Tilley Hats........

[oldsparkey]

Back in Dec , 2008 when we paddled the St Mary's River and after getting into camp. Someone ( name withheld to protect the guilty) pulled his canoe in next to mine and moved mine to make some room. Only trouble is a light weight (30 pounds) canoe needs to be further up on the sand bar then a normal fiberglass ( 80 pound ) canoe.

So with a breeze my canoe decided to launch itself and continue on down river. To make a long story short the guilty party retrieved my canoe for me and in the process a picture was taken.

From that picture the person harassing ( in good fun ) me was listing the stuff I had on and listing the price then said ... Chucks canoe trying to get away .... Priceless. :lol: :lol:

One item he listed was the hat as a Tilley which it wasn't but a look a like that is manufactured here in Tampa , Fl. The Ultimate Hat and it is a dam good one.

As luck would have it I located the Tilleys on sale and got one of the Ventilated ones in yesterday , they call it the Air Flow. I have to say it is well made and extremely comfortable with a lot wider brim on it , especially the front and back which offers a lot of sun protection. Plus if or should I say when it rains on me my glasses will be protected. The ventilated crown offers more ventilation then a solid one.

What has me thinking of sun protection is that the oldest daughter has to go in for skin cancer removal ( surgery ) on her nose and then some plastic surgery to repair the damage. The wife will be there with her as support. That does not sound like fun so if I can be in the shade when in the sun .... All the better. The long slacks i wear , the supplex nylon shirts have a high uv rating and the hat has a 50 rating.

Just starting to play it safe and being comfortable while doing it. This Florida sun in the summer will bake you if you are not prepared for it.

That trip was in December , that's the reason for the boots , they are my cold weather gear when getting in and out of the boat. Ist morning in camp we had frost.

Chuck.
An Ounce of prevention beats a pound of cure........... :wink:

 

[JEM]

I've long admired the Tilley brand but they are expensive.

 

[oldsparkey]

I've long admired the Tilley brand but they are expensive.

Get one for a lifetime or just purchase a lot of others all the time when they fall apart.
Old hats and old friends are like the boats we make , we expect them to last a long time and offer comfort , pleasure and relaxation for us.
Your boats are one prime example of that.

Chuck...........

 

[gbinga]

I wore out an Ultimate (took a lot of years and a lot of abuse). It was a good hat.

I have a Tilley now, that Sherri bought me a few years ago. Great product. It IS expensive, but if you give it decent care, it will last a long long time.

GBinGA

 

[rhutchinson]

I've looked for two years for a wide brimed hat for my grandson. First as an infant, last year as a toddler and this year as a little boy. It's hard to find anything but a cap for a kid and I wanted to protect his ears and neck. He is very fair skinned. Also it's my opinion that a cap even though mesh is just a head heater because it fits to close for any air flow. He learned early the value of a hat to keep the sun out of his eyes(someting he hates). He'll pull the brim down as far as it takes to shade his eyes. Some times you wonder if he can even see out from under it!

Anyway this spring as I was working out in the yard with myown self under a hat a light went off. I went directly inside and dialed up Campmor on the computer. I found a just what I was looking for. It's made by Columbia. They call it an Omni Shade Bora-Bora Jr Booney Hat. It's got more form than a lot of 'booney' style hats but it's soft so a 2 1/2 yr old can treat it the way he will and it will still do it's job. It has almost a full mesh crown and is adjustable by means of a drawcord (works better than it sounds). It's SPF 30 and good quality,although I'm sure not the quality that you guys are talking about). I got it the same color as 'grandpas' hat and looks very simular so it's a hit.

All that long saga to say if any of ya'll have kids or grands that love to be outside and don't want there ears to get crispy give Campmor a go. This hat in particular seems to be a good product. 19.95 is a lot for me for a hat for a tike, but it's his future health that made it look cheep to me.

Richard

 

[oldsparkey]

I wore out an Ultimate (took a lot of years and a lot of abuse). It was a good hat.

I'm have a Tilley now, that Sherri bought me a few years ago. Great product. It IS expensive, but if you give it decent care, it will last a long long time.

GBinGA

I wore out one Ultimate and sent it to them , in a few days I had a new one and still am wearing it and it is showing some use. There guarantee is just as good as they say it is.
Now days the same type of hat but with more coverage ( wider brim ) or protection from the sun. Don't know if it is age or the medication or a combination of the two but now days the sun does get to me. Can't do like I did as a kid and run around all the time without a shirt or a hat. Those days are long gone and just pleasant memories. Getting older is an education.

Chuck.

 

[Kayak Jack]

My favorite hats are fur felt Akubra hats. Made in Australia, tougher'n whang leather, and look like a man's hat. In hot weather I add water to it to cool me off. In we weather it keeps rain off my face and neck. In windy weather it keeps wind off my face and neck.

Other folks, who haven't yet tried an Akubra hat, have other favorites.

 

[a Bald Cypress]

My favorite hats are fur felt Akubra hats. Made in Australia, tougher'n whang leather, and look like a man's hat. In hot weather I add water to it to cool me off. In we weather it keeps rain off my face and neck. In windy weather it keeps wind off my face and neck.

Other folks, who haven't yet tried an Akubra hat, have other favorites.

Nice hats Jack but, the price is a bit over my budget. Unless of course i didn't see them full size, with the kitchen and bath in there.

 

[Kayak Jack]

Well, when it comes to protecting my head, I like to have a piece of gear I like. They last about 25 years, in my experience. My current one may well outlast me, and it's only my second one for camping. I also have one for nicer pastimes.

 

[oldsparkey]

We all have our favorite hats and I guess the location makes a big difference.
Down here it is felt in the winter time ( if you want to call it winter) and then in the summer ( most of the year) it is a lighter weight hat.
Everyone wearing the felt hats in the cooler times switches over to straw or a light weight material. The Sheriffs Office , The state law enforcement agencies and even the die hard cowboys working out in the pastures. A few of the cowboys would never give up there felt hat , no matter what. Even if it is a 100 degrees in the shade with 100% humidity.

 

[Bellybuster]

I got issued a Tilley hat in 1991 and have been wearing it since, It shows signs of age but zero signs of ever wearing out. They are guaranteed for life to not wear out. There is usually a pocket inside the hat and they used to put a small pamphlet in there that told some interesting stories about the abuses these hats have been thru including a zoo keeper that got his hat back after an elephant ate it. There's only 2 ways to get that back, let's just say he waited.
Just for interest, if you don't like the bright off white colour they dye nicely with tea

 

[oldsparkey]

The pamphlet that came with mine said they were issued to the Canadian Troops when they go to war or on peace keeping missions. That , to me , indicates a good product.

The other thing is that pocket in the crown of the hat. The Ultimate has the same and I like to keep a few bucks tucked away in it for emergencies.

Chuck.

 

[Bellybuster]

I kept a pic of my lovely bride up there while stuck in the desert away from home

The pamphlet that came with mine said they were issued to the Canadian Troops when they go to war or on peace keeping missions. That , to me , indicates a good product.


Chuck.

that's how I got mine

 

[Kayak Jack]

Aussie troops have worn Akubra hats for several wars and conflicts. But, they aren't bullet proof.

 

[mike]

I have a Tilley I bought about 7 years ago. My only complaint - the darn thing is about a half size + too small and it just doesn't wnat to stretch.

Mike

 

[Kayak Jack]

I have a "Hat Jack" that will retain a hat's shape, or stretch it out to fit better. http://www.villagehatshop.com/jack_stretcher.html

It costs a bit, but will fit into all of your hats.

 

[mike]

Thanks, Jack!

I have some scrap wood and a large turnbuckle laying around somewhere. I have a new project to build. 8)

Mike

 

[oldsparkey]

You might want to check around at some shops that sell hats in your area.... They have them and are willing to let you use one for a short time while in there shop.
:lol: Don't ask me why but some shoe repair shops ( around here ) even have them. Never have figured that part or the reason for it out.

Chuck..........

 

[Kayak Jack]

A short time loan is a good idea. If you do purchase one of your own, her are two things I did to improve performance.
1. Apply light machine oil ("3 in One") to the threads. Wipe off thread with a paper towel to get excess removed.
2. Center the screw. Tighten it up all the way, then see if one end will turn some more.

 

[oldsparkey]

Jack.........

Thanks for the information on the hat stretcher....... Been wanting one for a long time since the weather down here has reduced the hat band size on a few of them..... Between the humidity and other things...... They fit really good , then get wet with the perspiration and when dried tend to shrink and especially after a washing , either in the rain or a dunk in the river. No way to wash a straw or felt Stetson unless Mother Nature does it for you. Putting it over your knee and pulling is a short time cure at the best.

They say the Tilly may shrink a bit after washing it and to stretch it out over your knee like we did with the Dixie Cup Hats they issued us Sailors back in the dark ages. My Marine Corps hats never had that problem , they always fit , just right.

The alternative is not that nice......... :wink:
Beats the heck out of paddling the Amazon River and having some native down there shrink my head to fit a hat that use to fit. :wink:

Now when it gets here I can use it to get the others back to where they were or just to keep them there.