Homemade Schoeller Hat

[Miguel Arboleda]

I love my Tilley LT5 (and my LH5 and T3) hat. It fits perfectly, is well-made, is light, and looks great. However, I’ve found that while hiking in the sweltering summer weather here in Japan the hat just doesn’t breathe well, and is too hot. I end up removing it constantly to wipe away buckets of sweat.

I decided to try to make my own version of the hat, using Schoeller material from an old pair of hiking pants. I also wanted to incorporate a stiffer brim (I also used a heavy gauge wire around the perimeter like the LT5) and use the stretch capabilities of Schoeller to be able to layer a balaclava under the hat in cold weather. What I ended up with weighs 70 grams, 25 grams lighter than the 95 gram Tilley LT5. It breathes very well, dries quickly, wicks sweat, and is relatively warm in cold weather. The brim barely budges when I push on it, in fact it “hums” from its being drum tight. An olive green polyester under brim cuts the glare. I like the grey Schoeller fabric, too. Pretty happy with what I was able to sew together, though the seams aren’t perfect. Wearing it all around the house now. (^J^)

[Joshua Mitchell]

very nicely done…

[Ryan Faulkner]

Nice, I think Bill Fornshell was going to mkae a cuben tilley.

Bill do you have pics?

schoeller is a good fabric for a hat, I wish tilley would make one with it so us…uh…less talented MYOG people could get our hands on one

[Miguel Arboleda]

Thanks for the compliments! I really enjoyed making the hat.

But you know what’s funny? I still have no idea why the brim of the hat is able to curve like that when I wear it. I tried to figure it out logically, but it’s just not very intuitive. Is it because the brim is oval rather than round? Or is it the stiffness of the wire in the brim? I have no idea.

I did look at Bill’s photograph of his paper hat dummy and got some ideas about how to measure my hat from looking at it. I’m still not sure how Bill got such clean lines. Bill, were you able to directly transfer the irregularly-shaped panel at the top of the hat to the paper? Or did you measure it in many increments, as I did?

Ryan, for a long time I have thought that Schoeller would be a fantastic hat material and I really wonder why more people don’t make hats out of it. I got my idea from using MontBell’s Schoeller “Trail Cap”, which I’ve been using for about a year and a half. It works better than any other hat I own for all around back country walking, both in cold and hot weather. Not sure they sell it in the States, though.

I’m not sure I would be happy with a Cuben hat. Since Cuben doesn’t breathe I think it would be a sauna up there. I only use a waterproof hat when it’s really pouring (I hate hoods). Both for pants and hats I don’t mind if I get wet (I usually walk with breeches or with the lower legs of the pants rolled up to my knees), as long as I’m not chilled or overheated. I always wonder why people are so intent on staying dry. In light rain I’m usually hiking in a thin wool t-shirt, letting my body heat keep me warm and relying on drying out when the rain stops. Meanwhile I often see other walkers huffing and puffing in Gore-tex jackets, overheating and pouring sweat, much wetter than I am.

So Schoeller is just what I want on my head in most situations.

[Ryan Faulkner]

Thanks Miguel,

I will check the American site for the trail cap.

[Bill Fornshell]

Miguel your hat looks great.

My Cuben Tilley Hat is 1st for rain protection to wear with my hoodless Cuben Poncho/Tarp. I also will have to wear it awhile to decide if the fact that Cuben doesn’t breath makes any differences. It would be easy to make the hat in a way to vent in dry weather.

Most of my Cuben garments have CoolMax inserts at the “hot” spots and vents that I can open or close as necessary.

[Vick Hines]

Bill,
When do you hit the trail?

[Bill Fornshell]

Vick, I am putting my reply to you at Tilley Hat Thread.

[Author]

Posts