Long
Term Report: Coolibar Women's Sun Hat
Jennifer
Koles
November 28, 2006 |
Reviewer
Information
| Name: Jennifer
Koles |
| Age: 31 |
| Gender: Female |
| Height: 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) |
| Weight: 140 lb (64 kg) |
| Email address: jennksnowy at yahoo dot com |
| City, State, and
Country: Salt Lake
City, Utah, United States |
Backpacking
Background
I started taking
overnight
backpacking trips last year in the Uinta Mountain Range in Utah. I
found myself taking entirely too much gear. I am finding out slowly how
to minimize my needs and not require extra luxuries. My previous
outdoor experiences consisted of 4-wheel-drive camping in primitive
areas and day hiking. I use a four season convertible tent or
a three season tent for my shelter. I plan to take more trips,
increase my duration, and reduce my two to three day pack weight (food
and water included) from 26 lb (12 kg).
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Product
Information
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Manufacturer: Coolibar
Year of Manufacture:
2006
Manufacturer’s
Website: www.coolibar.com
Listed Weight: 2 oz
(57 g)
Weight as Delivered:
2.4 oz (70 g)
MSRP:
$29.95 USD
Sizes
Available:
One size fits all. Fits minimum head measurement of 21 1/8 in
(54
cm) and a maximum head measurement of 22 5/8 in (57.5 cm).
Tester's Head
Circumference: 21 in (53 cm)
Colors Available:
Cobalt, Navy, Sage, Tan, Ecru, and White
Color Tested: Stone
Fabric
Content: Shell 100% Nylon
Dimensions:
Diameter 14 in (36 cm); Circumference of brim 40 in (102 cm)
Care:
Gently hand wash, mild detergent, air dry
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Photo
obtained from manufacturer website.
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Product
Description
"The
lightweight, all-occasion choice. Our versatile Sun Hat
weighs just 2 oz (57 g) and is extremely comfortable for extended wear.
The 3 in (8 cm) brim holds its shape, even after packing or crushing.
Specially treated terry headband wicks moisture away; hidden elastic
draw cord adjusts for the perfect fit. The sun hat is made of lite
SUNTECT™ that blocks 97% UV. One size."
The
Sun Hat has a 3 in (8 cm) brim for maximum sun protection. The brim is
constructed with internal foam to help retain its shape. The brim of
the hat has several rows of stitching with a tube inside the material
of the outer row, which I believe is to assist with shape retention.
The front of the hat has the Coolibar tree embroidered in the same
color as the other fabric stitching on the hat. There is a
hidden, adjustable elastic draw cord inside the hat to adjust the fit
to
the desired tightness. The draw cord is hidden by a terry headband that
has a moisture wicking agent. This is supposed to move moisture away
from
the
skin.
The
hat is claimed to be crushable and will return to its original shape
after packing or crushing. It provides permanent UV (Ultraviolet)
protection through a UV diffuser built into the fabric fibers.
My initial
impression of this product can be located in my Initial Report.
Please refer to my Field Report for
details on my field testing locations during the initial two months of
testing this product. I did not have the opportunity to test this
hat in the Grand Canyon as indicated in my testing plan. During the
last two months I did have the opportunity to test the hat
in desert climates in the state of Utah.
Continued Testing
Locations (during the last two months)
Wasatch Mountain
Ranges, Utah USA: 5 days (on day hikes)
Elevation: 6,000 ft to 10,000 ft (1,800 m to 3,000 m)
Average Daytime Temperature: varied greatly on various days 45-65 F (7-18 C)
Weather on various days: Sunny, partly cloudy, mostly cloudy
and light rain showers.
Zion National Park, Utah USA: 2 days
Elevation: 4,900 ft to 7,200 ft (1,500 m to 2,200 m)
Average Daytime Temperature: 50-64 F (10-18 C)
Weather on various days: Sunny, partly cloudy, rain, and snow.
Snow Canyon, Utah USA: 2 days (on day hikes)
Elevation: 3,200 ft (975 m)
Average Daytime Temperature: 75 F and 50 F (24 C and 10 C)
Weather on various days: Sunny and partly cloudy.
Paria River/Buckskin Gulch (Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument), Utah USA: 3 days
Elevation: 4,100 ft. (1,250 m)
Average Daytime Temperature: 60 F (16 C)
Weather on various days: Sunny and partly cloudy. Some areas the sunlight was obstructed by the canyon.
Testing Performance
Please refer to my Field Report for details on the testing performance of this hat during the initial two months
of testing.
During
the past
two months I wore the Coolibar Sun Hat while backpacking, hiking, and running errands around town. I encountered various
types of weather during this testing period. I have experienced rain
showers, sprinkles, full sun, partly cloudy, and cloudy weather
conditions. I have also experienced light breezes and wind gusts.
Fit:
During the past two months I did not encounter any issues with the fit of the hat. I found
the hat to fit me well without any oversized or snug areas noted.
By cinching the elastic
drawcord, inside the terry
headband, to my desired liking I can get the hat to fit me snugly. I did notice that sometimes when I am wearing the hat
I am able to feel the
plastic cord lock
against my head. I needed to reposition it several times so that I did
not feel it putting pressure on my head. The
drawcord does do a good job of keeping the hat in place. I am able to bend over and not
have the hat fall off my head when the drawcord is tightened. I did
experience a wind gust that blew the hat off my head. I am uncertain if
this was an error on my part by not having the drawcord tight enough.
During the initial testing of this hat I experienced wind gusts of approximately
35 mph (56 kph)
and
the hat did not fly off my head with the drawcord fully snug. However,
the hat did get knocked off my head while bushwhacking though dense
brush with the drawcord fully tightened.
The hat
shades the front of my face and eye area well. I still would have
liked to been able to
dangle the hat from my neck when I did not want to wear it. I would
think a chin strap would be perfect for this but I do see how one is
not needed since the drawcord and cord lock do a very good job
of keeping the hat secure on my head. I find that letting a hat dangle
around my neck is more convenient for my hiking and backpacking style.
I found that the brim on this hat did obstruct my vision minimally. I
noticed this when I was backpacking in canyon country and I needed to
use my upper quadrants of my visual field to see the high canyon walls.
I had to extend my head back more than usual to see the walls with the
hat on. To fully see the walls I had to remove the hat.
During the inital testing of the hat I did tie a knot at the end of the elastic cord to join the two
ends together to form a loop. This prevents the cord lock from
sliding off and provides me with a way to hang the hat off my backpack
with a carabiner.
Features:
During the last two months of the testing period I still only
encountered sunburn at the base of my neck while wearing the hat. However, I did use sunscreen on my face in some instances while wearing
the hat. The sunscreen was to protect my face from UV light that
was being reflected off the water while hiking in river beds.
The terry cloth headband
continued to do an
excellent job preventing sweat from dripping on my face. I
still have no issues of sweat rolling down my face
or remaining on my forehead. The terry cloth headband absorbed the amount of sweat I produced very well.
I did find that my head gets hot in this
hat because there is minimal ventilation in this hat. In
high
temperatures my hair does get wet where the headband is touching and I
end up with bad hat hair. There are only four small ventilation holes
in the fabric on the crown of the hat. My hair does become flat when I
wear the hat
for short periods of time but I usually can give it some volume using
my hands when I take the hat off.
I found that the hat does wet
out in the rain, but the manufacturer does not claim the hat is
waterproof or water resistant. The hat fabric does dry fairly quickly
in just over an hour in sunlight. The headband was damp after drying
the hat just over an hour in the sun.
Care: During
the past two months I continued to follow the
manufacturer's care instructions. The instructions state to gently hand
wash with mild
detergent and air dry. I hand washed the hat with both Woolite fabric
wash and Tide in cold water on separate occasions. I was able to get
the hat fairly clean
using this method. Some red dirt stains remained in the fabric. I was
reluctant to use a stronger fabric wash due to the damage it may cause
to the sun protective material the hat is constructed of. My hat is a
light color and thus it does make stains and dirt more apparent.
When I stored the
hat in my backpack the tube that helps the hat retain its shape somehow
broke. There is a section of the brim that has no support of the tube.
This may have been from folding the hat to store it in my backpack.
This currently does not pose as a problem for me. I still get adequate
sun protection from the hat. Currently this is a cosmetic flaw and only
is slightly noticeable to an observer. I did notice that it is taking
me more time to reshape the hat after it is stored.
The
hat is wearing well and all the
stitching is still intact. The hat has not
become torn or punctured and no abrasion is noted. The fabric of the
hat
does become wrinkled slightly when folded or stored in my backpack.
Summary
I enjoy wearing the Coolibar Sun Hat for
sun protection of my
head and face. The hat is lightweight and stylish. When I pulled my
hair away from my neck I only encountered a small area of sun burn at
the base of my neck. The fabric of the hat proven to be durable with no
snags or tears noted. My only concern with the durability of the hat is
that the tube that retains the shape of the brim snapped and is no
longer in one piece. The hat is comfortable and I love the terry
headband feature of the hat. I found that I would like to have some way
to dangle the hat around my neck when I am not using it. This would be
a more convenient way for me to deal with storing the hat temporarily
instead of folding it up and placing it in a pocket or my pack.
Things
I Like
- The brim of the hat provides adequate shade on my face
- The moisture wicking terry headband
- The light weight material
Things
I Do Not Like
- The breathability of the hat in high temperatures and
lack of ventilation
- There is no ability to have the hat dangle around my
neck when it is not being worn
- The tube inside the brim of the hat that assists with the
shape retention snapped into two pieces somehow when the hat was folded
for storage.
Remarks
Thank you Coolibar
and BackpackGearTest.org
for providing me with the opportunity to test the
Coolibar Women's Sun Hat.
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