Best Sun Hats Information
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Best Sun Hats for Athletes and Adventurers Congratulations! You’ve found a comprehensive, easy to understand explanation of why Shelta sun hats are the best performance sun hats on the market. Sadly, there is a ton of confusing, and conflicting “mis-information” out there on the web. Good news - read this one page and you can knowledgeably decide for yourself why the Shelta Sun Hat is the best for your intended use. At first glance, most people assume a sun hat is a sun hat. If they’ve looked around a little bit, they’ll be aware that there is a handful of different shapes and sizes, and of course dozens of brands. On the surface most of them really do just look like unflattering hats. It’s easy to jump to the conclusion that they’re pretty much all the same, aside from the branding… and of course the pricing! And why the heck are they so much better than a low price hat?
Shelta sun hat versus a traditional sun hat The difficulty in differentiating one sun hat from the next is that you can’t peer inside. Thus, as a prospective buyer, you’re left to sort thru the unfamiliar industry lingo which all kind of sounds the same. You’ll repeatedly hear terms thrown around like: - Sun Protection Rating - Breathable Material - Mesh Lining - Sweat Absorbing Head-band - Fit - Pockets - Chin Cords - Brim Coverage - Floats Without getting into an overly technical discussion, it is still relatively easy to understand what is and is not a quality sun hat. The below discussion will, in part, help you understand why one sun hat costs vary The rising popularity of sun hats Prior to 2014, pretty much every sun hat out there was a traditional floppy brim. There were some small brim inserts out there, but they were not rigid enough and flopped up or down. That meant they flopped up and down in windy conditions or when you were paddle boarding on a wave and blocked your view the whole ride. Not ideal. In 2014 in an effort to make the brim more rigid, we came out with the first winged vision visor built into a sun hat. This changed everything. Suddenly the brim was super rigid - as in they could support a gust of wind and barely flex at all. Suddenly, you could see when using a sun hat. The benefits are many fold - check out this video for more details:
Our Fabrics are certified to block 98% of harmful UVA/UVB radiation and deliver an Ultraviolet Protection Factor of 50+, the maximum rating given*
Sun protection info: Sunlight includes rays of invisible ultraviolet (UV) radiation; overexposure to UV rays can lead to sunburn, accelerated skin aging and skin cancer. Sunscreen and clothing offer your main forms of UV protection. All fabrics disrupt UV radiation to some degree. Fabric that does the best job carries and Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) rating from 15 (good) to 50+ (excellent). Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) is a rating system used for apparel. It indicates how effectively fabrics shield skin from Ultraviolet (UV) rays. The higher the UPF number, the greater degree of UV protection a garment offers. UPF is similar to SPF (Sun Protection Factor), the rating system used for sunscreen products. UPF gauges a fabric’s Effectiveness against UVB rays, the sunburn-causing segment of the ultraviolet spectrum.
UPF Range Protection Category Effective UV-R Transmission (%) UPF Rating 15-24 Good 6.7-4.2 15,20 25-39 Very Good 4.1-2.6 25,30,35 40-50,50+ Excellent Less than 2.5 40,45,50,50+
Basically, a UPF rating of 50 indicates the fabric of a garment will allow only 1/50th (roughly 2%) of available UV Radiation to pass through it. A garment rated UPF 25 permits roughly 4% (1/25th) UV transmission. The higher the number, the better the protection the fabric offers. Any fabric that allows less than 2% UV transmission is simply labeled UPF 50+
*Our fabrics are tested and certified to the United States: American Association of Textile Chemist and Colorists (AATCC) Test Method 183 and American Society for testing and Materials (ASTM) D 6544. A UPF labeling guide (ASTM D 6603) Has also been adopted. Typically during these tests, UV light is transmitted through a garments’ fabric and measured by a radiation-measuring device, either a spectrometer or spectrometer. In most cases, the fabric is tested dry and without being stretched. The fabric’s ability to absorb UV light it then calculated and a UPF value is assigned. Shelta uses an independent lab to test fabric samples from its apparel line according to the AATCC/ASTM standard. To ensure accurate and representative UPF labeling, the lightest color of a garment style is always tested (since darker colors using higher concentrations of UV-absorbing dyes generate higher UPF values.
Sometimes all colors of a particular style are tested. Repeated home launderings (regardless of whether or not the detergent contains an OBA optical brightening agent, the compound commonly found in household detergents) does not reduce the UPF rating of a woven or knitted fabric of cotton, polyester, or nylon. On the contrary UPF ratings are enhanced or remain unchanged by repeated laundering up to 20 times.
Shelta hats have a dark under-brim to help absorb sun glare from the surface reflection. Our hats provide multiple levels Of sun protection, but like all other hats, it’s not enough. We strongly recommend using plenty of high rated sunscreen, UPF rated clothing and sunglasses that filter out all UVA & UVB rays.
TRUTHS about the sun and skin cancer
TRUTH Most skin cancers are the result of too much time in the sun particularly during childhood BUT can be prevented by protecting the skin from an early age.
TRUTH It can take just 10-12 minutes in the sun for UV radiation to begin to damage skin
TRUTH One severe sunburn incident doubles a child’s risk of melanoma later in life.
TRUTH Effective shade is the best way to reduce your risk of skin cancer.
TRUTH Personal protection strategies are also very important to protect against UV radiation.
TRUTH UV radiation cannot be seen or felt – its not related to temperature.
MYTHS about the sun and skin cancer MYTH A tan provides good protection against the sun. Tanned skin is just damaged skin and offers almost no protection against UF radiation. Naturally dark skin provides some protection because it takes longer to burn than fair skin
MYTH It’s OK to be in the sun when it’s not hot We do not feel UV radiation – when we feel hot, it is from infra-re radiation, not UV radiation. In most locations, UV radiation levels are still high in spring and autumn even though temperatures can be low. UV radiation if generally lower during winter, but reflection from the snow can double your exposure, especially at high altitudes.
MYTH Taking regular breaks while sunbathing will prevent sunburn UV radiation exposure is cumulative. Total exposure will build up over the day no matter how many breaks you take.
MYTH You can’t get a sunburn on a cloudy day Up to 80% of solar UV radiation gets through light cloud cover. Haze in the atmosphere can even increase UV radiation exposure.
MYTH We need plenty of sunlight for good health In normal daily life , we get more exposure to sunlight (and UV radiation) than is healthy. In some circumstances, such as nursing homes, people require deliberate exposure to low levels of UV radiation to maintain Vitamin D levels but these are exceptions.
High-quality construction of the Shelta High Performance Sun Hat
Winged Vision Visor for Shelta Sun Hat - Technology that blocks the sun, not your vision. No more brims flopping in your face while stand up paddle boarding, as this innovation provides Visionary Sun Protection even when the brim gets wet or the wind starts blowing
Shelta Sun Hat Moisture Management System - Interior mesh liner effectively wick moisture away from your skin to evaporate quickly through our breathable fabric. The headband then wicks away any remaining perspiration from your forehead
Breathable Sun Hat Fabric - Extremely breathable, which allows moisture and heat to escape from the inside out. DWR (water repellent) rating which repels moisture, dries quicker and floats better. Environment friendly recycled polyester
Shelta Sun Hat Moisture Management System - Interior mesh liner effectively wick moisture away from your skin to evaporate quickly through our breathable fabric. The headband then wicks away any remaining perspiration from your forehead.
Shelta Sun Hat Venting - Critically placed eyelets allow heated air to escape quickly and effectively. A simple, but critical part of keeping your head cooler.
Shelta Sun Hat Head Band - The headband is sewn to the mesh liner, which keeps it from sagging when it gets soaking wet. This makes for a no hassle experience when putting your hat back on in the water
Shelta Sun Hat Stash Pocket - Each style features a pocket to store your convertible cord system in when not in use. Also a great place to stash small items like keys, credit card or drivers license
Shelta One hand sun hat cinch - Having to use both hands to tighten your hat is not an option for stand up paddling. Our one handed cinch is critical for that quick on the fly adjustment.
Water safe sun hat - Dual layers of closed-cell brim foam, our plastic winged vision visor and water repellent fabric enables our hats to FLOAT. Also has an easy to spot orange interior.
Sun Hat sun protection - Two crown styles and brim widths. Multiple technical features designed for your specific outdoor performance needs. Sun Hats Designed for athletes and adventures. What are people using our hats for - Really any activity where someone wants to protect themselves from the sun. Like Fishing , Paddle Surfing, Stand Up Paddle Boarding, Wake Boarding , Jet Ski's, Kite Boarding, Wind Surfing ,Kayaking, Outrigger's,Sailing ,Trail Running , Hiking ,Tennis, Golf and any boating activity. Shop around. Hope you enjoyed this article!
Jurgen Schulz Co Founder & CEO Shelta Sun Hats
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