I ALWAYS use/ carry the stuff -my job takes me outside frequently in the Summer...so I carry some in the car and in kits. Add a hat, sunglasses and its good to go. Frequently you can get a small bottle 2-3 oz free when you buy a big one. I also replace the sunscreen every year.

When I get to pretend to be a lifeguard, were constantly on the deck, usually in full sun, for ~4 hours, so i have tried many sunscreens and found one that i really like, and so do a lot of the guards like, its called Head Hunter and is really really nice! I like the not clear one, i think it is the "original formula" or something like that

(no, i am not payed to say this by the company, and i don;t know any representatives of the company, this is all on my own volition and I'm just saying it because I'm a happy customer)

~CS

I'm a long sleeves and hat kind of guy too, but be careful of not wearing sunscreen. You can still burn if you're out in the sun all day, which one might well have to do in a survival situation.

Don't even think about not wearing screen on a sunny day when the surface is reflective (water, snow, white soil or sand, etc.). Besides, modern sunscreens have come a long way. There are a lot of non-greasy ones out there that absorb into the skin. I use Banana Boat brand.

I use sunscreen all the time now, I thought it was a hoax when it first came out, till I tried it.

One time I went fishing in Algonquin Park with 3 friends (2 canoes), it was very sunny and hot and I even got a slight sunburn through my cotton t-shirt.

My 2 other partners were in an aluminum canoe, wearing just bathing suits with no sunscreen. They spent the day drinking rum and trolling for lake trout, by the end of the afternoon they were extremely sunburn, but to drunk to feel it. The next morning was really painful for them; sunburnt and hungover.

Mike

Sunscreen definitely works. You're talking to the king of sunburn here. SPF 30 sunscreen has really made a huge difference for me. I used to burn fairly frequently, particularly on snow or at high altitude -- and I wear long sleeves, long pants, and a wide brimmed hat every time I go hiking (well, in the winter I might wear a fleece cap, but sunburn isn't a big issue in the winter).

You definitely can get a sunburn through single layer cotton shirts. To avoid sunburn through clothes, look for clothing with a UPF (like SPF on sunscreen but for clothes) of at least 30.

It's very interesting what can happen when the sun is intense, particularly on water and snow. I got a sunburn under my chin, on the underside of my nostrils, and on the skin above my eyelids, all areas I wouldn't have thought to go heavy on with the sunscreen since sunlight can't hit them directly. Oh, and don't wear really loose, open shorts when walking on snow in spring conditions.

You can also get sunburn through your hair on a high UV day, particularly if you part your hair.

All good info Jim.

My partner at work has thinning hair but hates to wear a hat, he regularly gets a sunburn scalp.

Mike

I always have some sunscreen with me wherever I go, just a habit after living in Hawaii for 6 years and in Japan on and off for about 8 years. Both places you can get burned real quick. I usually find that an SPF 30 works well except for my daughter I carry stronger. Sun burn is no joke and it's really hard to carry even minor tasks while sunburned

Sunburn is no joke; either is skin cancer.
I am in my early fifties and am now having gegular visits to the skin clinic to have bits cut of me. I am fair skinned and live in the country with the highest rate of skin cancer per head of population in the world.
When I was a kid there was no sunscreen or indeed any info or advice to keep out of the sun.
As you can guess SPF30+ is now my best friend; but it's the kids we need to look after, sun damage to skin gets done ealy in life.

RE sunburned scalps - I too hate hats but usually wear one. O do take a good handful of the "goop" and smear it all over my head - makes my hair look like the 1950s, but I don't burn.

Last burn I got was on the BACKS of my ears - I remembered to do the edges, the head behind the ears, the fronts etc, but missed a spot about the size of a dime on one ear, and a nickle on the other

Yup, SPF 30 and a SPF 50 stick

Bill