May I ask which tilley you have? I've been looking to get one for a while.

I favor cloth. I also think it holds up better AND although it may be a little warm in the summer, it is definitely warmer in the winter!

I love my hemp tilley!

Cloth is the way to go for me:

-You can fold it up and stuff it in your luggage if you travel.
-Cloth absorbs sweat which can keep you cooler AND keep the sweat out of your eyes (However, I found the Tilley not to be very good at the sweat out of the eyes thing).
-Cloth can be put into the washer after every hike, camp out, or what not if it gets grunged out.
-Cloth can be dunked in a stream to keep you cooler (or you can stick snow wrapped in a bandanna if you're up high and there are still snow banks).

HJ

It really isn't much of an investment of time or materials. A hat can be blocked into shape in a minute or two using scrap cardboard and newspaper. Seeing as that up north a straw hat would be seasonal it is easy to do this at first frost and letting it dry in the winter. A few minutes invested can double or triple the life of a valued hat and old friend.

But your right that a straw hat is cheap enough to be considered disposable, used as tinder, fed to the compost pile, or pensioned off to the scarecrow guarding the garden.

Over the years I have developed a preference for cloth.
I have found the biggest thing to make a difference is the width of the brim.

For the wide brim hats I also like the straw but I find they only last about a year before they have disintegrated.

I also found that the hats that are stiffened with plastics or other magic coatings uncomfortable.

If I was looking for a hat for the heat I think straw would be choice, second to my wide brimmed tilley.
I would be thinking of one of the cheap cowboy style ones that the Mexicans seem to like so much.
A full sombrero is likely overkill.

Another consideration is the inside band. I find plastic or elastic very uncomfortable. I like materials that soak up the sweat and help cool my head by evaporating it.

Boonies are the way to go,Comfortably cheap/cool/tough/effective,come in a wide variety of colors nowaday's,& A Skeeter bag fits perfectly over them,when the need arises! You just gotta' love em'!

Excellent thought.
I have been involved in some projects and trips that have resulted in me burning the hat involved, along with the clothing, maps, itineraries, receipts, souvenirs and, on one occasion, the vehicle. Very therapeutic. Recommend it highly-