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Thread: head covering

  1. #1
    Registered User simon's Avatar
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    Default head covering

    Hi, I'm an older bald guy looking for sun protection that is vented since the virus most of my walking is in the sunlight. I've wore a bandana for years but want to go the hat route. Any suggestions that aren't baseball or beanies caps?

  2. #2
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    OR sun runner or Helios are both awesome hats.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  3. #3
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    I'm in a similar boat to OP. I often wear a bandana to help with the dripping sweat and, when applicable, a 360 deg broad brimmed hat to offer shade. But the problem is that you end up not having much of a breeze against your scalp to cool it, and before long it feels like your brain is in the frying pan like the old "just say no" ad.

    I've heard people like Boonie hats and Tilley hats. But I wonder if a straw hat of some sort might be better. Find out what farmers in your intended hiking area wear.

  4. #4
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    Tilleys hat sir. Best hats in the world.

  5. #5

    Default

    I got one of these a few years back and it has held up well.

    https://www.amazon.com/squaregarden-Baseball-Lightweight-Running-Fishing/dp/B071WC77CJ/ref=sr_1_55?hvadid=178335245954&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9 009645&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=b&hvrand=127693367 14295221783&hvtargid=kwd-29919349656&ie=UTF8&keywords=quick%2Bdry%2Bhats&qi d=1547932140&sr=8-55&tag=googhydr-20&th=1

  6. #6
    Registered User swjohnsey's Avatar
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    Default

    They will think you are a bird watcher or kayaker!

  7. #7

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    I'm bald, or close enough that I buzz or shave the rest. A Columbia Bora Bora II is my go to for intense sunlight, often with a Buff under it to make sure the back of my neck is covered.
    FB_IMG_1591164334289.jpg

    Don't know if you'd consider this an option, but I recently started using a hooded running shirt from UnderArmour, which has been great, but gets stinky awful fast. About to begin "testing" a Patagonia Capilene Cool Daily Hoody to see how that goes.
    Wasn't sure if I'd be comfortable with a hood, but really like it.
    VideoCapture_20200311-003057.jpg

    I get tickled over the fact that the running hoody and long sleeve shirt with brimmed hat both started out as "grass cutting clothes" in Alabama, and quickly became part of my backpacking wardrobe for the desert and high elevations out West. But that's 'cause they work so well...

  8. #8
    Registered User simon's Avatar
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    Default

    Farmers here in Lancaster, PA wear straw hats. That's something they make by hand. I was looking for a hat that was more "high tech".

  9. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by swjohnsey View Post
    They will think you are a bird watcher or kayaker!
    LOL I really don't care what they think.

  10. #10
    Some days, it's not worth chewing through the restraints.
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    Older close to bald guy here, too. Get yourself a Tilley hat. Beats having melanoma. Been there, done that, now I wear a Tilley hat.

  11. #11
    GSMNP 900 Miler
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    Hiked the JMT a few years ago, where you spend a great deal of time above tree-line, and even when you're below tree-line, the forest isn't very dense.

    I simply used a wide-brimmed Columbia hat (one with ventilation holes on the side of the head portion. Worked great... until I climbed "The Golden Staircase" where I was apparently starring a the ground all morning during the climb and the sun got under the brim of the hat and got a sunburn on my neck.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by simon View Post
    Farmers here in Lancaster, PA wear straw hats. That's something they make by hand. I was looking for a hat that was more "high tech".

    More high tech in what way? Your OP mentioned sun protection and ventilation.

  13. #13
    Registered User ldsailor's Avatar
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    I'll throw my hat into the ring (pun intended) and vote for a Tilley, too. They are great hats with airflow and sun screening features. Furthermore, they carry a lifetime guarantee (see image). However, a confession. I don't hike with my Tilley. It cost me $85, and there is no way I was going to run it through the ringer on a long distance hike. So I bought a cheap Walmart, wide brimmed hat for $10, and I don't care what happens to it. Nevertheless, it provides good sun screening and some airflow features.

    My Tilley does go with me whenever I go sailing.

    IMAG0394[1].jpgTilley Guarantee (Medium).jpgTilley (Medium).jpg
    Trail Name - Slapshot
    "One step at a time."
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  14. #14
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    In 2009 I bought a KAVA Chilba Hat for a Grand Canyon hike worked out great, look it up.

  15. #15
    GSMNP 900 Miler
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    WOW... those Tilleys don't come cheap.

    But they look real nice, look like they are worth the price you pay.
    I couldn't see spending the money on one right now. I do most my hiking in GSMNP where you usually don't need a hat unless you're hiking before the leaves are out.
    That means this time of year, I might be carrying one with me to stuff in my pack while at lower elevations, and pulling it out to put on at higher elevations.
    Wouldn't want to treat an expensive Tilley to that.

    But if you're going to be hiking out west, say Grand Canyon, the JMT (where you're either above tree line, or in a thin forest of trees) where you need to constantly wear it...
    looks like a cool hat.

  16. #16

    Default

    Another "vote" for the Tilley hat. They aren't cheap, but their warrantee is pretty robust and offers replacement if lost as well (50% of the purchase price off if lost in the first 2-years), something I have not seen before in the apparel industry. I have worn this hat in most all weather conditions including very high winds (over 50 mph sustained) that often are the graveyard of favorite hats, and it didn't budge when anchored with the strapping system. I've had this hat for 14 or so years and beyond a patina that developed on the grommets it has performed wonderfully and maintained it's fedora look even after being wadded up wet.

  17. #17
    Is it raining yet?
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    I have worn a beaver hat for years when in the out of doors, hiking included. Having been a National Park Service ranger I always thought the winter felt hat was cooler (and lighter) than the summer straw hat.

    Such is what most ranchers and riders wear in the West.
    Be Prepared

  18. #18
    Registered User simon's Avatar
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    Default

    I'll be honest when i ask this question i never considered a beaver hat. Learn something new everyday, thanks! I'll check it out.

  19. #19

    Default

    I have a Tilley LTM6 Airflo, which is ventilated. I love the hat, but it is hot in warm weather, or milder weather when you exert yourself. In warmer weather I wear a baseball cap, with mesh top except the very front, and it is much cooler.

  20. #20

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    Look at the products from Headsweats. Hats/wraps etc

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