My army surplus Ripstop nylon/cotton (I think) boonie hat of 25 years has finally rotted clear through in spots. It’s still in one piece, but time to think about a replacement. It wasn’t real politically correct anyway with the shotgun shell (I assume) loops all the way around the hat. It looks approx like this http://www.militarygearhq.com/c1075.shtml
I’m looking for a replacement, not military looking, for summer and winter rain, sun, and doesn’t have to be removed for rolling in warmer water. Maybe a wider brim for more sun protection, as long as I can roll ok with it on.
What do you use or recommend?
OR has a bunch of sombreros that look interesting.
http://www.orgear.com/home/category/home/headware/rain_hats
Seattle Sombrero. I’ve seen several people wearing this one. It looks like a good possibility. Will the brim conform to (give way to) water flow when rolling, or act like a sea sock? I wish it came in some lighter, more visible colors, like the orange (alpenglow) shown for the Nimbus Sombrero.
Nimbus Sombrero. Same question on the brim conforming to water flow for rolling.
Nor’wester Sombrero. Campmour has a great sale on this one, $15. Yellow is a good safety color, pretty stark yellow though… Navy would be hot in the summer. Same question on brim conforming for rolling.
Snoqualmie Sombrero. This would keep my ears warm in the winter so I wouldn’t have to wear a scull cap underneath. Maybe simpler and more temperature regulating that taking the scull cap on and off as I heat up or cool off. Expensive. Black only. Not sure how the material would perform in the water. Same question on the brim. Probably not this one. I like the ear flaps though for winter. I could eliminate the scull cap and just carry the full hood for rolling.
If I want to replicate the boonie, I could go with the element bucket.
http://www.orgear.com/home/category/home/headware/sun_hats
Not as much sun protection as the sombreros. No bright colors. Just about as expensive as the sombreros. This would stuff in a pocket easy, store on deck easy, can roll fine with it.
OR Sun Runner cap is also interesting.
Thanks for any thoughts?
Paul S.
I’m So Vain
I probably think this thread is about me.
You gotta let the mirror tell you which hat to
wear.
My favorite
Basebal hat -free- from Wenonah - I just had to promise to wear it in races
cheers, and Happy New Year
JackL
seattle sombrero
i think I got something like that,size isn’t right, a little too tight but I like the wide brim for sun protection and it folds down better than my favorite straw hat. Nothing beats a wide brim. No suntan lotion above the cheek bones and when lotion wears off the neck at least it’s only reflected light hitting the head.
cap with cape
For sun, I like caps with back flaps, like this:
http://www.columbia.com/Product.aspx?top=6&prod=3125&cat=61030&viewAll=False
Seattle Sombrero good
Warm, waterproof.
It does fall off when rolling though. I suppose if you cinched the chin strap tight it would stay on.
Brim is pretty floppy
but probably better than nothing.
cabelas hats
http://cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/pod/standard-pod-wrapped.jsp?id=0030794&navCount=1&parentId=cat601378&masterpathid=&navAction=push&cmCat=MainCatcat21082-cat601378_TGP&parentType=index&indexId=cat601378&rid=
I really like these hats, getting myself the mesh one this summer to supliment my big warm felt/wool fedora that I use for hunting
Much cooler, nice brim and very solid construction
hat
A Tilley hat made in Canada. Great protection & lifetime guarantee
ultimate hats…
Made in Tampa Florida, I belive. I’ve had the same one for about five years and it’s doing very well. A bit lighter than a Tilley, but very similar in design and function. And less expensive.
http://www.ultimatehat.com/hats/
You didn’t say TILLEY did you?
Are you nuts or just new? Only elitist snobs wear Tilley’s . Everyone knows that the $10 WALLY WORLD SPECIAL IS A BETTER HAT. And a Critter is the most capable paddle craft made.
Geez, it just hit me.
All this time when people mentioned Wally World, they meant Walmart! I thought Wally World must be some great discount sports store chain that was be back East. Gosh, all the recommendations to buy stuff at Wally World that I missed in the past.
I stopped there on the way home from paddling just last Thursday. I was in a hurry because my daughter wouldn’t go in with me, as she opposes their employment practices, and I didn’t want to leave her waiting in the car long. I couldn’t find a boonie hat and none of the clerks know of one. Just ball caps, stocking hats, and maybe a few cowboy hats. I’ll check on line.
Paul S.
(frugal shopper)
Delta
I bought myself this for Xmas, Riverz Delta:
http://www.noggintops.com/page.cfm?p=156
It’s a nicely shaped C-crown straw fedora. The straw is woven polypropylene so it floats, rolls up and washes in soap and water. It has a webbing hat band and a chin strap that clips out of the way or to your pfd, I guess. Haven’t paddled with it yet but it’s comfortable and has a nice wide brim. Have no idea how it would do in a roll. It’s much lighter and cooler than my straw Stetson (which I would never wear on the water).
I ordered the nimbus sombrero.
Decided to try a larger brim than the boonie hat, aka bucket hat. Reportedly cooler than the seatle sombrero, for summer. When cold out, I’ll wear a scull cap under it. I like the alpenglo color. If I don’t like it, it will be easy to find a bucket hat.
Paul S.
Just Remember
It’s more important to look good than to feel good.
Boony hats are available at Army / Navy surplus stores. Around here they run about $8. I prefer the boony. They look good.
I WISH I looked good in a Tilley but it just ain’t happenin’.
Every girl crazy 'bout a sharp dressed man.
I look good in something clean cut
like a scull cap, or a surf hood with a short visor. But in air temps over 40 F, and in the summer with the sun beating down, that ain’t happenin’!
I ordered the sombrero from Eugene where my daughter goes to college. So if the mirror cracks, she can always return the sombrero for me.
Paul S.
Trust me …
I know some Tilly owners,and the chicks aren’t beating a path to their door. They just look good when paddling.
Happy Paddling billinpa
You haven’t seen My door!
Chicks beat a path to it all the time. My 2 daughters can’t wait to drop their kids here so they can go have a good time somewhere else.
hats and sun protection
Husband just had a group of pre-cancer skin patches taken care of on his face. Although we wear full brim hats on the water (including at times the much maligned Tilly) we failed to respect the advice about reflected rays from the water. So whatever hat you like to wear you still need to use sun block! I do like the Tilly and the Seattle Sombrero models with chin straps for windy days. My head is so round that baseball caps kind of pop off with a light breeze.
My vote
I lost my Tilley this summer. It was a fantastic hat, but sometimes things go. In trying to find a replacement, I couldn’t bring myself to shell out the big bucks.
A boonie hat was the best fitting of the cheaper options, so I used that for the rest of the year. I didn’t like it nearly as much because the one I got was black (hotter) and mostly nylon. Cotton canvas is far more comfortable in the heat, and holds its shape better.
I got a new Tilley for Christmas, so balance has been restored.
As an aside, if my family was starving, I’d shop at walmart. As they are not, I don’t. I don’t think I would enjoy a canoe trip as much surrounded by the products of exploitation.