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Owner Review Columbia Sportswear Omni-Tech Booney Hat
Name: Larry Risch
Age: 51
Gender: Male
Height: 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight: 182 lb (83 kg)
Email address: hikernw2000@yahoo.com
Portland, OR USA
Date: November 5, 2004
Backpacking Background:
I day hike, backpack, ski, started snow camping a couple of years ago, and white-water and sea kayak. Long ago I used to canoe camp in Ontario Canada. Recently I have become more serious about taking photos and video of the places I see. I do not mind day hiking 20 miles to see something, rather than spending 2 days backpacking the same distance.
Product information
The Columbia Sportswear Omni-Tech Booney Hat (Tan)
a. Manufacturer Columbia Sportswear Company
b. Year of manufacture 2003
c. URL: http://www.columbia.com
Not all their products are shown on their website including this product. Look instead for information from an on-line retailer who sells the hat, such as REI.
The inner tag notes that the outer shell is 100% nylon, and the mesh lining is 100% polyester. It directs you to hand wash and line dry. An outer tag is labeled "Omni Tech waterproof breathable" The inner brim is dark colored to reduce glare. The sales tag showed a price of $29 (MSD? of $30)
The hat comes in two sizes, small/medium (S/M) and large/extra large (L/XL). There is an internal strap to adjust the hat one size. My measurements shows it weighs 3.5 oz (99 g) and the brim is 2.5 in (6.4 cm). The REI website gives the following head circumference range for S/M 21-1/2 in to 22-5/8 in and for L/XL 22 7/8 in to 23 7/8 in. I calculated the corresponding metric head circumference range for S/M 55 cm to 57 cm and for L/XL 58 cm to 61 cm. I measured my L/XL hat to be a maximum of 25 in (64 cm). I did this by tracing the inner hat with a piece of cord, and then measuring the cord. I am surprised there is this much difference (error?) between my measurements and those listed. My head measures about 23 in (58 cm) and the S/M was very tight fit even with internal strap left undone. This is consistent with the information provided by REI which shows I should get a L/XL hat.
d. I find this versatile hat to be perfect year round for the Pacific Northwest climate especially with my thinning hair. It is waterproof for rain or snow. It has a light color and a breathable fabric, and is not lined which means it can be used as a sun hat as well. (For hiking in desert areas I might chose a cooler hat that provides more sun protection but this hat has worked for me when I did not bring another one.) The neck strap allows me to hang the hat around my neck, ready to use when I need it. When I am cross country skiing it is not unusual to find that the snow has turned to rain, or that trees in the sun are "raining" melting snow from their branches. I bring a hat liner or beanie for more warmth, but I rarely need it. This can be any thin wool or synthetic hat. It works better than hats with a built in liner because you can pull it down for a tight fit on the ears. (I use a liner for the same reason with a heavy wool hat when it is cold and very windy). I replaced a previous version of this hat once its waterproofing wore out after many years of heavy use. I think the new hat has a stiffer brim. This is important to me when I am sea kayaking into the sun. I decided I like one that is a bit "too large" so I can adjust how I wear it so that I can angle the brim toward the sun, front, back or side as needed. The large size also gives me room to wear a hat liner. I put a cord lock on the neck strap to help hold the hat on when it is windy since the leather piece provided can slip under tension.
(Some years it comes with a cord lock, but at time of this review they do not.)
It works better than the hood which can blow off, blocking my side view or become too hot. And of course I can not use a hood in the sun since I am unlikely to be wearing a jacket unless it is rather cold out.
Unlike some more stylish hats it does not have a method for holding up the brim on one side or the other, but I am not sure when I would use this rather than just take the hat off. It also does not have impressive two tone colors, but I would not want a dark color for this kind of hat. I find dark colors are too warm on hot sunny days, and of no use on colder cloudy days or when the sun is low in the winter sky. It is also reasonably priced. I also found it currently offered in black, but as I just discussed I would not want a dark color. More than 6 years ago I found a red one on sale, which I bought for more visibility when hiking during hunting season and for sea kayaking. (I lost this hat.)
These hats have held up well, even with many years of use, on the trail and around town. The tan color hides dirt well, and does not need to be washed often. Waterproofing can be expected to wear off over time and is accelerated with heavy use or washing. I did not try to restore the waterproofing because of the age of the hat and its low price. Also restoring waterproofing has not worked well with for me on rain jackets. I might consider a non breathable waterproof hat for longer life if I could find one that I liked, but I would expect it to be a bit warmer.
This hat does float in my bath tub. This might be useful if I capsized in my sea kayak. The lock cord holds the hat very tight so it will not blow off in the wind. When I do not have it tightened the neck strap would almost always catch the hat if a sudden wind blows the hat off before I can tighten it. Besides the cord lock I have put a small compass on the neck strap which is a handy place for it. It also keeps one from pulling the cord lock off the end of the neck strap when loosening it. To keep the compass from swinging around I often drop this inside my shirt. This also means the hat is very unlikely to blow completely away.
I wanted to review this product because it is so useful here in the Pacific Northwest where it can rain one moment and be sunny the next.
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