I'm looking for a hat that can take some year round abuse from brutal sun to epic down poors. Long hot hours on mowers doing property maintenance. To cool lazy drizly days on the creek bed with a cane pole and a bucket o worms.

Is there truly an everyday hat out there or am I just dreaming. A huge plus if it just plain makes me look like a bad ars$

So far in my searches I like Tilleys TWC6 Outback Hat


I've never purchased a quality hat before so any advice will helpfull.

Thanks, Samoset

Nothing beats a full brimmed boonie hat, but according to my wife and fashion consultant (dictator), they lack style. Tilleys look nice, but they don't do anything that a much cheaper hat can accomplish.

I appreciate that I just don't know what cheaper brands to be looking at

I do know that I want something of quality. And if I decide to order online some good customer service just in case. I have to send one back due to improper fit!

And I have several cheap hats now that just dont fit the bill. So to speak

I dearly love my Sunday Afternoons Adventure hat. It keeps the sun off, and in the back it has a drape instead of a brim. This means that the hat brim doesn't collide with my pack back there and also that I can put my rain hood on over the hat should it be precipitating. No rain on my glasses!

I don't care if it looks dorky--it does everything I want a hat to do!

This isn't much help, but I bought the hat below in a country market in Argentina. It is waterproof, very lighweight, and is fully crushable...it just pops back into place. I love it.



On the other hand, (other head?) I've hiked for about five hundred miles in this the hat below, bought for about $15 at a thrift store. A little heavier, and you do have to protect it shape more. But also very effective and ...stylish!

I like my Sunday Afternoons hat too.

Is that what those are called. We have 5 of them, Sunday Afternoon hats and love um.

I like the look of the outback hat, I have a vented mountian hardware hat that I love, full brim, great desert hiking hat.

I have had two OR Seattle Sombreros and liked them and still use them. The gortex breathes so it is not too hot. The wide brim seems to keep the horse flies away which are a problem in Michigan. I bought a Tilly and found it too heavy and too hot for summer use.

Yep, love mine too. With the wide array of solid colors and camo patterns available, I'm sure even the pickiest fashionista can find one they like. lol

Balz,

What is that first hat made from? It looks like a leather hat, but you are saying it is lightweight, waterproof and keeps its shape?

It is made of a very lightweight felt, and then oiled to be waterproof/repellant.

Amazing stuff

Did the bugs cost extra? Looks like an advertisement for DEET!

That was last summer at a pass at over 10,000 feet in Yosemite...and a good mile or two from any body of water.

Last year the mosquitoes were really something else!

Thanks everyone for your insight. I've been looking into Sunday afternooens and outdoor researches line up a bit. I have a OR hat not sure which make?

And I do like it alot. Its just a sun hat not ment for winter or water for that mater!

The Seattle sombrerro looks nice especially in multi cam

It might just have the balance between function and bad ar$s style im looking for?

I am currios However Grumpygord to how your tilly holds up to three season use sense I have a light OR hat that functions in summer?

" If your new Hat doesn't fit, send it back. If the colour doesn't suit you, send it back. If a new Hat has not been worn or washed, we'll cheerfully exchange it for one of the right size or colour. If the new Hat isn't quite what you expected, we'll refund the purchase price"

^ Well do to the statement above I figured I'd give Tilley a shot placed my order last night. A bit expensive but hopefully its a life purchase!

If I pull the hat out of the box and decide I just don't like it ill eat the shipping and return it. Hopefully I love it!

I will update this thread when I receive it. I'm also very curious if the hat only weighs 4.9oz as listed on there site!

Well apparently I managed to place my order on Tilleys UK site & they were unable to resolve this in house. So they cancelled my order. And notified me by email. That I needed to place my order on there US site.

Unfortunately thanks to Columbus yesterday day was a holiday here in the states. Which has left a hold on my monies. That was originally processed for the purchase on the hat.

So now I'm stuck waiting for my funds to become available "From the hold from there UK site" So I can re-order my hat. If I even decide to.

Personally I wasn't very impressed with tilleys inability to handle the situation without cancelling my order. Which had already been processed.

And a few fairly negative emails between myself and a CS Rep. Not the best customer service I've ever received whilst trying to place a rather pricey order.

When I was in search of what I hoped would be the perfect hat I settled on a Blue Chair Bay hat. As it turns out I never wear hats. I'm hanging on to it though. I kind of like it.

I find, like others, that the back of the brim gets in the way, so I use an OR Sun Runner hat. It has a neck protector that can be removed.

Well some good news. Re-orderd my hat this morning over the phone to avoid any confusion. And they gave me a discount and covered the shipping for any inconvenience.
Saved me like $36 which I appreciate! Much better CS than I had received up to that point!

And now the wait begins again!

Well hat arrived today! Beautiful well made hat. Excellent colors super excited about it. Only its possibly two sizes to small.

I measured my head according to there site instructions! First time I got 60.5 cm today I got 61.5cm I don't know if just moving up one size is going to do it. According to this statement on there site!

" The Tilley Hat fits more comfortably than other hats. It’s designed to be worn low on your head and slightly loose. It should be held on by gravity, not by painful pressure on your forehead! For the proper fit, you should be able to easily insert two fingers, flat, between the middle of your forehead and the front of the Hat. The Hat should be loose enough that you can rotate it to the left and right, and lift it up and down, without friction on your forehead. When it’s windy, use the cord!"

I couldn't fit a pinky between the hat and my head much less two fingers.

Believe ill try two sizes up! I am going to call them up Monday morning and see what size they think? Before i ship it back!

I really hope all this aggravation is worth it.

From looks and feel of the hat.
I believe it will its a nice hat.