Much like I'm not going to wear a Del Fatti holster to mow the lawn, I'm not going to wear a Tilly hat to mow the lawn.

Whenever I hit up a new golf course, I check out the clearance bins. There are usually some outdated TPC wide brim buckets available on the cheap. I'm talking the 10-15 dollar range cheap. They ain't the purdy ones, but they work for mowing the lawn and stuff.

That makes baby Jesus cry.

I'd agree with you, having bought mil surplus hats for a long time, but Tilly isn't a special occasion hat.

I'm going to say that you've never played with or wore one. It's not out of place or a waste. It's a hard use hat built better than most other hats.

My government issued USMC desert camo boonie hat gets lots of use each week to this day and is still going strong and providing great sun protection all these years later!

$100 boonie? Nope. Don't ever see the need.

If you are considering a Tilley be aware that much of their production has shifted to China.

I climbed Masada last year with my US Army jungle green boony hat, and all over Israel for that matter. Then I left it on a tour bus near the end of the trip. Forunately, I got a new one for like $40.

quote:

Originally posted by NOCkid:
If you are considering a Tilley be aware that much of their production has shifted to China.

I have both and I don't see a difference in quality or craftsmanship.

I used to have a Tilly hat that I wore working outside. On hot days some ice in the compartment in the top of the hat felt really good.

quote:

Originally posted by k5blazer:
Dorfman Pacific. I keep one spare in my truck. People do go out of their way to avoid you when wearing one. Good reason I wear them.

I would and do wear the Dorfman (top) before wearing the Filson fly-fishing hat in public. . Both cost me a total of $5.

Crye Precision for me; I’ve been wearing one for years.

$100 hat better have a built-in AC.

I agree with Gustofer, have a Shelta hat also, good coverage, light, stiff baseball like bill. Have one for boating and works great. https://www.sheltahats.com/

Those things have been around forever. I remember wearing one when I was in college (1960's) when I went fishing. I really don't remember what they were called but it wasn't a "boonie" hat.

I have a couple of Tilley hats. Canadian made and they were less expensive when I bought them 15 years ago. They wear like iron if you wash them from time to time to get the salt out (I sweat, a lot). The T3 Wanderer is a take on a Boonie, I like mine.

An old shooting buddy of mine has a Tilley hat. He loves it. I'm a little more 'meh' on it. I mean it seems like a pretty good hat, I just have a little problem getting past the price. For boonie hats I usually just get the GI type when they go on sale at surplus stores or gun shows, they usually last a few years. I had 2 or 3 of them, but only one seems to have made the trip with me when I moved out of Oregon a few months ago (I was being pretty ruthless toward the end of the packing phase, and remember tossing several things that I kind of wish now I hadn't).

quote:

Originally posted by Bassamatic:
Those things have been around forever. I remember wearing one when I was in college (1960's) when I went fishing. I really don't remember what they were called but it wasn't a "boonie" hat.

Boonie hats are a subtype of the broader "bucket hat" or "fishing hat" genre.

Bucket hats in general have been around for a while.

Boonie hats - which typically have a flatter and slightly broader brim than the usual fishing style bucket hat - really only gained popularity after US military adoption during Vietnam.


Bucket > Boonie:

I have a very lightweight German alpenflage one. A sand and an OD one, both disgusting, dirty, sweat stained, rolled up and stuffed in the roof top tool box of my SUV. I have a couple that have had the brims mostly trimmed off. One completely waterproofed and waxed outside that will hold water like a bucket. One completely saturated with DEET and permethrin and one that was painted, had holes poked in it and "foliage" strips of cloth tied into it.
People buying the Tiley must be doing other things with them than I am.


I do like the idea of the Sheltahat. I've run ridged stainless steel wire inside the perimeter of a couple boonies, you could shape them and they'd stay that way. But considering how many I have already, $75 is a huge pill to swallow. I'd have to do like I do with guns and knives, invent some special niche that it would fill that the others "just aren't".

My got me this Eddie Bauer last year and if I am going to be in the Sun it is on.
Head does not get hot drys quick but not too quick if you give it a dip in some water to help keep cool.
We spent the last 3 weeks at LEGOLAND, Universal, and Myrtle Beach. Pretty much the only time it left my head was in the rides.
It’s my go to for yard work as well.
https://www.eddiebauer.com/p/7...moke&size=&sizeType=

I have multiple Columbia booney hats. One even has the flap on the back to protect your neck.

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:

I'm waiting for Al Czervik to say, "You buy a hat like this, I bet you get a free bowl of soup.”

Oh, but it looks good on you.

I have 3 of them laying around.
Tri-color camouflage, Chocolate Chip desert camouflage and a Tan one.

The Tan one was about $15 - Proper brand
The other two cost me about 6 years with Uncle Sam. All three have held up great through years of inclement weather, sweat, and abuse.