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Coolibar Trail Hat
Field Report
10 October 2006
Tester Bio
Name – Anthony (TJ) Smith
Age – 31
Gender – Male
Height – 5’ 10 (1.78 m)
Weight – 175 lb (79 kg)
Head Circumference – 22 in (56 cm)
Email Address – tjsmith1946@gmail.com
City, State, Country – Pensacola, Florida USA
Backpacking Background
I have been camping for a little over 5 years now, mostly car camping. I have
recently begun backpacking, and I am constantly adding new gear to my “collection”
in an effort to get my gear list tailored more towards backpacking. My current
pack weight is around 15-20 lb (7-9 kg) without food and water, depending on
if I'm solo camping or taking my son along, as I have to carry some of his gear.
I am a dedicated hammock camper and have tailored my personal gear to that aspect
of camping.
Product Information
 Year of Manufacture –
2006
Manufacturer URL – www.coolibar.com
Stated Weight – N/A
Weight as Delivered – 4.25 oz (120 g)
Size Tested – Small/Medium
Color Tested - Moss Green
MSRP – $29.95 USD
From Coolibar's Website: The Coolibar Trail Hat is a men's sun hat designed
for easygoing everyday use, with side snaps to create a lean profile, and a
3" brim to shelter your face and neck from midday sun. A toggle cord keeps
it securely in place; attractive styling and durable details make it the choice
of fishing hats and hiking hats. Made of 100% brushed cotton; rated to block
98% UV.
One hang tag included with the product (the list of hang tags can be found
under my initial observations) gives a little information about the protection
factor of this hat. The tag states the hat has a UPF 50+, and the fabric was
independently tested using three different tests and that the tag complies with
labeling for sun protective clothing.
Initial Information/Observations
The Coolibar upon receipt met most of my expectations. For full details on
my initial observations, please see my Initial
Report.
Field Information
Date: August 11-12, 2006
Location: Blackwater River State Forest, Munson, Florida
Weather: Temperatures reached a high of 95 F (35 C) during the day and dropped
to 71 F (21 C) that night. No precipitation was experienced during this overnight
camping trip in the state forest. Total elevations for this area ranged from
30 to 60 ft (9 to 18 m) above sea level.
Date: August 16, 2006
Location: Various locations throughout Santa Rosa County, Florida
Weather: Temperatures ranged from 80 F (27 C) to 90 F (32 C) during this trip.
Skies were mostly sunny, and no precipitation was experienced.
This "trip" was a geocaching expedition. I traveled to several different
locations throughout the area in search of geocaches. Distances from parking
to each cache ranged from 100 yd (91 m) to 2.5 mi (4 km).
Date: August 31, 2006
Location: Juniper Creek Trail, Harold, Florida
Weather: Temperatures ranged from 75 F (24 C) at the beginning of the hike to
a high of 91 F (33 C) at midday. This was a very sunny day, with no discernable
cloud cover at all.
The Juniper Creek Trail is listed as 8.8 mi (14 km) in length, and is a linear
trail. Having hiked this trail several times before, I am very familiar with
the topography and ecology. There are several areas that are open to full sun
for extended periods of time, and there are numerous other areas where the vegetation
has grown in to almost close off the trail if it hasn't been maintained recently.
Date: September 6, 2006
Location: Karick Lake Loop Trail, Baker, Florida
Weather: Temperatures ranged from 76 F (24 C) to 87 F (30 C), with sunny skies
experienced yet again.
The Karick Lake Loop Trail makes a 4 mi (6.4 km) circuit around Karick Lake
in the Blackwater River State Forest, the largest state landholding in the state
of Florida. The area averages 75 ft (23 m) above sea level, with some minor
elevation changes along the trail. Most of the trail is also relatively close
to the lake, so some cooling is noticeable at these locations.
Date: September 12-13, 2006
Location: Ocala National Forest, Ocala, Florida
Weather: Temperatures reached a high of 84 F (29 C) during the day and dropped
to 71 F (21 C) both nights. No precipitation was experienced during this trip.
This trip was a car-camping type trip in the Ocala National Forest. I did not
do any backpacking to the campsite for this trip; however, I did wear the hat
for both days of this trip.
Date: September 24, 2006
Location: Section hike of the Jackson Red Ground Trail, Baker, Florida
Weather: Temperatures ranged from a low of 80 F (27 C) at the beginning of the
hike to a high of 89 F (32 C). No precipitation was experienced, although the
day was overcast.
Like the Juniper Creek Trail, the Jackson Red Ground trail provides a similar
ecology and topography. For gear testing, there are several locations where
the brush closes in quite close to the trail.
Date: September 27, 2006
Location: Naval Live Oaks Preserve, Gulf Breeze, Florida
Weather: Temperature ranged from 73 F (23 C) to 85 F (29 C). The sun remained
in full force for the duration of this hike, with no clouds visible.
This hike was on a 2.2 mi (3.5 km) loop trail through old-growth live oaks.
The trail itself is fairly well maintained, with little chance for snagging
of clothing. However, there are several open areas that expose hikers to direct
sunlight.
Date: October 3, 2006
Location: Naval Live Oaks Preserve, Gulf Breeze, Florida
Weather: Temperatures ranged from 84 F (29 C) to 88 F (31 C), however the heat
index reached near 105 F (40 C) due to humidity levels approaching 90%. In addition,
the trail through this area does not provide much shade, so sun exposure also
raises the apparent temperature.
The following items have been addressed from my test plan:
Durability
- How well has the Trail Hat hold up to regular use? Have the edges begin
to look tattered? Has the “toggle cord” break loose? Has the fabric
around the snaps begun to pull loose?
The Trail Hat has held up well to regular use, not showing any
tattered edges or any problems with the "toggle cord." The fabric
around the snaps has held well, even given frequent changes to the hat (snapping
the sides up, dropping them down, wearing with one side up at a time.)
Comfort
- How comfortable has the hat been? Has it allowed for adequate ventilation?
Has it fit well when worn with sunglasses? (Some hats I have sit low and interfere
with the arms of my sunglasses.) How much problem have I had with the hat
retaining heat, given the apparent lack of ventilation? Do I notice heat building
up, or does the material let the hat "breathe?"
I have
found the Coolibar Trail Hat to be very comfortable. Given the lack of obvious
ventilation, the Trail Hat allows my head to "breathe" quite well.
I have not experienced my head becoming too hot while wearing the hat, and
it has also absorbed my sweat quite well. I have not noticed any fit issues
when wearing the hat with my sunglasses, and have not experienced any discomfort
from the hat pressing the arms of the sunglasses into my temples.
- Has the fit and comfort been affected by wearing the Trail Hat with the
sides up? Or has the hat retained its same level of comfort as with the sides
down?
I have found the hat to be quite comfortable worn both with
the sides up and the sides down. It is just as comfortable in either position.
Function
- How well has the Trail Hat actually shielded me from the sun? Has it provided
adequate coverage, or have I still needed something over the back of my neck?
The trail hat appears to shield me from the sun quite adequately.
It has provided what I feel is ample coverage, and I have not needed to cover
the back of my neck with anything more than my shirt collar, which was there
anyway.
- How well has the “toggle cord” actually worked to keep the hat
on my head? Is it really functional, or more decorative?
I have not actually used the "toggle cord" to hold the
hat onto my head at this point. I tend to put the hat on with the cord around
the back of my head, to keep it out of my way. This does cause a bit of an
annoyance from time to time, as the cord does brush against the back of my
neck (and one of my phobias is large bugs crawling on me.)
- How well have the side snaps worked to hold the sides up? Have the snaps
worn out quickly or do they seem well constructed?
The side snaps have worked quite well to hold the sides up, even
with several adjustments to the configuration of the hat during use. The snaps
have not shown any signs of wearing yet, and seem to be quite well constructed
and mounted on the hat.
Care/Cleaning
- Has the hat started to show excessive sweat marks, especially given the
heat and humidity I've been using it in?
At this point, the hat has not shown many sweat marks. There is
a slight darkening beginning to develop around the band on the inside of the
hat, but nothing more than I had expected to develop. I have not yet attempted
cleaning the hat to see if this will clear up, but intend to pursue that in
the Long Term phase of this report series.
- How easy has the Trail Hat been to clean? Has it held dirt?
I have not had a need to clean the Trail Hat at this point. However,
it has not begun to show much in the way of dirt stains. I have dropped it
a couple times, and simply brush off the surface dirt without any problems.
Continued Test Plan
The Coolibar Trail Hat will continue to be tested in a variety of locations
throughout Northwest Florida and Southeast Alabama. During the testing period,
expected weather conditions for the remainder of the period should range from
a high near 85 F (29 C), and lows approaching or just below 50 F (10 C). I also
anticipate varied levels of precipitation, from bright sunny days with low humidity
all the way to torrential downpours. The terrain throughout the testing area
ranges from very sandy soil to old and new growth pine forests as well as areas
of marshy bogs.
I will continue to address the above listed items for the remainder of the
testing period.
My thanks to Coolibar and BackpackGearTest for allowing me to test this item.
Read more reviews of Coolibar gear
Read more gear reviews by Anthony Smith
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