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Outdoor Research Sahara Sombrero
Field Report - June 17, 2004
Contents
Reviewer Information [return to top]
Name: Chuck Kime
Nickname: Fuzzy
Age: 38
Gender: Male
Height: 5' 8" (1.72 m)
Weight: 229 lb (104 kg)
Hat size: 7 to 7¼, depending on haircut
Email address: ckime AT nelsononline DOT com
City, State, Country: Upper Darby (Philadelphia suburb), PA, U.S.A.
Date: June 17, 2004
Product Information [return to top]
Manufacturer: Outdoor Research
Model: Sahara Sombrero
Year of Manufacture: 2004
URL: http://www.orgear.com
Listed weight: none
Measured weight (size M): 4.2 oz (119 g), scale accurate to 0.1 oz
Color: Glacier (light grey)
Other colors available: Bone, Khaki
MSRP: $33 USD
Features (from web site) [return to top]
- SolarLite Fabric
- WickLine Headband
- Foam-Stiffened Brim
- External Cinch-Strap
- Chin Cord with Cordlock
- Floats
Description [return to top]
The Sahara Sombrero is made of SolarLite, a lightweight Supplex Nylon. The broad brim – which is longer in the back – is stiffened by a foam insert and is covered on the bottom with a black fabric. The sombrero has a WickLine headband, an external cinch strap that uses a cordlock on the outside of the sombrero, and a chin cord with cordlock.
For a more detailed description, please see my Initial Report.
Field Testing [return to top]
Our Boy Scout troop camps monthly. Almost all of these outings include a minimum of 2 nights of camping, with temperatures expected to be from lows around 30 ºF (-1 ºC) to highs around 95 to 100 ºF (35 to 38 ºC). Elevations will range from sea level to approximately 2,000’ (610 m). My girlfriend and I, who between us have 3 First Class Boy Scouts (ages 12, 13 and 14), are also looking into additional camping without the scouts, and the possibilities of beginning to do some AT section hikes in Pennsylvania as the weather warms up.
I am relatively light sensitive, and can’t stand the light glaring thru my (rather thick) glasses. I have looked for hats that are lightweight and/or well-ventilated and found few to my liking. I also dislike rain on my glasses and, although the Sahara Sombrero is not meant as a rain hat, it so far has served well enough in that capacity, with the large brim also keeping water from dripping down my collar. My girlfriend has borrowed the sombrero for a 3-day camping trip with her son’s 7th-grade class, and also got to experience the rain-shedding qualities. The sombrero has been with me nearly every day of the testing period – to include to and from work, camping and hiking, and Boy Scout trips – so it is getting quite a durability workout. It has gotten Mom off my back about the condition of the hat I had been wearing lately, but my girlfriend thinks it looks too much like a women’s hat and hates when I wear it for anything other than the field.
Things I am/will be looking for:
- Fit. Does it fit me? Is the sizing on the web site accurate? Does it stay on well in windy conditions?
- Fabric. Is the SolarLite durable (I have no prior experience with the fabric)? Does it stretch? Does it fade? Is it windproof? Waterproof? Does it pill, pull, or snag readily?
- Warmth/cooling. How warm can it get out and still keep me cool? Does it breathe well?
- Comfort. Am I constantly aware of the hat, or does it just seem to disappear on my head? Does the WickLine headband effectively keep sweat out of my eyes?
- Washability. Are there special instructions? Are they easy to follow? Does it dry well? Does it hold much dirt in the first place?
- Durability. Do the fittings (cordlocks) continue working well over time?
My findings so far:
- Fit. The size Medium just fits (as in shouldn’t be tightened if I am wearing it), and is not affected by gentle breezes. Stronger airflow has occasionally required snugging up the chin cord.
- Fabric. After wearing the sombrero for at least 2 hours a day nearly every day for 2 months, the only thing I can find is a small smudge from a camping trip. I have noticed no stretching or fading. It does not seem to be windproof, although this is a good thing in a summer hat, as it permits evaporation. The fabric is not waterproof, but will bead water for a short time if I am caught in the rain, and the design will keep rain off my glasses and out of my collar. I have noticed no damage to the fabric at all.
- Warmth/cooling. During a hard 30-minute bushwhack on a recent Scout trip at 85 °F (29 °C) with high humidity I managed to build up some perspiration. The headband kept this perspiration out of my eyes, and I was able to feel what little breeze there was available blowing through the crown to cool my head.
- Comfort. I have worn broad brimmed hats – or ball caps – for many years, and am used to having a large bill above my eyes. I find that I am actually more comfortable outside with the sombrero on than without it.
- Washability. Instructions are basic: machine wash cold, tumble dry warm, warm iron. The sombrero has a small brown smudge on it, but I have not yet felt the need to wash it. There is no staining at all around the headband, which is unusual for my hats. The sombrero, when it has gotten wet, has dried quickly.
- Durability. The cordlocks are working fine so far.
Things I like [return to top]
- Lightweight.
- Black underside helps prevent glare.
- Crushable/packable.
Things I don't like [return to top]
- Not my first color choice.
- It bangs rather solidly up against my girlfriend’s fashion sensibilities. She’s at least ok with it as long as I don’t wear it when I am with her. Sigh...
Backpacking Background [return to top]
I started car/trailer camping with the family when I was about 5. I enlisted in the Army Reserve during my first year of college and spent 17 years fine-tuning my packing methodology - by the time I separated from the service, I was down to what I thought was a respectable 75-80 lb (34-36 kg) load. When my son started Cub Scouts, I brought my 60 lb (27 kg) ALICE pack for a weekend. We got to Boy Scouts in the Spring of 2002 and now camp monthly in locations ranging from the Chesapeake Bay area (flat and lightly wooded) to the Pocono Mts (flat spots hard to find and very wooded), in all seasons.
Lightweight (and ultralightweight) web sites, along with a day hike up Pikes Peak in July 2003, have led me to seriously rethink my gear choices. I plan to start doing more hiking/backpacking on our monthly scout trips, taking along as many scouts as are willing, to a) get in shape (yeah, yeah, I know… round IS a shape), and b) determine what I really need to take along. I am relatively confident that I will be able to reduce my 3-season pack to 20 lb (9 kg), before food, fuel and water, by the time this season is over.
Thank you for your time.
Chuck Kime
a.k.a. Fuzzy
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