Best backpacking hat?

[Mal Hooper]

@Scott

What it won't do is jump on your head and debit your bank account without your permission so I don't think you have to be so worked up about its price.

[S R]

Not worked up… Just Surprised

[Stuart .]

Love my Barbour jacket … for walking my dogs at a leisurely pace or standing around in the rain watching a rugby match, but for any level of exertion waxed cotton really stinks. Windproof it is, and waterproof to a point, but breatheable it is not. So a waxed cotton hat like the Tilley TWC7 Outback or a Filson Shelter Cloth Packer – as a hiking hat? Let's just say I can't get my head around that.

[Justin Baker]

Cheap trucker hat with a bandana wrapped around my head to protect my neck. I wore this all summer at my day job.
I have a really hard time getting hats to fit my head though. I could never put a wide brim hat on, only snapbacks work.

[Justin Baker]

This hat is cotton, but it's seriously cool.
http://realdealbrazil.com/detail.php?id=TRDH

[Mike W]

>> $82.00 for a Tilley?? That's insane! What can that hat do that my $12 froggtogg can't? <<

Well, if you ever manage to wear out a Tilley, they will replace it for the price of shipping. Mine also floats… which is important to me (I use it while fishing as well as hiking). My Tilley LT5B is nylon and weighs 3.7 ounces… not bad for a hat with a wide brim.

[Raquel Rascal]

That Brazil hat looks nice on the girls!

[Jon Hancock]

"$82.00 for a Tilley?? That's insane! What can that hat do that my $12 froggtogg can't?"

Last for twenty years, for starters. I've had one Tilley Hat replaced under their guarantee and own a fair few others, including a nylon one, all going strong. My old cotton duck T3 has seen serious weather of all sorts everywhere from Maine to the Scottish Highlands and it's been absolutely reliable, even when used as a padded seat, firewood carrier or for bailing out a canoe. Unless things get tremendously rough I'm much happier wearing the T3 to keep the rain off than putting my hood up.

The other thing it does is fit: I wear a size 8 and very few manufacturers make hats in that size or above, so for some people the snazzy billed sports cap or Gore-Tex brimmed hat isn't an option. That said, if the Frogg Toggs hat does the job you need it to do then there's no need to fork out for anything pricier.

[Mal Hooper]

@Jon

Your second point is why I usually have to wear more expensive hats and why I don't really have many hats at all. Mass market hats that come in S-XL sizes or one-size-fits-all never fit my big head. I can't wear adjustable baseball caps at all. The only ball caps I can wear are New Era fitted caps which are not cheap. I tried on the OR Helios in XL at REI and loved it (and its price), but again, it squeezed my head and looked way too small. If I want any possiblity of wearing a properly fitted hat it has to be genuinely sized (7-7/8 in the case of my Tilley).

[spelt with a t]

I'm pretty sure I've said this on this or another hat thread, but it bears repeating: my Tilley is the only hat I've ever had that fits so well I've literally forgotten I'm wearing it. Ever lose your glasses only to find them on top of your head? Yeah, that's happened with my LT3.

[Brian Johns]

Too many options. For me, I like a fairly wide brim. I think the fishing/bucket style hat is perfect. It's a little hard to find i Nylon, but Cabella's has a great Goretex model for $19.95. Amazon.com, INc. has the out-in-the-wild nylon bucket hat for $15, and looks great too. Patagonia makes a few nylon/poly bucket hats that are a few dollars more. I also like the Tilley. It's a nice, cool, light hat with good sun protection. I don't think like Ken T. that it's too grandpa. I think it's more nerdy like the pith helmet. I feel like a total dork anywhere but the backcountry in it. That said, I won't wear convertible pants around town either, but that's just me, clothes for the field and clothes for the town, always in running shoes though.

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