Manufacturer: Coolibar - 2401 Edgewood Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55426 USA
Tel: 800-926-6509 Fax: 952-922-1455
Year of Manufacture: 2006
URL: http://www.coolibar.com
E-mail: service@coolibar.com.
Listed weight: 2 oz. / 57 g
Weight as delivered: 2.5 oz / 72 g
MSRP: $29.95 USD
Available Colors: Cobalt / Navy / Sage / Stone / Tan / Ecru / White
Color Requested: White
Color Received: White
 

Testing of the Coolibar Sun Block Hat took place primarily in Southern California (at home in the San Gabriel Valley, a handful of beach trips in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, one trip to the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains), and Salem, Oregon, during the months of August through November, 2006. Please see my Field Report for a detailed description of the field tests and conditions. Recent testing has been conducted in locations close to home: Eaton Canyon, Millard Canyon, and the backyard.

This summer brought longer than normal periods of high "heat wave" temperatures (+110° F / +43° C). Our weather continued to be warm to hot, sunny and cloudless into November, which is unusual. The past few weeks we have seen a dramatic shift to cool days (60 - 70° F / 15 - 21° C ) and cold nights (28 - 35° F / -2 - 1° C). Lately we've had so much frost on the ground that it looks like snow (not to mention, killed the grass).

How do I love this hat? Let me count the ways . . .

1. It's lightweight - I barely know I'm wearing it. My head did not get too hot or sweaty during our very hot summer - unlike the rest of me!
2. It's durable - high praise coming from me, who can break (or at least damage) most items deemed unbreakable. The only "damage" that I have managed to inflect upon it was a small bend in the brim due to improper packing in a suitcase (see my field report for more details).
3. It does a GREAT job of shading my eyes. As Summer transformed first into Fall, and then into Winter, the sun began to be lower in the horizon, and thus began getting into my eyes. The Coolibar Sun Block Hat's wide brim did an excellent job of blocking the sun in the late afternoon.
4. Staying Clean - Maybe because I know the hat is white and I'm consciously trying to keep it clean, or maybe the lite SUNTECT™ fabric, which is designed to blocks 97% UV light, is also a pretty good stain repellent, but I've managed to keep the hat fairly clean despite nearly continuous use. I've not encountered a stain or dirty spot that did not come clean with a little soap, water, and a gentle scrub brush.
5. It stays on my head - I was a little worried about the hat staying put on my head during windy conditions as there is no chin strap. However, the hidden elastic drawcord did a very nice job of cinching the hat to my head without being too constricting. I was able to wear the hat in some fairly breezy conditions. I did not have wind meter with me, but I would estimate the winds at between 5 - 10 mph / 8 -16 kph. Strong gusts were able to get up under the brim of the Sun Hat and send it flying (which it did rather well). Thus, the hat is fine to wear in light breezes, but I would recommend a hat with a chin strap for stronger winds.

As with every love affair, there are a few items to complain about:

1. The brim is a bit too stiff for me - This makes it difficult for me to wear while hiking with my son in the Yakima Grasshopper Child Carrier for two reasons: 1) the brim hits the frame of the carrier and, more importantly, 2) is very easy for my son to grab a hold of it and play with it (or pull it off my head). This last complaint is due more to my son's age than the hat itself, but the stiff brim does make it easier for him to hold. I have not had any problems with the hat interfering with a daypack, most likely because all of my daypacks tend to stop well below were the brim of the hat is.
2. Wrinkles - As I get closer to forty, I am becoming more comfortable with wrinkles as a part of life (good genes and lots of sunscreen - and the Sun Hat! - means that I barely have any now). Wrinkles on my skin, fine. Wrinkles on garments, not so fine. I've hand washed the hat several times, and each time wrinkles have appeared after letting the hat air-dry. Over time the wrinkles have diminished somewhat, but they are still there.

In all of my years of testing for BackpackGearTest this is the first item that I truly have used - and will continue to use - nearly all of the time. It is by far my favorite hat. It has even replaced my beloved 15 year old Brunton Pocket Transit as my favorite piece of outdoor gear (my Brunton is a very close second).