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First Impressions:
The Outdoor
Research Sahara Sombrero®
arrived on April 19,
2004. It arrived safe and sound in one of those virtually indestructible
plastic mailing envelopes. The hat was in good condition when it arrived.
Inside the clear plastic bag was the hat and a packing slip. Attached
to the hat were three tags: one tag promoting the SolarLight® fabric
the hat is made of, one tag promoting the features of the Sahara
Sombrero®,
and one tag with the barcode and style information on one side and warranty
information on the other. The warranty is without time limits, and covers
any defects in the materials or construction of the hat so long as it
was not due to abnormal use or normal wear and tear. Outdoor Research
will also repair any of their products for a small fee.
The Sahara
Sombrero® is very lightweight. My hat color is called "bone"
and is basically a light beige color. The underside of the brim is black
- better to shade your eyes and reduce reflections. The brim is slightly
longer in the back (5.5 inches / 14 cm) than the front (3.75 inches /
9.5 cm) and the sides. There is an external drawcord to adjust the hat
to better fit your head and an adjustable chin strap
I have already worn
the Sahara Sombrero® several times
while doing gardening in the yard. The hat is very lightweight and comfortable.
My hair is just past my shoulders, and occasionally I like to pile my
hair on top of my head and then put a hat on. Sometimes it's a tight fit,
but I used the external drawcord to make the hat slightly larger to accommodate
my hair. One thing I did notice that might be a problem is the longer
back brim. I have a feeling that it might bump up against a daypack or
a backpack and be annoying.
Construction:
- Fabric (SolarLight®
) - The SolarLight® fabric is comprised of 70d Supplex Nylon,
and provides the maximum sun protection with a UPF rating of 50+. The
tight weave is designed to be durable and quick drying.
- Seams - All
of the seams appear to be well done and secure.
- Features -
Brim - As discussed above, the back of the brim is slightly
longer than the front and sides. I'm assuming this is to provide extra
sun protection for the back of the neck. The brim contains foam inside
to help keep it stiff and not flop about, and helps the hat to float.
Parallel rows of stitching at the edges help the brim to keep its shape.
The underside of the brim is black to minimize reflected light.
External drawcord - This feature is located at the back of the
hat and allows for easy adjustment of the hat size.
Chin Strap - The
chin strap is adjustable, allowing one to snug it up about the chin
in windy conditions, and leave it loose when desired.
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I plan to wear the
Sahara Sombrero® in and around town, on trails in the San Gabriel, Santa
Monica mountains and possibly the San Joaquin Hills and Santa Ana mountains;
selected portions of the Southern California coast including the Los Angeles
Harbor and the waters of the San Pedro shelf (outside the Los Angeles
Breakwater), and in and around Tampa, Florida in July. I may possibly
go to the Colorado River, Portland, Oregon and southwestern Washington
later this summer, too, which will allow for additional testing opportunities.
Also, we have one tentative 2-3 day backpacking trip planned for the Sierras
in the spring or summer.
Trails in the Southern
California mountains are fairly well maintained, and range in difficulty
from moderate to very difficult. The trail surface along the coast varies
between concrete, sand, or dirt. The Los Angeles Harbor waters that are
fairly shallow (10 - 40 meters / 33 - 130 feet) and mostly calm; outside
the breakwater, water depths vary considerably depending upon location
and the wave conditions vary from calm to stormy. Weather in Southern
California varies greatly with location and season. In general, temperatures
range from 60 - 75 °F (15 - 24 °C) in the spring and can get into
the upper 90's (35+ °C) in the summer. July temperatures in Tampa,
Florida average 83 °F (28 °C).
As a professional
geologist, I spend a good deal of time hiking in the sun. I currently
use a REI Sombrero Hat which does a good job, but the hat's dark color
makes it hot to wear in the summer. With English, German and Irish
ancestry, I fry when I even think about the sun, so sun protection
of all kinds is a must for me. Thus, I will be taking a risk and
will NOT be wearing sunscreen on my face during testing.
As a part of my testing I will take the Sahara
Sombrero® out with me on day hikes, and when I do fieldwork
out in the San Joaquin Hills, Santa Ana and Santa Monica Mountains.
Additionally, I will use the hat on my required field trips for my Geol
155 Oceanography lab, which include a trip to Cabrillo Beach and Aquarium
and a four hour oceanographic cruise in the Los Angeles Harbor and surrounding
areas, and my Geol 150 Lab field trip to the Cajon Pass, San Andreas Fault,
and San Gabriel Mountains. Finally, I'm off to Tampa Florida for a conference
in July. I'll wear the hat while sightseeing in Tampa and, if the opportunity
presents itself, on any hikes I can fit in.
Questions I will pose
include:
- Comfort
- Will the longer
back brim cause a problem while used in conjunction with a backpack,
daypack, or child carrier?
- Will the hat
keep me cool when needed, or will my head sweat a lot?
- Los Angeles
typically has low humidity in the summer, but Florida is the exact
opposite. Will the hat keep me cool in the hot, humid environs
of Florida?
- Is the chin
strap comfortable? Does it adjust easily? Will it stay
adjusted, or will my hat fly off in the wind?
- Durability
- How well will
the hat handle being stored in my daypack?
- Can the hat
be rolled or folded so that it can be easily stored?
- How easy is
it to clean? Machine washable?
- SolarLite
fabric
- The Sahara
Sombrero's® SolarLite fabric is
supposed to provide a UPF of 50 - the highest. Does
it? Or will I burn?
- In addition
the SolarLite fabric is supposed to be light,
durable, and fast drying. Is it?
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