Why a Neck Gaiter Helps Fend Off the Elements During Fishing
Fishermen may encounter different weather and temperature conditions during fishing trips. Even their favorite fishing spots may give them uncomfortable skin conditions due to extreme outdoor conditions. Targeting certain fish demands fishing at proper times of the day.
Targeting different fish during harsher conditions such as high noon heat or in cold breeze beaches when long casting is common. Skin reactions from the elements are common occurrences, leaving us with skin injuries after what’s supposed to be enjoyable fishing sessions.
Many fishermen and anglers use neck gaiters, which are special fabric coverings that protect the skin. We’ll discuss how it is used against heat, cold, and even insect bites in various fishing sites around the country.
Certain Daytime Heat Levels and Other Factors
Usually a few hours before noon, at high noon, and a few hours after it exposes anglers and fishers to extreme heat, and often with enough exposure to deadly ultraviolet rays. It’s easy to say it’s for the love of fishing but its harm on the skin is considerable. Protection for the skin is definitely required.
The same thing can be said of certain colder weather or plenty of dry cold winds that can equally harm the skin as well. While there is protective gear such as long sleeve base layers with comfortable and quick-drying lightweight fabrics, there is more effective gear that provides better skin, face, and head protection.
You may have noticed more people using protective clothing layers called neck gaiters. Some have even used it in lieu of face masks today against the COVID pandemic as an alternate face mask. It covers the whole face and neck area. But for many fishermen, its use involves complete head and neck protection from harsh outdoor elements during fishing as well.
Neck Gaiter Protection Explained
Full protection of the face, the whole neck, and the back of the neck are essential nowadays when doing even moderate outdoor activities like fishing. Neck gaiters are a suitable covering option that gives the best type of heat and rough wind protection including the rest of our face, mouth, nose, and other neck areas completely.
Neck gaiters are commonly worn in tandem with eye goggles, wrap-around UV protection sunglasses, headgear, and different fishing hats, for overall head protection. These protective coverings allow users to breathe freely as well.
Neck gaiters work two ways in extreme fishing weather and outdoor conditions. The first is to protect your whole neck and face from the cold dry air or sea breeze cold. Even colder conditions can bring harsh winds that can abrade your skin and bring damage.
The Sun’s UV Rays
While most fishing conditions are not harmful to the skin, some hotter areas and conditions at certain times will bring harmful ultraviolet rays. They are harmful to the skin and are common during certain times of the day. It also protects from cold weather windburn effects.
Neck gaiters provide excellent protection to avoid UV ray sunburn and overexposure to the sun leading to sunburn or sun-damaged skin. It is a well-documented fact that prolonged UV ray skin damage can result in skin cancer and extensive skin damage aside from common extreme dryness. The level of protection from neck gaiter fabrics is very specific.
Neck Gaiter UV Ray Filtering
Common neck gaiters have an Ultraviolet Protection Factor or UPF rating of at least 50 for effective protection. This rating is the current protection standard level for all outdoor neck gaiters.
SPF or Sun Protection Factor is much different from UPF. It is the rate of how fast your skin reacts to reddening from exposure to ultraviolet rays. While it is more of a threshold how much heat your skin can take it also damages it. But SPF is only at the skin surface level.
UPF involves the two leading UV ray skin damage levels. First is UVA or ultraviolet A rays that can cause faster skin aging. UVB or ultraviolet B rays can cause skin redness. Both contribute to skin cancer through repeated exposure. UPF offers more comprehensive protection by blocking both Ultraviolet A and B rays, while SPF only protects from UVB rays. These are the key differences.
Cold Windburn Protection
Neck gaiters also equally protect against cold air windburn, coming from the colder regions with vigorous, dry cold winds. They can also produce a similar effect to a sunburn except instead heat drying up the skin, burning cold sensation is felt, and still causing extremely dry skin. These conditions can cause skin peeling and red sore skin with air abrasion effects.
You may need moisturiser or plain bottled water to remedy the extreme dryness. Under no circumstances do you use seawater or freshwater as it will cause extreme irritation from different elements in both water types.
It is a more convenient method of skin protection than sunscreen as well. It can only protect from the sun’s UV rays while covered in these protective fabrics. In case you need to use sunscreen, use level SPF 30 for the best results. However, sunscreen may not be as convenient since the skin is left exposed to other possibly harmful elements.
Protection From Insects in Extreme Conditions
Many unexplored freshwater fishing sites have a variety of flies, small insects, and mosquitoes that can leave nasty and terrible itchy bite marks all around, While the rest of the body is protected by extra layers and long sleeves, our head, and neck area is perfectly taken care of by our trusty neck gaiters. They also protect you from insects and mosquitoes out in the wild while providing easy action while fishing, effectively keeping nasty little insects and mosquitoes out of our faces.
The Wrap Up
Fishing even in regular spots can expose anglers and fishers to extreme heat and even cold air windburn. So far, neck gaiters provide the best face and neck protection, including insects and mosquitoes in wilder freshwater fishing sites, and during nighttime fishing. They are also better than sunscreen and anti-insect and mosquito skin applications due to their convenience and comfort.
