Will have moved to central Florida next week. I'm naturally kinda pale so my USN ballcap won't cut it out in the sun (barely does here in NC) so I've broken out an old Whitehall lightweight felt that I found a few years back. Basically a clone of the Stratoliner. Dove gray/silverbelly, depending on who you ask, and has some vent holes in the top. I tend to run a bit cold blooded so heat really doesn't bug me much. Anyone else from the deep South wear felt? If so, my guess would be humidity is the biggest irritant? All input welcome, thanks in advance. PS Would get a loose-weave straw but can't afford the ones I've liked.
I'm thinking you are gonna sweat through that felt in a few minutes. Get a Dorfman Pacific, or similar, hat so you can wash it and fold it and it won't matter much. Hardware stores are pretty good for having some good varieties of shade hats. You may also want to run a few different ones. I still rock a ballcap 90% of the time unless I'm needing shade, then I fall back on my full brimmed Dorfman Pacific jobber. I also have a few cotton bucket hats. Especially Central FL, there is no sea breeze from the Gulf or Atlantic, so you're gonna sweat like an incumbent in the next election.
Central by latitude but I'll be in Tampa, some breeze? It's 86° here now with almost 70% humidity, high of 90°. I got some outside work to do, figured may as well give the fedora a test run.
It'll be hotter than all hell still but you will have some really beautiful evening temps on the coast for sure!
I wore a Tilley while in Swaziland, Africa and it reached temperatures of 115°. My scalp never burned ... worth every penny. https://www.tilley.com/us_en/
I'll wear a ball cap when I'm going to be in the sun like today on the MS gulf coast. The absolute best thing for me down south in the summer is an air conditioned room.
I'm light skinned and burn easily when I'm out in the sun. I picked up a Tilley hat about 13 years ago. I take it anytime I'm going to be out in the sun for a long time, and I never burn my face or neck when I wear it. Yes, they are expensive, but so is a trip to the dermatologist. They have a lifetime replacement warranty, they roll up to nothing for packing, they wash up easily, and they dry quickly. I don't usually wear a hat, so I chose the lightweight nylon, and I hardly know I'm wearing it. I'd also recommend a wide brim. The best thing is that they are not in the least bit stylish, so that is perfect for me. Yours truly, Alex Tilley
If it’s hot out (>80), I wear a $15.00 straw hat from the hardware store. If it’s cooler <80, or rainy, I wear a waxed canvass Stetson. It started out looking like this, but I’ve hit it with a few coats of Filson wax over the years, and like my Filson stuff, now it pretty much just looks like leather.
I wear this one through the week i think it was designed for mail people. It is vented, light weight, provides shade, and keeps dust from settling. It's washable and won't smell ever. I got mine from a uniform supply called gemplers (i think). But after going through severeal straw varieties, this one keeps up.
I bought this off ebay a couple years back, Cabela's Outfitters Eagle Pass. Great for cooler wet weather. My Tilley T2 hat I bought new off ebay about ten years ago ... I bought the widest brim I could find. BTW don't be afraid of washing it; I washed mine daily by hand for six months straight, sweat is the main thing that will destroy your hat. I'd wear it all day, then wash it after dinner and hang it out to dry over night. Look on their site to see how to pick your size.
I wear a straw hat with a large brim. I had surgery last year to remove a basal cell spot on my ear. None of that was any fun. I'm out in the sun A LOT with my job as a band director with marching band rehearsals, and I have to take extra caution. Tons of sunscreen and always a hat similar to this: By the way, I'm in Alabama.
I bought my Tilley in Toronto in the early 80’s when Alex Tilley offered just one design. It’s been everywhere with me since and is pretty much still intact. Within the next month or so my wife and I are moving from NJ to coastal SC and I expect the Tilley to be my main headgear in the sun down there.
3, 4 pound? The place we're staying has a stocked pond, so I've got my trusty old Zebco 33 ready to go. I haven't fish since 1990 and I have missed it.
I don’t know, that’d be pretty close. Big enough Dad wanted a picture. Actually, three days and six minutes away from an exact year later, in the exact same spot, same hat: We actually hit that same lake every year about the same time. Dad wears a straw hat too.
