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Post by darthmusturd on Mar 13, 2022 12:34:13 GMT -8
I've been tempted by the French Foreign Legion type hats, but have so far denied them. Has anyone tried the old British pith helmets? I'm sure that if it worked well in the African sun and hot steamy jungles, it'd work well just about anywhere from the swamps of southern Louisiana (and would be good protection against the honey island swamp monster throwing rocks) to the Rocky Mountains to the Mojave desert. (https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/safari-hat-primer/) Gentlemans Gazette does a lot of good articles on hats. You might get a few strange looks, but hiking does that anyways. |
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Post by JRinGeorgia on Mar 13, 2022 19:09:09 GMT -8
Umbrella, baby.
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ErnieW
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I want to backpack
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Post by ErnieW on Mar 13, 2022 19:18:25 GMT -8
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Post by darthmusturd on Mar 13, 2022 19:38:54 GMT -8
parasol, if you please, my good person of proud patronage |
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Post by JRinGeorgia on Mar 14, 2022 6:24:10 GMT -8
"Umbrella" is fine too, being from the Latin for "shade."
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Post by swmtnbackpacker on Mar 14, 2022 6:41:48 GMT -8
So, I like wide brimmed hats. I have a few from the DPC, including one which I recently retired. I have a new one, made from 100% hemp that I really like. I like the modern cowboy hats, but the only issue is that the brims "taper" in the front (not sure of any better terms for it) whereas I'd rather have something uniform and wide on all fronts. I'd like something sort of like a sombrero, but that would just look silly, even for me. And as my grandmother always says: Beauty knows no pain. Unfortunately, I'm not very beautiful anyways. Do y'all have any favorite hats?.. . Trying out the Patagonia Baggies Brimmer full-brim sun hat for their unique crown airflow system (they had 200 in stock when I ordered 2 months ago) and the brim doesn’t collapse when the breeze gets stronger (pretty sure there’s a limit). It has enough styling for trail towns, though people will know you’re hiking … unlike some of the Tilley options which are a cross between fedora and cowboy hat). Also that Patagonia repair service if it needs a patch .. I’d still wear, etc.. . Why other hat makers don’t use the Patagonia vent system on the Brimmer is beyond me. It will catch the slightest of breezes and focus them into a cool flow inside the crown. The Patagonia Brimmer got really high marks on one hiking review site, almost as high as the Sunday Afternoons “Ultra Adventure” hat. www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-sun-hat-for-hikers/amp/Read the above NYT article on their recommendation section “Wirecutter” (again the “Ultra Adventure” was tops) and actually know one of the repeat thru-hikers (“Lint”) who said he’s had some cancerous growths removed (he’s done the triple - Triple Crown .. all 3 long distance hikes 3x each). I’ve had a biopsy on a facial skin growth that turned out to be a benign mole (gotta hand it to the dermatologist… no scar was left). |
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Post by darthmusturd on Mar 14, 2022 12:58:15 GMT -8
The only thing about those extra wide brimmed soft hats is that the brims often have little support and ends up falling in front of my eyes. Though, the Tilley might have a little more support.
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swiftdream
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the Great Southwest Unbound
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Post by swiftdream on Mar 14, 2022 13:46:46 GMT -8
The only thing about those extra wide brimmed soft hats is that the brims often have little support and ends up falling in front of my eyes. Though, the Tilley might have a little more support. Tilley hats have a brim wire. The LTM2 has a double brim wire to keep it reasonably stiff. you can also wear the hat at a dangerous rakish angle to block sun. In hot seasons the insulating 1/8” close cell foam in both crown and brim really help. They also insulate against cold and the buffs under help with both, evaporative cooling in summer while throwing some deep shade midway and keep my head warm on cold winter mornings. I also pull the buffs over my ears too. once in the Mojave I had a chance to hike which even with the heat seemed better than a dreary hotel room or smoke filled casino after aerial mapping work. I pulled the buffs down and all the way up so the only opening was my sunglasses. That took care of a lot of rays ricocheting off the sand and rocks. That’s also what the dark or green underbrim is for, to mitigate the rays that try to ricochet of that surface into your face. Best thing I’ve found for the year round hiking we do and practical for bushwhacking in rocky, thorny terrain. |
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Mar 14, 2022 19:58:34 GMT -8
Sunday Afternoons hats do a good job of covering ears and neck with a softer part of the brim and stiffening the front so it doesn't flop over the eyes. It's been my go-to for about 20 years.
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swiftdream
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Post by swiftdream on Mar 15, 2022 15:38:13 GMT -8
Sunday Afternoons hats do a good job of covering ears and neck with a softer part of the brim and stiffening the front so it doesn't flop over the eyes. It's been my go-to for about 20 years. Sunday Afternoons hats are highly favored among the hardcore desert hikers around here. I see a lot of those hats on the seasoned canyon folks, a good looking, protective shield against the solar storm. |
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jazzmom
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Post by jazzmom on Mar 16, 2022 7:49:16 GMT -8
Sunday Afternoons hats do a good job of covering ears and neck with a softer part of the brim and stiffening the front so it doesn't flop over the eyes. It's been my go-to for about 20 years. That's my preferred style, i.e., a baseball cap with a "sun cape", but when my hair's long, it's almost always in a ponytail when I hike and most hats with a cape don't accommodate a ponytail. So I pin a bandana along the back of my cap to get the same effect. Actually, not a bad backpacking solution... for the weight of two small safety pins, it's how I dry my bandana after rinsing. :D |
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Post by FarOutFarley on Mar 16, 2022 10:41:28 GMT -8
On colder days I wear a down-insulated baseball-style hat with long earflaps to which I added a chin strap.
For kayaking I look for a really large brim and ignore how goofy it looks because you need full protection on the water. Skin cancer is a concern, but so is eye damage from reflections off snow and water.
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Post by cweston on Mar 16, 2022 12:25:39 GMT -8
Well, for everyday use I have this:  and an identical one in very light brown. Plus a whole lot more. That's a nice-looking hat. Do you know the brand/model? I'm in the market for something like that. My go-to "dress" hat is looking pretty crummy these days. I do have a wonderful felt hat that my wife bought me in Ecuador some years ago, but unfortunately it just doesn't fit my giant head, even though it was the biggest size they offered. (Yes, I've tried steaming/stretching.) Hats are a very important accessory for us hair-challenged guys. |
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BigLoad
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Post by BigLoad on Mar 16, 2022 16:38:16 GMT -8
Do you know the brand/model? It's a custom from AzTex hats in Scottsdale (I think Heather Harding made it). It's loosely based on a similar Stetson, but I asked for different front and back heights on the crown and slightly wider brim. They use a conformateur, so it fits so well that it almost can't blow off. |
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Post by FarOutFarley on Mar 18, 2022 17:51:16 GMT -8
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Image Credit / Coolkat
