Sunday Afternoons Adventure vs. Ultra-Adventure?

I have the ultra adventure and would not worry with the other one. It rules. I am bald and fair skinned (irish blue eyes) and worried I might burn through the mesh, but the mesh is 50+ UPF. I did not burn. Love the hat.

I have not used the Adventure Hat.

I have the Adventure and have been super happy with it. It’s wide enough that I usually wear the bill flipped up a little without affecting its effectiveness. I wear it most of the time when I go hiking and I am worried about the sun (mountains/desert). But if I’m going somewhere mostly shaded or not that hot I stick with a regular trucker hat.

But I kind of like the look of the Ultra. I hadn’t seen that one till now. Looks more like a regular hat, that probably works just as good.

If you are only using it in the harshest sun conditions, makes sense to get the one with the most coverage. But I doubt there is much functional difference between the two.

Thanks John S. and Brando, for your replies.  I’m definitely leaning toward the Ultra-Adventure.  Brando, do you find that you wear the Adventure with the brim flipped up because of this apparently limited visibility?

Thanks!

I guess you could say that. It’s not like you can’t see in front or to the side of you, you just don’t quite get the full panorama view if you are in the mountains. I looked for a pic on my phone and I dont have one with it flipped up, but at least you know its an option. You can also wear the hat tiled up a bit (like any ball cap), you don’t always have to hunker down under the thing. So if visibility is a concern, there are ways to work around it.

Try em on at REI. This is the kinda situation where I’d buy the first from REI, and return for the other one if I didn’t like it, and return the second if they both don’t work. If your REI doesn’t carry them, just order online to the store for free shipping, try it on when you pick it up, and return then and there if it doesn’t work for you.

I think it comes down to how sun-phobic you are, which I definitely am. I still slather on the sunscreen when wearing it, and I am thinking of pairing my hat with some glacier glasses (instead of my aviators) in the mountains and desert to protect my light eyes as well. I have started experimenting with long sleeve shirts as well to keep the sun off. One thing I am not reevaluating is my hat.

Hope this helps. Let us know which one you settle on.

—Brando

I’ve used both the Adventure and the Ultra Adventure hats, and while you get a bit less coverage with the Ultra-Adventure version (especially when the sun is lower in the sky), what shifted my preference to the ultra was that it folds up. When you’re under forest cover or otherwise don’t need to be wearing it, the ultra folds up and easily slips into a pants pocket or backpack side pocket. With the full sized Adventure hat, I found it was awkward to do anything with it or store it away when it wasn’t on my head. Sure, the SA folks say you can roll it up, but that really wasn’t a great solution.

I ended up losing my Adventure hat when fording a river in North Cascades NP. I thought I had it secured (tied) to my pack. But there was no hat to be found when I got to the other side. It’s replacement was the Ultra Adventure and for me, the folding version is terrific. Good sun coverage, comfortable, and storable.

Thanks Brando and Dave, for each of your replies.  Brando, I think I’m going to take your advice.  While I don’t have an REI anywhere near me, I may choose to order one of each from Amazon and just return, if necessary.  I’m pretty much sold on the ultra-adventure for myself.  My son, is the one more likely to burn.  So, I’ll let him try them both and see what he thinks, and let his mother and I consult on it, also.

+1 on the Ultra.  I’ve been wearing the Adventure hat the past three years, not realizing the Ultra was available until this post came up. I purchased the Ultra and just got back from a week long Sierra trip using it and it definitely will replaced my Adventure hat.  Advantages is it’s much easier to fold and slip into your pocket or backpack(the Adventure does not fold), fits much better under the hood of a rain jacket or mosquito net, feels much lighter, is cooler, easier to store due to the reverse clamshell folding feature, doesn’t look quite as dorky, better visability and does not blow around as much in the wind. The Adventure hat may offer a little more shade, but I really didn’t notice that much difference.

I have the Adventure and I like the max coverage. Once you’ve had a few pre-cancerous spots frozen off your face you want all the coverage you can get. I do not find myself aware of any Tunnel vision effect.

Big +1 to Paul. Don’t mess around with this. Do a little reading about the effects of sun at altitude; then some more about melanoma. Wear a big hat.

I haven’t tried on the Ultra, but I have been wearing the original Adventure hat for years– I like the extreme coverage and am not bothered by any tunnel vision issues.  My husband is much more fair-skinned and has had a few cancerous spots on his face, so it is full coverage for him, too, especially since we hike at high elevation, mostly.