View Full Version : Tilley Hats
snarbles
11-02-2005, 11:56
I'm considering buying a Tilley hat either the TH4 Hemp hat in mocha or the LTM6 hat. I've heard great things about these hats and was wondering what the pros and cons are between the TH4 and LTM6. If any of you have any experience with these hats your comments would be appreciated.
:)
tlbj6142
11-02-2005, 12:18
I own a LT6, the LTM6 looks a little to Grandpa to me. I love the hat, but have yet to use it much on the trail (couple of short trips with the kids). I wear it around town in the Summer (to keep from burning through my thinning hair) and a bit this fall for warmth (and 'cause it looks cool). Its probalby a bit "too hot" to wear on the AT, but YMMV. Its great to wear when its raining as it keeps my glasses clear and I don't have to wear the hood which means I'm a bit cooler.
I considered them, liking the all-around brim. But the price seemed just too much. I looked all over for an alternative I liked but alway found hats that made me look like a cowhand or a gardening retiree. :( Finally found a cheap $15 brimmed hat at a boardwalk shop at Venice Beach. It was lighter than a Tilley and had a drawstring to keep it on in a strong wind. I found it great for keeping rain and snow off my glasses and in a light rain the brim gave enough shelter to forego donning a rain jacket. A Tilley would have the same advantages.
As I suspected I did end up losing it at the south end of SNP. It took until the outdoor store near Port Clinton that I found a replacement and it is with me still.
SloHiker
11-02-2005, 13:42
I've had several Tilleys constructed of cotton and the newer nylon versions. My current favorite is the LTM6 which has proven to be the coolest Tilley so far. I haven't owned one of the new Hemp models, but the others are bulletproof. The "downside" if there is one is the price, until you consider the hat will likely last a lifetime and is warranted against failure forever. I've worn out enough hats over the years to buy a couple of Tilleys! Oh, they're warranted against loss, too.
Buy a Tilley at your own risk. It might become one of your favorite pieces of gear and you might not want to take it off, You might start wearing it around town and not care if people thing you are strange. Your baseball hats will start gathering dust. I have the Tilley that looks like the Australian Bush hat (the L5 I think). I got it for sun protection out on a boat but wear it everywhere else. Having full brim protection in the rain is terrific. I would buy the lighter version but I LOVE my hat and cannot imagine hiking without it. You do have to be careful if you wear a white hat during deer season though..at least in my neck of the woods..I tie a peice of crime scene tape around it :)
As an alternate, I wear a army "boonie" hat. I use the dessert version. They only cost about 10-15 dollars have a wide brim, have never had a proble with UV and mine floats (at least short term). I do love the Tilly hats just to cheap to buy.
Love my LTM6.
When I was looking for a new hat, I found this quote that cinched it for me:
"On several trips, I stopped at noon for a meal and a three-hour nap while waiting for the temperature to drop. I used the hat to cover my face from the light so I could sleep. With the mesh in the crown, I could breathe comfortably with the hat over my face and did not feel like I was being smothered - and did not notice any odor from my sweaty hike up the mountain."
Important things, naps.
If you want one hat to last you forever this is it.
snarbles
11-09-2005, 10:58
I just bought a Tilley Hemp TH4 hemp hat. Weighs 5.5 oz and looks pretty cool. My girlfriend even says it looks cute.....she even wears it sometimes.
flyfisher
11-09-2005, 16:27
I reviewed the Th4 for BGT. I continued to wear it afterward and did all my hiking this summer (about 480 miles) with the Tilley. It is a great hat that works in heat and in rain.
I use it to keep sun and rain off my glasses. I use it at night in my hammock as insulation for my head. I have used it for naps, and I sit on it with great frequency.
I even got a free cup of upscale coffee with one of the "brag tags."
Great hat.
http://www.backpackgeartest.org/reviews/Clothing/Hats/Tilley%20TH4%20Hat/Rick%20Allnutt/
sparky2000
11-09-2005, 16:46
Just pulled it up on ebay tilley hemp, expensive but durable looking.
tlbj6142
11-09-2005, 17:26
The biggest problem I have with Tilley is their sizing. I would not buy one without trying it on. Using their own "tape measure" I was a bit short of a size 7.125. But there was no way I'd even fit in a 7.25. I ended up with a 7.625. And to make matters worst, different models, and different fabric of the same model, fit differently. I found the "cotton" versions a bit smaller than the nylon versions. The L3 was smaller than the L5, etc.
Thankfully, there are at least 4 stores in my area that carry Tillies. Most had the same models (must be the "standard load" given to them by Tilley), but after trying them all on, I made a guess and ordered my LT5.
peter_pan
11-10-2005, 21:46
Got an LT3 last year.... nothing like quality and class....nice style...well made...protection from sun and rain...a little warm...nice pocket in the top... great cord system..launders easy...not really light at 3.7 oz...but, fun to wear...and, you meet the nicest folk in Tilleys.
Pan
jasonklass
12-31-2005, 23:11
I have a T3 that I use for fishing and sometimes backpacking. I like the way it repels rain, floats, ties on, and I also like the security pocket. However, I hate the way I look in it. I absolutely won't wear it around girls. Oh well, function has it's price.
HikeLite
01-01-2006, 08:28
I like my LTM3 and the fit was accurate from the website scale. I want to try an LT5.
I'm considering buying a Tilley hat either the TH4 Hemp hat in mocha or the LTM6 hat. I've heard great things about these hats and was wondering what the pros and cons are between the TH4 and LTM6. If any of you have any experience with these hats your comments would be appreciated.:)
my buddy, "TeePee" hiked with one in 2002....
he loved it in the rain & mist....HATED it in the heat!
get something MORE BREATH-able!
:D
u wont see too many of them on the A.T.!
I own a T2 (the widest, flat-brimmed hat Tilley sells) with the drawcord. I'm a land surveyor and I'm a redhead, and I put that damn hat on every time the sun comes out from behind a cloud in the summer, because I've been sunburned and learned my lesson.
Great product: warranted against failure and loss. Because the cotton twill is substantial, it actually wicks sweat from your brow pretty well. Hand-wash with Woolite, stuff an old towel in the crown and lie the hat flat in the sun for a while, and you're gold.
That being said, I doubt I'd take that work hat on the AT. It's bulky, it's not a lightweight fabric (e.g. probably heavier than you might want when wet) and it doesn't serve any other purpose that I can think of, so I pack a light brimless cap...one of those ski-type caps that breathes while still keeping your head warm. In the "green tunnel", I don't need as much sun protection.
Don't be too quick to leave it behind. The biggest factor that steered me away from one is the cost. I favored that very shape of broad-brimmed hat on the Trail, going for cheaper and admitedly lighter equivalents. It keeps the sun away in any conditions, it keeps the spiderwebs out of my face. And in rainy weather the broad brim all by itself often provided all the rain cover I needed. As far as I am concerned a broadbrimmed hat like that is the perfect Trail hat.
:jump
I would take it if I thought it wouldn't be wet most of the time, and if I didn't already have a cap to wear in the bag on really cold nights. With the cap, I can wear it during the day AND at night, and I don't want to take more than 1 piece of headgear. I'm trying to keep my pack weight around 30# this time around.
Style Tilley for approx. 8 or 9 years that I used for Canoeing and still miss
it. My ex-gf took it when she moved out !! I told her later on the phone if
she ever decided to come see me, etc. she better bring the hat or forget
it. Still not sure if getting rid of her was worth losing the Tilley or not. lol
When I told a new gf my sad tale of woe she had me drive the 100 miles to
Bloomington,IN and bought for my birthday this past July a new LT 5 which
I like even better, but haven't felt the same and haven't wore it enough to
even call it broke it yet. We parted company back in Sept. but I got custody
of the Tilley this time.
I tried some hiking in the old style cotton Tilley and found it way to warm for me.
I also had trouble with the brim hitting my old pack that had a lid on it.
Although I don't think that would be a problem now with my Golite Breeze ...
P.S. The old Tilley had a $20 bill in the secret pocket. I bet she still hasn't found
it. Now don't tell where it is guys !! lmao :D
straw hat with wide brim that can fold,,,much more breathable! Had tilley's,,,look good but horribly heavy and don't breath. when it rained,,,threw a thin shower cap they provide at hotels over the hat,,,,beats a hood on a rian jacket any day!
what is a tilly hat lol:cool: neo
is this a tilly hat:cool: neo
http://www.cuteandcomfy.com/store/search_results.asp?cat_id=4
here is a pic of my wife in a hat that i nicknamed the mrs.doubtfire hat lol:cool: neo
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=9405&catid=member&imageuser=3462
"Crocodile" Dundee would say "Ew c'll that a 'at? Now 'ere's a REAL 'at!: http://www.tilley.com/"
I've got an old, battered, dark brown canvas T3, bought long before they offered lighter fabric. I don't think they offer the color any more. The female half of the right-hand brim snap at one point began to rattle annoyingly. I fixed that with a strategic application of ShooGoo. I remove the foam in the top when I'm walking rather than paddling. It's a little cooler that way, and a hiking hat doesn't need to float. I hope.
The T3 is very good in the rain, and in strong sun. It also works well as an eyeshade at nap time, a la every cowboy movie you've ever seen.
The strap system works well in high wind. I keep meaning to replace the brown shoelace with some sort of jaunty colored thing, but I never get around to it.
I used to wear a pin on the front of the hat, of the type that is received by a little gizmo that holds it in place. Then one day I bonked my head on something and drove the little gizmo into my dome. No more pin.
I look awful in any kind of hat. But I look awful without any kind of hat, too, so that pretty much evens out.
LostInSpace
02-01-2006, 14:02
I have considered a Tilley LTM6 ..., but I already have a couple of boonie hats, which anyone can get for a little over $10. They weigh 3 oz., the same as the LTM6. The boonie hats come in a lot more color choices (http://www.armynavyshop.com/military-boonie-camo-hats.html) than the LTM6.
I'm going to see if one of those hotel shower caps will fit over my Panama straw hat. The Panama hat seems like a "cooler" solution than the Tilley.
i prefer my boonie hat:cool: neo
http://www.armynavyshop.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?store_code=army-navy-shop&screen=PROD&product_code=rc5834
Trajectory
04-28-2007, 17:04
$69.00 for a hat? Bite me.
The snap that holds the sides of the brim up is more than for fashion. Keep the side down that shades you from the sun. Snap up the side that would be in shade and you'll have more ventilation.
Works a charm.
SunnyWalker
04-30-2007, 23:24
No Tilley ($$$$$) for me. I will keep using my Cowboys hat. How 'bout them cowboys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-SunnyWalker
Got a white Tilley with the buttons on the side about 20 years ago and wore it a lot for a while traveling the world and working in hot climates as a geologist.
Biggest problem was that it absorbed sweat and developed a horrible brown stain across the front. My wife at the time banned it, and then we tried dying it brown, which didn't work too well.
I guess at this point it's a goner and I should try to return it for a replacement.
I like their hats but lately I think there are better choices:
I recommend trying www.sundayafternoons.com (http://www.sundayafternoons.com)
FanaticFringer
05-04-2007, 21:22
www.gotahavahat.com
FanaticFringer
05-04-2007, 21:24
This should work:
www.gottahavahat.com
moondoggy
05-04-2007, 21:59
I spend a great deal of time outdoors....I'm folically challanged, and have had several outbreaks of skin cancer...one pretty serious.
I have a whole rack of different hats. Bought a TH4 about two months ago..I balked at the price but like the idea of the big brims....It is without a doubt the most comfortable hat I've ever warn....bar none. The only problem I forsee is the hemp tends to be a little warm...
I liked it so much I bought my dad (87) one too....
Oh yeah, wife says it looks sexy....
Touch of Grey
05-05-2007, 08:05
Love my Tilley, Microfiber model. Only problem I have with it is when I hike with a backpack on. It rubs against the pack and is in general iratating to me. Other than that I really like it. Used it this year when I started from Springer in March and it fell in the mud between Woody Gap and Neels Gap. Threw it in the washer at Neels and it was fine. No stains and only a little shrinkage (it easily stretched back out). Left it home when I went back two weeks later and only used a bandanna for head coverage.
Still all in all, I love my Tilley and I get many stares and compliments when I wear it around town here.
TOG
Nightwalker
05-06-2007, 16:21
Go to the Army/Navy and get a Desert Boonie. Less than ten bucks, wears great, and you won't cry too badly when some buttface steals it from beside your sleeping carcass above Bly Gap. :D
rswanson
05-07-2007, 16:11
I gotta agree with the '$70 for a hat?!' crowd. Maybe its just me but I really don't have a high hat comfort sensitivity meter. I doubt I could discern the difference between a Tilley and a cheap straw western hat.