What hat for the mountains?

bulgron said:
mtwarden: How does that felt behave when it gets wet? Does it deform?

Also, when I hike with a baseball hat on I end up with a 'salt line' after it dries out. Usually I have to throw the hat into the washing machine. Have you ever had that happen to your stetson? How do you clean it if you do?

Basically, I think I want a fur felt hat, but I also don't want to spend a lot of money on it if I'm going to trash the thing from sweat and rain. On the other hand, the old cowboys wore fur felt hats, so they should be able to take the abuse.

The Tilley TH4 or the Dorfman are my fall-back hats, simply because I'm unsure of the behavior of fur felt.
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with heavy rain they can deform a little, no biggie they dry out just fine, give it a brushing once in awhile- after some use it's not going to be your go to sunday meeting hat :)- they gain a little character

for hot weather a Tilley is going to be a better choice, but covering 30-70 degrees in the mountains, I prefer felt
 
lol. Now I'm back to the fur felt hat idea. :D

Basically, I think I need to get a Tilly AND an Akubra and then pick the right hat for whatever the weather forecast says its going to be when we get there.

sigh

Nothing is easy, is it?
 
tknife said:
I'm surprised to hear this. I thought they had already been out in all kinds of weather and would keep their same shape? I love mine to death, though I haven't gotten it wet.
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Same experience here, and I've had it wet a few times. I like that it has a fairly low crown.
 
tknife said:
I'm surprised to hear this. I thought they had already been out in all kinds of weather and would keep their same shape? I love mine to death, though I haven't gotten it wet.
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Could be I was just unlucky with mine. It was too small to begin with, I had to stretch it to get it to fit. Either mine was a fluke, or they run small... the XL size definitely fit more like a L. Once it got wet and was left to dry in the sun, it shrunk back and a little beyond the size it was initially to the point where I couldn't even comfortably wear it long enough to stretch it.

It also had an area where the brim was cut improperly so it didn't get stitched into the hat for a few inches, which was right above the left temple and let rain through easily.

It really was the funky smell that it took on after getting wet that made me give up on it, though.

My Grizzly hat from Outback Trading Co. is my current rain hat, although it is a bit much for hot weather.
 
I wore a felt hat for a long time, never had it deform. Was great in the rain and cold too. But, for anything in the 70's or above, I prefer my Tilley LT6. Sheds rain like a champ, and breathes remarkably well because of the airflow crown. Not as good as a straw hat, but IMO the Tilley is the choice for the wide range of temps you're specifying.
 
Felt is nice, although the only felt hat I have is made of rather heavy felt and is pretty warm for most hiking.

To be honest my boonie is the most comfortable hat I have. Not the ideal rain shedding hat but it will keep it from running down the back of your neck just fine. Light, very comfortable, and cheap.

Have a Filson Tin Cloth hat that I have been wearing on and off for a while. Not the most comfortable hat I own but certainly the most waterproof. It doesn't breathe all that well but makes a pretty dang spiffy mountain hat. That is the one I have been wearing on backpacking trips lately.
 
Filson makes a summer weight hat that is pretty nice, patterned after the tin cloth hat- pretty snazzy :)
 
Where I live, the temp varies a lot, too. I went w/ a nylon Tilley with a wide brim (LTM6 Airflo) because it's perfect for all weather I am likely to be in short of a real downpour (in which case I'd be wearing the hood of my hardshell anyway) or super cold (in which case I'd be wearing a beanie). So, for me, a lightweight Tilley is ideal.
 
My Tilley Airflow is the best hat I've owned. My next hat will be the hemp version. The Tilley airflow is a bit floppy in high winds, the brim has a wire in the outer edge, but it's a lightweight hat. Get it wet in hot weather, or add a bandana in colder weather.
 
I like my Outback Trading Company Willis. I may get a boonie hat for hot summer weather though. It can be a tad warm but totally waterproof and very comfortable.
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Second vote for the Seattle Sombrero. I have had mine for 10+ years. It never leaks and breathes nicely.
 
I bought a Dorfman Pacific All Season Crushable Hat from REI. $40, waterproof, warm and cool, and doesn't blow off my head. Great stuff.
 
I have a wool felt hat that I wear hunting in the winter and mowing in the summer. Hasn't deformed in the rain. I took off the leather band and replced it with cobra stitched paracord.
 
For backpacking in the high Sierras, I've been happy with baseball hats. Most of the peeps I saw on the JMT were wearing hats with brims all the way around, tho.

Baseball hat wearers should invest in fresh Neutrogina SPF 70, and maybe a scarf.
 
If you do go for an Akubra , consider one of the open crown models that you can apply a personal touch to (and some style as well ).

Maybe like the campdraft or the Federation IV (Similiar to Indies hat ).
 
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