Backpacking Background:

Field Testing Information

Field testing since the Field Report has included a two-week trip to Southwest Colorado, several weekend camping trips around Western New York and numerous short, day hikes with my kids and dog.  Weather during this phase of testing ranged from highs of 100F (38C) with bright sunshine to lows of 55F (13C) with torrential rains.  In fact, for the final six weeks of testing it has rained several times per week.  Testing elevations in Colorado ranged 8,000 - 14,000 ft (2440m - 4270m).  I was there during the monsoon season, with rains occurring virtually every day.  Sometimes, the rains were quite heavy, producing flash flooding.  The rain really followed me home, with constant rain almost since I returned.  Elevations around Western New York ranged between 600 - 2000 ft (185m - 600m). 

Field Results

After reading the Field Testing Information, the reader can see that during the long term testing, I've really been able to test the Nimbus Sombrero in an environment it was designed for - rain!  I can say with confidence this hat performs excellently in the environment it was designed for.  The Nimbus Sombrero does a fantastic job of shedding water, whether it's in a driving rain or a constant, miserable mist.  The form and features found on the Nimbus Sombrero have been optimized for this environment.

The hat does a great job of protecting me.  The wide brim really keeps the rain off my face, regardless of the direction it's coming from.  The brim also effectively acts as a gutter, channeling the rainfall away and down off the back of the hat.  Since the Nimbus Sombrero covers the back of my neck as well, the dripping water is diverted beyond this too.  I've worn the Nimbus Sombrero with a multitude of different packs, and the wide brim has not interfered with any of them.  The diverted rain water from the hat does land on my pack, so I recommend bringing a pack cover.

The Nimbus Sombrero fits extremely well too.  The band adjuster enables me to tighten or loosen the fit, depending on my mood.  This is a great feature on breezy days or if I want to wear a thin liner.  The band has lost none of its elasticity.

After four months of testing, the hat seems impervious to the effects of UV radiation.  It looks as good today as the day I got it.  It's held its shape wonderfully over the test period.  When I stored it in my pack, I simply made sure it was stored flat along my back.  This kept the brim piping from taking on any odd shape.

One of the greatest pleasures of wearing the Nimbus Sombrero was my ability to hear the sounds of the forest in the rain.  Previous to this test, I hiked for a number of years with an umbrella.  This allowed me to stay cool and didn't hamper my ability to hear.  But, since I've taken up hiking with trekking poles, this has never worked out completely.  The problem is when I hike with two poles, I have to put one pole away when I need to deploy the umbrella.  This was wasteful to me.  I tried different lashing schemes to incorporate the umbrella shaft with the pole shaft.  This worked, but only with limited satisfaction.  The Nimbus Sombrero solved this problem for me!  It allowed me almost all the comforts of hiking with an umbrella, i.e. great surface coverage, uncompromised hearing, simple deployment, but kept my hands free to hold the trekking poles. 

As I stated in the Field Report, the Nimbus Sombrero offers great sun protection as well, but the same materials that make it an awesome rain hat limit its effectiveness in this mode.  Of course, it's a function of the level of exertion, but in general the Nimbus Sombrero is too warm for me at temperatures above 70F (21C).  This is by no means a knock on the hat, since this is really outside the limits of its intended function.  I simply state it here since it naturally follows that since it's so good in the rain, how well does it work in the sun?  It offers excellent protection from the sun; it just gets too warm for me if the temperatures are too high.

Tim