I enjoy a nice hat so spending 60 bucks on a hat is ok with me. I paddle a canoe through class I & II waters here in S. Texas. In the past 6 months I’ve lost two hats. One a Columbia $15 and most recently one paddle trip with an REI $25. I really liked that one because it had a stiff brim. My most recent loss was due to a 3 foot free fall into a hole. The hat didn’t float so it was gone. Do I just need to stow the hat when approaching a rapid or is there a way to secure them so that they stay with you?
Any recomendations besides the Tilley?
Thanks. Dwayne
Or, yoy could try a Tilley
They float (nominally) and have a limited loss/replacement warranty. Brims actually get stiffer when wet.
Jim
Tilley
Mine has a chin strap that I normally keep tucked inside the hat. I’ll use the straps on a windy day.
Andy
Crokies
http://www.croakies.com/headgear/lidlatch/default.htm
Either you use the Lid latch above to secure it to you…OR…
http://www.croakies.com/eyewearretainers/eyewearsport/float/default.htm
You use the floatation for eyewear as a sleeve you thread the retaining straps, (Neckcords) through…If the croakies will float your glasses the hat should float as well…
Wal-Mart sells cord like float retainers for glasses fairly cheap…use them.
Columbia
with a 3.1457legnth of single strand 14 guage wire pushed into the outer rim of the brim. keeps it stiff and allows you to lash up emergency repairs with wire . If you lose it it is stll cheap to replace…
Outdoor Research Somberero
Very comfortable hat with draw string.
Boony With A Drawstring
The brim isn’t very stiff, but stiff enough to keep the ears from getting burned. $7 or so.
I wont mention
Tilley since it’s been mentioned before…
oh, and did anyone mention the floating and replacement part?
Shouldn’t you be wearing a helmet
in three foot holes? Kidding. The Tilley hats have two straps, one under chin and one over back of head so wind is taken care of for the most part. You can get gator clips and clip the back of the hat to your clothing also. You can also remove the thin closed cell foam in the hat top and add a little thicker closed cell foam if you wanna.
Wear a Tilley for most OC-1 WW
and if the drawstring is adjusted properly, it does not blow off. The chin loop and the back-of-head loop are not tight, but when the hat starts to lift in the wind, the two loops keep it from departing.
I could wish for a stiffer brim on the Tilley. And maybe a beeper to remind me I am about to leave it in a rental cabin. (That was my first one.)
OR
I have a gore-tex Outdoor Research ball cap, that I love. It keeps your head dry in the rain, the sun out of your eyes, the brim flips up for that dorky volley-ball player look, and the velcro adjustment keeps it on your head in a gale.
THe best part? You don’t look like a Crocodile Dundee wanna-be.
Just kidding!
I was out in 30 mph winds with higher gusts yesterday, and it never budged.
Zippo
Hat tether
I fixed my problem of losing hats by purchasing what I call my “hat tether”. It is composed of approximately a 7" length of cord the same size as an eye glass cord, not counting the knots, used to fasten it to two ½" X 1¼" metal clips like those found on ID cards some companies require their employees to wear. It has a small leather tag on the cord with the name “CHISCO”.
I forget the stores name in Traverse City, MI. where it was purchased, but it was a paddling shop. I believe it was under $10. A fabric shop would most likely carry the materials to make one.
I clip one end to my hat and the other to my PFD. Now when it’s windy, it may fly off but not away. When we stop for lunch breaks while paddling it also doesn’t get left behind. Anymore!
Check it out!
Indiana Jones
I saw an out-take of the making of one of these films. Harrison Ford picked up a staple gun, applied it to the hat band while wearing hat, problem solved. (Disclaimer-Don’t try this.)
Taj
You Can Never Go Wrong…
…with one of these, particularly if you’re paranoid about losing a hat.
http://zapatopi.net/afdb.html
Tilley hats
If your self image is so fragile that you can’t wear one of the best hats made for outdoor sun protection, there are many other outdoor hats sold. I know because I have bought most of them trying to overcome the one fault of the Tilley- they are hot in on hot humid days. All the alternative hats are also hot and I have always ended up going back to the Tilley. I used the first Tilley I bought (over twenty years ago) for so many days paddling that the liner wore out. I sent it back and it was relined for free about 15 years after I bought it. Bought a new one when they came out with a model with a wider and stiffer brim.
They come with a wide shoelace inside that can be snugged against against the back of your head for days with a moderate wind. When you are paddling on days when there is a very strong wind, the same lace can be looped under your chin as a chin strap. On most days I just tuck the laces inside and don’t use them. Tilley hats are supposed to be bought oversized to improve comfort. Helps for comfort (not restrictive) with loose fit. Doesn’t help much to reduce heat so I dunk mine in the water and then put it back on wet.
If you can’t bare the thought of wearing a hat that became common because it was such a superior product, buy a white one and dye it lavender, paint the grill of a Hummer on the front, stick a plastic flower through one vent hole, cover it with NASCAR patches, be creative! Then you can use this superior product and not think others are seeing you as just another Tilley headed uncool person. I don’t live my life based on what others think, so I wore my white one for so many years and I now wear a buff colored one that doesn’t show every stain like the white one does.
Ultimate Hat
Ultimate Products makes a Tilley knock off that floats and has a double chin and head strap. They have a lifetime warranty which I have used twice when the hat eventually wore out.
I agree!
– Last Updated: May-02-05 8:32 PM EST –
It's better to look stupid, than to be stupid. ;-)
Dan
http://www.westcoastpaddler.com
*****
hat holders
try woodscrews
I use "stampede strings"
on my SunBody palm straw cowboy hat 
Just like “Lonesome Dove”