Survival hats

DaleW

DaleW

Joined
Dec 22, 2006
Messages
2,194
After trying the shemagh, I remembered another sun hat I have in my arsenal-- more aptly the Mininstry of Silly Hats. I picked up a letter carrier's plastic pith helmet at a thrif store one day and went looking for other examples. I came up with a sun helmet that is used by bee keepers and makes a good sun hat with some water shedding properties, as long as it isn't too windy. Check it out at http://www.gemplers.com/workwear/headwear/helmets/127496.html

My standby is a Tilley T5. If you haven't tried a Tilley, you're missing a good hat.

The Outdoor Research Seattle Sombrero is a great rain hat. I picked up an OR Lightstorm Bucket at a sale and stuffed it in my commuter pack. It is just a couple ounces and doesn't take much more room than a bandana. I was surprised how well it worked.

My other hikign hat is an OR Peruvian windproof fleece hat. It's a great hat under a hood and for sleeping.
 
Now that's using your head.

I just got the hood of my North Face shell and a wool beani cap and I am good to go.

intresting subject though.
 
For me a hat is a critical piece of gear. I have worn a cowboy hat all my life, grew up in hot country, so a hat is jst natural to me. I wear a ball cap at times but there just isn't enough coverage, esp for my ears. I would really like to have a quality custom hat some day but the cost holds me back. As does my wife.
 
I also take my hats seriously.... in everyday urban life I wear a nonlogoed baseball cap. when it the out doors I always wear a round brimmed hat..in the winter its a goretex lined wool hat similar to sean connery's in that indiana jones film... in the warmer months it's a khaki brimmed "fishing style hat sort of like a boonie but not military looking... been thinking about getting a tilley for a while though.
 
Since I'm follicley (spelling?) challenged, a hat is important to me too. Most of the time it's a Tilley, although I held off buying one - thought it was more suitable to the golfing community.

Warranty (lifetime) is great, wrap around brim to help protect the top of my ears, and has a great little pocket in it to keep a small amount of vaseline/cotton balls in a piece of wax paper. Replaced the tie down with 550.

In another thread, they're talking about head rags. If it's really sunny and I need the extra protection, I place a larger than usual bandanna on top of my head, and then put on the Tilley. Works for me.

Doc
 
Hey Guys...

I also wear a Tilley... Great Hats for sure...

I recently obtained a Canadian forces Boonie hat in Cadpat,,current issue, and the hat similar to a Tilley, also comes with a removeable curtain to cover the back of the neck...

If it's really hot out and I'm going to be in the sun alot I also wear a bandana which I cover my neck with...

Hats are things that alot of people don't look closely enough at...

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
 
:thumbup: :thumbup: Tilley

I use mine on the boats all the time. The chin/back strap keeps the hat on even when I'm crusing down river at 50 km/h. The hat floats, has a great little pocket in the top to store a $20 and is waterproof. The foam liner in the top that makes it float also cushions your noggin against the inevitable head bash on the top of the cabin. Anyone every use the Tilly Hemp hat?

I also like my Outback hats in waxed cotton. They tend to get too hot in the Armpit of Canada where I'm situated but it looks good and is very waterproof :)

In the winter I use a windstopper hat from mountain equipment coop (MEC). It is super warm and tucks really well under a hood for that extra protection. Makes you look like a bit of an elf though.

Regarding baseball hats - they are good for catching flyballs but they give me a burned neck every time. About the only think worst that a baseball cap is them sun visors and earmuffs that were ever so popular in the 80's.
 
A boonie hat is my hat of choice when pursuing outdoor activities. It has worked well for me for years. When out and about around town or whatever, I usually wear a baseball cap of some sort, if I wear headgear at all.

I have had a Seattle Sombrero for eons, but I find I don't use it much.
 
For the summer I have the Tilley for the wide brim. I have a Seattle Sombrerro but don't wear it much. When its cold out I wear my Tyrolian Jager hat made of wool and stays on in windy coditions too.
I also have 2 Pro Force Shemaghs when a scarf is needed or its dusty or when Mt. St. Helens erupts and spreads a buch of ash that you don't want to breath.

Gotta have a hat or some kind of cover!

Ciao
Ron
:D
 
Depending on time of year and conditions;

Wool crusher
Wool or fleece watchcap
Ballcap
Bandana
 
Just when I think I don't need anything else, you guys do a thread and make me want something !!!!
So now you have me thinking about Tilley Hats, my interest in them was first sparked when I read one of their adverts about an Elephant eating someones Tilley and the person having to wait till Jumbo did a Brad Pitt before he could get it back !!! Said he washed it and it was as good as new !!!!! I always thought that I had to be at least 60 yrs old to get away with wearing one though, however now I'm in Canada they don't seem fashion concious so I may have to invest !
Usually I wear a Mountain Equipment Baseball cap with Mesh sides in summer and a Helly Hansen LIFA Beanie when it drops cooler. For really cold weather I wear a Lowe Alpine Mountain hat which is Goretex with a fleece lining,but it has to be cold !!!!
 
Back when I had more cash (about 3 or 4 kids ago), I sprung for a Tilley hat, and have loved it ever since. Best of all is the combination of brim shape and those wide grommeted vents, which mean that air circulates in it enough that it doesn't get so hot that I take it off (which usually happened with other hats in this hot climate). This one, I wear a lot. I also love the snap-up brim sides, and, especially, the retention system that lets you keep it snugly on without having a loop under your chin. Oh, and then there's also that pocket in the top of the crown--you could keep a mini-survival kit in there.

The downside is the price. A year or so ago, I bought a near-exact replica, though made out of slightly thinner fabric, perhaps, at Sportsman's Warehouse for about half the price of a Tilley. (More recently, I've looked, and Sportsman's Warehouse was not carrying the more-inexpensive Tilley-like hats.) I've also seen olive drab Tilley knockoffs (albeit with a much-diminished range of offered sizes) at Target. Anyone have any leads on where one can get one of these cheaper non-Tilley-brand Tilley-like hats?
 
I just stick with a classic Detroit Tigers cap. Its an 80/20 wool and acrylic blend so it sheds water well while still breathing. Coupled with a hooded rain jacket it works for about 75% of the weather out here. I've never found a full-brimmed hat that I liked.
 
I've got a Watership Trading Companie "Vineyard Haven" in cotton duck that I like quite a bit. It's wide enough to protect my neck when sailing, and the dark cloth under the brim helps cut down on reflected glare.

Although I have heard nothing but good things about Tilley hats, their advertising really turns me off. They're like the Darkops of the hat world, except that they actually make a product.
 
pitdog said:
Just when I think I don't need anything else, you guys do a thread and make me want something !!!!
So now you have me thinking about Tilley Hats....
Click to expand...

Tilleys are great, but you need a stick when you wear one to keep the women at bay. Wearing one will instantly turn you into a handsome devil :cool:
 
DaleW said:
Tilleys are great, but you need a stick when you wear one to keep the women at bay. Wearing one will instantly turn you into a handsome devil :cool:
Click to expand...

Well! As if I wasn't pretty much talked into one already... $76 for a beanie isn't in my budget at the moment but it does look like a darn fine hat.

Around town I often wear a Raiders ball cap... it's fun to be the only silver'n'black in a sea of green'n'gold... great conversation starter when I stop in somewhere for a quick cold one.

Outdoors I have a poly/cotton boonie hat and a nylon waterproof one. Both are great for their purposes but it's dumb to carry two... guess I should look into GoreTex or a Tilley, etc. I keep a poly fleece watchcap in my jacket, I love it. I sleep with it on in spring/fall camping. I'm also a big fan of hoods when it's real cold out.

Head and feet! You can almost run around nekkid if your feet and head are toasty warm and dry. On the other hand, I see lots of people trudging through the snow, shivering in a nice parka, with sneakers on and a bare noggin... duh! When I was a little kid I would fight not to wear a hat in winter... till I finally got a touch of frostbite on my ears. Lesson learned.
 
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