Sun caps

Sun caps, portable shade that folds into a pocket

A sun cap is a lightweight peaked cap made to keep glare off the eyes and direct sunlight off the face during long hours outside. The selection covers running caps, baseball-shaped caps in pale and white finishes, plain outdoor caps and models that quote a UPF 50 rating on the fabric. They are chosen for summer walking, cycling, fishing, gardening and travel, where a full brimmed hat is more than the day needs.

What does a UPF rating on fabric mean?

UPF describes how much ultraviolet a woven fabric lets through to the skin beneath it. The number comes from the weave density, the fibre and the dye rather than from any coating that can be washed off, which is why a tightly woven synthetic cap shades better than an open-knit cotton one of the same colour. A rating only covers the skin the fabric actually sits over: the peak shades the face, the crown shades the scalp, and the ears and neck are left to the wearer.

Cap or brim: which one for the day ahead?

A cap shades forwards. It suits movement, fits under a hood, packs into a pocket and stays on in wind, which is why runners and cyclists rarely wear anything else. It leaves the ears and the back of the neck exposed. A full circular brim shades in every direction and is the better answer for standing still in strong sun, which is the job a boonie hat was designed for. The same reasoning explains the wide floppy shape of a traditional bush hat.

Which features make a cap wearable in heat?

• Ventilation: mesh side panels or punched eyelets let hot air escape the crown instead of trapping it against the scalp.
• Sweatband: an absorbent inner band keeps sweat off the brow and out of the eyes, and it is the part that fails first on cheap caps.
• Peak length and curve: a longer, curved peak shades the cheekbones as well as the eyes, a short flat peak mostly shades the forehead.
• Adjustment: a strap or drawcord at the rear takes the cap from bare head to worn over a buff without leaving a pressure line.
• Packability: a soft unstructured crown can be rolled into a pocket, a stiffened front panel cannot without creasing permanently.

Does the colour of a sun cap matter?

It changes how the cap feels rather than how much it shades. Pale and white caps reflect more visible light and stay cooler to the touch in direct sun, which is why they dominate summer sport. Darker fabric absorbs more heat but hides marks that show instantly on white.

How do you keep a cap in shape?

Wash it by hand in cool water and let it dry on something round, a jar or a folded towel, rather than flat. A machine cycle collapses the crown and can warp a stiffened peak permanently, and hot water sets salt marks into a pale fabric instead of releasing them. For arms and shoulders on the same kind of day, a light long-sleeved layer from the sun hoodie range covers what a cap cannot.