Tilley Warmth T1 Bucket

If you're thinking of purchasing this hat, take note: the size L is a snug fit on a head measuring 23 1/4" (59cm). Measure your head with a tailor's tape measure, as instructed on the Tilley site and order accordingly with confidence. In my experience this hat does not run large, if anything I'd say a tiny, tiny bit small.

The hat itself is perfect. The beauty of the bucket design is rain water doesn't collect at the seam on the brim, rather it slides off onto your raincoat which should be designed to remove water without it collecting anywhere. In certain rain conditions you're going to get wet whatever you're wearing, and the wool content in this hat will help retain body heat.

The ear flaps are helpful too for cold weather, and the way they're designed is clever in that this extra layer inside the hat when they're not being used doesn't noticeably reduce the interior space.

The other good thing about this design is there's reasonable 360 degree sun protection while not going full broad brim. In lots of my forest walks I don't want a broad brim hat.

I've not used this hat much since buying it, but I will be using it a lot, it's already my go-to hat.

Finally a word about the company, there was a hiccup with an earlier order I made and they were open to a mutually acceptable compromise resolution. In this day and age, that's a good company!

I left mine in a lounge at Auckland airport last year in winter and thought I would never see it again. I contacted the lounge and they had it but wouldn't post it to me. This hat has seen a lot of miles, a lot of rivers, and lot of fish and I was going to get it back. Then I remembered that an Aussie mate living in New Zealand was passing through Auckland on his way back to Australia in a few weeks. He picked it up for me and took it to Weipa in far north Queensland and posted it back to me from there. Sorry Tilley, you missed out on another sale there, no way I was going to be without one.