Outdoor Research Seattle Sombrero Hat

Have you ever been caught off guard in an unexpected torrential rain storm without an umbrella and arrived at your destination looking like a drowned rat? I'm not good at remembering to carry an umbrella and sometimes, just don't want to carry one all day, just in case the weather changes. This hat is a very handy alternative.While this hat stays in my car nearly always for quick retrieval for those unexpected showers, I find it to be of greatest value while traveling. It is packable, I roll it up and add it to my camera bag (which doubles as a purse), during tours. When unrolled for use, it still looks great.The brim is wide and keeps the water away from your face and neck. I love the fabric, it really looks like a quality, well-made hat. The tie is essential for use in wind. While from my prior purchases I know the medium size would have fit, I don't like to have "hat hair" so chose the large size instead. After a brief rain storm, I can take the hat off, fluff the hair, and I'm good to go again. I bought the black so it looks good with the jackets and raincoat that I wear in all weather conditions.Last year my husband and I traveled to Russia on vacation. One cold, rainy day, when all of our fellow travelers were huddled under umbrellas, I unpacked this hat and enjoyed the freedom of being able to walk anywhere, hands free to snap some gorgeous pics, snug as a bug. No one mentioned it, but I suspect some of these other people will be buying this hat for their future trips! I suspect I'll also be buying another one soon in a brighter, fun color!If you find anything in this review to be helpful, please click "yes". Thanks!

Can't say enough about these hats. They keep your head dry, they are comfortable, adjustable warm without being hot and sweaty and they look good! (...at least on me they do.) I have a black one and receive compliments regularly when wearing it, and just love it regardless of that because of the overall comfort and well thought out construction. I bought a Multicam for hunting and my only issue is that it is not "Rea Tree" print... but still an awesome hat. These have a thin layer of "Thinsulate" in them and are adjustable within their respective head size with a Velcro adjusting strap inside. They are light weight, breathable and packable and have small patches of Velcro to hold the sides of the brim up if you want that. Pricey, but well worth the money! OR makes quality products.

I do a lot of walking and this hat works very well in the rain. It also works pretty well in the sun.In really hot conditions, this hat is less than ideal. When it's over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, I prefer a hat from the Dorfman Pacific Company (DPC)--they have several functional models. Not only because it is less hot, but also for a slightly larger brim to keep more sun off. But this hat would still be better than no hat.In all other conditions, this hat is great. It keeps the rain off well, it keeps you a little warmer, but not too much. And it actually looks good (most functional hats don't). The strap works well. The hat does well in the wind.If it is cold, I like to combine it with a Wool Buff. This hat and a Buff take up vey little space, can be crumpled in your bag and look fine when you put them on. For so little weight, they also make a large range of temperatures more comfortable. If it's really cold, get two buffs or a balaclava :).If I could have only one hat, this would be it.

Someone else had observed that the design has changed a little over older versions, I can 2x that. It still works well, just not quite as great as my older one which was probably hand made in the USA before the manufacturer got so popular. My last one lasted 20 years and is still going strong, if this one goes half of that I'll be happy. I have no reason to think it wont, differences are subtle. I recently wore it outside 16 hours a day for 20 days with daily 2-4" rain accumulations and it stayed dry and comfortable. Now that it's broken in properly I like it much better than I did on day 1 and 2. It's still a keeper, once you spend time outside not getting rain in your face while you work you won't go back to anything less (like a boonie hat).

I bought one of these hats when I went to Alaska at a local sporting store and the only color was Black. It rained every day and while a lot of people was fumbling with their umbrellas, I put on my hat and I stayed dry all day and enjoyed all the scenery and events. I found them on Amazon and the price is really good plus they offer a lot of colors which I ordered this color and the rose. They are beautiful but they really keep you dry. They are a must have. This is a great purchase.

These hats really work to keep your head dry in the rain and on warm, sunny days. I can't fault the protection they provide.The colors are another matter. What's wrong with solid colors? I chose yellow because I kayak where there are power boats and every bit of bright apparel helps me be seen, but OMG, the "dark gray" brim is closer to dark olive-green than gray and limits the high-visibility area of the hat. Come on, OR, you can do better on the high visibility colors.My hat arrived jammed into a box much too small for it and the brim was creased in several spots. The kind of crease that has not and never will flatten out probably because the foam core inside the brim is creased. I know the hat isn't a fashion statement, but at around sixty bucks in yellow, I'd hoped it would be packaged more appropriately. Crush the crown! It straightens out, but the brim may not. Oddly enough, a tiny item was delivered to me last month in a box that would have been perfect for the hat.It'll keep your head dry in the rain and cool on sunny days. The size was perfect for my melon head. The packaging was the worst. It's not going to win any awards for being fashionable.For function, I like it a lot and I recommend it.

The Best

I bought this hat to protect myself from the sun, which it does wonderfully. It's obviously very good quality. I also started using it in the rain and it's much handier than an umbrella! Love it!

You won’t regret spending a little bit more for it.

Der Kauf hat sich gelohnt!! Ob es regnet oder schneit, ob es dabei stürmt; bei der Arbeit draußen, im Garten, beim Wandern oder Kajakfahren - dieser Hut sitzt immer super und ist zu 100% wasserdicht. Die Krempe ist steif genug, um einem nicht ins Gesicht zu hängen - man behält immer den Überblick. Die Krempe ist auch groß genug, um das Regenwasser hinten über den Rücken abzuleiten - statt ins Genick.Beim Paddeln: falls er mal ins Wasser fallen würde, würde er schwimmen. Auch super. Manch anderer Hut säuft dann einfach ab, auf Nimmerwiedersehen.Der Sitz ist super angenehm, der Hut ultraleicht.OR macht tolle Sachen. Ich habe auch ein paar andere Dinge von dieser kleinen, feinen Outdoor-Ausrüsterfirma. Liegt vielleicht daran dass ich mal ein paar Jahre in Seattle gelebt habe, wo die Firma ihren Ursprung hat. Seitdem bin ich ein Fan. Die Sachen sind meiner Erfahrung nach super robust, sehr durchdacht, und sehr, sehr langlebig.Und gut aussehen tut der Hut auch noch, wenn ich mir die Bilder so anschaue, auf denen ich ihn trage.Was soll ich noch sagen - ich liebe dieses Ding!

Wasserdicht und schick . Passt und ist toller Begleiter im Regen