Usage:
The
hat arrived quite late in the season and as luck would have it, just
after the last of our real sunny and/or hot days. I managed to use the
hat during a four day backpacking trip in the Esmeralda basin at the
foot
of Mt Stuart in Central Washington, in addition to some daily wear to
work, around town and while doing yard work. I also wore the hat on a
weekend trip to San Louis Obispo California.
Most of the time
while I was in California it was foggy with occasional drizzle or light
rain. I wore the hat for one short morning run and two morning walks,
and
while on the beach. I wore the hat all day during my backpacking trip,
but the days were mostly overcast, and it rained every night. So far
the only time I have really used the hat in direct sun was while doing
yard work and for short periods while in California.
As I
mentioned in my Initial report, when I first received the hat its fit
seemed a bit snug. After prolonged wear (have worn the hat all day at
least a few times) I can say it is quite comfortable, in fact more
comfortable than I would have originally guessed. I have not had the
opportunity to wear the hat in strong winds, but its snug fit has me
confidant that it is unlikely to fly off in moderate winds. Since it
does not have any sort of chinstrap I would probably remove it in very
strong winds.
I
really like the length of the bill. The bill seems a bit shorter than
the baseball caps I have, and I find the end of the bill lines up with
the frame of my sunglasses, and so does not obscure any more of my
vision than my glasses already do. While on the subject of the bill, I
really like the ability to fold the bill of the cap without damaging
it. I have folded the cap a few times and placed it in my back pocket.
It folds up small enough that it is no more bulky than my wallet and so
quite unnoticeable when in my pocket. After being folded for a while I
can simply unfold it and put it on with no lasting effect. In addition
I have gotten the hat wet a few times, from rain, sweat, and by hand
washing it in the sink, and for all I can tell the bill has not been
affected by this at all (I have had other hats where the bill would
become lumpy or deformed if they got wet).
Between yard work,
the 4 day backpacking trip, and wearing the had a few times while
running, it had developed some slight salt stains, however they mostly
faded on their own, and then were completely gone after a quick rinse
in the sink with just a bit of hand soap.
I
have not found a use
for the pocket in the top of the hat. The hat does fit my head firmly,
but since it has no chinstrap, I really do not trust putting things
like my ID, cash, or credit card in it, just in the off case a gust of
wind does take it off my head.
I have had mixed results with the
sweatband. It has worked well at absorbing sweat some times while other
times I have still had sweat dripping down the sides of my face. I must
note that I have not had sweat drip in my eyes once while wearing the
hat. Therefore, I would say it works, but not quite as well as I would
like.
While this is a sun hat, on two occasions, I was wearing
the hat in a light mist and the water beaded up on the hat. Some of it
ran off and the rest evaporated, very little soaked in.
Overall, I like the hat; it is light, comfortable, and looks good. It
seems to resist stains and is easy to care for.