It ain't about "fashion sense"...it's about style! <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

David

Style.... AAAArrrrrgggh. Oops, sorry. Touch of the old allergy there.....

I swear by my Tilley hat. I got it about 15 years ago and it is still going strong, I wear it fishing, hiking, anywhere. It covers the back of my neck and has a "secret" compartment where you can put some basics, like ID, a couple 20s, and if needed shirt-pocket survival kit.

It isn't waterproof, but it dries quickly and a simple baggie will protect whatever is in the compartment. I use the chin strap if I'm out on the water, so it has never fallen or blown off.

Another vote for the Tilley (which I bought when I was under 30!). It's awesome. A little chilly in 34deg rain, but then other options come out for the cold weather.

I prefer the model with the darker under-brim, to cut down on glare in bright sun. I also replaced the cotton shoe laces for the strap system with paracord and came up with my own knot system to adjust things back and forth.

It's been through some good times, Grand Canyon, Middle and Main Salmon Rivers in Idaho, Rogue and Illinois Rivers in Oregon, seakayaking in Canada, and various hikes in the northwest.

Here's a shot of the hat, though I'm still attached under the water...

How many different styles of hats can you see here? (Grand Canyon trip)


J

The solution is simple... Get your kid a Tilley too... Or at least something similar...
Do you want him to be the only one with the sunburn??? <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

He has two boonie hats, along with a slew of baseball caps. On that particular day, I'd just given him a ballcap from my undergraduate college. I meant for him to put it up & keep it, but he wanted to wear his new cap, & for me to wear one to match his.

After all, it was his day, so I did what he wanted. <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

David

My Tilley LT6 has been going strong for a couple of years now on countless backpacking and snowshoeing and hiking trips, crumpled up, sweat on, dropped in mud (and worse), washed and wrung out dozens of times...it always bounces back and looks close to new.

Here it is in 40-knot winds atop Castle Peak in the Sierra Nevada: