Gear

Yep. It was one of those sets where the box opens out to form the board. Weighs about 2lb. Somebody must have had fun carrying it up!

Never lost a HH hat, though, so you can tell me. I'll keep it a secret. :-)

Marcus, Tillys have clever straps to stop that 'Damn! there goes my hat!' moment. And that nice stiff brim keeps midge nets away from your face. Surprisingly good in the rain too. I do still get a nervous twitch when reminded what i paid for it though.

Does a Tilly fold up at all for packing?

It doesn't fold very much, Mad Jim. Istm that's the only drawback.

I have the Tilley cap which does not have a brim around the sides or the back, but instead some material that you can fold out to cover your ears and the back of your neck. I find it works very well as a sun hat. It doesn't stop the rain like a proper broad brimmed hat would, but it does pack up fairly small. I can roll it up an slot it down the side of my pack quite easily.

But keep them away from elephants, who, according to the Tilley blurb, find them rather tasty. Undigestible however so, if you can hang on to your pachyderm for a couple of days, will find it returned, packaged in a large meadow muffin.

They also have a small pocket in the roof; suggest that you keep emergency cash there, so if abroad and broke, seek out a few Tilley wearers and problem solved.

They are damned good hats though and the nearest you'll get to looking like Stewart Grainger. (Who he?)

Rob, the quality is enjoyed long after the price is forgotten.

Another vote for the Tilley. Price made me wince but it's the only hat I could find that did a size 8+. I've got the LTM5 Airflo and I'm very happy with it. It does an excellent job in the rain as well.

I tried to buy a stetson whilst in Calgary (the Stampede was on) and when I asked for a something bigger than a 7 5/8, I was told it's a special order. The downside of having a big noggin.

the straps on a tilly hat stop it blowing off your head but the wind tends then to blow the brim upwards all round where it stays there giving you a 'jolly sailor' look - which is especially effective when you get back to where theres no wind and youve forgotten to pull it down again

cheers for your views will have a butchers at the Tilley failing that will have to look in the Helvellyn Hat Shop or the Snowdon branch of Sun Hats "R" us

The Tilley also gets my vote. It's one of the few things i can think of that actually feels like its cooling my head. It has the added bonus of wicking sweat effectively away from your brow to drop off the edges.

Peak caps get me too sweaty, buffs don't keep me cool at all although they do keep off some of the direct sun.

Mad jim, I wouldn't worry too much about packing it down, you can just scrunch them up, they have a bit of volume but not much. I'm now looking for a big bullwhip and sharp knife to accompany it on trips into the interior.

An alternative I saw someone recommend as a cheaper but just as sound alternative is the Merganser which apparently you can pick up on ebay.

http://www.merganser.ca/hats.html

I'd second Foam Bob's comments on packing - it doesn't fold neatly into nothing but cramming it into and available space doesn't damage it.

I'm working on the double bluff principle with the secret pocket - as everyone knows it's there no-one expects you to use it! Then again I've never really felt the need to use it.

Oh, and Peter H, I'd agree with you, there's a quote I found a while back that sums things up nicely:

'It's unwise to pay too much,
but it's worse to pay too little.
When you pay too much, you lose a little money-that is all.
When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything,
because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do.'

That philosophy has cost me a small fortune over the years!

Which way Rob?

Buy cheap, buy twice!

Ah,these comforting aphorisms that apply to everyone but oneself.

I bought a 'Whiterock' hat t'other day, about twenty quid, after getting my head roasted and unbelievably sweaty in a bog standard baseball cap.
The whiterock is fine, bendy and packable, and it has some cooling crystals in the brim, which work to keep yer forehead cool when wet.
Stop laughing at the back, it actually seemed to work!
And, you can turn the brim up all the way round for the 'jolly sailor' look, as referred to by a previous poster.
Marvellous.

the jolly sailor look is also ideal for collecting rainwater for your next brew. or tipping your head backwrds to fill up the hood.

...and picking up strange men in Portsmouth.