In this time of physical distance and indoors time I wanted to write a show and tell about hats.
I like to wear brimmed hats when the weather is warmer. They protect better from the sun than the sun-hoodie and cap. They keep the brain cool by keeping an insulated air space between you and the hot sun. If the hat has vent holes it provides a micro draft of venting too. Hats give better visual awareness then a rain hood. They give better hearing awareness without fabric running over your ears. Paul Petzoldt founder of NOLS and Outward Bound banned hoods and suggested all the students wear hats in his tenure in those organizations. He was from the old school of outdoorsmen.
I most often wear hats while working with horses. It is very traditional and I like to be a part of that.
I do wear hats on foot as well. I like a smaller brim like this stingy brim Stetson. When bumping around the much denser cascade rain forest I like a very trim hat that can still keep rain and drizzle off, but there's not much sun to protect from! A smaller brim can be worn with a large tall backpack better than a wide brim can too.
I mainly own Stetsons because they are a legendary American maker. The Stetsons are all various X grades. The more X's the more percentage of beaver fur which is stronger and more water resistant, but this is very approximate. They are 3X to 10X.
I also own an Australian Akubra which as you can see here was loved to death, and finally succumbed to the elements in Namibia. They are made with the fur of the invasive rabbits, so you are doing a service to the marsupial wild life by buying an Akubra.
Here's a replica of the French Foreign Legion bush hat. Ironically the hat is manufactured in Vietnam who coopted the colonialist' effective design. I like it more than the USGI boonie because it can be shaped to have dents and bash's like a felt hat.
What are your outdoor hats?
