OWNER REVIEW

Outdoor Research Nimbus Sombrero
Richard Lyon
March 26, 2006

Personal Details and Backpacking Background

Male, 59 years old
Height: 6' 4" (1.93 m)
Weight: 200 lb (91 kg)
Email address: rlyon AT gibsondunn DOT com
Home: Dallas, Texas USA

I've been backpacking for 45 years on and off, and regularly in the Rockies since 1986.  I do a weeklong trip every summer, and often take three-day trips.  I'm usually camping in alpine terrain, at altitudes 5000 to 13000 ft (1500 - 4000 m).  I prefer base camp backpacking, a long hike in with day trips from camp, but I do my share of forced marches too.  Though always looking for ways to reduce weight, I'm not yet a lightweight hiker and I usually choose an extra pound or two over foregoing camp conveniences I've come to expect.

Product: Details

The Nimbus Sombrero is a wide-brimmed, domed rain hat.  In design, style, and functionality it is quite similar to OR's classic Seattle Sombrero, except that the Seattle has a crown lined with tricot instead of mesh.  With a 3.2 in (81 mm) brim that can be snapped to the crown, the Nimbus looks more like a bush hat than a true Mexican sombrero.   Here's a photo of me and my Nimbus taken last summer in the Great Bear Wilderness, Montana:

Manufacturer: Outdoor Research (OR)

Website: www.orgear.com All quotations in this review come from this website.
Year of manufacture: 2005
Year of Purchase: 2005
MSRP: USD 38
Measured height from top of crown to brim (size XL):  5.8 in (14.7 cm)
Measured width of brim: 3.2 in (81 mm)
Listed Weight, per website (size L): 3.4 oz (95 g)
Measured weight, size XL: 3.8 oz (108 g)
Color: I selected the lightest color, Lichen (light green).  Also available in Alpenglow (gold), Java (brown), or Marine (dark blue).  A small, raised "OR" (silver-colored on my lichen model) appears on the left side panel of the crown.
Construction: The crown consists of two side panels, each sewn longitudinally to a center panel.  The brim is a single piece of fabric sewn to the crown panels; it has a single seam sewn at the rear.   All seams are taped, on the inside for the crown seams and on the underside for the brim seams.  A toggle at the rear of the crown allows adjustment of an internal draw cord to permit micro-adjustments. 
Materials and Features: "Waterproof/breathable, 3-layer 50D ripstop Ventia™ fabric, seam taped; Leno mesh/foam-stiffened brim floats; flexible, circumferential piping; Mesh-lined crown and CoolMax® mesh headband for comfort and moisture management; External drawcord adjustment; Snaps on brim and dome; Removable chin cord with cordlock."

Field Conditions

Since buying the Nimbus last July I have worn it on backpacking trips in Wyoming in September (three-day trip), Montana in July and August (one overnighter, one seven-day trip), and Colorado in October (overnighter); many day hikes; and on at least a dozen fishing days from July through November.  I encountered short but severe thundershowers on one backpacking trip, and thundershowers, a steady drizzle, mist, and sleet at various times while fishing.  I discuss temperatures in my performance evaluation. 

Evaluation

A fair-skinned former redhead, I always wear a wide-brimmed hat when hiking or fishing for protection against sunburn.  If I am to take along just one hat for sun and rain, the challenge is to find one that is completely waterproof yet doesn't generate too much heat when worn in the hot sun.  I bought the Nimbus to replace another OR hat that was lost.  I'd used that hat for so long that I can't remember the model, but on inspection, on the web and at a local retailer, the Nimbus appeared to be most similar to the lost lid. 

Fit and Design.  This certifiable fathead often has difficulty finding a hat that's big enough.  OR's XL fits my size 7 3/4 head comfortably, and the drawcord allows minor adjustments.  For example, when fishing in cold weather I can loosen it slightly in order to wear a fleece cap underneath.   The width of the brim is just right.  It's long enough to keep my face and most of my neck in shadow in direct sun, and to keep the drops away from my face and glasses in the rain.  It's not so long, though, as to droop and interfere with vision.

Storage.  The Nimbus rolls up easily so that I can jam it inside my pack or a duffel bag, in a front pocket of my hiking shorts, or under a compression strap on the side of my pack when it's not needed.  Doing so exacerbates the adjustment problem that I discuss below, however, so when in camp or on the trail I prefer to hang it by the chin cord, tied off if necessary to prevent its being blown away. 

Features.  The chin cord (we Texans call this a stampede strap) is knotted on two small v-shaped fabric loops at the sides of the brim.  It is removable by untying the knots, but I never remove it.  With the toggle (cordlock) it's easily adjustable and I'm so used to wearing the cord that I barely notice it.  I must cinch the cord up to my chin in windy or gusty conditions to keep the hat from blowing off, even with the side brims snapped up.  In hot weather I can take the hat off in shady areas without stashing it somewhere merely by loosening the cord and pushing the hat back so that it hangs about my neck.

I'm not fond of the reinforced edging, a feature apparently added between my first OR hat and last summer's acquisition of the Nimbus.  This is much stiffer than the brim material, and much less flexible, which makes it difficult to shape the hat brim to take account of the direction from which sunlight or reflected glare is coming.  Considerable twisting is required to make any adjustment, and the result is often more change than desired.  If I've stuffed the hat somewhere, when I retrieve it I find the brim in an entirely new shape, requiring me to go through this frustrating process once again.  On occasion I've thought that the hat has two positions only: up (with the brim snapped to the crown) or down.  As advertised, however, the plastic does cause the hat to float if it's inadvertently dropped in a stream or lake, 

Water Repellency.  Simply stated, the Nimbus is completely waterproof.  The fabric repels water even after continued exposure to heavy rain, and doesn't absorb water to become soggy and heavy.  The dome and brim channel precipitation away from my head; if I remember to wear it with the front slightly higher on my head the water will drain down the outside of my jacket.  As noted, the brim width is just right.  Except for my dry flies getting soaked, I didn't even notice the rain while fishing on Slough Creek in an autumn rain squall and later thunderstorm. 

Temperature Control.  As long as I am not engaged in serious aerobic activity the Nimbus's CoolMax headband, mesh liner, and breathable fabric wick perspiration adequately, even in direct sunlight, at any temperature I've encountered.  I've worn the Nimbus while fly-fishing at up to about 90 F (32 C), and on day hikes in Texas at even higher temperatures, without undue discomfort.  I always perspire more when wearing any hat than bareheaded, but under these conditions the Nimbus hasn't increased perspiration to a point that it – or I – can't handle. 

When high temperatures are combined with hard exercise, however, the hat's wicking system reaches its saturation point very quickly.  On an August trip in Montana as a Forest Service volunteer I had sweat running down my neck after less than half an hour of manual labor at 85 F (30 C), even when working in the shade.  Temperatures on the hike out on that trip were at least 90 F (32 C), and I had the same problem hiking with a full pack.  I had no such issue on a steep hike in Colorado on a cloudless day above the tree line at 60 F (16 C), or on a more moderate overnighter in September in Yellowstone Park at 75 F (25 C), so I place my personal upper limit for backpacking with the Nimbus at about 80 F (27 C). 

All of my day hiking, backpacking, and fishing since buying the Nimbus have taken place in the dry climates of Texas or the Rocky Mountains, and my fishing in the rain was at temperatures in the 50s F (low 10s C) or lower.  I thus cannot comment on how humidity contributes to saturation. 

Durability.  My Nimbus shows no fading, loose stitching, shrinkage, or other deterioration after a good season's performance.  In particular, the headband and mesh liner are still firmly in place after many crunchings of the hat and three or four cycles in the washer.  This I expected, as I used this hat's predecessor for several years without notable loss of function or integrity.

Cleaning.  I wash the Nimbus occasionally in the machine, gentle cycle, with Sport-Wash or other non-detergent soap, to remove any sweat that has built up in the headband, mesh, and adjacent crown.   This doesn't require a separate run just for the hat; I throw it in with other gear or other clothing.  I then air dry the hat with the crown turned inside out, hanging from a peg by the chin cord.  If hung out to dry before I go to bed, it's completely dry in the morning.  In the field I have used a bandana and plain water, or plain water and some kind of camp soap, to remove smudges or bird droppings from the outside of the hat.  So far washing hasn't affected water resistance.

Summary

I may be guilty of wishful thinking in seeking a reliable rain hat that doesn't bake my brain or soak my scalp at higher temperatures.  Besides, I can always pack a cotton hat for the hottest days and use the hood on my jacket if it rains.  The Nimbus is an excellent general-purpose hat at all but the highest temperatures I'm likely to encounter in the Rockies, and it keeps the rain out without fail.  I would definitely buy another.

Upside

High quality materials and construction

Functional design

Completely waterproof

Easy-to-adjust chin cord

Durable

Not uncomfortably hot up to 80 F (26 C), even in direct sun

Can wear a cap underneath in cold weather for additional warmth

Downside

Reinforced edging makes it difficult to make minor adjustments to the brim.

Too warm under the crown during heavy exercise at temperatures above 80 F (26 C)