I’ve bought and worn many a so-so hat over the years, in styles ranging from cowgirl straw to preppy canvas to wide-brimmed cotton. I’ve never found myself particularly enamored with any of them — especially when they’ve shrunk in the wash or gotten squished in my luggage, never to be reshaped properly again.

But I think I’ve finally found a hat that will take me from the desert to the jungle to the beach … and back to the mountains again. And it’s cute: the TH8 Hemp Hat for women by Tilley Endurables. I love this hat. Here are the highlights:

It’s made of hemp. The material is sturdy like heavy cotton, but looks like linen. It’s got that “I can be dressed up with a gauzy black dress or worn with hiking boots on the trail” sort of flexibility. From the chock-full-of-information Tilley website, I learned that hemp is the strongest natural fiber in the world, and it’s breathable and naturally resistant to UV light, mold, mildew and salt water.

It offers excellent UV protection: In fact, all Tilley hats have been certified to block 98 percent of the sun’s harmful rays. It’s as if you’re wearing SPF 50 on your head. (That’s not to say you shouldn’t wear sunscreen on your face and neck, however; a little tag reminding you to “practice safe sun” is attached to every Tilley hat)

It comes in S, M, L and XL: This is key for me; I’ve got a big head, and many women’s hats just don’t work for me comfortably. But I was able to order just my size in the Tilley TH8. All Tilley hats come in multiple sizes for a perfect fit, and the online hat sizing chart is nearly foolproof for sight-unseen ordering.

A wind cord keeps it on your head: Again, this is another key feature for me, since I’ve been known to lose hats off of houseboats, jet skis and catamarans. The shoelace-like wind cord is easy to adjust around your chin, and can stuff into the top of the hat when not in use.

It has a four-page instruction manual: How many hat companies really want you to take good care of your hat, practically love and care for it like a member of the family? Tilley does. The instructions for care and use, tucked into a useful pocket inside the hat, are written by company founder Alex Tilley himself. They are personal, slightly irreverent and downright fun — not to mention helpful.  My favorite piece of advice: How to find the front of the hat. Answer: “If you can read the ‘THE TILLEY HAT’ label upright, you are about to put it on correctly.” Thorough, right? My hat also came with a tag with washing instructions specific to the TH8 Hemp Hat — super thorough!

It packs well: I smashed it in my luggage for a two-day road trip from Colorado to California. When I arrived at my destination, it popped back up without being misshapen at all.

The hat is guaranteed for LIFE: All Tilley hats come with a lifetime guarantee — if mine ever wears out, I can mail it to the company with $7.50 for shipping costs, and I’ll they’ll replace it. Plus, if I lose my hemp hat in the next two years — or if it’s destroyed or stolen — the company will replace it for 50 percent of the current catalog price.

The Tilley TH8 Hemp Hat retails for $79 online. That’s more than I’ve ever spent on a hat — but maybe that’s why I’ve had such rotten luck with past travel hats. With its lifetime guarantee, made-to-fit sizing and quality workmanship, I think that’s money well spent.

Get the men’s Tilley TH4 Hemp Hat or the women’s TH8 Hemp Hat at BeltOutlet.com, where there’s a great Tilley selection.

Search Tilley Endurables hats at REI.com