Mosquito Hats

According to the World Health Organization, around 500 million people are affected annually with some kind of mosquito-borne disease, such as malaria, dengue, yellow fever and encephalitis (including West Nile virus). Statistics show that 2.5 million people actually die from one of these diseases; many of those that die are small children. Many countries have mosquito control programs and advise inhabitants and travelers to protect themselves against mosquito bites. One way to keep these insects away is to wear a mosquito hat.

Mosquito hats are essentially simple hats with some kind of brim; fine mesh mosquito netting is sewn around the rim of this type of hat, however, and it falls down around the face to about the area of your collar. The bottom part of the netting comes with a drawstring, which you can pull to close the net and prevent mosquitoes from entering and biting you on the neck or face. Gardeners’ mosquito hats, military mosquito hats, and camp mosquito hats are all hats of this nature; a mosquito net hat can also be useful for hikers, hunters, boaters and fishermen. Mosquito hats offer protection even in the most infested areas; wear a good insect repellent under the netting and you should be set for whatever the great outdoors has in store for you.

The size of the hat netting mesh should be large enough to allow air to circulate, especially if you’re enclosing your head in it, but small enough to block entrance by mosquitoes. Many experts recommend a 1.2 mm x 1.2 mm mesh size and roughly 120-200 holes per square inch. The most common materials out of which mosquito nets are made are polyester or polyamide; these materials are lightweight and long lasting. Cotton is also used, but can become damp and therefore weigh more; this is a disadvantage for those traveling with cotton mosquito net hats.

You can find mosquito net hats in a wide selection of styles, including brimmed, helmet and ball cap, to fit anyone’s needs. There are sizes for both men and women and a handful of different colors, including camouflage, khaki and green. The hat itself is often made of nylon fabric because it’s lightweight and weatherproof. The majority of hats are very easy to be transported, collapsing to fit into a convenient carrying pouch or folding in on themselves in a pocket on the brim of the hat itself.

You can buy mosquito hats at sports gear stores or camping and fishing outfitters. A hat can cost you anywhere from a few dollars to $100, depending on the brand and quality. If you spend a great deal of time outdoors, you should seriously consider investing in one of these accessories; not only will they protect you against mosquitoes, but they also offer protection against other annoying and disease-carrying insects.