TILLEY QUILTED BUCKET HAT,

£80 Reviewed by David Chandler, with a bit of help…

This Tilley is designed for the cooler parts of the year. It’s made in Canada (not all Tilleys are these days) and is a unisex hat available in one colour only – black, in sizes from small to extra- large. We used Tilley’s measurements to choose the size and that worked well. This one was tested in the autumn, on my wife’s head rather than mine.

It’s not a typical birdwatcher’s hat, but you don’t have to be a typical birdwatcher. The exterior is made from Schoeller c_change all- weather fabric. It’s quilted, but not in a particularly bumpy way, and has Italian Thindown® insulation for warmth. This is 90% duck down and 10% feather and is described as the world’s first real down fabric and is “natural and eco- sustainable, made exclusively with RDS certified traced down” (RDS = Responsible Down Standard).

This hat is lightweight, squishable – yet returns to a well- defined shape, and provides good warmth. It looks and feels like a quality item, provides good waterproofing (the water beads on the fabric) and didn’t fly off in the wind. The brim is small and might not keep the rain off your glasses – assuming you’re a glasses- wearer that is. It also has tuckaway ear- warmers which extend around the back of the neck to provide a bit more warmth and protection from the wind – this is a very good design feature.

If you like to be really muffled up around the ears when it’s windy, this might not be enough. But this is more than some hats offer and if you have lots of hair or prefer a lighter touch it could be absolutely fine. It has a secret pocket (in the crown – oops, sorry) and has a UPF rating of 50+ so will protect you from UV, too. One disadvantage is that it is dry clean only. uk.tilley.com