Gore-tex, eVent, etc. Hats for Hiking

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Kirk_Ferentz

Joined
Feb 16, 2010
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589
Anyone have any experience with hats made of high tech fabrics like gore-text, eVent, etc. in outdoor situations? I have been wearing a newer multicam boonie that has served me well, but I have always wanted to get something with a larger brim, and while I think it does a decent job ventilating, my guess is that there are better performers out there. I also doubt that it would do very well in terms of keeping my head dry in a downpour.

Anyway, thought that maybe hats with these materials would do a good job of keeping the sun and water off my head, face, and neck while doing a good job of ventilating. Given the high cost though, wanted to see if anyone had any opinions on whether the pricetag is worth it. Thanks.
 
I can't really fault the Lowe Alpine Mountain Cap in Gore-Tex. Lowe made the same design in their Triplepoint fabric at .66 the price. I gather they are good too but I like Gore-Tex.Totally waterproof even in the most hideous storm. Just enough insulation to take the edge off [you usually don't need very much in something that is virtually windproof, and when it's so cold you do it can't rain] making it light and easy to scrunch down into a pocket .Adjustable for those times you do want to pull up your silk headover under it, or even go the whole hog with a Helly Hansen balaclava under. Superb wired peak that can be popped up out the way. Ear flaps can be pushed up too. And it's a truly excellent shape to have on your head in howling wind. There's nothing extraneous for wind to get a purchase on. The shaping makes it great to slip your hood up over as well. I suppose in theory it could be improved by having a long neck section like a desert hat so that water runs down and over your collar when you wear it more casually, but that's stretching the imagination. Realistically about the only decent type of wet weather hat I've seen that'll stop that neck water run off during casual use is the Outdoor Research Seattle Sombrero, but screw having one of those on my head when it's blowing a gale. In short, after years of using these I can't fault them and if I knew of something better I'd own it already. That said, I've pointed a few folks that don't want to shell out for those in the direction of surplus.These Gore-Tex jobbies are about 12 quid if you shop around.
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A Tilley T-3 is the best hat I've ever found... just made of cotton duck but it should outlast you.
 
I'll add that if the weather conditions are clement enough that I don't need a hat of the design I described above I just ignore it. My brimmed hat is a linen boonie, and if it is mild enough that I can wear a brimmed hat without the wind tugging at it it can get wet and dry on my head for as many cycles as it likes before I get bored, fancy a break, and pull mah hood up.
 
Kirk_Ferentz said:
Anyone have any experience with hats made of high tech fabrics like gore-text, eVent, etc. in outdoor situations? I have been wearing a newer multicam boonie that has served me well, but I have always wanted to get something with a larger brim, and while I think it does a decent job ventilating, my guess is that there are better performers out there. I also doubt that it would do very well in terms of keeping my head dry in a downpour.

Anyway, thought that maybe hats with these materials would do a good job of keeping the sun and water off my head, face, and neck while doing a good job of ventilating. Given the high cost though, wanted to see if anyone had any opinions on whether the pricetag is worth it. Thanks.
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You just described the Seattle Sombrero. Good hat and I like mine a lot. Had it in 100+F for shade and in a pretty good rain kept dry. Mine is multicam.
 
I had an or gore tex seattle sombrero hat. It is built well, heavier weight. It was hot as hell in the summer. It was great for the rain but it was like wearing a space heater. Brim is solid and big. I loved it in the rain and hated it in the sun. So I started looking. I looked along time and found a marmot.

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It's light, waterproof, magnetic flaps, cool, and cheap. It's the precip hat. It seems to get mixed reviews but I like it. Fits my medium head well. Brim isnt heavy so it might not do well in a heavy down pour then again I don't want to be in a direct heavy down pour!
 
baldtaco-II said:
I can't really fault the Lowe Alpine Mountain Cap in Gore-Tex. Lowe made the same design in their Triplepoint fabric at .66 the price. I gather they are good too but I like Gore-Tex.Totally waterproof even in the most hideous storm. Just enough insulation to take the edge off [you usually don't need very much in something that is virtually windproof, and when it's so cold you do it can't rain] making it light and easy to scrunch down into a pocket .Adjustable for those times you do want to pull up your silk headover under it, or even go the whole hog with a Helly Hansen balaclava under. Superb wired peak that can be popped up out the way. Ear flaps can be pushed up too. And it's a truly excellent shape to have on your head in howling wind. There's nothing extraneous for wind to get a purchase on. The shaping makes it great to slip your hood up over as well. I suppose in theory it could be improved by having a long neck section like a desert hat so that water runs down and over your collar when you wear it more casually, but that's stretching the imagination. Realistically about the only decent type of wet weather hat I've seen that'll stop that neck water run off during casual use is the Outdoor Research Seattle Sombrero, but screw having one of those on my head when it's blowing a gale. In short, after years of using these I can't fault them and if I knew of something better I'd own it already. That said, I've pointed a few folks that don't want to shell out for those in the direction of surplus.These Gore-Tex jobbies are about 12 quid if you shop around.
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I have the old Triplepoint Mountain cap, great piece of kit but it has to be really cold or you just boil up !

I think you will find the over-heating to be a problem with all hats of this kind. Unless it's really cold I just go with a wool watch cap and put up with the dampness.

I also have the cap made by Paramo clothing, this may be the closest to ideal for the situations you mention.:thumbup:

http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=...n&safe=active&sa=N&gbv=2&tbm=isch&um=1&itbs=1
 
Plenty of hats keep enough rain off your head, yet still will make you sweat, if hiking. I have a Tilley(lightweight version), some boonies in 50/50 NYCO, a Gore-Tex jacket or two, and I sweat in all of them.
Cold and raining, standing still, I'll put on the hood. If I'm hiking, I'm going to sweat, I might as well get wet. I'll just stick with a boonie or my Gore-Tex jacket. Breathable barriers just won't breathe well enough to justify their cost, unless you live in Seattle.
 
pitdog said:
I have the old Triplepoint Mountain cap, great piece of kit but it has to be really cold or you just boil up !I think you will find the over-heating to be a problem with all hats of this kind. Unless it's really cold I just go with a wool watch cap and put up with the dampness.I also have the cap made by Paramo clothing, this may be the closest to ideal for the situations you mention.:thumbup:http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=...n&safe=active&sa=N&gbv=2&tbm=isch&um=1&itbs=1
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I take your point about them being warm, which is why I followed up with my second comment about just wearing the linen hat and ignoring it in mild weather. That said, if you are smart with your clothing selection you can make that work for you. If the head, hands, and feet are warm they aren't sucking heat from your core, and that means you need a lot less on the torso and that's liberating. Even on the tredder where I build up a good head of steam I can use that hat very effectively in conditions where others have sought comfort in woolly midlayers or heavy jackets. Thinking your clothing through as a system does much to alleviate those sorts of problems. I don't tend to suffer them at all................................Further, there's not just temperature and location to consider. Don't you find that after a few days out with a big bergan, down to the packet food, and getting battered, your clothing system feels very different to how it does covering a few miles a day cross country with the Wellingtons on dog walking? I sure find that. Stick a down vest in the bottom of your pack and you might not use it for the first couple of days even when spending long evenings loafing. After a few days of taking a hammering you'll be damn glad you've got it though even if the weather and terrain hasn't changed much. Same with this hat, especially since you know that that sod's law tells you you'll be at your weakest and crossing a boggy section up above the trees when a storm whips up................................I've not bought a Paramo hat because I don't have a niche for one. Between my Buffalo hood, that Lowe hat, and jacket hoods there really isn't a spot for one. I've no reservations about their gear though. I still get my yearly invite from Paramo to go out to their place. Good kit.
 
foxx said:
Plenty of hats keep enough rain off your head, yet still will make you sweat, if hiking. I have a Tilley(lightweight version), some boonies in 50/50 NYCO, a Gore-Tex jacket or two, and I sweat in all of them.
Cold and raining, standing still, I'll put on the hood. If I'm hiking, I'm going to sweat, I might as well get wet. I'll just stick with a boonie or my Gore-Tex jacket. Breathable barriers just won't breathe well enough to justify their cost, unless you live in Seattle.
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I have to agree. My wife used an REI eVent hat when we were up in Washington this past summer and it worked well. Back down here in GA, the humidity doesn't help. These are cold, wet-weather hats. I use a synthetic ball cap (from Khul), my OCP boonie or my Tilley Airflo.

ROCK6
 
I have a Lowe Alpine Mountain Cap in Gore-Tex, which cost quite a lot of money. I've worn it a few times because, like Pitdog, I find it too warm. Most of the time a simple watch cap does me, and it cost me a tiny fraction of what the Mountain Cap did. The Buffalo hoods are fantastic, but also very warm of course. I've not tried the Paramo cap, but unlike Gore-Tex, the fabric will transport sweat, so if the design is good (and I'd be surprised if it isn't - Paramo used to use a quote from me in their advertising), in theory, it should be more comfortable to wear, and it also has the bombproof Paramo guarantee.
 
I wear a French-pattern pith helmet. Great ventilation and if you soak it in water (the cork pith absorbs it like a sponge) it'll keep you very cool in hot weather. Nice wide brim for sun protection and because it's rigid it protects me from branches. In a downpour I'm usually going to bust out a rain jacket, in which case a hat isn't needed--I just use the hood.
 
^ Hey 42B... you have a link for this hat/helmet? You have piqued my curiosity.
 
Mine's the French pattern from The Village Hat Shop. Next summer I'm going to actually carry some from them in my shop, I think, since they do bulk wholesale. It's been such a handy piece of kit I can't help but want to share! It's worth noting that they have a bit of a nasty kerosene reek to them when they're new and it takes about 20 soaks or so to completely get rid of it. Also, while the ventilation tube rivets and the like are all aluminum the brads attaching the decorative chin strap and the washers of the self-adjusting liner are galvanized mild steel so you'll want to give them a quick shot of clear lacquer to keep them from rusting with repeated exposure. Well worth the money, though. They're not fancy but they're solidly built and work VERY well.
 
I use a Seattle Sombrero too and is perfect for the winter here in Washington. I'd never wear it in the summer or down south though.
 
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