MORE HAT REVIEWS-INFO

>I haven’t seen what I’d consider really effective sun hats or cold weather hats yet, though I must own a dozen and a half.

The Sunday Afternoons Adventure hat (Medium or Large: 2.9 oz) works great for me in warm to hot weather; it is also mentioned in this BPL thread. You might notice it in photos in some BPL articles.

Outdoor Research makes a good variety of high quality head gear.

Where you find a ton of thoughtful reviews on these items god only knows. I get turned off by "info. overkill" reviews a lot of sites have: "It was 32 degrees and 68% relative humidity, as I stepped gingerly onto the scree-strewned trailhead just as a crescent-moon crested the forbodeing peak awash in alpenglow…" you get the idea.

Now if someone could invent one hat that was waterproof and excellent in the hot sun…that would be the ticket!!!

I have to concur in Doug's comments on the Sunday Afternoon hats. I own two and am fair skinned. My Dermotologist has fits that I backpack for up to a week at a time in the Sierra's. But she seems mollified by my use of these hats. I can attest that they really do shade your entire face and are extremely lightweight. There are several versions to chose from. I own the Adventure and Sport versions. The Sport has a shorter neck drape which is adequate most of the time but if you want complete coverage, they now make one which is fashioned on the Adventure hat called a Derma hat. I never get too much sun when I combine wearing these hats with a good titanium dioxide sunscreen.

Mitchell…just an FYI on sunscreen advancements. Keep an eye out for Neutrogena's "Helioplex" compound. I understand this is the only one currently marketed that is tested to protect against UVB for prolonged periods. All current compounds that currently address the UVB lightwave break down in the sun and allow UVB through within 30 minutes. The new compound protects from UVB which supposedly does the DNA damage…which is less detectable but maybe a little worse???

My Dermatologist also had a fit when he found out, that after all his nagging, I still didn't use sunscreen. He stomped out of the rooma and returned with his own Columbia "boonie" hat. He insisted that I get one at once. He had a p*o*o*p sheet of specs and a list of every store within a 50 mile radius that sold them. I cut out the label so Don't have any model number. Here's a photo.

Coulmbia Boonie Hat.

I leave it in the car for use on improptu hikes. IMHO It's butt ugly. So… I use the very stylish Tilley Airflow LTM5. I believe this is the hats of choice of Dr. J. Can't get much better than that. Besids, you get the "brag tags".

Tilley Ariflow LTM5.

Actually I just got one of the new Tilley TM10 hats, which has considerably more mesh. Early results are very positive, although I haven't yet figured how to graft it onto my rooster avatar.
roosterk