Mad gurls, and Englishmen, go out in the midday sun ...

JKM

Thru Hiker
For industrial eyewear, Bollé have a good range of CE stamped protective sunglasses, usually on eBay, I used to search for bolle arborists glasses. Less than £10 delivered and I have been using them for canoeing/cycling for years.
 
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Daymoth

Section Hiker
BTW, There is an Echo cap too, though I've never seen one. It might be a good, airy version.

Thats the one I use. I dont know if airy is the word for a cap. I do love it because its totally flexible and you can just squish it in a pocket.

For being outdoors in the heat, well it depends on how much heat.
If its warm but the sun pressure is not too high I will wear as little clothes as possible.
If there is a lot of radiation, then long sleeves and loose clothes.
Central and South Spain in August I will not go out after 12.00 and before 17.00.
 

Ken T.

Section Hiker
Here I sit in the air conditioning at 8 on a Friday night. It is 97 degrees outside. To be 105 tomorrow.
No hats with capes. I find they do not breath enough. Big brim, vented crown, but be careful not to choose something that will let your scalp get burned. If it is triple digits I try to limit my exercise periods to half an hour then cool off before getting going again. I am lucky that my workday starts and ends early before the temperature peaks for the day. Try to do the same when walking. Drink enough, but don’t forget to eat etc... I moved back to a framed pack to get more cooling. Love my umbrella.
 
Here I sit in the air conditioning at 8 on a Friday night. It is 97 degrees outside. To be 105 tomorrow.
No hats with capes. I find they do not breath enough. Big brim, vented crown, but be careful not to choose something that will let your scalp get burned. If it is triple digits I try to limit my exercise periods to half an hour then cool off before getting going again. I am lucky that my workday starts and ends early before the temperature peaks for the day. Try to do the same when walking. Drink enough, but don’t forget to eat etc... I moved back to a framed pack to get more cooling. Love my umbrella.

Oh my Crikey..!! Now that is darnded hot :eek:
I suspect even @Baldy would be struggling in those temps.

I like your proposition of walking (or even working) for only half hour stretches, before having a little rest.

Taking up that strategy might not make me very popular but then -

"It's how you go, not how far you go... :angelic:


Do you not get wide - brimmed hat - interfering with top of framed pack issues Ken?
And what sort of parasol..? Manual, or fixed?? :dude:

Thats the one I use. I dont know if airy is the word for a cap. I do love it because its totally flexible and you can just squish it in a pocket.

For being outdoors in the heat, well it depends on how much heat.
If its warm but the sun pressure is not too high I will wear as little clothes as possible.
If there is a lot of radiation, then long sleeves and loose clothes.
Central and South Spain in August I will not go out after 12.00 and before 17.00.

Quick to deploy, and stow, always an advantage.. Especially if one risks travelling without a valet to attend to such matters.
Echo seems to be getting good press thus far..
But tell me @Daymoth.. You've never even been a teensy bit tempted by a bonnet? :geek:
 
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Taz38

Thru Hiker
<---

Mountain Warehouse £3

Cheap and ... cheerful...okay useful, but not nasty.
Now I've cut my hair the running cap doesn't stay so well, the hat is a better option.
 

Daymoth

Section Hiker
For those of you interested in the echo cap:





As you see its made of a fine polyester fabric and an elastic band.



Super squishy.


Now I do have a head on the smaller side, I dont know if somebody with a big head would find it a bit opressive
 
For those of you interested in the echo cap:





As you see its made of a fine polyester fabric and an elastic band.



Super squishy.


Now I do have a head on the smaller side, I dont know if somebody with a big head would find it a bit opressive

Aha I see :geek:

You know, it doesn't look so dissimilar to a bonnet, my fave (trimmed with a flower:)) is basically just an elasticated crown - into which you can safely bundle your all your hair, and anything nesting therein - but with a wider and deeper brim - the elastic stops it coming off in a high wind - the crown size could be adapted to fit any size noggin..

But as Willum says its got more breeze - through fabric so cooler :dude:


This worked today, got soaked :)View attachment 13011

I've got me a smaller version of that, for irrigating crops here, a self driven 'rain-train' , in this weather, its fun to play in - when no ones looking :happy:
 

Ken T.

Section Hiker
“Do you not get wide - brimmed hat - interfering with top of framed pack issues Ken?
And what sort of parasol..? Manual, or fixed?? :dude:

No issue with the hat as I don’t have the pack towering over me. As far as the umbrella goes I fix it to my shoulder strap with a couple of elastics. Can even skip the hat then.

Stay cool, have fun.
 
I replaced my black vented cap with a stone coloured vented cap from decathlon, about £3.

Yes I have about four or five stone coloured cotton caps for work - to allow for frequent washing - but i reckon synthetic is better for trips - for those times when you might want to wear the peak under a waterproof - in truth, thats a fairly infrequent happenstance for me these days - but it has been known - For instance Dartmoor Aqua Trekkers magic is strong - it took a whole day for me to fight back with my fair weather witchcraft ... :o o:

“Do you not get wide - brimmed hat - interfering with top of framed pack issues Ken?
And what sort of parasol..? Manual, or fixed?? :dude:

No issue with the hat as I don’t have the pack towering over me. As far as the umbrella goes I fix it to my shoulder strap with a couple of elastics. Can even skip the hat then.

Stay cool, have fun.

So not a special parasol with an attachment then - Just a normal one with the handle fixed in two places.

"Stay cool, have fun"

Believe me Ken, I do try my hardest on both fronts ... But i'd defy anyone to run a farm in a heatwave such as we are currently experiencing, and to not get a tad frazzled now and then... :arghh:
 

tom

Thru Hiker
I recall chatting with an elderly farmers lady on the Croatian island Cres who told us how they used to go working their fields at 3am in the days of mostly manual field labour and work until mid-morning... Starting early and going slow or sheltering at midday is always a good idea in southern countries. Sadly, this doesn't quite work nearer the equator with steady 12 daylight hours throughout the year....

What I learned from desert dwellers in (e.g. Afghanistan, Middle East etc) and living /working in South India for 2 decades is to avoid drinking from mid-morning till sundown (just tiny cups of strong supersweet tea or mint tea or wetting your gums with water) during hot seasons but drinking as much as one can in the evenings and early mornings to flush the kidneys. The more you drink when exposed to sun and high temps, the more you sweat (which is exhausting in itself and linked to "heat stroke"). Excessive sweating means loss of crucial base minerals ("electrolytes"). Dehydration is defined as a lack of electrolytes - not lack of water (a total lack of water only becomes dangerous after the first 48 hours). So the hotter it gets, the more important to minimise sweating, seek shade, early starts, rest (in shade) during peak hours and topping up with electrolytes when appropriate (obvious symptoms of dehydration are muscle fatigue, mental fatigue and muscle cramps)

Obviously "hot" is a matter of acclimatisation (most Europeans feel "hot" above 30 celsius, which is quite a pleasant temperature nearer the equator) but also air pressure which tends to be higher in northerns countries (frequent thunderstorms) and lower nearer the equator (where thunderstorms are very rare). Air pressure amplifies temperature so tropical and sub-tropical advise is useful even in northern locations on days when higher temps and high air pressure combine.

Need I say that overdosing on electrolytes is pretty harmful too....!

Loose dark (!!!!) clothing also helps - tents in the desert are black or dark blue for good reasons (white fabrics are a status symbol there)
 

ColinHawke

Ultralighter
Loose dark (!!!!) clothing also helps - tents in the desert are black or dark blue for good reasons (white fabrics are a status symbol there)

Agree on the clothing - sort of. If you think about the physics it really depends if the ambient temperature is higher or lower than body temperature of 37 degC, whether your in direct sun or shade and if any breeze is blowing .. if I’m out in 40degC in direct sunshine on a windless day (stupidly done that many times) then I’d wear loose white every time - but yes there are a lot of occasions where dark loose robes would be perfect.

Got to admit not sure on the black tent though .. perhaps it’s the thick fabric. I know my black camper van was a nightmare on hot days ..
 
I recall chatting with an elderly farmers lady on the Croatian island Cres who told us how they used to go working their fields at 3am in the days of mostly manual field labour and work until mid-morning... Starting early and going slow or sheltering at midday is always a good idea in southern countries. Sadly, this doesn't quite work nearer the equator with steady 12 daylight hours throughout the year....

What I learned from desert dwellers in (e.g. Afghanistan, Middle East etc) and living /working in South India for 2 decades is to avoid drinking from mid-morning till sundown (just tiny cups of strong supersweet tea or mint tea or wetting your gums with water) during hot seasons but drinking as much as one can in the evenings and early mornings to flush the kidneys. The more you drink when exposed to sun and high temps, the more you sweat (which is exhausting in itself and linked to "heat stroke"). Excessive sweating means loss of crucial base minerals ("electrolytes"). Dehydration is defined as a lack of electrolytes - not lack of water (a total lack of water only becomes dangerous after the first 48 hours). So the hotter it gets, the more important to minimise sweating, seek shade, early starts, rest (in shade) during peak hours and topping up with electrolytes when appropriate (obvious symptoms of dehydration are muscle fatigue, mental fatigue and muscle cramps)

Obviously "hot" is a matter of acclimatisation (most Europeans feel "hot" above 30 celsius, which is quite a pleasant temperature nearer the equator) but also air pressure which tends to be higher in northerns countries (frequent thunderstorms) and lower nearer the equator (where thunderstorms are very rare). Air pressure amplifies temperature so tropical and sub-tropical advise is useful even in northern locations on days when higher temps and high air pressure combine.

Need I say that overdosing on electrolytes is pretty harmful too....!

Loose dark (!!!!) clothing also helps - tents in the desert are black or dark blue for good reasons (white fabrics are a status symbol there)


"Loose dark (!!!!) clothing also helps - tents in the desert are black or dark blue for good reasons (white fabrics are a status symbol there)"



Hence my questioning as to whether it was a perception, rather than a reality that lighter coloured clothes are better in hot weather.

Certainly still operating on 80 % manual labour on this farm (and no aircon in the tractor beyond having taken one door off) means that staring early in hot weather is a necessity, although i was still out spreading compost at midday yesterday
derr - https://www.instagram.com/p/Bke7_ifgKrr/?taken-by=vegetable_dalliance - apologies for the flaunting :redface: but not getting the siestas in - must try harder ..

Some people were already up at five am today picking French Beans !!

One of my yogis told me that a guy she was walking with on Bodmin Moor (Yes Bodmin! I know!! :eek:) this weekend suffered heatstroke only two miles in from the car ... Had to be physically helped back :confuseded:

Encephalopathy can also be a real hazard if you drink too much water.... You can actually kill yourself by drinking an excess

I am disinclined drink as much on trail, or in the field, as some folks might say i should , maybe listening to ones own body, isn't such a hippy dippy, airy fairy bit of nonsense as some would paint it... But yes I do drink a lot of tea ( no sugar though) - straw coloured wee - is key indicator :angelic:

I think having a nutritionally balanced diet comprising mainly 'real food' with natural , but not excessive salts and sugars is the way to go.

The average western diet (50% processed) is already well overladen with salt and sugar.

Yes and acclimatisation - there was a guy from Grenada who came and helped out here for a summer - he was quite happy working in the polytunels in the heat of the day, when the rest of us could barely approach the doors without melting .. Oh to be able to spend so much time 'getting used to hot weather' :)

All really useful info - and helpful food for thought @tom :thumbsup:
 
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cathyjc

Thru Hiker
I recall chatting with an elderly farmers lady on the Croatian island Cres who told us how they used to go working their fields at 3am in the days of mostly manual field labour and work until mid-morning... Starting early and going slow or sheltering at midday is always a good idea in southern countries. Sadly, this doesn't quite work nearer the equator with steady 12 daylight hours throughout the year....

What I learned from desert dwellers in (e.g. Afghanistan, Middle East etc) and living /working in South India for 2 decades is to avoid drinking from mid-morning till sundown (just tiny cups of strong supersweet tea or mint tea or wetting your gums with water) during hot seasons but drinking as much as one can in the evenings and early mornings to flush the kidneys. The more you drink when exposed to sun and high temps, the more you sweat (which is exhausting in itself and linked to "heat stroke"). Excessive sweating means loss of crucial base minerals ("electrolytes"). Dehydration is defined as a lack of electrolytes - not lack of water (a total lack of water only becomes dangerous after the first 48 hours). So the hotter it gets, the more important to minimise sweating, seek shade, early starts, rest (in shade) during peak hours and topping up with electrolytes when appropriate (obvious symptoms of dehydration are muscle fatigue, mental fatigue and muscle cramps)

Obviously "hot" is a matter of acclimatisation (most Europeans feel "hot" above 30 celsius, which is quite a pleasant temperature nearer the equator) but also air pressure which tends to be higher in northerns countries (frequent thunderstorms) and lower nearer the equator (where thunderstorms are very rare). Air pressure amplifies temperature so tropical and sub-tropical advise is useful even in northern locations on days when higher temps and high air pressure combine.

Need I say that overdosing on electrolytes is pretty harmful too....!

Loose dark (!!!!) clothing also helps - tents in the desert are black or dark blue for good reasons (white fabrics are a status symbol there)


Thanks @tom I have a hubby who is one of those folks who sweats profusely even at the thought of exercise :sour:.
Hot weather much as he loves it, has always brought him 'issues' re-hydration. I've copied your post to him.
 

tom

Thru Hiker
@Fair Weather Camper + @ColinHawke
Black or dark fabrics.... It does sound counterintuitive indeed...

I experimented a fair bit with what I observed or what people told me and my rational explanation is the chimney effect - temperature differential creating an artificial draft which is also the most effective natural air-conditioning for buildings and I presume also for tents (not tested that myself). So "loose" clothing means pretty loose and a black caravan would be a nightmare I imagine just like tight black fabric to wear...:)

White absorbs less heat than other colours which is useful but white is not reflective enough to make a positive contribution (a cooling effect) - you'd need a truly reflective material to achieve this (try hiking in silver foil..:rolleyes::()
 
Phew ….. just come in to cool down. Even a bit of weeding is too much in this heat. :wideyed:. I was in a baggy black shirt …….

Youse a fellow crazee laydee Cathy :o o:- but I have just awarded myself my oldest Terrocs to work in instead of old boots - such indulgence :angelic:

don t see the point in fighting the heat ---yesterday i was asleep in the afternoon ---then worked again till 9----quick pint on the way home---plenty of daylight hours at this time of year

Congrats on sorting the work life balance there lentenrose very sensible :) and a fine example to aspire to :cool: unfortunately I have an evening job what takes me off the farm three nights a week til nightfall too :confused:

Anyone got any good horsefly deterrents? Under constant ariel attack here - cue 'Battle of Britain' music ... :frown:


Mr Mole reckons there are midges up on Dartmoor now :arghh: And all those dreadful wild-fires in Yorkshire - its like the end of days ... :wideyed:
 

Clare

Thru Hiker
450578B4-CD75-4339-A9B7-EE31791818E0.jpeg
Anyone got any good horsefly deterrents? Under constant ariel attack here - cue 'Battle of Britain' music ... :frown:


Mr Mole reckons there are midges up on Dartmoor now :arghh: And all those dreadful wild-fires in Yorkshire - its like the end of days ... :wideyed:



Just 10 minutes ago I bought this "Bracelet Anti-Moustiques", « techni-slap » no idea if it is any use, or how a techno-slap feels, maybe @Balagan knows? You're welcome to a set, 10 euros and I can post on Monday when I'm back in UK.
 
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