The Bucket List: The Best Surf Hat / Helmet Combos
Helmet, what helmet?
Recently, we covered the best surf helmets currently on the market, check it out. Helmets really should be a part of any surfer’s kit, especially anyone who is keen to ride solid (or crowded) waves or surf over reef. The good news is that the range and tech of helmets has increased recently, and surfers can now choose from harder or lightweight shells that offer a range of comfort, protection, and cost.
However, in that selection, we rightly focused on the helmet’s ability to protect your head. In that, sometimes the look, or fashionable elements, didn’t get much of a look in. We’d say helmets like the Gath, Oakley’s new WTR Icon, and the Simba, while incredibly functional, have a pretty punchy look. If you are someone who doesn’t want to stand out in the line-up, these designs don’t make it very easy.
That’s probably why there is a raft of new brands offering a range of more fashion-friendly protective surf hats. Most, and we can perhaps blame DJ Paul Fisher for this, come in the popular bucket hat design. It is, if you excuse the pun, a no-brainer. A hat that is light, comfortable, protects your neck, ears, and face from the sun and wind, but has impact-absorbing inlays that can save your skull. And unlike the Simba, you can wear them at the pool or bar afterwards.
Bang Proof
Bang Proof provides a range of helmets for a variety of water sports, including surfing. In their words, the material is whisper-soft and featherlight while you ride — but instantly hardens on impact. Their Bucket model has passed the rigorous safety standard of EN1385, the norm for helmets in canoeing and white water sports, and comes not only with Impact Absorption Technology, but in a range of colourways. And if bucket hats aren’t your thing, trucker hat-style modes are available.
Surf Skull
The Santa Cruz start-up brand founded by Davon Larson, a former product designer from Google, has pitched a helmet with a sleek profile that is “designed to blend in, not stand out.” Launched in 2023, the Surf Skull has an ABS/EVA “Bump-cap” insert and a chin strap to keep it in place during any wipeout. They also claim they are testing new patent-pending Reeflex technology is designed to reduce rotational forces, which is a leading cause of concussion in surfing. They also offer a baseball-style cap with similar protection.
Smile Surfwear
Founder Leon had his lightbulb moment while waiting for his partner, Kiki in a hospital emergency room after a surfing accident in Sri Lanka. “I couldn’t shake the nagging question: why wasn’t there more protection available for surfers like her? Traditional helmets seemed overkill for everyday surfers, yet accidents like hers were all too common.”
His answer to that question came in the form of the Reef Ranger 1.0, which has a removable protective insert that protects from unexpected low to medium impacts during day-to-day surfs. It also includes mesh earmuffs, which minimize water and wind exposure, helping prevent surfer’s ear without compromising on hearing.
SurfShell
Having seen a friend need eight stitches to her head after a wipeout at home in Raglan Bay, New Zealand, and with three young boys learning to surf, Laura Lucas was surprised to find no surf hats that offered the “bump and gash protection” she needed. So the former policewoman and her husband, Todd (with the kids on R & D), started SurfShell. They created a range of surf hats that come with cool designs and patterns and a reinforced shell made from ABS and closed-cell EVA foam. The kids’ range has been particularly popular and the pink colourway a big hit. “Like with snowboarding and skiing, no one used to wear helmets, and now you don’t really see anyone without one,” said Lucas. “Hopefully surfing will follow suit.”