat. This will keep bugs out of your hair, and if you add mesh screen around the brim, it will effectively keep them off your face, too. And if nothing else, it’ll be a useful tool for swatting at any gnat swarms you may run into.
As you can see, there are plenty of reasons to wear a hat while you’re hiking. The trick is finding the right hat for the job. When you’re looking for a hiking hat, you’ll want to focus on hats with wide brims made of durable, breathable materials. A few good options include:
Ready to hit the open trail? Take Fashionable Hats along for the trip. Our collection of fashionable hats for men has the perfect hats to keep your head covered on your next hiking trip.
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