This is my second Tilley hat and I find them great for all sorts of outside activities such as kayaking, hiking, mowing, and other yard work. Durable, it floats, keeps the sun and rain off, and the strap secures it reasonably well in the wind. Good vents help to keep you a bit cooler.

Once deciding on a basic style, you have two other decisions when buying a Tilley - hat size and brim size. If uncertain about hat size perhaps you need to go to a shop where you can try it on first. Brim size - many Tilley hat lines have two styles, one with a larger brim (in the TH4 3 1/2" front/back and 2 1/2" sides) for more sun protection while the TH5 has the smaller brim (2 5/8" x 2 1/8"). While that offers a bit less sun protection the smaller brim does not catch the wind as much helping to eliminate some annoying flapping of the brim and may help keep the hat on your head.

Tilley hats get you noticed (could be good or bad I guess) - more than once a total stranger has asked, "Is that a Tilley?" Tilley hats have such respect that people look out for them and you - once while crabbing in the Chesapeake a rogue gust from behind took my Tilley into the choppy waters of the Bay - the captain didn't hesitate to go back and retrieve it saying, "that's too good a hat to leave out here...."