I take daily long arroyo walks in the Chihuahuan desert and wear this hat with me every time I go in it. It handles the sun and stays on my head even in 25-30 mph winds (with chin strap attached). Temps often reach 105+ degrees and while it does not ventilate that great (even when cooler in the winter) it does protect my noggin from the sun. In fact, I bought a spare one too. I do have a 7 1/8 head size and the medium size (which I returned) fits too tight for me so I recommend the large size for medium sized heads. Only thing it does not do is scare away Western Diamondback Rattlesnakes!