better hat?

[Brett Peugh]

I have a Sunday Afternoon Adventure hat. I do like the wide brim but find that I really sweat under it if it is warm outside and I exert myself at all. I need something to cover the top of my head because the fauna is pretty sparse. Is there anything that is more breathable that is not an umbrella?

[John Almond]

A visor combined with a bandanna or buff should work pretty well. I'm toying with the idea of going over to that combo this summer due to my current hat's double-layer construction (great for under 80 F, but this is Florida…).

I've used a baseball-style cap under most conditions for the last few years, supplementing with a bandanna when I'm out in direct sunlight for longer than a couple of minutes. It works pretty well at keeping the sunlight off. And you have the advantage of being able to soak the bandanna for evaporative cooling under most conditions. I'd imagine that a visor would work even better with that.

Hope it helps!

[Chris M]

I made myself a hat a while ago that may help you. I is a conical hat that I based on the Kavu Chillba and some tips graciously given to me by Joe over at ZPacks.

I've had a chance to test it in 7 hours of heavy rain and it covered me very well, and I found that it breathed well and was comfortable.

http://kringlelight.wordpress.com/2012/02/14/santa-hat/

It was a pretty cheap thing to make and required only a little bit of sewing.

I'm not sure where you could actually purchase one pre-made. I believe Kavu has discontinued the Chillba.

[Doug Smith]

" I need something to cover the top of my head because the fauna is pretty sparse."

If you're using fauna for shade those are some pretty big deer! ;-)

(Flora is plantlife, fauna is animal life. The trick I use to remember which is which is a "florist" sells flowers, ie: plants).

Now that I'm done being a smart alec, I like the regular military "boonie hats". They are light, you can crush them, and they come in some faily normal colors.

[Shane S.]

I agree, boonie hats are good option.

Other good sun hats hats are made by Outdoor Research with mesh panels for vents and not too floppy looking brims.

For the last several years I have been using a Tilleys airflo LTM6 with good results.

[spelt with a t]

Tilley's LT series have amazing air circulation, in my opinion. I have an LTM3 and it's the only hat I've ever literally forgotten I was wearing. I love visors and wear them a lot, but my tilley is overall a more versatile hat.

[Backpack Jack]

+1 On the Kavu Chillba hat. I have one and it works great, you can still get them on line for around $35.00. If you can make one thats even better, the ones Kavu make, also float because the're made out of some type of foam. Here's
a site you can check out what they look like. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002DP16GM/ref=asc_df_B002DP16GM2032145?smid=A1PFN11CI6TDQ4&tag=nextagusmp0382617-20&linkCode=asn&creative=395105&creativeASIN=B002DP16GM

[Monty Montana]

Ditto the Tilly AirFlo. I've had mine for about ten years now, and it's still in great shape. The life-time warranty is a great plus, also.

[Mark Verber]

I don't think you are going to do any better than the sunday afternoon hat. The nylon is quite light weight, there is coolmax mesh sides to permit ventilation and a bit of wicking. Over the years I have tried lots of hats, the sunday afternoon adventure hat has been the the most effective of protecting me from the sun while being as cool as possible. It was even better that one of the hats that had a shiny silver surface designed to reflect the suns rays away but didn't permit as much airflow or evaporative cooling as the Sunday afternoon hat. The only thing that has worked better has been on very hot trips in very dry locations with good water sources. In theses locations a classic cotton boonie hat that could be dunked in the river and than put on the head worked well.

–Mark

[Brett Peugh]

I don't know if boonie hats will work as it looks like they don't have much ventilation. The Tilley might work as it has ventilation at the top. The Sunday Afternoon hat has mesh but it is on the sides so a space of hot air build up on the top. How does the ventilation work on the Kavu style hats, it seems like it would collect on the top also. I would probably make my own if I did so as I don't like Kavu and some of their practices after having lived next to them in Ballard.

[Mary D]

Why not get an eyelet kit from the nearest sewing store and put 2 or 3 eyelets on each side of the crown of your Sunday Afternoons hat? That would add ventilation near the crown where you want it. I've tried quite a few hats and always come back to my Sunday Afternoons Adventure hat. It has the most coverage and, for me, is the coolest in hot weather. I also appreciate the drape in back so I don't have the hat brim constantly bumping my pack.

[John Donewar]

Brett,

Lately I have settled on the Columbia Bora Bora Booney hat as my go to hiker hat.

I've had no complaints about the ventilation which to me means that it must breathe pretty well. The mesh on the Bora Bora is 360 degrees around the hat.

When things get wet the brim gets pretty floppy but I don't think it's any floppier than the Sunday Afternoon Adventure hat would be in similar situations. The construction of the brim seems similar in both hats with the exception of the design of the rear section of the brim. The Adventure hat will cover the back of your neck a lot more than the Bora Bora would.

Party On,

Newton

[Elliott Wolin]

We've been using Bora Bora hats for years. On sale they are really cheap and work pretty well. We use them for hiking and kayaking. I agree they get a bit floppy when wet, but this hasn't been a big problem (except one time kayaking in windy weather with lots of spray, should have been wearing a sturdy rain hat or a hood, it kept flopping down over my eyes!).

[ROBERT TANGEN]

I like my Sunday afternoon hat, but mostly I use the OR Sunrunner hat, which is a French Foreign Legion-style hat, but unlike a bandana, there are slits and openings in the removeable side-skirts, without letting in sun. I am also able to flip a wind shirt hood over the OR hat, which turns the heat-shield side flaps into a second layer of warm nylon for cold, cold mornings.

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