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What about summer hats - Is Tilley still the best? Which model is the best compromise?

If you are wearing a hat for sun protection the national skin cancer association recommends a hat with at least a 3” flat or curved down brim that’s got a UPF rating. Tilley hats do have a UPF and have been approved by the association despite having a narrower brim. The hat sits lower on the head so still offers good sun protection. At least that’s what they told me last time I contacted the cancer association a few years ago.
Most hats don’t have a UPF rating and the company’s assume their product is blocking the UVA and UVB rays. I only know of three company’s that have had their product tested. Tilley hats, Sunbody hats and Akubra hats. This isn’t to say other company’s haven’t hat their products tested but if I was buying a hat for sun protection I would be sending e-mails to get answers.

Now the next question/comment about sun concerns and hats 100-200 years ago. I feel it safe to say everyone wore a hat every day. What hat was a matter of location, station, career and fashion. My family comes from a Scottish labour class. One side are farmers and the other coal miners and mason workers. All photographs going back generations, the men are wearing flat caps. Living in Alberta and taking an interest in history in the 1920’s you wore a Boater in summer and a bowler the rest of the year. Unless you were a rancher/labourer then you wore a Stetson Boss of the plains.

I wear a hat every time I leave the house. My family has a history with skin cancer. I have a collection of hats. Some are better at sun protection then others but something is better than nothing. I look at the weather and how much outdoor time I will be having and choose my hat appropriately. I never suff a hat into a bag. It’s on my head until I am at the office, a intimate setting or back home again.

Hope that helps answer some of the questions from the original post.

Johnny


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
On kings day (when we wear orange as a tribute) I realized I currently do not have a decent hat so I ordered a tilley paddler to my airflows
 

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If you are wearing a hat for sun protection the national skin cancer association recommends a hat with at least a 3” flat or curved down brim that’s got a UPF rating. Tilley hats do have a UPF and have been approved by the association despite having a narrower brim. The hat sits lower on the head so still offers good sun protection. At least that’s what they told me last time I contacted the cancer association a few years ago.
Most hats don’t have a UPF rating and the company’s assume their product is blocking the UVA and UVB rays. I only know of three company’s that have had their product tested. Tilley hats, Sunbody hats and Akubra hats. This isn’t to say other company’s haven’t hat their products tested but if I was buying a hat for sun protection I would be sending e-mails to get answers.

Now the next question/comment about sun concerns and hats 100-200 years ago. I feel it safe to say everyone wore a hat every day. What hat was a matter of location, station, career and fashion. My family comes from a Scottish labour class. One side are farmers and the other coal miners and mason workers. All photographs going back generations, the men are wearing flat caps. Living in Alberta and taking an interest in history in the 1920’s you wore a Boater in summer and a bowler the rest of the year. Unless you were a rancher/labourer then you wore a Stetson Boss of the plains.

I wear a hat every time I leave the house. My family has a history with skin cancer. I have a collection of hats. Some are better at sun protection then others but something is better than nothing. I look at the weather and how much outdoor time I will be having and choose my hat appropriately. I never suff a hat into a bag. It’s on my head until I am at the office, a intimate setting or back home again.

Hope that helps answer some of the questions from the original post.

Johnny


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Thanks.

I did not know what a Boater hat was until I went online to search now. I recognized the style but did not know its name. My first reaction is that it does not look well designed for boating but the name makes sense after reading the history (as I was thinking about power/sailing boats and higher winds). The stiff brim must have some advantage in light breezes.

The Boater looks like it has a larger brim that the typical Panama. Makes me wonder why does the Panama not have a wider brim, since it is a summer hat. I guess it is more for protecting the head rather than the face and neck.
 

strop

Now half as wise
Thanks.

I did not know what a Boater hat was until I went online to search now. I recognized the style but did not know its name. My first reaction is that it does not look well designed for boating but the name makes sense after reading the history (as I was thinking about power/sailing boats and higher winds). The stiff brim must have some advantage in light breezes.

The Boater looks like it has a larger brim that the typical Panama. Makes me wonder why does the Panama not have a wider brim, since it is a summer hat. I guess it is more for protecting the head rather than the face and neck.

Not sure what you mean by a "typical Panama", but mine have a 2 3/4 or 3" brim. Now that I'm in a southern climate, I wear a straw hat most of the year,and have a couple darker colors for late fall and early spring.
 
Welcome to the rabbit hole. What you think you know of something (common perception) usually isn’t the case when you look into it. With the internet you can find all kinds of information on all subjects.
Panama hats have a great rich history and they come in all shapes and sizes.
I myself have only recently discovered that the company that made the USMC pressed fiver sun helmet (American version of the pith helmet) also made them for the open market. Focussing on field workers and farmers. To the point they produced branded marketing helmets.
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Crazy the stuff you discover.
Johnny


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Not sure what you mean by a "typical Panama", but mine have a 2 3/4 or 3" brim. Now that I'm in a southern climate, I wear a straw hat most of the year,and have a couple darker colors for late fall and early spring.
That sounds more appropriate for a sun hat. When I look online now I see there is more variation in what is considered a Panama Hat. I guess it is more about the material used to make the hat rather than the exact style.

Mine looks roughly like the one here. I purchased it in a group buy here on B&B over 5 years ago, but it is still sitting inside the box as I ordered one size too large. I was thinking about trying a hat reducer (foam padding) but also thinking I should just sell as I may not be satisfied with that. I have not measured the brim, but in my minds eye 5cm or 2" seems about right. I knew even less about hats back then, but it seemed like a nice hat to wear out in public.
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strop

Now half as wise
Welcome to the rabbit hole. What you think you know of something (common perception) usually isn’t the case when you look into it. With the internet you can find all kinds of information on all subjects.
Panama hats have a great rich history and they come in all shapes and sizes.
I myself have only recently discovered that the company that made the USMC pressed fiver sun helmet (American version of the pith helmet) also made them for the open market. Focussing on field workers and farmers. To the point they produced branded marketing helmets.
proxy.php

Crazy the stuff you discover.
Johnny


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have one of those! It is more khaki colored without logo or label, and was what my grandfather wore daily. He was a farmer. Still has some grease and dirt stains. He died in 1973, so this dates from the mid to late 60’s.
 
Just bought myself a T3 Wanderer after reading this thread. It's made in Canada and great quality. I wore out my Tarp hat and, nice as they were, I had no great desire to buy another. The Tilley is surprisingly top quality.

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I also wear baseball caps and in winter wool or acrylic Beanies. Baldness is a thing.
 

strop

Now half as wise
That sounds more appropriate for a sun hat. When I look online now I see there is more variation in what is considered a Panama Hat. I guess it is more about the material used to make the hat rather than the exact style.

Mine looks roughly like the one here. I purchased it in a group buy here on B&B over 5 years ago, but it is still sitting inside the box as I ordered one size too large. I was thinking about trying a hat reducer (foam padding) but also thinking I should just sell as I may not be satisfied with that. I have not measured the brim, but in my minds eye 5cm or 2" seems about right. I knew even less about hats back then, but it seemed like a nice hat to wear out in public.
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Looks like a nice hat. My concern would be that the sizing is M, L, XL, I have learned to shy away from that unless I can try it on. A 59 (7 3/8) is almost always that and more reliable. I have some hats in X and some XL. And I've tried the foam inserts. They are just barely OK. Much better to have one that fits.
 
Looks like a nice hat. My concern would be that the sizing is M, L, XL, I have learned to shy away from that unless I can try it on. A 59 (7 3/8) is almost always that and more reliable. I have some hats in X and some XL. And I've tried the foam inserts. They are just barely OK. Much better to have one that fits.
Thanks, that is some helpful feedback. I am leery about trying an insert, seems like trying to balance a tire with wheel weights, if the foam is too thick then only sections would be needed and there may be an odd gap left somewhere. Though if could be purchased in 1/16 thickness that would allow a complete wrap around to size down one increment at time, since 2 x 1/16 would reduce the diameter by 1/8th.

I also don't like the S/M/L/XL hat sizing that is quite common these days. Too vague and not enough increments to get a good fit. When shopping online at most places they show a generic size equivalent chart that is not specific to a single brand, when the store is selling multiple brands that use different standards. Even within the RedHead brand hats that I tried on at a BassProShops their sizing was not consistent from style to style. A XL in the RedHead 2-Toned 10-Point Vented Hat shown in the opening post was nearly identical to a 7-3/4 Tilley, maybe a hair larger but not much; while an XL in their Boonie styled hats was a good bit smaller.

Lonix Hats another Canadian hat maker mentioned earlier which sells a hat similar to Tilley T3 have also adopted this S/M/L sizing, basically skipping every other hat size. I suppose if your head circumference matches what they produce you are in luck, but if you are half way in between you might not get a good fit. Their pricing is not that much better than Tilley so I would not want to risk an online purchase when the odds of getting a hat that fits is cut in half. Tilley is better at offering a range of styles and sizes.
 
I have a Henschel hat with a solid brim and mesh top that I wear when visiting desert places. Most of their models fold flat for packing. Lots of models to choose from, made in the USA. "Aussie Breezer" is the model I have, shown below.

Henschel Hat Company | Catalog | Summer | USA - https://henschelhats.com/catalogs/


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I recently bought one of these Henschel Aussie Breezer hats because it packs flat, and it's fine. Not quite up to the "old" Tilley hats in heft or quality, but at a much lower price, plus made in the USA, it'll do fine for knocking around. Some of the Henschel hats from what I read are also made in Asia. My two Tilley hats, a 3 and 5, were purchased between 15 and 20 years ago, and are still quite serviceable. In the higher humidity in the Eastern US where I'm staying, the open weave Breezer hat has been just right. Oh, it did run large.
 
I recently bought one of these Henschel Aussie Breezer hats because it packs flat, and it's fine. Not quite up to the "old" Tilley hats in heft or quality, but at a much lower price, plus made in the USA, it'll do fine for knocking around. Some of the Henschel hats from what I read are also made in Asia. My two Tilley hats, a 3 and 5, were purchased between 15 and 20 years ago, and are still quite serviceable. In the higher humidity in the Eastern US where I'm staying, the open weave Breezer hat has been just right. Oh, it did run large.

Hey RenoRichard - I bought my Henschel in Reno, at the Air Races. Then I lost it in on the #7 bus on the way back to our hotel, and had to buy another one. But then I found the first one on the bus later in the week!
 
When comparing the LTM5 to the LTM6, I found it interesting how similar they appear when laid on top of each other, but look much different on the head. When wearing TMH55 it seems the same as the LTM6, while the LTM5 is noticeably smaller due to the shorter front brim.

Brim Size Chart:
Style
Front
Back
Sides
T3
2 3/4"
2 3/4"
2 3/8"
LTM5
2 5/8"
2 3/4"
2 1/8"
TMH55
3 1/4"
3 1/4"
2 1/4"
LTM6
3 1/2"
3 1/2"
2 1/2"


Tilley-LTM5-LTM6-size-comparison_202105.jpg
 
Looks like the air races are back on this year. Burning Man was canceled again :thumbdown . It will be nice to be somewhat back to normal. You really have to watch out for the high desert sunshine, it's good to wear a brimmed hat.
Hey RenoRichard - I bought my Henschel in Reno, at the Air Races. Then I lost it in on the #7 bus on the way back to our hotel, and had to buy another one. But then I found the first one on the bus later in the week!
 
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