Just to add to the chorus: Tilley. Had mine for more than 10 years, and I have never felt guilty about abusing it! The only time I don't wear it is if I know I'm going to be out in wet weather for extended periods, when I switch to a Filson oilcloth hat.

As to the UV protection, may I be so bold as to suggest that your priorities are skewed? We're now learning (most recent data, according to my RN brother) that the danger of colon cancer from too little vitamin D (which the body makes when exposed to UV radiation) is greater than the risk of melanoma from too much sun exposure. (I won't even touch the subject of exposure to the chemicals used to provide UV protection in cloth...) It seems that the people who have been paranoid about avoiding sun exposure over the last couple of decades are contracting colon cancer at a much greater rate.

Just a thought....

-=[ Grant ]=-