Hats

Caps, sun hats, beanies and bump caps

A hat earns its place on the water for two reasons: hours of direct sun and reflected glare off the surface that hits you from below. The right one keeps the sun off your face and neck and stays put when the wind picks up. Which style you want comes down to how much cover you need and how you’ll wear it. Caps and snapbacks. The everyday pick — snapbacks, trucker caps and dad caps shade your face, pack down easily and look good off the water too. Dry-fit and water-repellent versions shrug off spray and dry fast, which matters when a casual cotton cap would stay soggy all day. Bucket and wide-brim hats. When you’re out for hours, an all-round brim covers your ears and the back of your neck, not just your face. Bucket hats pack flat and many are reversible; wide-brim and legionnaire styles give the most cover for long days in the boat or teaching from the water. Look for a chin cord so a gust doesn’t take it. Straw and sun hats. For the boat and the beach, a straw hat keeps you cool and shaded between sessions. Beanies. A wetsuit-style beanie keeps your head warm on cold-water sessions and early starts, layering under a hood when it’s really cold. Bump caps. A 5-panel bump cap looks like a normal cap but hides a protective insert — light head protection for foiling and riding without the bulk of a full helmet. Worth knowing the difference: a bump cap softens knocks, it isn’t a certified impact helmet. Mens, womens and kids. Sizing and cuts run across all three, including youth and girls bucket hats and ladies-specific caps. Brands. Jetpilot and Armstrong carry the widest range; Rip Curl, Follow, Radar, Ronix, Connelly and KD round it out across casual caps, sun hats and bump caps. Care. Rinse salt out, reshape while damp and air-dry — straw and structured brims hold their shape best dried out of the sun.