Best wide brim "Adventure" hiking hats ( Dorfman Pacific, Walmart, Tilley T3 Wanderer) 

Just got my first Tilley Hat the LTM 6 mainly for the golf course and casual wearing……….. classy, lightweight & stylish , I’m in love with the brand already ! 🤠

I've had my tilley hat for over 25 years. Love it.

I have a 35 year old Tilly and think it's a pretty good hat. It's not great, but it's much better than the current versions. My go to hats are Akubra outback styled felt hats. They're a bit spendy but they're the most rugged felt hat I've ever seen and will stand up to a lifetime of hard use.

I was in Bass Pro Shop looking for a big brim hat for dealing with the current Texas heat wave. Triple digit heat since early June and no end in sight. I know nothing about this style of hat. I tried several on. All priced from $20 to $55. Then I saw a stand with Tilley hat on it. Best looking, best fit and finish, the color I wanted, and they had my size. But there was no price tag. Well it must be around the same as the others I thought. So I asked for a price check... $99! I put it back on the stand. Ended up with a nice Bass Pro Redhead brand for $30. It good for me!

I sometimes use binder clips to attach a bandana around the back and sides for extra sun protection on my neck.

I have quit a few Tilley hats. I found another way of wearing the strap on windy days is to put the front strap on your forehead just under the hat brim line. Then adjust the rear strap length by separating the 2 knots on the back strap so that it fits just under the crown of your skull. The hat is very stable in this configuration. You can't even pull the hat off with your hands, the more you pull the tighter the strap hold. You have to lift the back strap up to release the hats hold. Give it a try...Your Welcome!!

This is why i use military surplus boonie hats. The brims are stiffer and shorter but still provide coverage, and if you can get them in a ripstop 50/50 nylon/blend then it will keep you feeling dry much longer than pure cotton. Also if you tighten the chin strap to the back of your head, it will keep your hat in place.

Great video. I’d also suggest looking at Shelta, they have a no-flap front brim, bunch of different brim widths, they float. I have two, awesome company!

I modified that weathered cotton Dorfman Pacific hat which is my go-to camping hat in the mountains of Idaho. I used a mixture of beeswax and neatsfoot oil and really waterproofed it after I steam shaped it into more of a western fedora shape. I got rid of the center "bubble" by raising the top of the crown all around with steam. This is my main fall, winter, spring hat. For summer I go white straw, like the American Hat Makers Barcelona for hiking and rodeos. One things for sure, a brim hat is absolutely necessary at higher elevations.

This was a great video, I have a dorfman pacific and have been thinking of upgrading to the Tilley. Thanks!

Thanks, great talk/walk through. I just got my T3 in post and just getting the hang of adjusting the strap system. 👍🏻

Nice review. Tilley hats are my favourite. I own 3 of them. A waxed cotton TWC7 size 7 1/2, a TTW2 (wool tec) size 7 3/8 and my latest addition for warmer weather, a TH5 (Hemp) in a size 7 1/2. Great quality hats👍🇬🇧

Outbacktrading has some nice hats to check out too. They even have some hats with full mesh or a hybrid with less mesh like there mariner hat. There also crush able. Great video lots of information. I have always wondered about Tilly hats. Currently though I'm trying to modify one of my Brim hats for hiking by attaching a button or two for the back of the hat. That way when I have to start climbing straight up my hat doesn't hit the back of my pack. Keep up the cool videos and for some reason my first comment didnt end up posting so I'm here typing it out again. Take care and cheers!

My T3 Wanderer is a little bit on the snug side at size 7 5/8 - my melon is 23 3/4 ~ 24 inches. I think the "enzyme wash" shrinks them a little, puckering up the fabric. I think it'll break in very nicely though.

Yep I put it in the pouch too.

Great review, especially of the Tilley. Have you tried wearing the Tilley in more tropical environs or just super hot days in Arizona? How does it perform in hotter, muggy weather versus a lighter weight hats like a boonie?

Hey guys. Cool videos, new subscriber here and a new RU-vidr. Keep them coming.

My Tilley T3 duck is size 8 - my head is a giant watermelon! I've got it at the limit of how loose I'm willing to go, for a bit of ventilation, so that it's almost balancing on my ears. UPDATE - I soaked the crown in hot water and it appears to have shrunk the size down just a tiny bit - just what I wanted. Feels lovely. A bit loose (looser than I'd wear a baseball cap) but happily holding to my head without it solely relying on resting on the top of my head, and with a few gaps around the inside sweatband to allow some air flow. As per the official Tilley guidance, you can't really make a Tilley hat bigger (apart from stretching it back to size using your knee) but you can shrink it a little bit in that way. So if I were suggesting advice to a buyer, I'd say err on a little loose rather than tight (as I did this time). But I'm not expert and hear conflicting stories about whether a Tilley gets a tiny bit looser or tighter with use.

I also am a hat freak. A hat for any occasion. I still take issue with Tilley charging twice what they should then stating hat is guaranteed against loss. Just means to me they are doubling their sales on the front end. To this day I regret buying my Tilley and regret supporting the company for this reason.

Check out Shelta hats. Just got my first one. Well made and very comfortable.

A great review. I am about to buy the Tilley hat as well. I have a problem in choosing the correct size. The hats are not available in my current location in many sizes. I tried the biggest available (7 5/8) and found it a little tight. I could push two fingers tightly between the forehead and hat but I still found the hat too small. Can you push the two fingers loosely or tightly in your hat?

The first hat may wear hot because of the polyester content. I think hats made of natural materials wear cooler

And I’ve also had problems with sizing I’ve had to return two. They are just not consistent.

One interesting point that Tilly T3 wanderer is now made in China. They used to advertise strongly, made in Canada, and quietly move production over to China.

Awesome 👏🏽 video brotha 🫡 🔥

What model G-Shock are your wearing?

I have quite a few Tilleys and love them BUT…new ownership is moving much of their products to China. A few of their traditional cotton hats (T5 and T3???) still made in Canada but I’m afraid not for long. As soon as that happens, I’ll look elsewhere for my hats.

Polyester is basically just plastic, so if ur hat have a lot of it, chances are, your gonna sweat a lot after a while 😂

I live my Dorfman, but my old Tilley T3 cotton duck hat was imo perfect nearly. . For years Tilley made their models in China and Canada. They used to specify the Canadian models but their site has been changed and now the manufacturers are mixed up even on the same models. I never liked this. Unfortunately though, their new Canadian made models have been cut on quality. I was told by them the new T3 Classic is the original Cotton duck model. It is not, several stores have agreeed when i called to see what model they had. Everything from the foam in the top to the materail thickness has been cheapened. Probably why the new Classics are ao cheap and on sale constantly. The material is at least 15 percent less by weight. The brim is floppy and the overall hat isnt even close. Its a good hat but not what i wanted and not the same. So in looking again for a good hat.

Since Tilley hats went to China, the lifetime warranty for the new hats went away ( so I've been told ) .

Now its Made in China !