Posts Tagged travel hats
Tilley Organic Airflo T5MO Hat
Tilley sun hats. Those words seem to go together like Osprey and backpacks, like Teva and water shoes, like Swiftwick and biking socks, like Coghlan’s and camping gadgets.
For those who want a well-constructed hat that is going to hold up well over the years, buying something from Tilley Endurables has long been the obvious choice. My colleague Kara loved the Tilley hemp hat she tried out last year. I’ve been trying out one of their models for a month now—the organic cotton Airflo hat—and I get what all the fuss is about.
The company makes it clear that this is not your average afterthought sun hat made on the other side of the world. “Handcrafted with Canadian persnicketiness,” these even come with their own instruction manual. Your hat will fit if you measure your head before ordering: they make them in 13 standard hat sizes. Their guarantee says they’ll replace it if something falls apart, but they bet you won’t be able to wear it out. Here’s what happens if you do:
“If you ever succeed in wearing out your Tilley Hat (and some have), send us the remains and we will replace it free. If you want to keep your faithful, old, worn-out friend, tell us and we’ll return it to you. We understand.”
If you lose it, they’ll even replace it for 50% of the cost. They trust you.
But anyway, what about this particular model? Well the air flow part of the Airflo really works. Mesh along the top allows a breeze to cool your sweaty brow while the solid part on the top keeps those of us with sparse follicles from getting a sunburn. There are shoelace-type straps to keep it on your head when it’s windy, but it’s easy to tuck them away or even remove them completely when not needed. As you can tell from the model photo here, the brim on this one is not as huge as with many sun hats. That may mean a little less protection, but your brim doesn’t bang people in the face in a crowd.
This model is made from organic cotton, but it’s been aggressively pre-shrunk so you can wash it without worry. As someone who has had several travel hats become too small to wear anymore, I can promise this is a big deal when it comes to longevity. It does a reasonably good job of keeping your head dry in a drizzle and there’s a secret pocket inside for that extra stash of cash. And it floats!
Tilley Endurables makes a wide variety of travel hats for men and women, so if you don’t like this model there are plenty more to choose from. Different brim sizes, different properties, and different fabrics. You can get a hat with a neck flap, one with InsectShield protection baked in, or one made of waterproof nylon. All carefully designed and constructed and built to fit perfectly.
Naturally all this care means a higher price point than some knock-0ff hat made in China, but this Airflo T5MO one lists for $77—about what I paid for my last pair of sneakers. (Which were made in China.) Visit your local retailer to see different styles in person, or order from one of these online shops.
Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, General Gear on April 29th, 2010
Columbia Sportswear’s Fashion and Function for the “It Girl”
Columbia Sportswear didn’t get so popular without some clever marketing and equally clever design to back it up. After spending 16 hours surfing the manufacturer’s booths at the winter Outdoor Retailers show, it was easy for me to get a little cynical. Are there really major noticeable differences between 500 fleece jackets or 200 different pairs of hiking socks?
I capped the show off though with something that reminded me why there’s a lot to celebrate about the current crop of wonder apparel: a fashion show from Columbia. The company slid me into a VIP seat next to the runway where I could be dazzled by their form-meets-function collection for women that will be hitting the stores this coming fall.
I gotta say I like their attitude. They say this collection is for the “it girl” out there, who may be in her 20s but may be a 40-something mother. She bikes, she snowboards, she hikes, but she works, she pounds the city pavement, and she runs errands. What she wears needs to be comfortable and warm but look good. Her clothes need to do more than one thing. They need to do what they promise without a lot of fuss.
That’s my paraphrasing of a more finely-tuned marketing message, one you’ll surely have seen a lot of by this time next year. Based on what I saw, touched, and tried on, however, they back up the hype with great technology and design.
Enjoy the fashion show video above, especially if you thought that being warm in the outdoors and looking great had to be mutually exclusive.
For more on what’s out there now, visit Columbia.com or search for Columbia at your local retailer, REI.com or Backcountry.com.
Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, General Gear, Travel Light on January 24th, 2010
My New, Favorite, All-Purpose Travel Hat from Tilley Endurables
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
Posted by Kara in Adventure Gear, General Gear on December 29th, 2009
Warm and Stylish Nobis Hats
I did a post about Nobis hats back in June when I reviewed the Oliver Closeoff cap I still wear around at least a couple times a month.
Alas, Nobis is getting all serious on us and has dropped the puns from their names. Now it’s just Cassie instead of Cassie Roll, or just Colette instead of Colette Iday. Maybe Nordstrom didn’t like people pulling out each tag and snickering while their posh shoppers were trying to decide which $200 pair of sunglasses to buy.
Or perhaps they just wanted everyone to focus more on the product instead of the name, since these are some very cool hats. A Nobis representative was nice enough to send me two samples to try out from the fall line and since I haven’t suddenly become a woman, the prettier member of my household has been wearing them around for weeks. I’ve witnessed lots of compliments from friends and strangers, so it’s safe to say these hats will definitely get you noticed.
The first one pictured above is the Cassie, which is woven wool at the top, felt wool on the rim and brim, and with an acrylic liner inside. There’s a bit of elastic on the back. Cassie comes in two colors, chocolate and gunmetal.
This second photo is the Waverly hat (on the head of a model). This one is hip enough to wear with almost anything, but is again lined wool to keep your head nice and warm, but comfy. This one even traveled with us to Ecuador and back last month and was great for cool nights in Quito or on a boat out at sea. The elastic kept it snug in the wind. This one comes in black, gray, or olive.
It’s got a pretty applique on the side, but next to it you’ll notice my wife’s main gripe with these hats that she otherwise loved: that annoying yellow Nobis logo stuck on with a rivet. On a black or gray hat it sticks out like a cheap track suit at the Vogue offices and is impossible to remove without risking a big hole in your hat. So my wife did the next best thing and colored it over with a Sharpie. Now you can barely tell it’s there, but unfortunately it still is.
Otherwise, though I miss the silly names like Dee Tox, these are great hats (for both men and women) that boldly go beyond the norm. You can see the whole line of hats and outerwear at this Nobis Fall 09 link.
Most models retail between $30 and $70. Check the Nobis dealer locater page to find where to pick up one near you.
Related posts:
Posted by Tim L. in General Gear on November 12th, 2009
Odd Job Hat From Outdoor Research
Even on the travel trail, fashions change. These changes are gradual, especially among backpackers, but then one day you look up and notice a certain item everywhere you look.
The most recent shift has been in headwear. It used to be baseball caps, bucket hats, sun hats, and ski beanies in cold places. Then it shifted to Fidel-type caps and…hats like the one pictured here. I’m not sure if it can be traced back to Justin Timberlake’s breakout or just fedoras coming around again in the fashion cycle, but now these small-brimmed classic-style hats are all the rage. Tourist shops from Prague to Playa del Carmen now have them in dozens of styles and colors.
Outdoor Research, known best for its rugged adventure wear, is treating this development with the appropriate sense of humor. They’ve put out a wool hat that is true to the style, but performs two other functions. Most notably, like the Reef Fanning sandals I love and my wife hates, there’s a bottle opener! If you’re out and need to pop the top off a bottle of beer, you’re all set. In this case it’s detachable from the elastic loop. (Handy when I’m walking my daughter to school and don’t want to look like a complete lush.)
The other bonus is a tucked away section that goes over your ears, keeping them warm when the temperature drops or snow starts blowing. There are even little pockets in said ear flaps that can hold your music earbuds.
If the weather gets warm, you’re set there too: there’s a built-in moisture-sucking headband to keep the wool off your sweaty brow. Hey, it looks better than a baseball cap and does a lot more too.
The Odd Job Hat from Outdoor Research comes in two old-school color combinations and lists for $45. It comes in several sizes for a good fit.
Search for the Odd Job Hat online
Posted by Tim L. in General Gear, Travel Light on October 7th, 2009
