I have been the owner of a Tilley for the past six years. Best hat I have ever owned. I went to the top of Grandfather Mountain while the wind was 60 mph and I just lowered the chinstrap and my Tilley stayed put. Keeps the sun out of my eyes and the rain off my neck. I have the nylon Airflow with the widest brim. I lashed a lucky feather to a safety pin and pinned it to my hat, now I land more fish!!
Here’s what I wear…nice and light, dries quickly too. I’m on my second year with it and so far so good. I wear a size 7-3/4 hat, so I ordered it from bigheadcaps.com. If I remember correctly, it was in the $30 range.
Ken
I have a tilley LTM5 airflow for the warm months, and would recommend it to anyone. I also fish a filson insulated for winter fishing. Both are terrific hats. I wouldn’t be without either.
YUP!!!
Jeremy. edit…Ausable…NICE hat!!
CO_Flyfisher
My Tilley crushes flat for packing without any issues. Check them out.
Scott
OK, LOTS of love for the Tilley hats, and I do see why. I went to REI last night and looked at their offerings. They had an in-house branded one for about $30 that wasn’t too bad (I think it was their vented explorer hat), but it was a lot heavier than the Tilley LMT6, and an obvious ripoff of the design. I LIKE the LMT6!!!
I didn’t make it to the Orvis store (yes, the one in Santana Row, thanks for the info mnklagoon), but will try tonight. Lots of good choices so far, and I do really like the Tilley, but the price does sting a little.
Ausable_NY, that hat looks just like the one I have, and I do think it is made by Filson. I haven’t had very good luck with packing it - the mesh doesn’t want to come back right.
So, my next question - Can a person get the Tilley hats anywhere for a discounted price? It might not matter since I need it in a few days, but is it even an option?
I shopped around to buy my hat and found that Binnacle Marine Supply at Binnacle.com was the cheapest online store I could find. Their price for the TILLEY HAT - LTM6 AIRFLO is $54.95 which is anywhere from $10 to $15 cheaper than the rest. I bought one for my wife as well and they are great folks to do business with.
Jim Smith
I don’t recall California Fly Shop having a big selection of hats, but I could be wrong. Give Chris Barza a call (800.470.0002 / 650.508.0727) there at the shop. He is a good guy to deal with. Another shop that sells Tilley’s in the Southbay and not to far from the Orvis store in Santana Row is Mel Cottons at 1266 W. San Carlos. Steven Creek Blvd becomes San Carlos as you head towards downtown San Jose. Fly Fishing Speciality (formerly the San Jose Fly Shop) has a selection of hats. They are located at 15569 Union Avenue in the town of Los Gatos between Hwy 85 and Blossom Hill Road.
Tillys may cost a little but a life time guarantee and a two year insurence on thieft kind of explains it.
Ghost.
ahhhhhh the good old days. i sure do miss it there! im glad to hear they have a flyshop in los gatos again. also there is a nice one in los altos…i think it is called the midge fly shop. anyway tyronefly…can you tell me if original joes is back open again in san jose? they were remodeling last summer.
I did not know they were remodeling. I haven’t eatin there in over a year. Some of the best Italian food anywhere. My current assignment keeps me in Fremont a fair distance from downtown San Jose.
There are a couple of issues with the brim of the nylon Tilley hats. It is floppy and prone to folding back or folding down over you eyes (!) when cruising in a motor boat. Also, it does get warped and wrinkled when you pack it. The brim can be difficult to get back into the right shape. Mine has a fashionable dip over my right eye now.
Well, after a lot of looking, I ended up buying a Tilley LMT6 at REI. I gradually narrowed the field, and ended with a Tilley. I needed it right away, so I had to pay full price, but since I bought it at REI, I have Tilley’s lifetime warranty, plus REI’s return policy should I need it for some reason (plus the small discount since it is a dividendable item).
I wore it while fishing yesterday, and it is far more comfortable than my other (Orvis/Filson) fishing hat. I like that the brim shape is consistant, but I don’t like to hear that the edge of the brim can get warped even with the wire inside. I’ll have to be careful.
Thanks for all the recommendations!!! 
Oh ya - I went to the lower Stanislaus yesterday. Fished below the Tulloch Dam access road and at 2 mile bar. Caught tons of small rainbows at 2 mile (8" and less, lost count after about 25), and only one larger one all day (about 12"). I enjoyed the day, but found myself wishing for bigger fish all day (like I’m used to catching in CO). :tieone: