Seems a man's man is a thing of the past. Using a buff to fish a spring creek? Really? I know we are an accessory sport but ... really? Maybe I'm getting old and sentimental. Whats next? Fishing from a bubble?
I'm a Marlboro man, not scared of lung cancer, not scared of liver disease ether, beer is just man's water. I run a natural Buff, full beard & long hair. A Buff is a Saltwater thing if you are clean shaven, they have no place anywhere else!
...or lived with it and the treatments. I tell myself the poor little things don't have the balls to undergo treatment. Likely pass out just watching a nurse access someone's port.
I wore a fly motif printed buff each day for 5 months when my hair fell out.
True! It's never been in my family, every single person from my family from all the different sides has always died from a heart attack or stroke whether they smoked or not, i`m pretty damn sure I know how I'm going to go & I'm at peace with myself about that! Dying is the only thing we all have to do!
I go with the underachiever. I don't want skin cancer anywhere on my body. I spent a week on Christmas island recently where the sun is so intense it can burn you in a matter of minutes. Buffs and sun gloves, long sleeved pants and shirt, and a good hat and glasses. I used SPF 70 sun screen though some would say that was overkill. I rather overkill than die of cancer. I don't always wear the buff but it's always with me when I fish. The glare from the water is enough to cook your face. It's just common sense which many people lack.
Wide brim hat, sunscreen with high spf, long sleeves, sometimes sun gloves. When wearing a Buff I burn holes for breathing to help lessen sunglass fog-up. Film on vehicle windows including windshield. Too many bouts with the nasty stuff...
A Buff works wonders on the window arm when driving. A long days drive to a fly fishing spot 3 state away can cook your arm on the window sill. I could buy a sleeve but why why the buff can do both duties?
Besides the looks of passing cars when they see a brown trout patterned arm on the window sill is priceless...............
I think a lot of what your Buff haters dont understand is its not the sun rays coming down on you that you need to worry about, its staring at the water all day long and having the reflections of the water reflect back up on your face.... No wide brim hat is gonna save your ass from that......
I used to not be convinced. On a recent trip to Yellowstone my fishing buddies bought me a Simms solar flex hoody. It’s amazing. I grabbed a Simms buff with the breathing holes. No fogged up glasses. Stayed cooler all day. Protected from the sun. Felt better after the day was over. My girlfriend and I are sold.
I'm with @Swimmy, the sun hoodys are awesome. And, as others have mentioned its not the sun beating down on you only that you have to worry about, its about the reflection off the water. I personally hate the feel of sunscreen, on my face especially. And, when you are sweating your balls off in 90+ degree weather all day, its bound to get in your eyes, which is even less enjoyable than the feel of it. So yeah, I wear a buff.
I think the question should be: are you man enough to protect your face from the sun regardless of what others think you look like?
For all of you macho men and "man's men" out there that hate buffs and their usage and belittle those of us that use them I have two words: Oncology Lab. Find out what that is and what purpose it serves. If you can spend a day in one of those places then make jokes about getting cancer you are an idiot. If you can buy a $15 piece of gear that will reduce your chances of ever being in an oncology lab and won't because you think it isn't manly you are an idiot. If you wear a buff and your friends make jokes about you being a girly man your friends are idiots.
During the last 5 years I was in the oncology facility over 200 times and if you have never believed anything I have said believe this: You don't want to ever have to go there. Anything you can do to possibly prevent the occurrence of that dread disease is worth whatever you have to pay and whatever damage it does to your fragile ego. Stop thinking you are invulnerable-you're not. A buff, a long billed cap with the neck shroud that protects the ears, wrap around sun glasses and sun gloves combined with long sleeved shirts will go a long way toward diminishing the damage the sun can do during a long day of summer fishing. And if all that looks ridiculous to you imagine yourself in an oncology chair with tubes running into your port (do you even know what that is?) while an 8oz baggie of liquid that cost $4500 drips into your veins.
It's time to get smart about this stuff and stop playing Russian Roulette with your long term health. There are plenty of things available now to protect you if you will only use them. If you are diagnosed with cancer sometime in midlife your buff jokes won't seem so funny anymore.
Skin cancer is no joke! I stopped counting 10 years ago when I hit 150 removals. I go in semi-annually for a check to see how many more that have to be surgically removed. I average 10 a year. That is one removal a week for 10 weeks in a row (minimizes down time). A lot of lost time every year when I could be doing other things like vacation or fishing. Also with insurance changes it costs me a lot more every time...
So far I have avoided the big "M" (melanoma). I hope that luck continues...
I'm averaging about 1/2 those numbers per year, but the numbers seem to be on the increase.
Just a note to you younger guys.... overexposure to the sun's rays when you're young contributes to problems decades later.
We weren't warned nearly as much about this in my younger days and many of us are paying the price now.
Be smart.
I usually try to avoid too much sun, but that isn't always possible when fishing. Or when bicycling, hiking, or getting the outdoor chores done. The sun is actually less intense here right near the beach with moisture in the air from "marine push", fog rolling in, overcast, being @ sea level, etc, and so I've been able to get by without a buff, wearing wide brims, long sleeves, and sunscreen. When paddling the estuaries, creeks, or on a lake, though, that level of protection isn't enough to shield against the reflected rays.
I'm getting a buff. I'll really need it when I head inland.
My wife had her skin cancer removed in April. They laid her whole face open. Took over 40 stitches to close it up. Doctor asked me if I wanted to stay and watch and I said no. Now she has to go to a specialist every 6 months. They said they got it all. I sure hope so..
I don't have to worry about the sun bouncing off the water as I don't fish for very long. This old body keeps me from that. I'm good for about a few minutes of casting and then I have to sit down. The best place to sit down seems to be in my truck.
Golf Coast UV index yesterday was +11. I'm currently enjoying a completely unnecessary sunburn.
Tip of the day: Don't just wear your buff around you neck until you start to feel your face burn. Cover face with buff prior to the burning sensation.... #numbskull
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