Tilley Hats Question

[scooter]

For the kind of expedition you're describing, either the ltm-3, -6, or -8 would fit the bill perfectly. I've been to Israel, and i personally feel a fur felt hat would be too warm and would be pretty dirty pretty quickly. I own a 3 and a 6 and far and away prefer the 6. These hats are nearly indestructible, and, guaranteed for life. Hard to beat that.

 

[Terry "The Hat"]

I wear a Tilley at work everyday (usually a hemp-TH5 or waxed cotton-TWC5) and love them but they would not be my choce for your trip. I'd go with one of the vented nylon as listed above. I have a bunch of them and started collecting prior to my Classic Fedora Addiction! I am also friends with a couple of the people at Tilley and they are very nice to deal with and a great company.

 

[jkingrph]

I have several, The TM10 has nylon mesh sides for the entire side area of the crown, and although you cannot see through the mesh, it does allow air flow

The LMT 3 or 5 airflow models, have a very open band of nylon mesh at the top rim of the crown and allows for excellent airflow and ventilation.

The TM10 looks more like a traditional fedora, the crown stands up and holds its shape very well, and is shaped somewhat like a c crown.
I have two of these, I picked one up on a very good sale, so use one for yard work and the other for "dressier" activities where I might get too much sweat on one of my Panamas or straws.

 

[Woodfluter]

Tilleys are great, practical hats. Not to be confused with something that looks great. You have to appreciate the appearance of function to find them attractive. In hot weather particularly, and when doing field work or backpacking or hiking, these do a great job. The wind cord arrangement, in particular, really works in extreme conditions, like a top-down car or a boat. I usually leave the cords separate until I need them...easy to rig on the fly.

I have an embarrassment of Tilleys. I don't have the mesh-sided TM10, but do wonder how that would hold up under crushing (other fabrics can be re-stiffened) and rain. I like my hemp Tilleys in particular because of the ventilation, not just the big eyelets but the open weave, but also like the canvas ones and don't think they're all that much hotter. The waxed cotton ones are great in rain, but suppose that's a lesser concern in Israel and the others repel rain fine for a good while.

The nylantium hats are quite cool, but personally I don't find the mesh vents at the top to be as significant as they look. The downside is that they're excessively light if you encounter wind...but then there's the cords. And they don't hold shape as well. The canvas T5 seems to strike a nice balance for me.

None of them are bad, but the T3 type is low in the crown for my cranium and the brim edge warps in some weird ways. So I like the T4, T5 and T6 sizes. But I have one of the T1 bucket hats that is surprisingly effective. Crap...all that experience and no firm conclusions!

 

[MatthewBrown]

Hello guys, what Tilley hat would suit business work environment (to wear with collared white/blue shirt, dress pants and shoes, sometimes with sports jacket on) and would be a good component of a business attire in general for a professional man working in hot climate? for work and commuting, not for leisure/vacation, it doesn't have to look fashionable or stylish but has to meet following prefs:

- real UV protection
- medium/wide full brim to protect white skin from the sun
- suppossed to be used in very hot, desert climate (Dubai, UAE)
- no straw


Cotton Duck or Nylon, which one is better for extreme hot, desert climate?

Is LTM6 in Black (or maybe Khaki but it looks more like a tourist, safari hat) for example acceptable for this kind of use?

 

[johnnycanuck]

Hello guys, what Tilley hat would suit business work environment (to wear with collared white/blue shirt, dress pants and shoes, sometimes with sports jacket on) and would be a good component of a business attire in general for a professional man working in hot climate? for work and commuting, not for leisure/vacation, it doesn't have to look fashionable or stylish but has to meet following prefs:

- real UV protection
- medium/wide full brim to protect white skin from the sun
- suppossed to be used in very hot, desert climate (Dubai, UAE)
- no straw


Cotton Duck or Nylon, which one is better for extreme hot, desert climate?

Is LTM6 in Black (or maybe Khaki but it looks more like a tourist, safari hat) for example acceptable for this kind of use?

Simply put any Tilley hat would work for you. They are internationally recognized and would not look out of place in any work environment.The airflow would be cooler but that mesh is a ring of no sun protection. Just a heads up. I only have hemp and duck cotton and I would recommend the hemp for a hot climate. Hope that helps some
https://www.tilley.com/ca_en/th5-hemp-hat.html
Johnny
Wear your hat in good health.

 

[Robert Miller]

Simply put any Tilley hat would work for you. They are internationally recognized and would not look out of place in any work environment.The airflow would be cooler but that mesh is a ring of no sun protection. Just a heads up. I only have hemp and duck cotton and I would recommend the hemp for a hot climate. Hope that helps some
https://www.tilley.com/ca_en/th5-hemp-hat.html
Johnny
Wear your hat in good health.

The Ltm6 would be excellent.

 

[RJR]

i find that this LTM5 checks a lot of the boxes for me.

 

[MatthewBrown]

Thank you guys for your answers. My only option is online store and can't try it. Is there such a big difference (in sun protection and overall look in real life) between medium brim family (T5, TH5, LTM5, LT5B and so on) and wide brim hats family (LTM6, TH4)?

 

[Seb Lucas]

It is hard to find a cotton or textile hat that actually looks good. The Tilley T3 is borderline to look at and I have two. As said above, you really need to appreciate their function to properly enjoy them. Most of the other Tilleys are not designs I would personally chose to wear.

When it gets to 112 down here I generally wear a wide brim fur felt - which is what you see worn in the blazing hot outback. A Tilley hat is great for travel, packing it in a bag etc, but I think of it as my back up hat. It's a practical outdoor/sailing hat but I would never push its use much past that.

 

[Robert Miller]

Thank you guys for your answers. My only option is online store and can't try it. Is there such a big difference (in sun protection and overall look in real life) between medium brim family (T5, TH5, LTM5, LT5B and so on) and wide brim hats family (LTM6, TH4)?

For lots of sun you'd be better off with a larger brim. As the other poster said, Tilley is not a dress hat, there are large brim Akubra's like the Traveller, Leisure Time, Campdraft, or Fed IV but they will presumably wear a little warmer than a Tilley but will look a lot dressier.