I wear an up-downer
I like the ‘downer’ part not to just keep the sun off my neck, but more for the protection from the wind it provides
Makes a big difference in my enjoyment level
I wear a light colored wide brimmed in summer to keep the sun of my neck and ball cap other times. I always use sunscreen when I’m not covered up.
I am looking at a softer crowned wide brim because the one I have now is kind of stiff and does hurt the top of my head when scrunched down in windy conditions. Those Tilley’s might be what I am going to try out.
Glenn
I think this is the best style out there for what you are wanting to do…I don’t have this particular one but have similar styles …they are great and when the neck and ears are protected it makes a huge difference…especially if you wet it. I wouldn’t be without one like this …however having said that I do like the wide brimmed straw that MontanaMoose suggests.
Get this… some years ago when I wanted something like this and having too many baseball caps…I put snaps on the hat and a cotton handkerchief…so I could wear it that way…dorky…but I would remove the handkerchief when I was going to town:rolleyes::rolleyes:.
Also get a light colored hat .
I also have the Cabellas hat that Sagefisher and Jeffnles posted. I wouldn’t got out without it. It is great in the sun, in the brush (twigs don’t go down your neck), have been caught in the rain with it many times, and my head and some of my shoulders stay dry. And it is really hard to hook yourself with an arrant cast !! lol lol
I wear a pith helmet like Jungle Jim, in the spring, summer and fall. Actually not pith but canvas covered plastic or fiber. The type the U.S. Postal workers wear are ideal. Keeps the sun off my bald head and protects from branches (like a hard hat). I use a chin strap so the wind doesn’t blow it away.
I also wear ball caps, bush hats, cowboy hats (straw and felt) and everything my grandkids give me. They usually say something like “World’s Greatest Fishing Grandpa”. :rolleyes: I am obliged to wear those at least once in their presence.
As for Kangeroo leather hats, I’ve never had one. Seems like leather would be seasonal. I have worn some sort of leather hats (probably COW) before the helmet law in California but that was to protect my knob from bugs and rocks at 80 MPH on a Harley.
Good luck in your search. Jim
Hello ducksterman, the straw hat I have is sold at our own Bi-Mart stores…good 'ole Bi-Mart, huh? I have the Dorfman-Pacific straw hat and they go on sale every fall for about $5.00…the brim is wide and comes slightly turned down but can be adjusted by wetting and leaving to dry on a glass top table, which renders a nice flat brim…or the turn down look…Montana Style or Fedora…whichever…can be emphasized by wetting and placing the hat so the brim ‘hangs’.
Ok, way too much about this hat !
The t shirt and ball cap method I used to use is way dorkier looking than your ball cap and handkerchief look, though effective and cooling on those hot McCloud River days…
Cheers,
MontanaMoose
I went back today and bought the kangaroo hat, i will continue to wear my underamour fleece beanie in the winter, the kangaroo will be worn until it gets too hot. i am thinking of picking up a Tilley LTM6 Airflo for mid-summer when the kangaroo gets too hot.
I guess i should add a little explanation, We go to the PA Farm Show each year and for the past three years i have stopped at the same vendor and looked at these kangaroo hats. I try them on, my wife says it looks good and tells me to buy it. i then waffle around for a bit, then say no, then we walk around, i think about going back to buy it and talk myself out of it again, then when we get home i think i should have bought it. Well the exact same thing happened last night, the only difference is that today i actually went back to the show and bought it 
Sounds like a good plan to me.
I have over 10 hats. Stetson and Beaver Brand mostly. There’s nothing like a good hat. Most of mine are fedora style some “dress” hats (think 1940’s style dress hats) and some are more wide brimed style (Austrailian) and two are Stetson Open Road.
Nodody says a hat needs to be just a fishing hat. In fact, I rarely wear my good hats fishing and wear canvas hat I picked up from Cabelas when I fish. It was not expensive. Last summer, a gust of wind took it off my head and blew it out into a road that runs alongside the lake I was fishing. A car ran over the hat. With the cavas, it’s just a badge of honor. One of my Stetsons, well, I would have been quite unhappy.
Enjoy the Kangaroo hat. If your wife said to buy it, it’s even more enjoyable.
Jeff
Hey, Montana…a little trick on that straw…bought my first one at a street fair…the guy said to coat the inside at the front point of the crown…where you grab to take off…with epoxy to reinforce since it wears and breaks down…works
Crotalus - you need that hat by the sound of it. You can have more than one. Kangaroo leather is real nice too.
This is what I wear… I have a “FAOL BALL CAP”
But that has a place of honor in my Fish Pit…
It is an Aussie hat made of The same stuff as the Drover coats, “oil Cloth”
Kool Hat Flyfish. Please don’t sit on it again
I have used the same Tilley hat for the past 7-8 years and it’s hardly even broken in. Simply put, they are great hats and most people that try them, never bother looking for a different brand again. Just one man’s opinion.
Jim Smith
Whoa, thanks duckersterman, I’ll have to give that a shot…I been takin’ the straw hat off ‘cowboy’ style, i.e. grasping the brim at the sides with both hands, all fingers being careful not to crush or twist. Trouble with the straw is that after some long days of sun it becomes dry and brittle so it breaks easily. Part of why I do the careful soaking at home, leaving the hat in the shade to dry slowly…seems to give it another season or two of life.
Could just get another each year but shoot, I don’t know 'bout you but I grow attached to my fly fishing hats, especially once they’ve been there for some great fly fishing…kinda like they got chops so I like to keep 'em around…prolly try the epoxy when I get the next hat though…great idea, thanks !
Cheers,
MontanaMoose
HA HA HA HA HA
That my man is called “Character”…
That goes for both the man and the Hat…
Beggin Pardon, if you have one of these could you tell me what width the Brim is 2.5", 3":?:
Thanks in advance, Ive been looking at the Orvis packable felt…but like the price of this much better
Ray,
I really like your hat! Did it look like this new?: http://www.psmoutdoors.co.uk/img/thumbs/804.jpg
Doug
I have a Tilley TM10 Mesh Hat for fishing. It is a mesh hat but not like any other I’ve seen. It’s called a 3D mesh and it does repel water and completely blocks the sun. Only had it for two seasons but I really like it for fishing. They are very comfortable and practical. It has a dark under brim to reduce reflected sun, straps that can be used behind your head to help in the wind and unlike ball caps it keeps rain from running down your back. Plus it’s designed for a loose fit rather than the friction fit like most Aussie/Western hats.
That said, I do like the Aussie hats and may be looking to add one to my collection. Like jeffnles1 said, not every hat has to be for fishing.
Enjoy your new hat. My opinion is when you find a hat that fits and looks the way you want it to, buy it. Good hats last a long time with minimal care.
Thanks for the votes for Aussie hats guys. Akubra are a top brand of our felt ones, and the “oilskin” mentioned is also a great material but does not breathe much in summer. Another one to look for is Outback Trading Company.
Second on that thought. Some of my buddies and family made fun at first, but now most of them wear them in the winter, too.