I always have worn a baseball style hat with mesh sides ( really like Oregon Research model).

A good buddy of mine who has a whole lot of hair on his head found out 6 months ago that he has malignant melanoma, a very agressive skin cancer. While combing his hair he found some blood on his comb and had his head  looked at and a biopsy taken. It seems he has a malignant cancer spot on his scalp. Malignant melenoma is one of the most deadly cancers and is caused by the sun. If caught early you have a good chance of beating it. He had the affected area cut off and now looks like a monk with a bald spot on the top of his head. Worse yet..he has been undergoing chemo and it has spread to his brain and now his lungs. His prognosis is not good. He is now on an experimental chemo treatment.  Hey, this guy is not an outdoorsman like many of us and doesn't spend near the amount of time we paddlers/fisherman do in the sun by a long shot. Hard to believe this guy got this type of cancer.

Bottomline, I would wear sunscreen whenever possible. I should also tell you that my mom died of malignant melenoma at the age of 53. Never even the hospital except to have 6 kids. The doctors say I am at high risk for skin cancer. I had a mole on my side cut off as a preventative measure because it was in the spot my mom's mole changed color and size and ultimately lead to her demise.  I always was the person saying ... it won't be me getting skin cancer. Well, after my buddy got it ... I realized that I need to be more pro-active and will definitely be using more sunscreen on my canoe trips and when going outdoors.  I like the idea of a wide brimmed hat as well.

Sorry to talk about skin cancer in our forum... it's a downer  but I felt the need to "air it out."