What is the best material, features and design for a hot weather hat? I'm looking for tips and recommendations.
Materials:
- 100% cotton
- 60/40 poly-cotton
- nylon with waterproof breathable features
- leather (cowboy hats)
A brim that ideally extends beyond the tip of your nose when you fold it on your face (a way for measuring a well fitting hat for adequate protection against the tree branches) but shorter brimmed hats like bucket hats or military boonie hats also have their merits such as for accommodating a moskito head net and also look more low profile and are more compact. (I may end up with two hats)
So now I'm looking at $20 military type boonie hats (knockoffs made by different manufacturers such as Propper, Tru-Spec, Mil-Spex, Parklands, Rothco, to name a few...) I've seen 100% cotton rip stop and a combo 65% polyester / 35% cotton. Is it better 100% cotton?
Or for just a few more dollars, should I go with a Outdoor Research bucket hat (probably nylon) which has a UPF rating and a Coolmax headband such as these models?
Is it such an important feature to have a high UPF rating on a nylon hat? I know that a new t-shirt without UV treatment for example offers a UPF of about 15. And I'm keeping in mind that nylon or polyester is a melting plastic type of material.
A feature I'm also considering is that it should be crushable yet stiff enough to be used as a fanning device in hot and humid conditions or to help getting a a fire going. The Propper brand military boonie hat 100% cotton rip stop met this requirement.
A chin strap with adjustable slider or cordlock is obviously a must. I've seen $20 "mallwear" cotton bucket hats without a chin strap and the MEC ranger hat with a chin strap but without an adjustable leather slider or cordlock (although one can add it later). But their 100% cotton ranger hats weren't stiff enough for my taste.
I've seen dark brown oiled cotton hats. What is the function of oiled cotton? Is it for waterproofing the tissue? And what type of oil is used? It feels damp when you touch it. It also makes a heavier hat. It's probably a too specialized hat for what I'm looking for.
I'm aware the Outdoor Research Seattle sombrero have been recommended here. It would probably be the best rain hat but actually my first concern is protection from the sun in hot weather.
Canadian made Tilley hats have also been recommended here but they are just too expensive and I would feel guilty crushing them or fastening the front brim with a safety pin like the chef in the movie "Apocalypse Now" for instance.
Thank you
Frankie