| 696 | Tilley LTM6 Airflo Hat | 2012-08-29 |
I have spent about as much of my life as possible outside. I have tried to use sunscreen, but have not found any product that will stay on my skin when I sweat. Instead of relying on sunscreen, I try to cover up with clothing. Of course, on warm days that makes me sweat even more, but it does keep the sun off.
This summer I changed from wearing a baseball type visor cap to a brim cap. I have tried brim caps before, but I have a big head and the one size fits all - really seems to be a one size fits most hat. They don't fit me at least! Finally this summer on a visit to an REI in Albuquerque, I found a good hat.
The store had a rack full of hats. What I thought was going to be a simple, oh, that one looks fine - shopping experience, turned into a lengthy process. There were several hats that seemed worthy of covering on my balding head, but the bottom line was, the Tilley fit me best. The sized hat was even roomy enough to allow me to add a thin knit hat underneath, in colder weather.
A few Tilley notes ...
The hat has a mesh vent at the top. It was still hot for me, but probably would be adequate for most folks.
The brim is semi-stiff. It is about two and half inches wide on the sides and three and a quarter inches wide on the front and back. It provides shade.
I have squished the hat in the tent, in the vehicle, and in my pack, but it still holds it's shape.
An easy to adjust strap holds the hat to your head. There are two strap loops on the hat. Put one loop under your chin and the other behind your head. Pull on the rear loop and the chin strap cinches. Pull on the chin strap and the loop loosens.
It is washable, but after two months of constant wear, I haven't deemed it broken in enough to remove any of the memories yet!
The hat is "insured against loss and guaranteed for life." (Quotes are taken from the label inside the hat)
The hat also "floats, ties on, repels rain, blocks UV rays, and won't shrink."
Finally the Tilley is "handcrafted with Canadian persnicketiness." Any hat made with persnicketiness has to be a good one.
The best feature of the hat is my wife Amy likes it too!
REI has a lot of good sun shade hats, but if you want a great hat, look at the Tilley, I don't think you'd be disappointed.
Happy shaded hat trails