Tilley sizing question

[Archie]

I'd like to hear from Tilley owners about hat fitting. The information from Tilley--

"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."

--sounds great, except for one thing. What happens when you bend over or dip your head? Held on by gravity doesn't sound so good when gravity isn't pulling towards your head.

Hats falling off when I bend over is annoying; I don't want to have to think about my hat when I'm wearing it. Is this an issue, or does the hat stay secure. Has anyone ordered their real size (not a size larger than usual) for a more traditional hat fit?

 

[DaveH]

I bought a hat for myself, based on the measurments, and it fit OK. It will stay on when bending down.

However my wife wanted one so we measured and ordered. WHen it came it generally fit but she wanted to do the fit test as you described above. We ended up sending that one back as swwell as 2 larger sizes we ordered.

I don't know if they no longer make hats to their supposed hat size, or there test is just not good. Beats me.

Wife took my hat so I'm dreading ordering a replacement.

They are niceon the phone though.

 

[Point44]

the easiest way of ordering a hat is just measuring your head and then use the calculator on their website.

when you're doing more active stuff just use the windcord.

 

[Sid Post]

The LT3 synthetic hat is slightly looser then the others so, order it 1/8 size smaller. Otherwise, take a tape measure and use the Tilley formula and you will get the hat size you want.

I followed their instructions exactly and have 3 Tilley hats. The only hat that did not fit exactly was the Synthetic LT3. I have tried on almost all the hats they make at one time or another in sporting good stores so, I feel confident in the sizing information.

Falling off when you bend over? Never has happened to me.

High winds - The 4 inch brim acts like a sail so, in 30+ MPH winds I need to use the "shoelaces" as designed or my hand to keep it from blowing away. The Synthetic LT3 will just fold the brim so, in similar winds it may come off after folding the brim and catching more wind. The short brimmed model is good in the gusty winds and hasn't been lost. At some point it will need the shoe laces but, winds over 30MPH are unpleasant and I'm heading indoors. YMMV

 

[Bronco]

I'm with Point44 and Sid on this one. I followed the instructions and ended up with a perfect fit. It's also worth mentioning that if you buy one of the natural fiber hats all you have to do is wash it and then you can fine tune the fit during the minor stretching process.

 

[mycroftt]

Tilley hats come with a cord to tie it on. They don't fall off or blow off - you can wear one skydiving and not lose it.

I usually wear a 7 3/4 or 7 7/8 but my Tilley's are size 8 (T3 and LT5). They fit fine.

 

[Yahmanin]

Anyone have a winter tilley? I've been eyeballing one at Noggintops, looks like a nice cold weather lid, ear flaps and all, just like my old field cap.