TILLEY HIKER’S HAT, £80
I’ve been wearing a Tilley since 1992, though do take it off from time to time. Bird Watching’s Mike Weedon is often seen in one, too. My first one wore out and Tilley honoured the lifetime guarantee and replaced it. A Tilley really is a hat for life – mine have protected my bonce from the sun on countless occasions and four continents. The Hiker’s Hat is different from the Tilleys I’m used to. For a start, it’s lighter. It’s made from 98% organic cotton and 2% Spandex and weighs a little more than 100g. It has a mesh band just below the crown for ventilation and a Hyperkewl™ insert in the crown – more on that later. There’s a hanging loop on the rear brim – Tilleys used not to have one of them. It’s water-repellent so you can use it as a rain hat, and if it rains really hard, it will float. This Tilley is mainly about keeping cool. The wide brim creates shade. The fabric breathes, is UPF50+ certified and has that mesh ventilation. And there’s a cooling turbo in the crown. You take the insert out, stick it in cold water for up to five minutes, and then put it back in the crown. The water evaporates slowly and is said to bring the temperature down by around 10-15°F. I soaked the insert at about 9.00am on a warm July day. I wore the hat from 10.45am to 4.00pm, and the crown still had some cool in it. In fact, about an hour and a half later there was still a bit of cool in there. I was impressed. When the breeze gets up a bit, 100g with a wide brim has a tendency to part company with your head. There are bootlace-like windcords to keep it on – one for under the chin, one for the back of the head. I don’t like a loop under the chin and found the loop behind the head didn’t hold its length well when adjusted. It needs to be made of something grippier. Pulling both loops behind my head improved things. This is a good hat. It’s lightweight, has a good size brim, a turbo-cooler and a lifetime guarantee – which makes it pretty good value. It just needs those cords sorting out, and you could probably do that yourself.
Brim size: 8.9cm at front and rear; 6.4cm on the sides; Weight: 108g; Sizes: 7-7 7/8.; In various colours. Guaranteed for life More info: tilley.com/uk_en/