SkyMall Monday: SunCap Hat

by Mike Barish on

Sure, it’s nice to look a little bronzed in the summer. Who doesn’t enjoy being just a bit “sun-kissed” when they’re showing off more skin in the hot weather? However, the sun is a fickle bitch-goddess and things can go from tan to burnt quicker than you can say SPF. It’s always important to protect ourselves from the sun (which is why we’ve stopped using our foil reflector when we have our SkyMall Monday Tanfests). Beyond sunscreen, doctors recommend wearing a hat to shade your head and face, along with sunglasses to prevent damage to your eyes. But who wants to carry all of that stuff around? And how many pairs of sunglasses have you lost over the years? Thankfully, SkyMall is here to keep us from turning red. The next time you’re ready to hit the beach, pool, music festival, picnic, sporting event, festival, monster truck rally or poker tournament, be sure to don your very own SunCap Hat.Who wants to attach one of those lanyards to their glasses? Those things are just for the elderly and boat owners. Flip up sunglasses haven’t been hip since we graduated from Hillman College. If you need sunglasses and a hat (both of which are essential travel items), it’s best to combine them so that you never lose either (or, you know, to ensure that you lose both).

Think that combining a hat and sunglasses makes as much sense as attaching a watch to gloves? Believe that the words ‘cap’ and ‘hat’ mean the same thing and are redundant when used together? Well, while you apply some zinc to your nose, we’ll be reading the product description:

The unique design of the SunCap incorporates stylish polycarbonate sunglasses that slide up and down through a slit in the hat’s bill with just the push of a finger.

Don’t worry about losing, forgetting or damaging your sunglasses. They’re always there when you need them, fastened to your cap.

It’s the most fun you’ll have sliding something through a slit all day.

So, if you have fair skin and an icy stare that needs to be revealed, be sure to protect yourself in the most stylish way possible. If you can’t do that, then get the SunCap Hat.

Check out all of the previous SkyMall Monday posts HERE.

Sun Protection Wear from Patagonia

by Pam Mandel on

On our first sunny day in Seattle in far too long, I got sunburned. I know better. I fell asleep in the hammock and woke up baked to an itchy pink. I do this once a year, and then I come to my senses and dress appropriately.

I have a few very light weight long sleeved shirts that I picked up at the market in Siem Reap, Cambodia; all my shirts were too heavy for the oppressive humidity. I wanted to dress respectfully without wilting in the heat. Those market shirts are fine if you don’t mind looking like a hippie (which, really, I don’t.) But a little more style is nice.

Patagonia makes a line of don’t-get-sunburned clothing, it’s cute, light, and has 40 UPF (ultraviolet protection factor) sun protection built in to the fabric. I test drove their Sun Shelter Long Sleeved Shirt.

I put any new gear to the laundry test right away — since I can’t control what happens to my washing while I travel, I toss everything new into a standard wash and dry cycle. The shirt held its shape and size. I also check to see how long things take to dry, just in case I’m doing my washing in the hotel sink. This dries out overnight, as advertised. Laundry test? Passed.

I have the shirt in white; it also comes in a Cascade Stripe (blue gray) and Amaranth (pale pink). While I like the cut, the scoop neck collar, the big slash pockets on the side, the empire waist gathering in front, I look a little puritanical in it, I’m not built for this style. That’s too bad, because I also like the weight of the fabric; it’s really light and soft and yes, you can wear it over your existing sunburn without your skin getting more irritated.

Patagonia makes a Sun Shelter Dress that’s a similar shape to the shirt; the dress would make great beachwear over your swimsuit, or a casual dress to wear around the resort or pool. They’ve got a full line of sun protection clothing — if I’d had the good sense to put some on before I headed outside into the sunshine, I’d not be so pink today.

The shirt is $69, the dress is $79, directly from Patagonia.

Manhattanhenge 2011 comes to New York City: May 30-31, July 11-12

by Grant Martin on

We’ve covered Manhattanhenge on Gadling occasionally over the years, and each time it never fails to amaze us. The concept, in case you’re unfamiliar, plays off the juxtaposition of the sun setting across the east-west streets of Manhattan. On only a few days out of the year the sun sets exactly between rows of skyscrapers, resulting in long beams of sunlight tumbling across the city and reflecting off of buildings. It’s quite a site to behold.

If you happen to be in New York City late this spring be sure to keep an eye out for the phenomenon, it should happen over the days of May 30th and 31st and July 11th and 12th. It also might help to have Kings of Convenience’s version of Manhattan Skyline on the radio.

Not surprisingly, the same phenomenon happens in Chicago on their orthogonal streets as well, though they don’t have the same elevation dropoff (and subsequent visual effect) that the Hudson River allows in New York.

Dates for Chicagohenge haven’t yet been distributed on the web — if anyone has them off hand feel free to post in the comments and we’ll update this post.

[via NewYorkology]

Photo of the Day (12.14.10)

by Stephen Greenwood on


There’s been plenty of talk about blizzards and cold weather this week; so now it’s time for something different. Today’s Photo of the Day comes from the shores of France’s Cotes-d’Armor in Brittany.

Taken by Flickr user mlohninger, I especially like the element of playfulness and the way that the sun is used to backlight the subject. This use of lighting in combination with the wide angle lens help capture a moment that’s fun, natural, and cinematic.

Do you have playful shots with your significant other or favorite travel buddy? Share them in Gadling’s Flickr Pool! It could be our next Photo of the Day.

24 Hours in Rio de Janeiro: The easiest best beaches

by Grant Martin on

It’s cliche to think of The Girl from Ipanema and feel corny when planning your beach excursions on a 24 hour jaunt to Rio de Janeiro, but the fact of the matter is, Ipanema and Copacabana beaches (they’re adjacent) are the among the best, easiest to access stretches of sand in the town. Located in the Zona Sul, the heart of tourist activity, they’re also the most popular. So what makes these two beaches better than the rest?

Part of it is the view. It’s easy to find sand, a few palm trees and a gentle ocean breeze anywhere between Malibu and Buenos Aires, but the landscape around Rio is what sets it above the rest. The massive, granite peaks that shoot out of the Atlantic Ocean are most breathtaking, and as you gaze south down the coast line you can see Sugarloaf Mountain and the cable cars sleepily ferrying passengers to the summit. Behind you, Christ the Redeemer gazes onward as always from Corcovado.

And part of the beach experience in Rio is, well, the view. Beauty fits into a wider spectrum in Brazil, with the beautiful people more attractive than anywhere in the world and the uglier more horrifying. Naturally this is exacerbated when you’re on the beach and everyone is wearing next to nothing.
But that’s part of the beach culture here. People come to the beach just to loaf around and socialize, and there’s an entire economy dedicated to revelers. Those that forgot a towel or beach chair or umbrella can rent one anywhere on the beach, and food, drink and trinket vendors snake through the crowds hawking their wares. On a busy warm Sunday, it can be hard to find a spot to pitch your umbrella, let alone take a seat.

The sand, weather and views are with the trip are worth it, however, and no good tourist should visit Rio without a trip to the beach. Be forewarned that the surf at both beaches is quite strong. Anyone braving the waters is subject to an extremely strong undercurrent, and those that aren’t carefully can easily be dragged away. At the minimum, due to constant currents you’ll exit the water far from the point that you entered.