Name: Jennifer Joy
Age: 35
Gender: Female
Height: 5'4" (1.63 m)
Weight: 150 lb (68 kg)
Email address: jjoy AT io DOT com
Location: Austin, Texas
Date: June 9, 2004

Backpacking Background

I have been camping and hiking since I was a toddler, traveling with my parents across the Western United States. Much of my recent time in the outdoors has been spent in Texas and in the mountains of New Mexico, with some time spent in New England. I often camp and hike using a sea kayak as my vehicle. I used to be not very weight conscious, but I am actively working to move towards lightweight backpacking and plan to replace much of my gear in an effort to help an extreme tendency for tendonitis. My backpacking trips tend to be over a weekend or day hikes within a multi-day kayaking trip. Multi-week hiking is a long-term goal. I could be considered a beginner backpacker but an experienced camper.

Product Information

Manufacturer: Outdoor Research (OR)
Year of manufacture: 2004
Website: www.orgear.com
Listed weight: Not listed

Weight as tested: 2.4 oz (68 g)
Each component:
Hat: 0.9 oz (26 g)
Skirt: 1.5 oz (42 g)
Style number: 80900
MSRP: $37.00 US
Warranty: Lifetime for defects in materials or construction

Material: Predominately SolarLite, a 70-denier Supplex nylon

Color: Bone, a light tan with black trim

My hat size: 7 1/4 (head circumference of 22.75 inches / 58 cm)

Hat size received: Large

Notes on fit:

According to the OR fitting chart my head is at the very top end of the medium range or midway in the large sizing. I was glad I received the large as it seems to fit quite well.

Length of skirt: Approximately 12 inches / 30 cm, slightly shorter in the back

Bill length: 2.75 inches / 7 cm

Product Description

The Outdoor Research (OR) Sahara Cap can be most simply described as a ball cap with an attached skirt. The hat features a close-fitting five-panel design that fits snugly to the head. The two side panels are made of black mesh. The skirt is removable and has two drawstrings attached to either side which end in a toggle. The hat is made of sun protective nylon fabric called SolarLite. For a much more extensive description and pictures of the hat please see my Initial Report.

Field Test

General Information:

Since the hat's arrival, I've moved past the "dweeb" factor worry I had in my Initial Report. I no longer fear to wear the hat plus skirt outdoors in public, although I have no desire to wear anything like this to the mall, for example. The hat itself is extremely normal in appearance. I do not find the exposed black snaps on my beige rim to be odd and the rest of the hat looks like a normal cap. However, when I venture out I'm no longer guided by the dweeb worry but wind. The hat with skirt attached can be annoying in the wind. I gauge whether to wear the skirt or not based on sun exposure primarily, with a secondary consideration for the wind. If I will be out in unrelenting sun for 3 or 4 hours, the skirt is worth all the petty aggravations.

It takes some practice to learn to put on the hat with the skirt attached. I have received my fair share of ribbing for getting completely tangled up in the skirt. There are a couple of gotchas. The first is that the head has to go behind the drawstring but in front of the skirt. Keep in mind that 90% of the time I have a ponytail I have to thread through the back of the hat as well! Putting it all together requires some coordination in holding the drawstring away from the face, and at the same time pulling the hat and skirt down behind the head. Another technique is to flip the skirt forward, put the hat on the head, and then pull the skirt down around the hat. This works well, but sometimes I end up with an extra twist of material at the snaps on the bill. The twist doesn't impact performance, but it looks a little funny. Finally, the skirt can be attached after the hat is on the head. I found I could do the snaps blind, but it's not the fastest way to put on a hat. The skirt has an elastic band in it, which means it needs to be pulled into position no matter which method is used. It is super easy and fast to remove the skirt.

Fit/comfort:

When I first received the hat, I feared it might fit a little too snuggly across the temples, despite my head size being on the small size of the large range. That fear turned out to be completely unfounded. I've worn the hat for seven hours without any sort of itch to take it off or discomfort. It is an exceptionally comfortable hat. It is also very lightweight and well-ventilated through the large side panels, and I think that makes for a hat that's very easy to wear. I do pull the skirt down quite far to get the most of the cross-ventilation.

As mentioned earlier, the wind is not always the easiest thing to deal with while wearing the cap. The toggle in the front only serves to pull in the sides of the hat, it isn't a retention drawstring that goes up under your chin. So a strong gust can catch the bill and send the whole mess backwards. Eventually it will stop, the string keeps it from blowing away completely, but the whole ensemble will need to be resituated. I had some worries the toggle might blow around and be bothersome, but it's not. I tightened the rear closure and found that the hat stayed in place much better and there was no extra pressure.

For me personally there is one huge drawback with the cap. It has two pieces. This means there are two things for me to lose. I lose everything. I have 5 pairs of sunglasses because I can usually only find 1 to 2 pairs at any given time. These are never the same pairs. I'm that bad. So, the skirt has gone walkabout numerous times and I finally have to resort to asking my husband where it might be. Luckily I've not lost it yet, but it is a potential hazard.

Materials:

The bone, or light tan, color has proven to be more dirt tolerant than I expected. If I look closely I can see a few smudges, but I've not had to wash the hat yet. I'll be sure to do that a few times before the test series is over. The black inner headband is nice. It hides any dirt and sweat smudges and it has absorbent properties that keep the sweat from rolling into my eyes.

Despite all the use it hasn't picked up any funky odors. The material is holding up well, and had not fraying much more where the black trim material was not sewn on at the back of the hat. I've not torn or snagged any other parts of the hat.

The vendor's claim of excellent "shape retention after repeated crumpling, smashing and packing" has turned out to be quite true. It's also true that the hat floats, supported by its brim.

Trips:

1. Texas hiking/camping
Description: Two single-night campouts in April, many bike trips
Weather: Highs in the low 70s (21 C) in April to the 90s F (32 C) for biking
Goal: Durability, functionality

The Sahara Cap is wonderfully squishable. I've had it jammed into packs and duffle bags and it emerges looking just fine and ready to go. The brim of the cap has stayed true and looks just fine. It's a nice addition and worth carrying in the pack because it packs so small and weighs so little.

2. Kayaking
Description: Multiple on the water trips/events

Weather: 60-88 F (16 - 31 C)
Goal: Behavior of the skirt and cap in the wind and wet, anti-glare capability

I wore this hat as a safety boater for a paddling event, which meant I was out on the water for about 4 hours. The wind was blowing quite strong at times (10 - 20 mph / 16 - 32 kph). The skirt is well-designed and allowed for good peripheral vision, which I needed since I was watching over a large area on the lake. The wind causes the skirt to billow out and into my face, but it wasn't annoying because it wasn't really in my face, but hitting my ears.

The next day the wind was still blowing a gale. I was doing a river cleanup in the area where the paddling event was held. I really did not want to be touching my hat with my grubby hands, but I had no choice. The wind was even stronger and at one point it flipped my hat back. It was a two handed affair, and eventually required me to take the hat off to get it back on. From then on I was careful not to let the wind hit the bill fully and I cinched down the closure. From then on I kept the hat mostly on. I did have to tug it into place a few more times.

I used the hat without a skirt for a similar amount of time (3 - 4 hours) as a safety boater for the swimmers in the Danskin triathlon. Without the skirt I really started to feel like I was baking my skin. I was sure I had fried my ears and I worried what patch of skin I might have left without sunscreen. It turned out I did not burn anything, but I wished I had brought the skirt to keep some of the heat of the sun off of my ears and neck.

I've used the hat every time I've been on the water and I have no complaints. If it gets wet it dries off very quickly, and the nylon doesn't get weighed down by the water, so I've not had any complaints. I timed the dry time in the house and it was around an hour for the hat, while the bill was still somewhat damp.

I can't tell how much effect the glare reducing black underside of the cap has on comfort, but it is still a nice touch, and good to have, especially when on the water.

3. Normal activities around the house: yard work and mowing
Description: General use about the house

Weather: So far, not too hot, up to 90 degrees (32 C)

Goal: How does it hold up to yard dirt, how well does it breathe, long term use

Not too much to say here that hasn't been said before except it's a great hat for any outdoor activity I have used it for, no matter how mundane. When mowing I found that the hat fits nice and close to the head so my headphone-style ear protection slips easily over the hat.

Further testing planned:

I'll keep wearing the cap and monitor for wear and how well it holds up to washing and more continued use.

Summary

Likes:

Small packing and lightweight
Being able to remove the skirt and have just a hat

Concerns:

A manufacturer defect in the back of the cap trim seems like it should not have passed quality control
It can blow around some in the wind

A final note

Thank you to BackpackGearTest and Outdoor Research for the opportunity to test the Sahara Cap.

Read more reviews of Outdoor Research gear
Read more gear reviews by Jennifer Joy

Field Report