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naturejunkie
05-21-2008, 11:38
I am looking for a good hat to protect my bald head and fair skin during my SOBO thru-hike, especially in the summer months. I looked around REI, but wasn't excited by the choices. I am thinking about one of those straw cowboy kind of hats. Sure, it'll get beat all to hell, but they are super light. Any suggestions?

Gray Blazer
05-21-2008, 11:39
UF Gator Cap.

Marta
05-21-2008, 11:43
Anything by Tilley. The tie-on system is fantastic. They're expensive, but will outlast you.

flemdawg1
05-21-2008, 11:54
Ex-Officio Buzz-off cap

http://www.rei.com/REI-Outlet/product/766254

Alligator
05-21-2008, 12:04
I carry an all around wide brimmed hat when hiking in warmer, sunny months. I too burn easy. I don't often wear it though because it's too hot and only needed in open areas. I keep it folded up in a hip pouch. My suggestion is something foldable, perhaps very breathable such as mesh, non-cotton as cotton takes a while to dry, and with a liner to absorb sweat.

Alternatively a cotton bandana is a good choice, along with some sunscreen.

leeki pole
05-21-2008, 12:06
Columbia Bora Bora boonie....I love mine, good protection and ventilation.

socalhiker
05-21-2008, 12:06
I use a wide brim hat but augment it in the middle of the day by inserting a 100% cotton bandana to keep the intense rays at bay, especially in the higher elevations of the Sierras. Like you have found, the choices appear to be unsatisfactory for our thinning pates.

jlb2012
05-21-2008, 12:16
I use a white Stetson straw hat except in deer hunting season when I use a blaze orange boonie hat.

Marta
05-21-2008, 12:18
I should add that you will probably not be troubled by excessive sunshine on your head during your SOBO. Between the leaves and the cloudy skies, opportunities to get burned are fairly few. A head net can be valuable (eye-diving gnats are not fooled by DEET), so you might want to pick a head covering that will work with your head net. A bandana dabbed with DEET would help keep mosquitoes at bay, as well as keeping the sun off your pate.

jlb2012
05-21-2008, 12:26
Marta - btw one of the reasons I use the white brim hat is that the gnats tend to go for the rim of the hat and not into my face

mudhead
05-21-2008, 12:27
The Tilley hats are all the rage among the tourist types here.

So I need other choices. Where do I find a straw type hat to try on?

Marta
05-21-2008, 12:33
Where do I find a straw type hat to try on?

Make a trip far enough south that all the stores have them.:D

Marta
05-21-2008, 12:36
Marta - btw one of the reasons I use the white brim hat is that the gnats tend to go for the rim of the hat and not into my face

I hate insects that are too small to smack.

leeki pole
05-21-2008, 14:55
Make a trip far enough south that all the stores have them.:D
Heh...a Resistol 20X is in every feed store around here:D

Jason of the Woods
05-21-2008, 14:57
I wear a Buff everyday. Trust in me.;)

wahoo
05-21-2008, 15:01
Pith helmet.

Dances with Mice
05-21-2008, 15:17
I've been known to wear a hat a time or two. I have a wall full of them.

This is my favorite on-line hat shop (http://www.villagehatshop.com/hats_shop_brands.html)- huge selection, good prices, speedy service, will replace hat if wrong size. They tell how to find your size on their site and if you don't like the fit they'll replace it immediately. Be sure to check out their "Hats on Sale" section, there are some real bargains there amongst the seasonal silly hat clearances.

Brands - I know Tilley is in a league by itself for outdoor headgear but I don't really like most of their styles. Stetsons are great, I have several. Jaxon is surprisingly good for their price, I have several of their hats also and am very pleased with all of them. Matter of fact, I'm traveling to the Czech Republic next week and packing my Jaxon crushable fedora. And last but not least, Akubra (http://www.davidmorgan.com/index.php?cPath=2)is the Stetson of Australia. They make exceptionally high quality hats.

Mags
05-21-2008, 16:12
For intense, sunny conditions (high altitude/above treeline/desert), I use a boonie style hat. It is a poly/cotton blend that I found works well.

For other conditions I wear a bandanna. I sweat enough where it keeps the sweat off my eyes, keeps the bugs out my hair (when I grow it out on long hikes) and keeps the sun off my scalp for shorter hikes/backpacks.

YMMV.

SunnyWalker
05-21-2008, 22:24
Texas Rangers baseball cap. $27.00 (about) with tax. Use a bandanna on the neck stuck under the hat when real long sunny days. I take the entire thing and dip it in the stream and put it on . . . ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Other than here is the absolutely best straw hat made: SunBody hats. They are hand made south of the border from palm leaves. You can get them wet-indestructible. When wet you can shape them, wear them dry and then they are soft as silk. Comfortalbe. I had two holes put in the side to put a line thru to keep on my head in wind. Here in West Texas it IS windy. I must admit, at the risk of being called a cowboy I have wore this hat on more hikes then the Texas Rangers type hats. Here is SunBody's web site: SunBody.com

sofaking
05-21-2008, 22:27
plastic beer helmet, you know the kind- two can holders and a drinking tube...pure genius.

Tinker
05-21-2008, 23:30
I usually wear a broad-brimmed hat to keep the sun off my face and neck. Usually they have a ventilation strip around the crown. The current one I own is made by Dorfman, I believe. It's beige and made of cotton, which obviously gets quite floppy when wet. I usually wear my poncho without the hat in rainy conditions in warm weather. I've also bought a staw cowboy hat which I haven't hiked in yet, but I like to wear it to the beach or on local walks. It doesn't do much to keep bugs out of your hair, but it's nice and breezy. I'm thinking of buying one of those vinyl cowboy hat covers for it and trying it on a hike in hot weather. Cool shade and waterproof protection would be a nice combination.

sofaking
05-22-2008, 00:11
samurai kabuto.

greentick
05-22-2008, 05:28
light tan boonie

naturejunkie
05-22-2008, 08:56
Thanks for the suggestions everyone, see ya on the trail. Cheers!

SloHiker
05-22-2008, 15:20
Anything by Tilley. The tie-on system is fantastic. They're expensive, but will outlast you.

The nylon Tilleys are bulletproof, comfortable and functional. You'll probably think they're pricey until you own one! If you wear it out they'll give you a new one. Wash them often and they'll stay looking new virtually forever.

kayak karl
05-22-2008, 16:42
this is a good SOBO hat
http://www.hatsinthebelfry.com/page/H/PROD/zo/19726
:D

Gray Blazer
05-22-2008, 20:25
this is a good SOBO hat
http://www.hatsinthebelfry.com/page/H/PROD/zo/19726
:D
I vote for this one. **** the Gators! Go Moose!!

Marta
05-22-2008, 21:07
this is a good SOBO hat
http://www.hatsinthebelfry.com/page/H/PROD/zo/19726
:D

It would be especially good camouflage during hunting season.;)

kayak karl
05-22-2008, 21:21
It would be especially good camouflage during hunting season.;)
but not good during rutting season:D:D:D

Tinker
05-22-2008, 21:29
The nylon Tilleys are bulletproof, comfortable and functional. You'll probably think they're pricey until you own one! If you wear it out they'll give you a new one. Wash them often and they'll stay looking new virtually forever.

I know that nylon is one of the fabrics most easily weakened by UV rays. How is it that Tillie can make a nylon hat and give it their lifetime warranty? Do they use a long term UV inhibitor? I looked at them, then decided not to buy one because of the nylon/UV factor.

SunnyWalker
05-22-2008, 23:40
Take a look at these hats made out of palm leaves, SunBody.com

SloHiker
05-23-2008, 15:52
I know that nylon is one of the fabrics most easily weakened by UV rays. How is it that Tillie can make a nylon hat and give it their lifetime warranty? Do they use a long term UV inhibitor? I looked at them, then decided not to buy one because of the nylon/UV factor.

I'm afraid I don't know the answer to that. But, I recall reading somewhere that the original impetus for Alex Tilley designing his own hat was for boating use, which certainly involves long exposure to the sun. That being his passion, I suspect he knows a thing or two about sun exposure and it's harmful effects.

I do know this, the first nylon Tilley I bought many years ago was repeatedly exposed to long days poolside and to treated pool water for three summers (I never took it off) and it showed absolutely no signs of wear or tear. I eventually sold it on Ebay and I think it still sold for over $35.00.

Dances with Mice
05-23-2008, 19:16
There are additives that can be, uh, added (...thus the name...) to polymers (...such as nylon...) that make them UV resistant. Think of it as sunblock for plastics.

The UV additive isn't added to all products because (1) it's expensive and (2) it makes it more difficult to form fibers and when that happens it also increases cost. A lot. Spending gobs of money on raw materials and equipment and crew without making any product tends to do that and manufacturers really don't like being middlemen between the polymer manufacturer and the landfill. So the fiber making guys run on the hairy edge of adding enough additive to make the polymer UV resistant but not enough to turn their spun polymer into giant gobs of plastic abstract sculpture rather than fibers. Been there, done that.

Some of those fiber guys even fly chemical engineers from Georgia to some town in the Czech Republic that needs to buy some vowels for its name, paying for last-minute round-trip airfare tickets to Vienna, a limo over the Alps, and put him up in a 200 Euro a night hotel just to measure the UV additive in their product.

Sometimes working for The Man is kinda fun.

Just sayin'.

Skidsteer
05-23-2008, 20:20
And internet access goes with the deal!

mudhead
05-24-2008, 03:29
I hope everyone who is travelling has a safe and happy weekend. Try and take a momemt to think of what the weekend is about.

So back to the nylon/UV resistant question. With a Tilley does it just take longer to "fade," and they have it covered? (Could be catatonic polyester?)

I keep a cheap orange hat in the vehicle, and have noticed differing amounts of fade directly related to price.

Marta
05-24-2008, 06:47
So back to the nylon/UV resistant question. With a Tilley does it just take longer to "fade," and they have it covered? (Could be catatonic polyester?)


My husband's Tilley is about 8 years old; mine is about 7 years old. I haven't noticed any fading on either. (Not surprising since it's off-white. My husband's hat is sort of khaki, though, and it hasn't faded.) The things look practically brand new. I've washed mine a bunch, worn it in New Mexico and California, as well as in the east. It's a great hat.

hopefulhiker
05-24-2008, 06:54
I used a light weight OR cap with a snap on skirt around the back. It could also tie on. I liked this hat because it kept the wind and the bugs out of my ears and the sun out of my eyes coming from the side..(This is often the case hiking the AT on a northbound ridge). The nylon fabric draped over the neck and helped keep you clean..
The downside is that it looks like something they would wear in the Middle East and if I wore sunglasses I would have a hard time getting a ride.. But the nylon piece snaps off and the hat looks like a regular baseball cap..

Dances with Mice
05-24-2008, 08:08
So back to the nylon/UV resistant question. With a Tilley does it just take longer to "fade," and they have it covered? (Could be catatonic polyester?)

I keep a cheap orange hat in the vehicle, and have noticed differing amounts of fade directly related to price.Now you're getting into pigmented versus dyed.

There's at least three ways to make an orange hat. You can weave a cloth out of fibers that have been dyed orange then make a hat, or you can take a white cloth and dye it orange then make a hat, or you can make a hat out of white cloth then dye the hat.

All of those methods use dyes to change the color of the fibers. Dyes are colored liquids. How well the dye lasts depends on a whole lot of stuff y'all really don't want to read about because y'all still have your sanity and really should protect it. Think of how Easter eggs are dyed.

But there's yet another way to make an orange hat. You could throw orange pigments into the polymer before the fiber is made then spin orange fibers, weave them into a cloth then make a hat. Pigments are solid particles, Georgia red clay would work fine. Pigments won't wash out, they're inside the fiber and won't fade. Think of a brown chicken egg versus a white one that's been dyed brown.

Now let's quietly walk away from the manufacturing plant while the crew tries to flush out all that orange pigment we threw into their equipment before they can make another color. Did we throw UV stabilizing additives in too? We better run. They're going to make somebody pay for that.

My guess is that Tilly is using cloth made from pigmented fibers with UV resistant additive but they, and eventually their customer, pay for it.

StepChld
05-28-2008, 15:50
Texas Rangers baseball cap. $27.00 (about) with tax. Use a bandanna on the neck stuck under the hat when real long sunny days. I take the entire thing and dip it in the stream and put it on . . . ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Other than here is the absolutely best straw hat made: SunBody hats. They are hand made south of the border from palm leaves. You can get them wet-indestructible. When wet you can shape them, wear them dry and then they are soft as silk. Comfortalbe. I had two holes put in the side to put a line thru to keep on my head in wind. Here in West Texas it IS windy. I must admit, at the risk of being called a cowboy I have wore this hat on more hikes then the Texas Rangers type hats. Here is SunBody's web site: SunBody.com+1 for Sunbody's..good hats and very breezy!:banana
And I'm w/ Leki...these type of hats are found everywhere down here:p

QuietZombie
05-28-2008, 17:17
i've got the mountain hardwear full brim hat with the vent around the crown and the side snaps. haven't used it that much hiking but it seems like it would be ok, as i've used it for a variety of other sunny/warm weather activities such as paddling, music fests, etc. keeps the sun off my neck and keeps my head cool.

4eyedbuzzard
05-28-2008, 19:43
Camo (smokey branch) boonie with extra vents cut in.

Tin Man
05-28-2008, 20:00
http://lh5.ggpht.com/TinManCT/SD3x5ylUmrI/AAAAAAAAAP4/EYdq0mhXkFQ/s144/Ass_Hat.jpg

Marta
05-28-2008, 20:50
http://lh5.ggpht.com/TinManCT/SD3x5ylUmrI/AAAAAAAAAP4/EYdq0mhXkFQ/s144/Ass_Hat.jpg

Cheeky!

Wise Old Owl
05-28-2008, 20:54
best place to ask this question, The Tilleys are very cool and cotton duck, - anyone know of a tent polypro version of wide brim, without claiming its goretex, (ultra light without the price.)

rafe
05-28-2008, 21:13
There's no perfect hat. I carry three -- Seattle Sombrero for rain, a knit or fleece hat for warmth and one for protection from sun and gnats (from some light-weight, light-colored material.) That Seattle Sombrero has seen the whole AT -- it's the only piece of gear I own that can make that claim.

LIhikers
05-29-2008, 07:31
I use a light, cloth cycling cap that is white in color.

dperry
05-29-2008, 21:43
I bought me a genuwine imitation Australian bush hat (made by Barmah, in Indonesia) at REI. Keeps the rain off, lots of ventilation in the crown. I still sweat like a pig from my forehead, to the point where I have to wear a headband with it, but then I do that with all hats, so it must just be a personal problem. :D

Feral Bill
05-30-2008, 00:13
best place to ask this question, The Tilleys are very cool and cotton duck, - anyone know of a tent polypro version of wide brim, without claiming its goretex, (ultra light without the price.)

I just bought a nice nylon Tilly with a mesh ventilation band in the crown. Expensive but I deserve it.

Tennessee Viking
05-30-2008, 00:53
I am looking for a good hat to protect my bald head and fair skin during my SOBO thru-hike, especially in the summer months. I looked around REI, but wasn't excited by the choices. I am thinking about one of those straw cowboy kind of hats. Sure, it'll get beat all to hell, but they are super light. Any suggestions?

Definitely get something with a full circle brim. I will help with preventing sunburns on the face and neck, and keeps the rain off the face.

Tennessee Viking
05-30-2008, 00:55
Definitely get something with a full circle brim. It will help with preventing sunburns on the face and neck, and keeps the rain off the face. Something like a fishing fat.

johnny quest
05-30-2008, 17:38
got two cabella rain hats, black one and tan one. they arent terribly hot and any hat i wear has to be able to stand a four hour downpour.

taildragger
05-30-2008, 18:59
Cheap straw cowboy hat equipped with turkey feather.

That turkey feather helps me walk at least 2mph faster, protects me from the sun, and helps me glide down mountains