Wilderness hats?

My go-to hat is my Filson packer, but during the heat of the summer I'll switch to a boonie hat. For waterproofing, there are some decent spray on applications. I can't remember what brand I used, but after one application, it lasted for a few months of repeated use and it most aren't bothered by scrunching up and stuffing into your pack.

ROCK6
 
Stormstaff said:
I've only had mine since Christmas but it seems pretty durable to me. As far as waterproof, I sprayed it with a couple of coats of canvas waterproofing. Light? Average weight I suppose. Chick-magnet? Well, it can start conversations I suppose. +10 to attributes? Only vs zombies.

Plus, since it's made from recycled tarps, you're helping the environment.
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Of all my hats I prefer my tarp hat. Took it on a two week motorcycle trip last September. Used bungee cords to strap/smash it to the top of my luggage. Held up like a champ. I like the low crown on this hat...looks a little less "old manish" even though I'm looking more "old manish" as the days go by.

As far as chick magnet...my wife says I need to be missing a front tooth and wear a wife beater with suspenders to match this hat. She strongly prefers that I don't wear it anyplace other than when I'm hiking. Oy!
 
I have the Filson packer and like it a lot. However, I have this old oiled canvas aussie hat (made in Australia by Foxfire) that gets used the most. It's a wider brim, about 2 3/4". It still looks decent and has taken a beating. I always go for walks in the rain and snow and this is the one I have on 90 percent of the time. You can smash it, roll it up, twist, stomp on it, whatever and it will shake out and still look ok. Heck, a girl at Subway actually gave it a compliment last week when I came through the drive through. (Made an old guy feel good!:D) I apply either Filson oil wax or something similiar now and then. I usually put it in the oven at about 250 and allow whatever I put on to soak in well. (I do the same with leather sheaths). I have my eye out for a nice new hat but can't find one that I like...yet. I've had this old hat for more than 15 years too. Boonie hats are good but they don't look good on me, lol. :o My vote would be for something with the oiled material.:thumbup:
 
I have a Cabelas lite felt hat that is great, being felt it sheds the rain, plus it's packable, plus it has ear flaps that fold down from inside, making it very versatile. The only thing i don't like about it is that the brim turns up quite a bit on the sides, I wish it was flatter.
 
JCavSD said:
Of all my hats I prefer my tarp hat. Took it on a two week motorcycle trip last September. Used bungee cords to strap/smash it to the top of my luggage. Held up like a champ. I like the low crown on this hat...looks a little less "old manish" even though I'm looking more "old manish" as the days go by.

As far as chick magnet...my wife says I need to be missing a front tooth and wear a wife beater with suspenders to match this hat. She strongly prefers that I don't wear it anyplace other than when I'm hiking. Oy!
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Your wife and my wife must be related somehow. She says the same thing
 
I have tons of hats and use whatever one seems to work with the route and predicted weather.


I used to have one of these when I was a kid in the 70's and bought one again when they were reissued.

http://www.predatorpee.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=LE&Category_Code=Crusher

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Love my Tilley. I think it's the LTM6 Airflo or something like that, the one with the vents. Superb hat. :thumbup: I also like the nifty lil pocket on the inside.

I had a boonie, but for me the Tilley is just more comfortable and provides more protection. It might have been because the boonie was off ebay though, perhaps not quality like 5.11 or something.
 
My Tilley T3 is by far my favorite wilderness hat. I've had it since 1989 so it's practically a part of my family at this point. I've worn it from the Grand Canyon to the Colorado Rockies to the Adirondacks to coastal waters off Maine. Aside from slight sweat discoloring around the band area it's practically as good as new. In fact, IMO, it's better than new because it keeps getting more and more broken in with age. My only complaint is that in the hot, humid weather of a northeast summer it can get too warm, but you could say that for most hats. I'd like to eventually get another Tilley made of their breathable nylon for summer but I'm in no real hurry. There are a lot of hats out there that would serve any outdoorsman well. For me, it's my Tilley.
 
The last one I bought was in a hole in the wall army navy place in the boonies here in Ga. Have you checked Brigade Quartermaster?
 
i've found a french style Beret (NOT a military one) to be very handy in cold climes. you can kind of shape it so it gives you a bit of a peak on it.

otherwise, a good old Gumby hat (Americans call it a boonie) is about all i can come up with.
 
I usually dont wear hats that have brims while in the bush. I dislike anything that obstructs my vision in any direction, even upwards. In warm areas or during summer months I usually wear a synthetic moisture wicking bandana and in cooler climates or fall/winter months I might layer up with any combination of a thin wool beanie and/or a thicker heavier beanie, depending on the situation. I usually always have something covering my head just to keep little beasties out. Brims do me no good at all, as I usually have sunglasses on anyway. I have no problem with rain... if it starts spitting, the sunglasses are stored away and I enjoy the shower!
 
I didn't buy the tarp hat because I really wanted to make sure I had a good fit before I dropped $40 so I went hat shopping today. I found a couple of really niceOutback oilcloth hats that were really nice but weren't my size. I tried on a Tilley but I wasn't a huge fan of the brim. After about a couple of hours, I settled on a Henschel leather hat which is supposed to be fairly water resistant. I think I might be able to treat it with something to improve it's wet weather performance.

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I have a Read Deal tarp hat and love it. I also wear a couple of boonie type hats. Here is a pic of the Real Deal.... Don't be skeerd of the ugly mug under it....
 
rksoon said:
Love my Tilley. I think it's the LTM6 Airflo or something like that, the one with the vents. Superb hat. :thumbup: I also like the nifty lil pocket on the inside.
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+10!! Joezilla sold me on that one, and it was worth EVERY cent!
 
I broke down today at Cabelas and bought an Outdoor Research Helios. I had been aiming to buy something on the order of a Panama, but saw this and I think I made a good choice. It was better looking than the Tilley they stock at about 40% of the price. I'm going to Nicaragua on March 1st so I'll see how it works.
 
I wear Stetson. Soft and comfy when broken in. Can be made small. Carries water (very handy at times). Maybe a little hot in the summer, but not that big a problem.
 
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