This weekend we will be hosting our annual Sidewalk Blowout Sale here at the Sunday Afternoons retail location.  We are going to have a ton of great gear at discounted prices! If you are in the area on Saturday September 25th, 2010 we invite you to stop by and have a look.  We are located at 716 South Pacific Highway in Talent, Oregon.  The event starts at 9AM and supplies are limited so make sure you get there early!

Richard Lyon testing out the Adventure Hat.

“Fit is great, thanks to the adjustment feature of the Adventure Hat.  It’s easy, so easy that I can now do it one-handed, to loosen the fit when I’m walking through a dense forest or the wind dies down, which allows a bit more circulation around the crown of the hat to help the perspiration evaporate and cool me down a bit.  It’s likewise a one-handed job to cinch the stampede strap (chin cord) when the wind threatens to separate hat from owner.  The Adventure Hat’s large bill and brim can act as a wind-catcher, making manual adjustment of either the headband or strap a somewhat frequent activity.

I really like the mesh panels, which I’ve found correspond nicely to the (few) parts of my head that still have reasonably normal-length hair.  The panels allow ventilation to keep my head relatively cool and dry without risking sunburn or requiring application of sunblock.  Good ventilation held true even in hot weather when hiking uphill with a 45-lb (20 kg) pack.  Much of our South Fork hike route traversed a large burn area, where forest cover varied from slim to none.  To my mind, after blocking the sun breathability is the real test of a sun hat, and the Adventure Hat passed with flying colors.  The mesh doesn’t get all the credit, as the gossamer crown fabric has breathed extremely well.

As for blocking the sun, the wide bill and brim on the Adventure Hat do as good a job at this as any hat I’ve worn.  That can be seen in the photo at right, taken at noon near the Natural Bridge on the Boulder River.  All my face is in shadow, typical of all times it was protected by the Adventure Hat.  The extra inch or so (2-3 cm) over other hats hasn’t drooped or otherwise interfered with visibility.  With a minor adjustment I can turn the bill slightly off-center to block sunlight from a particular angle.

From experience with similar hats I feared…”

Read the rest of the review here.

SOURCE: Backpack Gear Test

Cynthia Aguilar is going to paddle from Cuba to Key West Florida.

Check out Cynthia Aguilar in her world record breaking 130 paddleboard attempt from Cuba to Keywest this Friday and help her raise money for the Make a Wish Foundation.  Cynthia along her entire support crew will all be outfitted with Sunday Afternoons Hats to keep them protected during the voyage. You can make donations at www.keeppaddlin.org or just visit the sight join in the excitement and fun.

Our End Of Summer Sale is here! Save up to 50% on your favorite products including the Adventure Hat, Sport Hat, Kids’ Play Hat, Offshore Water Hat, Kids’ Sun Tripper and many more popular styles.  Now is the perfect time to outfit everyone in the family with great looking sun protective gear.  This sale only happens once a year so make sure you don’t miss out.  We have limited inventory on these items and once they are gone, they are gone.  Have a look at what is available by the link here.

Save big on our most popular styles!

Winners for the contest have been announced! We would like to thank everyone who sent in pictures.  It was a tough decision as there were a lot of great shots.  Ultimately the staff decided on these 4 so congratulations goes out the following 4 photos:

Winners of the Kids' Photo Contest

We also had quite a few honorable mentions, so be sure to check out all the photographs over at our main site by clicking here.  Again, we would like to thank everyone for their great submissions!

Always wear sun protection outdoors.

REI has a great article on in-depth sun protection.  It covers many of the things that most articles or publications we have come across don’t answer.  It answers some really good questions and is a great read if you may have some detailed questions about UV rays, what are the most vulnerable skin types, and how washing your UV protective clothing affects it’s lifespan:

“Three types of UV rays exist:

• UVA (320-400 nanometers, or one-billionth of an inch): Causes premature skin aging, wrinkling and potentially skin cancer. Penetrates skin more deeply than UVB rays. Can impact skin during any hour of daylight. Can penetrate clouds and untreated glass.
• UVB (290-320 nm): Causes sunburn; also contributes to premature skin aging and potentially to skin cancer. Causes most impact between 10am and 4pm. Can penetrate clouds, but not glass.
• UVC (200-290 nm): Deadly to humans. Fortunately, it is absorbed by atmospheric gases before it reaches the earth’s surface.

Excessive UV radiation weakens the body’s immune system in addition to causing cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States—an estimated 1 million nonmelanoma cases are diagnosed annually. The majority of skin cancer cases, up to 90%, are sun-related.

Many skin-care experts believe clothing shields skin more effectively from UV light than sunscreen. Key reasons: Many of us often apply sunscreen lotions too thinly, giving our skin less protection than the sunscreen’s available SPF rating, and we neglect to reapply it.

Q: How do I interpret UPF ratings?

A: UV-protection claims for clothing were first formalized in the 1990s in Australia, where skin cancer is a widespread concern. Researchers there developed the first fabric testing procedures for UV transmission and…”

Read the rest of the article here.

Source: REI.com

Drinking several of green tea a day can help your skin.

Expanding on last weeks article, there is more you can do with your diet than just eat chocolate…

“Several research studies demonstrate the role of antioxidant rich foods to increase the body’ s ability to protect itself from the sun. Ultraviolet rays from sun exposure produce free radicals in large quantities that cause photo aging and cell damage. Fortifying the body with antioxidant and nutrient rich foods internally is a great strategy to fight sun damage. Find out more about how to eat for internal sun protection here.

Read the rest of the article here.

Source: Arathi via eHow.com

Eating chocolate may help your skin in the sun

Interesting article! You can also help protect your skin by the foods you eat.   The study tests to see if chocolate can help with our bodies natural sun protection.

“For most people, sunscreen is synonymous with sun protection. Although the importance of external sun protection through creams, lotions and sun protective clothing is indisputable, natural sun protection through consumption of antioxidant rich foods takes sun protection to an entirely new level. Excessive exposure to the sun can damage the skin and increase the risk of developing skin cancer. Several studies demonstrate that eating antioxidant dense foods internally fortify the skin and increase its ability to become more tolerant to ultraviolet (UV) exposure.

A 2006 German study published in The Journal of Nutrition concluded that a flavanol-rich cocoa drink increased the body’s ability to tolerate UV rays and improved skin health. The study recruited two groups of women who were randomly assigned to drink either a high flavanol or a low flavanol cocoa drink. After 12 weeks of use, the high…”

Read the rest of the article here.

Source: Arathi Srikantaiah via Suite101.com

Make sure you register before you vote!

We want to hear your opinions! As we continue to and add new products to our line we would to hear what our customers would like to see more of.  Below is a panel where you can vote for the type of product you would like to see us create next.  Voting will end on August 20th, 2010 and the winner will be randomly chosen to receive a Free Adventure Hat! So let us know what you would like to see from Sunday Afternoons next.

PLEASE NOTE: In order to qualify for the contest you must register with the blog as we need to know what your e-mail address is to get in contact with you! You can register here.

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Right now the Sunday Afternoons team is traveling to craft shows, art fairs, and trade conventions all across the United States.  We are selling some of our newer products as well as our old favorites.  If you live in the area or happen to be passing by stop by and say hello, we love to meet our customers!