You must be wondering what in the heck I'm talking about. Well, I'll tell you. Basically, the sun isn't always a ramblin' man's friend. Harsh UV rays can both dehydrate you, and be damaging to your skin. And if you spend as much time on the path as I do, that damage can really build up. So in addition to getting my wife to give me a full-body mole check every morning, I've invested in some sun protection.
There's quite a bit that goes into sun protection--it could easily take up a whole blog by itself--so for our purposes I'm just going to share a bit about my trusty sun hat. Now, a less cautious rambler might think a full brimmed hat will do the trick. Heck, I've even seen people out there walking around with just a front-billed baseball cap! Not this guy. This guy doesn't take chances with cancer.
Here's a shot of what I'm out there wearing. It's called a "Kalahari Sun Hat", and the design is actually manufactured by a number of companies. Mine happens to be by Sun Grubbies, and I think they do a fine job.
What I love about it is, first of all, its versatility. No matter where the sun is coming from, you put this puppy on and some eyewear, and you're golden. If you think it's excessive, consider the fact that most varieties of asphalt are composed of roughly 27% reflective material such as glass. This means you're getting bombarded with rays even from below. If that doesn't give you pause, I don't know what will.
Anyway, I don't mean to scare anyone away. The hat is actually quiet inexpensive, and as always, the right preparation means that once you're out there on the city street you won't feel like a fool.
