Originally Posted by
nsherry61
Wow, have you ever owned or used one?
Tilley hats originated for sailing, not safaris. They aren't a pith helmet after all. They may be fashionable in some circles, warrantying a sense of "group think" by some people, but dude, you're way off base here. Although no one piece of clothing is going to be the best choice for every person in a given activity, the Tilley hat performs as advertised and has a well earned positive reputation. Frankly, for most of the last 25 years I've been wearing Tilley hats, I've felt like the weirdo geek wearing such an un-cool hat just because it worked so well, but I wore it anyway just because it worked so damn well compared to any alternatives I could find. I've also spend quite of bit of effort trying to find hats that cost less and/or look less Tilley-like and have utterly failed to find anything that comes close to comparing.
By the way, the current Tilley Airflo hats are an all new design with better venting and cutting edge materials, unlike the old cotton T3 which which still rocked and did look a little safari-like. Of course Sir Richard Francis Burton could only have dreamed of having a safari that that was as well designed and made as the Tilley T3. Heck, the T3 established the brand, and then it was outdone by the Airflo. Go figure.