TIlley hats
I have been a die hard baseball cap fan for all my life. Now I am getting a little older and starting to worry about skin cancer from all my years on the farm in the sun and now, the hot direct sun light of the Sonoran desert.
The cheap boonie hats and, typical camping and hiking gear hats just didn't appeal to me. They were too thin and flimsy or, just plain uncomfortable to wear. Then I stumbled into to the Tilley's
.
I now own a T1 and a T2. For reasons unknown, these hats are cheaper in other parts of the world and, since they are typically carried in high end sporting good stores in the USA, are just plain expensive. I found a good deal on "ebay" and tood the plunge.
These hats are made from high quality thick boiled cotton. They are also available in synthetic materials too. You can read their web-site for the various features, including the guarantee, brag tags and, other features.
These come in sizes like a cowboy hat - no small, medium and large here! Their sizing guide is very accurate if you are buying sight unseen. The only minor quibble here is, that for some reason the T2's are ever so slightly smaller an average (we're talking about a 1/8ths difference here - minor but consistent on all the T2's I've tried).
At first, the very wide brim of the T2 (4 inches!) seemed bulky. I seemed to hit on a lot of stuff. Bending over to tie a shoe lace, rubbing up against shelves in the garage, and similar things. I quickly got used to this though. Then one day while driving in a setting sun, I hit that magical spot where there is no way on God's green earth you can block the glare and heat of the sun
Low and behold, the T2 was on the back seat. Wow! Just what I have been needing for years. I was on the Interstate so, after a few hours I need to stop and get gas and do the normal stuff so, had this strange feeling. I had rolled the brin in back down so that it didn't hit the car seat and head rest so, when I turned my head I had this strange reistance and feedback. This was easily corrected of course but, that wide brim seems to just disappear when wearing this hat until something like this happens.
I got the T1 thinking it would be a good general replacement for the baseball cap for general duty and it's thinner brim would be more user friendly then the wide brim of the T2. That is true but, I really missed all the shade that T2 provides. It is almost like walking underneath an umbrella and provides so much shade that heat from the direct sunlight is significantly reduced. Comfort on the T2 is 10 out of 10 here. Now there's nothing wrong with the T1 but, I just keeping going back to that T2.
Having used and worn my hats for a good period of time now, I can whole heartedly recommend them. Contrary to what the vast majority of initial reactions will be, they are NOT over priced. Get past the sticker shock and take the plunge. I wear a hat 7 days a week for the entire exposure to the sun during the day. I wear a $20 shirt once every week or two and replace them on average in about 2 years. This hat gets way more usuage and will last so long, I do not know what the true lifespan will be at this point other then it is going to be a verrrry long time before it needs replacing.
I have been a die hard baseball cap fan for all my life. Now I am getting a little older and starting to worry about skin cancer from all my years on the farm in the sun and now, the hot direct sun light of the Sonoran desert.
The cheap boonie hats and, typical camping and hiking gear hats just didn't appeal to me. They were too thin and flimsy or, just plain uncomfortable to wear. Then I stumbled into to the Tilley's
.I now own a T1 and a T2. For reasons unknown, these hats are cheaper in other parts of the world and, since they are typically carried in high end sporting good stores in the USA, are just plain expensive. I found a good deal on "ebay" and tood the plunge.
These hats are made from high quality thick boiled cotton. They are also available in synthetic materials too. You can read their web-site for the various features, including the guarantee, brag tags and, other features.
These come in sizes like a cowboy hat - no small, medium and large here! Their sizing guide is very accurate if you are buying sight unseen. The only minor quibble here is, that for some reason the T2's are ever so slightly smaller an average (we're talking about a 1/8ths difference here - minor but consistent on all the T2's I've tried).
At first, the very wide brim of the T2 (4 inches!) seemed bulky. I seemed to hit on a lot of stuff. Bending over to tie a shoe lace, rubbing up against shelves in the garage, and similar things. I quickly got used to this though. Then one day while driving in a setting sun, I hit that magical spot where there is no way on God's green earth you can block the glare and heat of the sun
Low and behold, the T2 was on the back seat. Wow! Just what I have been needing for years. I was on the Interstate so, after a few hours I need to stop and get gas and do the normal stuff so, had this strange feeling. I had rolled the brin in back down so that it didn't hit the car seat and head rest so, when I turned my head I had this strange reistance and feedback. This was easily corrected of course but, that wide brim seems to just disappear when wearing this hat until something like this happens.I got the T1 thinking it would be a good general replacement for the baseball cap for general duty and it's thinner brim would be more user friendly then the wide brim of the T2. That is true but, I really missed all the shade that T2 provides. It is almost like walking underneath an umbrella and provides so much shade that heat from the direct sunlight is significantly reduced. Comfort on the T2 is 10 out of 10 here. Now there's nothing wrong with the T1 but, I just keeping going back to that T2.
Having used and worn my hats for a good period of time now, I can whole heartedly recommend them. Contrary to what the vast majority of initial reactions will be, they are NOT over priced. Get past the sticker shock and take the plunge. I wear a hat 7 days a week for the entire exposure to the sun during the day. I wear a $20 shirt once every week or two and replace them on average in about 2 years. This hat gets way more usuage and will last so long, I do not know what the true lifespan will be at this point other then it is going to be a verrrry long time before it needs replacing.
