Good Hat for Kayaking???

Well I lost my OR helios hat today and am looking for a replacement. It was a pretty good hat for paddling, but not perfect which is why I am asking for advice. What I did like about it is that it did not blow off my head in high winds, and stayed on my head when rolling. Also provided a 360 degree brim for sun protection.



Can anyone recommend a good hat to me? Lots of them out there, but just wondering what people out there like.



Here are my preferences (yeah I’m pretty much looking for the ideal hat):



-won’t blow off your head in 20-25 knott winds

-had a neck cord in the event that it does come off

-made of supplex or similar material

-preferably has a brim that goes all the way around and that provides some shading for the back of the neck

-won’t come off when rolling

-preferably does not make you look like a complete dork (although you can’t have everything)





Matt

I am wearing my Nomex suit.
So I answer…



































a Tilley!



Jim

Kokatat makes a hat …
… Out of goretex that sounds interesting … breathable and waterproof. Anyone have one?

I do.
Similar to the OR Seattle Sombrero, it fit my mellon-head better. Great rain hat (sou’wester design) but I would sweat buckets if I were to wear it in the sun.



Jim

Hate to say it…
But traded my Tilley for a Watership. Larger brim and better fitting band at about half the price…



http://www.watership.com/

LTM6 Airflo
A Tilley will stay on as you wish in wind, surf and rolling. Above model is nylon, well ventilated and has a nice wide brim. Now that you are a fancy pants BCU 4* dude, the Canadian design is almost British :wink: Can’t beat the warrantee either.

Probably not what you want to hear
but I’m too damned cheap for a $35.00 hat



I like the shape and brim of the watership’s, and the Tilley’s seem to be well constructed.



What I end up doing is grabbing a flea market full brim special with a neck cord etc. Usually some Camo pattern with snap up sides (which I rarely use) About 2 to 3 dollars. Beat the hell out of it for the summer, and if it gets lost - - Oh well.



–or–



Pick up a decent full brim straw hat from some cheap tack shop. Air conditioned, big brim, neck chord, cheap as hec, and beat on it all summer.



The only time I’m gonna pay top dollar for a hat, It better say Stetson or Master Hatters of Texas.








I have two favorites…
A baseball cap with a bandanna over the neck, and a US military, desert sand, boonie hat, wide brimed. Neither will blow off if they fit right and both block sun very well.

If you pay more than $12 for either, you got had.

Your local Army/Navy store will have lots of hat choices.

Not exactly what you speced, but
I just got an OR sun runner. It’s very light and stays on very well when rolling, much more so than the OR nimbus sombrero. I need to sew a chin strap in just for rock solid attachment to my head. I’ve only had it on two trips, but so far I like it over my nimbus for sun. Don’t know about rain yet. The sun runners were at REI so I could try it on before I bought.



Paul

Magellan, a house brand of Academy,
regional sporting goods store. $15, mesh for cooling in the crown, and it floats. UPF of 30. Hard to beat. My first one lasted two years before I lost it.

Boony or is it Boonie
Just go to the Army surplus store and get a boony for $8. Lots of colors to choose from and at $8 it’s practically disposable.

I really like my Tilley after 3 seasons.
The Watership looks like it is a good one also.

Me noggin’ bag

– Last Updated: Aug-01-07 8:07 AM EST –

Whaan ah' canoo it's a Tilley in dry, oiled Filson Bush hat in wet.


FE

Dammit, Jim. I'm a canoeist - not a kayaker.
"Bones" McCoy - Spam Trek

Polypro straw hat

– Last Updated: Aug-01-07 8:42 AM EST –

Riverz Delta - awesome hat, fedora shape, cool, floats, crushable

http://www.noggintops.com/page.cfm?p=156

Much lighter than a Tilley, which I'm not allowed to wear because that's what the father in law wears....

Baseball cap. Preferrably BoSox.

Ditto on Watership
I have a Seabird Wind and I’m extremely happy with it.

This one’s for Redmond…
Kavu Chilba

T5 Tilley
my current one has survived for going on 6 years and has only blown off my head once. The brim is designed so that it curves down in the front and back so normally the wind kind of pushes down on the brim.

your last criterion
rules out the tilleys

Kokatat Sunwester
I have one of these and it’s great. The brim is stiff enough so it doesn’t fly up in a strong wind, has an adjustible chin strap and it floats.



http://www.kokatat.com/product_detail.asp?code=snw