Sun Protection

[flyrodman]

I know what you mean about the buff fogging your glasses. If you wear a wide brimmed hat, that should eliminate the need to pull the buff over your nose. I burned so bad last year (6 hours baking in the Bahamian sun) that I have what appears to be scar tissue and lots of freckles on my shoulders. Definitely made me more aware about my skin health.

[fishinwrench]

I'm just gonna continue to let my hide soak in the sunlight and see how many of you moles I can outlive, just for the hell of it.

[LarrySTL]

I sunburn like crazy and I had a basal cell skin cancer surgically removed from my neck in 2011. I bought one of the buff things last year ( I just looked, its made by Aqua Design) and tried it a couple times but it felt to me like a plastic bag over my head.

So I am back to a ball cap, a cotton shirt ( or one of the knit columbia SPF things that actually doesnt feel like plastic to me), regular old smear-it-on SPF 30 sunscreen, and a SPF 30 Chapstick for my lower lip thats been split open several times. Add a checkup by the dermatologist once a year, and thats what I am doing. YMMV.

[hoglaw]

_{Camelbak's are awesome. I have a camo one from Gander Mountain (their house brand I think) that I got for half price, about $50. I use it as my wading gear bag now. I can fit everything I need in it plus waders and even clip those simms boots I got from you onto the bottom for a hike-in trip. Only drawbacks are that it's obviously not as accessible as a chest pack or military chem pack when you want to grab something out of it while you're on the water, and it's about impossible to keep it from getting wet if you're going into waist deep water. But it is awfully convenient and extremely comfortable. Mine has the big padded hip straps like you see on trekking backpacks. I don't know how much water the thing holds, but I've yet to come close to finishing it on a trip. I do find that I drink a lot more water when I have it right there as opposed to having to dig out a bottle.}

_{Dehydration and sun exposure are no joke. It's hard for me to burn, and if I do it just turns dark in a day. But I'm bad about not drinking as much water as I should. It's amazing how much different you feel with appropriate hydration and proper high-protein food as opposed to beer and honey buns which used to be my staple. Sodium intake helps your body retain water as well, and will make you thirsty. For that reason, beef jerky and a salty trail mix are great fishing foods.}

[Al Agnew]

I agree about the hydration thing. I've never worried much about the sun, and in fact had a dermatologist tell me one time that I was one of the least likely skin types to suffer skin cancer. It used to be a rite of spring to get a sunburn, which quickly turned to a dark tan and then I was okay the rest of the summer, but as I've gotten older and wiser I've become considerably more careful, and try to tan very gradually by limiting the time I go shirtless to no more than an hour a day, usually as I'm working in the yard. And I wear long sleeve shirts and long pants while fishing, as well as a wide-brimmed hat. But that's the only concessions I make, unless my wife makes me put on sunscreen. Yes, I've got wrinkles and age spots here and there, but heck, I turn 61 this year, so it's to be expected.

But what I don't do and should is drink more water while fishing. I find that if I make myself stay hydrated, I'm less tired and less sore at the end of the day.

[EddieRay]

I'm the same with regard to hydration. I get so caught up in fishing I don't realize how thirsty I am. As for what to wear, 30 SPF sunscreens work for my skin type all day so I can strip down to just a pair of shorts if I want too. However, I usually won't go all day that way just to play it safe. I'll wear a pair of shorts, a Columbia UPF 50 shirt, a ball cap, and Maui Jim polarized sunglasses. I wear the ball cap mainly to block the glare which interferes with looking down in the water with my polarized glasses.

[flyrodman]

I'm the same with regard to hydration. I get so caught up in fishing I don't realize how thirsty I am. As for what to wear, 30 SPF sunscreens work for my skin type all day so I can strip down to just a pair of shorts if I want too. However, I usually won't go all day that way just to play it safe. I'll wear a pair of shorts, a Columbia UPF 50 shirt, a ball cap, and Maui Jim polarized sunglasses. I wear the ball cap mainly to block the glare which interferes with looking down in the water with my polarized glasses.

Polarized Maui Jims are some of the best fishing sunglasses I've used.

[hoglaw]

On the sunglasses, I have the older version of the Oakley Straight Jackets. I wasn't particular about Oakleys and had never bought anything other than the cheapest polarized ones I could find at Wally World. But when I realized I needed glasses, I bought a pair of prescription sunglasses. I wanted ones that really wrapped all the way around my eyes without being too bulky or hot. They're however polarized lenses can be, prescription of course, and I think they have some anti-reflective coating on the back side of the lenses to keep the reverse glare down from light bouncing off my iris and onto the lenses (yeah, they sold me an extra whistle there). I am chronically ADD and forgetful, and I lose pretty much everything I own, but I've kept up with these since W was in office. I absolutely love them and cannot do without them. Rain, sun, clouds, snow - I have to have them. They have an amber lens (I'm sure you can get whatever color lenses you want if you're going the prescription route) and they just make everything look great. The woods are brighter. The glare off of rain while I'm driving is gone and they improve visibility in a heavy downpour. They're just second to none. And I love the frames. They aren't big and bulky but they wrap all the way around the sides and offer great protection from the sun and physical stuff.

[moguy1973]

If you have problems with your glasses fogging with a buff get some anti fog called Cat Crap. It works great to keep glasses from fogging.

[ness]

Hoglaw -- did the same as you. I need glasses for distance, and can't wear contacts, so I popped for prescription polarized amber. Pretty expensive but I've had them for approximately 10 years. People always say they won't pay up for expensive sunglasses because they'll lose them. I always say once you pop for them you think about them differently and don't leave them laying around where they'll get lost or stepped on. I've always got them on a lanyard thingy too, and they're always in the case when I'm not wearing them. Mine aren't wrap around, but they do have wide sides -- which is nice for cutting out sun coming in from the side.

moguy1973 -- I gotta find some cat crap -- fogging is always a problem for me.

BTW -- skin cancer isn't something to take lightly. It's not just cutting off a mole or a spot and having a scar. That stuff can metastasize quickly and end up in places that'll kill you quick.