The Glade 4.0

OK, I've decided I need a new hat. I had an oilcloth hat that I really liked; had snaps on the side, so I could put the brim up for when I didn't need full protection. Nice and rain-proof, crushable, if a bit heavy, but I never felt it was too hot for hiking here in California, at least in the mountains. Lost it on vacation a couple of years ago and replaced it with an REI Taku (or something) hat. It's nylon, waterproof, with a wire brim that you can shape to your liking, but ... it just doesn't do it for me.

So, my mom (who loves Hammacher and Schlemmer catalogs) found a crushable leather hat that she wants to buy for me for Christmas, but it's about $80. Seems like a lot of money for a hat that I haven't seen ... So, now I'm looking around and having a great deal of trouble deciding what kind of hat I want. (I know, I could buy one of each, but I'm not that kind of guy. One hat, for most purposes, would be what I prefer.) So, I turn to my fellow ranger-types with a poll: What kind of hat do you prefer for sun- and rain-protection, and all-around hiking? It should be crushable or foldable, something I can stick in a bag or coat pocket when I don't feel like wearing it. Vote on!

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This cold and dark tormented hell
Is all I`ll ever know
So when you get to heaven
May the devil be the judge

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"It's real, grew up in trife life, the times of white lines
The hype vice, murderous nighttimes and knife fights invite crimes" - Nasir Jones

I think you need one of these...

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Darksiege
Traveller, Calé, Whisperer
Lead me not into temptation; for I know a shortcut

Something light that breaths.

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Raell Kromwell

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Holy shitsnacks!

Man, I wish I could type in Cyrillic, so I could say, "Nyet, u menya uzhe ushanki dvye, tri."

Those are also packed away, but I ain't gonna go hiking in that!

Allakhazam link doesn't work ... And, I do have a tin-foil fetish, but I'm not quite ready to come out of the closet yet.

_________________
This cold and dark tormented hell
Is all I`ll ever know
So when you get to heaven
May the devil be the judge

in all seriousness. If you liked the oilcloth hat you had... just get a new version. No point in changing something that isn't broken.

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Darksiege
Traveller, Calé, Whisperer
Lead me not into temptation; for I know a shortcut

/agree Darkseige, at least on the post directly above me.

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The U. S. Constitution doesn't guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up with it yourself. B. Franklin

"A mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone." -- Tyrion Lannister, A Game of Thrones

/agree with above

Where I live, I go with cotton, however that is climate specific.

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Memento Vivere

I have local knowledge.
That sandbar was not there yesterday!

OK, who picked felt?! Maybe that's what's making me hesitate - in addition to a foil fetish, I have a serious wool fetish. A crushable, breathable felt hat seems like it might be a winner, but I don't know anyone who has one. Maybe that's a sign ...

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This cold and dark tormented hell
Is all I`ll ever know
So when you get to heaven
May the devil be the judge

Check out the Tilley website. They have lots of styles and fabrics to choose from.

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"If you haven't got anything nice to say about anybody, come sit next to me." - Alice R. Longworth

"Good? Bad? I'm the guy with the gun." - Ash Williams

I tend to get army-surplus boonie caps.

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"Aaaah! Emotions are weird!" - Amdee
"... Mirrorshades prevent the forces of normalcy from realizing that one is crazed and possibly dangerous. They are the symbol of the sun-staring visionary, the biker, the rocker, the policeman, and similar outlaws." - Bruce Sterling, preface to Mirrorshades

for most of my hiking hunting and fishing I wear oilcloth, I just feel it's the best all a round headgear.

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History of the Condom
In 1272, the Muslim Arabs invented the condom, using a goat's lower intestine.
In 1873, the British somewhat refined the idea, by taking the intestine out of the goat first.

My favorite places to hike are around Arches national park in Moab, UT (I could hike on slickrock all day. It's like natural concrete). Not a ton of rain there, and generally warm weather.

I always recommend a hat that both covers your face and your neck, even if you are smart with sunscreen. I used a floppy brimmed hat that was either cotton or a very good synthetic or synthetic blend.

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Les Zombis et les Loups-Garous!

Were I capable of wearing hats without looking ridiculous, my choice would be very similar to : Driza-Bone Bush Hat

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Go back to zero, take a pill, and get well ~ Lemmy Kilmister

I think that is the same Hat that Arafys and I have a couple of.

I also have one in camo too.

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Darksiege
Traveller, Calé, Whisperer
Lead me not into temptation; for I know a shortcut

Yes, yes, this one. This is the hat I spoke of.

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Les Zombis et les Loups-Garous!

Nah. Ours are cloth/cotton boonie caps.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boonie_hat

MUCH cheaper, and not leatherish.

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Holy shitsnacks!

The bush hat I linked isn't leatherish, unless you mean in it's coloration; and while more costly than the plain cloth boonie hats, has the benefit of being waterproof.

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Go back to zero, take a pill, and get well ~ Lemmy Kilmister

Huh, that's an interesting hat. Thanks, I think I'll look into that.

_________________
This cold and dark tormented hell
Is all I`ll ever know
So when you get to heaven
May the devil be the judge

Hey, folks, just an update for all eleven (!) of you who visited this thread - I went for the Drizabone. But, I found it online for $35, rather than the $95 on the Rowland Ward "Great White Hunter" website.

Thanks for your suggestions. I'm very excited. Hopefully, it won't rain until after Christmas this year.

_________________
This cold and dark tormented hell
Is all I`ll ever know
So when you get to heaven
May the devil be the judge

Thats a pretty sweet hat and a great price too. Good find.

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"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Jesus of Nazareth

Thanks! I was rather proud of myself.

It's funny, that website had loads more info about the hat than the expensive one, too. I think the reason they're so cheap is that they're getting rid of them - note that they don't have the Large size.

_________________
This cold and dark tormented hell
Is all I`ll ever know
So when you get to heaven
May the devil be the judge

_________________
"It's real, grew up in trife life, the times of white lines
The hype vice, murderous nighttimes and knife fights invite crimes" - Nasir Jones

Busted! Site "apparently not appropriate for business purposes." Man, I need to start looking at links before I click on them.

_________________
This cold and dark tormented hell
Is all I`ll ever know
So when you get to heaven
May the devil be the judge