Looking for a hat to wear in the rainforest

Old Nov 6th, 2014, 10:20 AM
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Looking for a hat to wear in the rainforest

We are going to be in the Amazonian rainforest in 4 weeks, doing a fair bit of hiking. I've got a poncho but was thinking that I'd also like a waterproof hat, with an all-around brim and a chin strap. Something in a neutral color. Preferably packable/crushable, so it can be stuck in a backpack if necessary. I know, not asking too much! I have done an internet search, but the ones that fit the bill don't get good reviews for use in warm weather.

Does anyone have such a hat, and what do you like or dislike about it?
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Old Nov 6th, 2014, 01:53 PM
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Well the obvious answer is Columbia's Omni-freeze zero gear. But since you haven't said what you have looked at and didn't like, I'm not about to waste me time explaining it as you may have already decided you don't like it.

I would take this:
http://www.columbia.com/freezer-zero...er-CU9504.html
You may think it is contrary to logical thinking to add something around your neck. You would be wrong. Wet it and it is like an icepack around your neck.

This:
http://www.columbia.com/mens-coolhea...ii-CM9484.html
Better under a hood than a brimmed hat.

Or this if you must:
http://www.columbia.com/coolhead-booney-hat-CU9065.html

This:
http://www.columbia.com/mens-zero-ru...rt-AM4025.html

Along with some Zero t-shirts both short and long sleeved (to keep sun off your arms if needed)

As for the poncho, most are actually hotter than a good quality breathable rainjacket due to the inferior quality of materials most ponchos are made from. None will stop some sweating and moisture build up due to the near 100% humidity you will probably encounter.

If you must, look at a Marmott Precip or Outdoor Research Helium II. What you want is light weight in your rain covering.

My own preference in hot and humid weather is to forego a rain covering altogether as being near useless anyway. Hike in your hat and t-shirt, let them get wet and they will in fact cool you.

Keeping dry with a rain jacket is about hypothermia brought on by your core temperature dropping. In a hot, humid environment that isn't likely while moving.
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Old Nov 6th, 2014, 04:03 PM
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I have a Tilley LTM2 AirFlow hat that I've worn on several Rainforest Trips - It has served me very well. www.tilley.com

It's available in a neutral color, has an all around brim it's crushable, has a chin strap, is waterproof and has a lifetime guarantee. In short it's everything you've asked for.
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Old Nov 6th, 2014, 07:24 PM
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>>But since you haven't said what you have looked at and didn't like, I'm not about to waste me time explaining it
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Old Nov 7th, 2014, 08:10 AM
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Thank you soujourntraveler for the link to the Columbia Omni-Freeze gaiter. I think I'll get one of the Omni-Freeze bandanas in addition to the other things for this trip. That looks like something I can get a lot of use out of.

janisj,it's all good!
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Old Nov 7th, 2014, 08:26 AM
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As a Canadian citizen I have to support Tilley of course RoamsAround but I really wish they would start making a hat that doesn't look like a Tilley Hat. Nothing could look worse in my opinion. It just screams, 'Dork'.

If you want a good looking wide brim hat for travel then have a look at the Head N' Home, Monterey Breeze. What's unique about it is that it comes in 8 sizes and has a removable sweat band inside that comes in 3 thicknesses as well. That combination means you can actually get a good fit no matter what your hat size is. http://www.headnhome.com/breeze.html The 8 colour choices don't hurt either. The removable sweat band not only means a perfect fit, it also means you can WASH it.
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Old Nov 7th, 2014, 08:37 AM
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When I went for a week to the Amazon I found that the most useful items were a mosquito head net, a cotton bandana for the neck, thin cotton tops (long sleeved) and a rain poncho.

All of the technical gear is less comfortable in humidity. It is better to wear something that actually soaks up moisture as it does cool you. Any kind of hat is too hot, if you need a visor I would bring a visor.

A poncho is easier to take on and off quickly, jam in a pocket or pant leg. You will not be wanting a rain jacket.
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Old Nov 7th, 2014, 08:43 AM
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BTW when you are actually inside the rainforest, there isn't a lot of sun!
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Old Nov 7th, 2014, 10:07 AM
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Look at the selection on Zappos. The hat I wear for birding is no longer available, but it's a unisex wide-brimmed, water-resistant hat with a chin strap that's crushable and has a mesh vent around the bottom of the crown; they have many similar styles. Order a few and return what you don't like.

I doubt you'll find a waterproof hat that won;t be too hot to wear, but water-resistant might be god enough, especially if you spray it with water repellent stuff first.
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Old Nov 7th, 2014, 11:17 AM
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BTW anyone who tells you to buy shorts for hiking in the rainforest has clearly never been there. You need long pants for protection against spiny plants and insects.

Around camp you can wear anything cool. Depending on where you stay most camps spray for mosquitos (which you won't know cause they do it when you are away). Be sure to use your repellent all day, dengue has no preventative or treatment measures.

The guides wear jeans (I guess handling machetes this might be a good idea) but I did okay with a typical lightweight microfiber.

Also bring a second bandana or sweatband to keep the moisture from running down your brow into your eyes.

I'm making it sound fun, right?
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Old Nov 7th, 2014, 02:59 PM
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Anyone is entitled to an opinion mlgb, you have one.

Given that I have been hiking and backpacking all over the world for several decades, I think I know a bit about that kind of travel in ANY climate.

I suggest shorts in any warm climate and YES I have been in rainforest, several in fact in various locations around the world including Central America, S. America, Africa, Asia and N. America. Anyone who says you can't wear shorts in a rainforest clearly has limited experience in rainforests.

Cotton is useless in high humidity, it will not wick the sweat away from your body. When hiking and considering what to wear, you have to take several factors into account. Temperature, humidity and the possibility of rain.

Hiking in Oregon's rainforest, you get high humidity, likely rain and average to lower temperatures. Hypothermia if you get wet is a serious consideration. In that case, you need to stay dry and warm. You use synthetics to wick moisture away so it can evaporate. Cotton will see you on the road to hypothermia when you sweat.

In a warmer climate with high humidity like the Amazon rainforest, the issue is the opposite. Your core body temperature is not likely to drop in the warmer climate. So you want the sweat to wick away and evaporate because you now have to consider heat stroke etc. When your sweat evaporates, it cools your body. That is the whole reason for a product like Columbia's Freeze, to cool your body temperature down and avoid heat stroke etc. the opposite of hypothermia. Both are equally as bad.

In fact, the best way to maintain your body temperature in a warm and humid climate is to hike nude. Skin is the best waterproof and wicking fabric there is. Most people however are unwilling to do that for various obvious reasons.

I wear long sleeves in hot or humid climates ONLY to protect against the sun. The same goes for long pants. Shorts and short sleeved shirts are always going to be cooler than long sleeves and long pants. In the Amazon rainforest I want to be cool, so it's shorts.

If you are worried about a few mosquito bites or one of those people who mosquitoes seem to love, forget going into a rainforest altogether. The best repellent by the way is DEET, works MOST of the time if you keep applying it.
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Old Nov 7th, 2014, 10:50 PM
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I avoid rain forests, I get more than enough humidity at home, and I am a mosquito magnet. However, the tropical ones I have been in had leeches. No way I would wear shorts.
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Old Nov 7th, 2014, 10:56 PM
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Long loose pants, long sleeved shirts for the rainforest. I prefer cotton or polyester cotton as I find these"technical" fabrics to be of little benefit, I the high humidity of amny rainforests. Covering up will help protect against biting insects, ants as well as other nasties like leechesI. , If there for any length of time, you just need to accept that it is hot damp and uncomfortable and all,the hi tech kit in the world is not going to change the fact that you will be hot damp and uncomfortable for the time you are there

As fo hats, I take a couple of Cambodian Kramers ( large scarfs) which are multi purpose and can be used as headwear, scarf, towel etc. I do have a NorthFace wide brimmed hat which I have carried along with me on several very long trips and have used it maybe six times. Not sure I will bother with it on my trip leaving this next week. I find I do not bother with a hat in the rainforests preferring to leave a naked head to help regualte body temp. - the closest I am going to get to the "naked hiking" suggested above!
The main benefit of a hat in a rainforest is to keep the sun off on those long canoe trips.
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Old Nov 8th, 2014, 06:59 AM
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Yeah, it isn't the mosquitos...Ants!

There are something like 1,000 species of ants in the Amazon and the bullet ants aren't the only ones that pack a nasty sting.

Wearing a neck scarf or similar helps keep them from dropping down inside your shirt from above. This can especially happen if you are going through flood forest in a canoe. I speak from experience.

Another good reason to wear a plain old tight-necked tee rather than a collared shirt with an open neck.
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Old Nov 25th, 2014, 02:30 PM
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good tips, thanks
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Old Jan 19th, 2015, 01:56 PM
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Followup: I ended up taking my Tilley LTM6 AirFlow hat and a regular cotton bandana, which I wet periodically to keep my cool. Together these worked quite well. I did wear a tight-necked T-shirt under a long-sleeved shirt with lots of pockets, and definitely long-pants. Our guide, who wore shorts, got bit by a bullet ant inside his Wellies, and it literally made him scream out loud. You don't want stuff falling into your shirt OR your boots.
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