Hats

[back to the islands]

What types of hats do you ladies wear on a cruise? I hate hats and they do not flatter me, but I have had a lot of skin cancers recently. I am short and fluffy which does not help. Preferably it will not blow off and pack easily. Thanks for any ideas!

[Porky55]

I just use regular applications of a SPF50 sunscreen, then I don’t need a hat 🤔

[awhfy]

I have a very lightweight SPF50 hat with a chinstrap. I bought it for under $20 on Amazon. It even had a hole for a ponytail. It comes in several colors

[back to the islands]

17 hours ago, Porky55 said:

I just use regular applications of a SPF50 sunscreen, then I don’t need a hat 🤔

I've used SPF30 or higher for nearly 40 years, mostly SPF50 and above. I've had several  skin cancers of all types in the past 8 years and my dad died of melanoma so I'm adding rash guards and hats. I just hate the way I look in them, not to mention "hat hair". lol I have always loved the sun!

 

 

 

[Porky55]

2 hours ago, back to the islands said:

I've used SPF30 or higher for nearly 40 years, mostly SPF50 and above. I've had several  skin cancers of all types in the past 8 years and my dad died of melanoma so I'm adding rash guards and hats. I just hate the way I look in them, not to mention "hat hair". lol I have always loved the sun!

 

 

 

I understand, but like you I’m not a hat lover. Just as light as possible and really big brim and then you can just hide under the hat 👒😀

Cheers, Rose

[lissie]

I live in the UV centre of the world (New Zealand) (I can get burnt in 5 min in the sun) and my mother died of melanoma - I wear a wide brimmed hat which is UV rated, and can be folded for easy packing. 

 

But if its really hot I will often use an umbrella - its a trick I picked up  in Asia -its actually a lot cooler than wearing a hat.  

[puppycanducruise]

I wear a Tilley airflow hat.  It has a chin strap you can use if it's windy, or you can adjust the strap around the crown and hold the hat on a little tighter if necessary.  The hat is lightweight and washable. 

I am fair skinned and blonde and have been wearing a hat since I had a sunburn in the part in my hair years ago.

[shipgeeks]

I don't usually find hats flattering, but I keep trying on til I find a shape that works.  I have an enormously broad-brimmed one, San Diego Hat Company, I think, made of heavyweight cotton ribbons sewn in a circular pattern, which I like to wear with a skirt.  I also have a canvas brimmed hat with chinstrap that works with shorts.

I wear a rashguard shirt to beach days and other outings ashore.  I notice that many of the cruiselines are providing them for crew, as well.

[slidergirl]

I have a bunch of hats.  Baseball hats, bucket hats, lifeguard hats, Panama hats...  What I wear depends on what I'm doing.  I'm mostly a baseball hat person, though.  I don't give a rip about hat hair - protection is what I'm after.  Laying on a lounge chair works best with a baseball hat.  Kayak or boat - I have my REI brimmed hat.  It's a bigger brim that what I'd call a bucket hat and it has a chin strap.  

 

My BFF's husband died from melanoma.  A horrible death.  I was usually cautious about sun anyway, but this put me into overdrive.  Always wear a hat outside, rashguards, SPF shirts.  I don't care what I look like as long as I feel protected. 

[PurpleHays]

I start topicals for precancer next month, so I cover up most of the time too, with religious application of sunscreen. Plus, I try my damnedest to avoid being out in the middle of the day (one of the ex's complaints when we divorced). I'm not great with hats because I just don't like them, but if I'm going to be out in the sun I wear whatever I think I'll keep on.

[cruise kitty]

I'm definitely a hat person, I've worn some version of a hat when outdoors for 25+ years now...  my go to is the Tilley TH9...  I actually own 3 of these...  they wash in the washing machine beautifully & you reshape & air dry.    

 

For more sweaty outdoor activities I have an Adidas broad brimmed hat with chinstrap from Costco, can be washed & airdryed as well

 

For cooler weather, I have several wool/felt broad brimmed hats... I've picked up nice ones at Nordstrom, & cheap ones at Target, & both serve me well.

[mips]

I loved my Sunday Afternoon Sundancer  hat and was so sad that I lost it and it wasnt turned in.  packable light and though expensive would highly recomend, Im short and fluffy too but I got lots of compliments on it.  I will be buying another. 

[Milaandra]

For sunny destinations I wear a crushable straw with a rolled brim that doesn't make me look like a walking mushroom and still provides enough portable shade. 😁 For cusp seasons, I've been experimenting with newsboy and baker's boy caps paired with a cotton scarf to protect my neck...they go great with jeans and no hat hair!

For the Maldives I went full-on mushroom with enormous straw hats...can't mess around with that much sun and pale skin. In Morocco I actually wore a pith helmet! (solid shade and air circulation) 😁 

[57redbird]

On 1/21/2022 at 12:37 PM, mips said:

I loved my Sunday Afternoon Sundancer  hat and was so sad that I lost it and it wasnt turned in.  packable light and though expensive would highly recomend, Im short and fluffy too but I got lots of compliments on it.  I will be buying another. 

Thanks for replying to this thread!  I checked out the website & ordered the Vineyard hat--- came today & I ❤️ it.

[back to the islands]

On 1/21/2022 at 2:37 PM, mips said:

I loved my Sunday Afternoon Sundancer  hat and was so sad that I lost it and it wasnt turned in.  packable light and though expensive would highly recomend, Im short and fluffy too but I got lots of compliments on it.  I will be buying another. 

Which hat did you have mips? The vineyard like 57redbird or a different style? @57redbird I notice the brim curls up. Can it be worn flat, without the curl or not?  Thank y’all so much! I have a Tilley & a visor type cap, but would like something that doesn’t look like a fishing hat! Lol

[57redbird]

12 minutes ago, back to the islands said:

Which hat did you have mips? The vineyard like 57redbird or a different style? @57redbird I notice the brim curls up. Can it be worn flat, without the curl or not?  Thank y’all so much! I have a Tilley & a visor type cap, but would like something that doesn’t look like a fishing hat! Lol

I asked the same question of the company --- it won't go flat but it will fold down.

[pcur]

On 11/28/2021 at 8:16 PM, back to the islands said:

What types of hats do you ladies wear on a cruise? I hate hats and they do not flatter me, but I have had a lot of skin cancers recently. I am short and fluffy which does not help. Preferably it will not blow off and pack easily. Thanks for any ideas!

I find the best place to buy sun hats is on a cruise in port.  Many Caribbean ports, for instance, have straw markets.  Also, convenience stores anywhere in hot climates.  I have a large head, so I grab one that I like and fits.

 

I prefer a hat with a little feminine touch to it.  I bought one in Nassau that has a gold chain around the brim, with white chiffon threaded through the chain, and tied in a bow in the back.  

 

Buy some thin (1/8") lingerie elastic, and sew a piece to both sides inside the sweatband of the hat over each ear .  Make it loose, and this provides a unobtrusive chin strap that keeps the hat on in the wind.  I will sometimes let it hang off the back of my neck inside. 

 

I have two white, and one turquoise blue (that I added a wide lace trim to the brim).

 

Packing:  it's amazing, but if you pack the hat upside down in your suitcase, and NOT pack anything on top of it, they travel very well.  The open portion of the hat where your head goes, is perfect for packing rolled socks, or other lightweight loose items.

 

If the hat gets bent, a little water sprayed on it, shaping with your hands, and left to dry, usually perks it up.  I store my hats on the open shelf above the desk/vanity that most cruise ships have.

[back to the islands]

Thank you, @pcur. I have bought so many hats and they all look terrible on me! lol I inherited my daddy's very thick neck as I have aged. If I don't hate it, my husband says it doesn't look good. He likes the Tilley and I do, too, but I would like a dressier, more feminine hat. I like the feminine touch, as well! I will keep my eyes open. Thanks so much.

[slidergirl]

For my month-long journey through France and Italy this coming summer, I decided to spiff up my look a little bit:

 

No, this isn't me, but this is the hat.  It has leather straps to keep it on if I get wind on the barge.  And, cute enough to wear out in the countryside or city.   From Gigi Pip and worth the price!   Real Guatemalan palm.  This and a baseball hat and I'm good to go.  I have a cool clip that I can use to attach the hat to the outside of my pack or carryon so it takes no room inside.

[back to the islands]

@slidergirl, I like that hat! What size brim? Did you buy it in a hat store? I’d have to drive into Dallas and I hate fighting the traffic, but have asked my hubby to take me to one. We haven’t made it yet. My daddy died of melanoma, so even though I have hated hats since I got fluffier, I do wear them now. I swim daily in the summer and wear my Tilley in the pool. I had an early melanoma removed last summer and lots of squamous and basal cell carcinomas in the past 5 years. I’m learning to be more careful. It’s the fair skin. I love to be outdoors in warm weather, though! I love the feel of the sunshine in the winter. I’m like a lizard! Lol

[slidergirl]

1 hour ago, back to the islands said:

@slidergirl, I like that hat! What size brim? Did you buy it in a hat store? I’d have to drive into Dallas and I hate fighting the traffic, but have asked my hubby to take me to one. We haven’t made it yet. My daddy died of melanoma, so even though I have hated hats since I got fluffier, I do wear them now. I swim daily in the summer and wear my Tilley in the pool. I had an early melanoma removed last summer and lots of squamous and basal cell carcinomas in the past 5 years. I’m learning to be more careful. It’s the fair skin. I love to be outdoors in warm weather, though! I love the feel of the sunshine in the winter. I’m like a lizard! Lol

The brim on this is 10.5cm.  Gigi Pip only has a store in Salt Lake (where I got mine).  But they have a good website too.  Don't pass out when you see the price on this one plus it always sells out in 2-3 days.  There are several other straw options are are really cute.  They also have their things in multiple hat sizes.  I had seen this one in the store originally when I went in to buy one of their felt fedoras.   I didn't get it then (couldn't afford both at once), but I picked it up in the late summer when they restocked.   I might use some of my old turquoise and trade beads and make a fun hatband to go around it, too.  

[pcur]

Here's two of my hats, and the inside of the blue one showing he lingerie elastic.

 (sorry, it's sideways)

 

 

[slidergirl]

back to the islands:  if the price tag on my hat causes your heart to race, check out Ranchlands Mercantile (no caps and no space between words .com).  They have the Sunbody hat.  $55.  Guatamalan palm.  Wide brim (but it doesn't say how wide).  It doesn't come with a tie, but they have them for sale on the site.  It has a different crown than the one from Gigi Pip.   They say you can submerge it in water to shape it the way you want.  

 

Just another one.

[pcur]

Since my hats are used a lot, get prespired on, pack, unpacked, etc., I don't buy expensive ones.  But, the white one in my picture is about 12 years old.  I have hair clips with artificial flowers on them in many colors, and I clip one on the bow in the back of the white hat to match what I'm wearing.

 

It's holding up well, and I bought it at the "dollar" store in Australia.  I had to take the little white veil off, though.

[slidergirl]

23 minutes ago, pcur said:

Since my hats are used a lot, get prespired on, pack, unpacked, etc., I don't buy expensive ones.  But, the white one in my picture is about 12 years old.  I have hair clips with artificial flowers on them in many colors, and I clip one on the bow in the back of the white hat to match what I'm wearing.

 

It's holding up well, and I bought it at the "dollar" store in Australia.  I had to take the little white veil off, though.

I don't always by expensive hats.  This one just called to me when I was in the store...   I have a Panama that I bought in 2009 to take with me on my Spain/Italy/France trip with my bestie.  And, I took it down to humid Florida twice after that.  Still working well.  The oldest hat I have is one of my straw cowboy hats - bought it in the 80s, at the K-Mart in Lancaster, CA before driving on to Death Valley.  The feather band I bought for it cost a lot more than the hat - the hat was probably around $10.  It usually comes out if I go to a summer concert on a lawn.  

My good hats I don't pack.  I have a clip that clips onto the hat then can go on a pack, a carryon, a tote (it's called a Toptote). 

Edited January 30, 2022 by slidergirl