Me too.
Spur of the moment purchase at a local outfitter a couple of summers ago. Wide brimmed Patagonia. It works.
String, love the Seattle Sombrero for rain and cold, but it doesn’t matter how “old” the rain is.
I use visors because even vented hats are too hot. If I decide to wear a sun hat due to needing more of a brim (for weeding), I bought a straw “lifeguard hat” from NRS. It is not what you might assume. It is almost as brimmy as a Mexican sombrero. Not waterproof, so I won’t use it for paddling.
Visors aren’t much use if there is no hair on your head
I recommend the Riverz Delta straw hat (“techstraw” = polypropylene). It’s a C-crown fedora style, 3" brim holds up to wind well, good in the rain. Floats, washes clean (tar came off), has a chin strap, CoolMax sweatband, fairly well ventilated crown. Mine is 12 years old, might need to be replaced next year. Can be had in XXL, which is rare, has some style for a paddling hat, even more rare. There are a few other models, with up to a 5" brim: shop.sfhat.com/catalog/riverz-amphibious-hats
This is it on the left:
@string said:
Visors aren’t much use if there is no hair on your head
Sure they are. They help keep the sun out of your eyes.
@Rookie said:
@string said:
Visors aren’t much use if there is no hair on your headSure they are. They help keep the sun out of your eyes.
I believe the subject had become UV skin damage but eyes are important.
Are we splitting hairs? 
Or hares? :o
I’ve got a pile of wide brimmed paddling hats, because my wife goes to garage sales all the time. I thought her latest find would probably not be as practical as any of the others, but it felt right and for now it is my favorite. It’s a J-hat from Denmark (Safari) and my guess is that it would be pretty spendy if store bought. I forget what my wife said she paid for it, but she’s a tightwad when it comes to garage sales.
If it’s hot…and it usually is around here…I dip the hat in the water and re-install it. Cools the head down.
My Tilley is good at that, as long as the water is clear.
Evaporative cooling… I remember dessert bags that you would fill with water and hang them on the outside of your car to give you a supply of slightly cooled water should you need it…
Last time I needed a new hat I went to buy a Tilley, but was not impressed. The brims were too floppy and I was tired of paddling around with the brim pinned by the wind up against my forehead. I ended up buying a Sunny Day Charter hat.
I’ve been under that hat a few years now and it shows little sign of wear. The brim has never been pinned up against my forehead by the wind. One little extra this hat offers is the glasses-holder slots that do a really good job of holding my sunglasses when I need a place to put 'em. That is a handy feature I’ve added to my hat requirements.
~~Chip
This thread has been helpful to me. I bought an OR hat years ago; I guess it’s the Seattle Sombrero; and set it on a shelf because the brim was way too wimpy in the wind. After reading this thread I took a hat inventory and realized the hat may be lousy for paddling but still make a fine, dry land, birding hat. Both sides of the hat can be easily velcroed up and away from the ears… all the better to hear the birds. When the rain starts or the sun gets mean just un-velcro. Thanks for the inspiration, y’all.
@carldelo said:
I recommend the Riverz Delta straw hat (“techstraw” = polypropylene). It’s a C-crown fedora style, 3" brim holds up to wind well, good in the rain. Floats, washes clean (tar came off), has a chin strap, CoolMax sweatband, fairly well ventilated crown. Mine is 12 years old, might need to be replaced next year. Can be had in XXL, which is rare, has some style for a paddling hat, even more rare. There are a few other models, with up to a 5" brim: shop.sfhat.com/catalog/riverz-amphibious-hatsThis is it on the left:
My go to hat(s) are many like the one on the right.
Always get them free, and they do a good , especially for swatting mosquitos and flys.
if I lose one or wear one out, I just grab a new one from some salesman.
When I am drinking “Pain Killers” with Grayhawk the night after paddling with him it is an absolute must that I wear my Pusser’s British Rum hat compliments of him.
I even have a camo one that I won in a canoe race. I guess I am supposed to wear that if I am paddling in enemy territory, but normally wear it out in the woods when I am using my chain saw. That way I can be one of the “Real Mountain men” !
But my absolute favorites are several of my Adirondack 90 miler hats. If i die of skin cancer I want to be buried or cremated with the blue one on
In the warmer seasons especially, I like this Academy Boonie hat. It’s cotton so I can dunk it and it stays wet for a while. The 3 inch brim (I don’t like less here in Texas) has foam inside, which makes it float and provides stiffness. If you button up the sides in the wind, the front brim gets even stiffer. I maschine washed mine before. And it’s only 20 bucks. Mine’s olive, a color I don’t see right now on their website: