Long Term Review of the Outdoor Research Kids' Helios Sun Hat: Camping, Climbing, and Summits

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Sun hats are important. No, not “I just had my home’s heat turned off” kind of important. But they are important. I call that out because I feel pretty strongly that climbing safety isn’t just about the act of climbing, itself.

I was watching a video by the HowNot2 folks, and he was talking about how much time and energy we put into thinking about climbing anchors and how little we think about the integrity of our quickdraws. He points out that falls that weight the climbing anchor actually happen very infrequently when compared to falls onto a quickdraw - especially since almost every (some use slings) piece of gear or bolt is clipped to with a quickdraw. He was pointing out one of the fundamentals of risk management: risk = probability x consequence. This is the probability side of things.

Well, I have the same kind of reaction to sun protection. While a fall on a climb might happen, exposure to the sun is almost a guarantee (if we are rock climbing, it might be cloudy, but it really can’t be raining). So, when I think about safety for myself or for my family, sun protection needs to take up some of my mental bandwidth. Sure, it still might not deserve as much thought as quickdraws or anchors. Quickdraws and anchors need to be applied differently in different contexts and circumstances. Deciding to put on a hoodie, sunscreen, and/or a hat doesn’t involve the same level of circumstantial consideration.

The comparative ease doesn’t make sun protection unimportant, I guess is my point. So, actually taking the time to find the right hats that can sit comfortably, stand up to wind, and stand up to heavy use seems like time well spent. If any of those criteria aren’t met, we won’t actually use the hats. And then, well, there is that high probability of unhealthy sun exposure again.

So, we’ve been pretty happy with the Outdoor Research Helios Kids’ sun hat. It isn’t perfect, but it’s done the job. You can take a look at the full video for the in-depth review.

But zooming out, hats are just an example of a common theme: while the “sexier” topics of climbing safety get a lot of attention out in the world, I think it is worth a climbing channel’s time to focus at least some attention on the “non-sexy” topics. There aren’t death-defying rope systems or dynamic climbing moves to show on video, but those make up such a small minority of the time we spend. There is a reason our logo has four different activities. Yes, we think of ourselves as climbers, but all the disciplines in the logo contribute to making climbing trips successful. Plus, they are just fun as their own pursuits, too.