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Imported.
Item 830713
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Reviewed by 2 customers
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Displaying reviews 1-2
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about REI Explorer Cadet Hat:
Made from a heavy canvas fabric, and with a deep crown, this hat is a joy to wear. The fit is intentionally very loose. It is a classic military design and made to stay in place during rigorous activity and windy conditions. Properly sized it sinks down until it rests on the ears and leaves a bit of a gap between the head and hat body. This helps keep it on noggin and allows a short visor to fully shade the eyes. The short visor is critical to lay a cheek against a rifle butt without interfering with rifle sights or being knocked off; this translates well in civilian terms into a less cumbersome visor less likely to be caught by wind or tree branch or cross-shoulder strap or camera body. The visor does nothing of course to ward off melanoma from the chin or especially from the tops of the ears.The hat is much heavier than synthetic caps, but much cooler because the cotton canvas breathes better than even synthetic mesh. No kiddin'. Also that loose fit encourges air circulation and crushes coiffure less. No matter how well a hat fabric breathes if it smashes down the hair, said hair becomes an insulating heat-trapping layer. The flip side of breathability is lack of waterproofing. The hat will fend off a light rain well, but soak through eventually. Once soaked through the fabric shrinks and tightens and limits further penetration somewhat. So it's useful in a monsoon to keep rain off your face. Best to give it a thorough shake immediatly after any quick dunking to limit soaking in as drying is very slow.Note that the fabric WILL shrink the more you wear it (just from wetting out from sweat) and especially if washed in hot water. Seems REI designers have accounted for this in the fit. The L/XL is loose even on my 63cm / 7 5/8" 'tater head. Like a good pair of jeans one can leave it shrink to fit, or stretch it out when wet with a Hulk Hogan two-handed trapezeus flex.The moderately heavy cotton and even more heavy (stiff) visor is not exactly easily packable. Mine (well worn) weighs in at 104g versus an old synthetic mesh REI running cap at 64g. You ain't folding the visor in half and recovering any desirable shape; I expect it'll just break. However it's possible to push the rear of the body against the front, pleating the crown, and folding the body flat along the convex shape of the visor. It'll ride OK in a bag this way and ride very well in a cargo pocket as the curve of the visor contours the shape of a thigh. At least my thigh. And that weight has an upside: this hat has A-#1 bug-slappin', snore-stoppin', 13-year-old-son-attention-gettin' heft! I mean this thing swings like Austin Powers on New Year's Eve. The substantially thick brim and coarse-woven fabric allow generous purchase between thumb and curled forefinger. The weight is well balanced and the hat does not feel heavy on the head. Much of the weight comes from the no less than four layers of fabric comprising the sweatband, which again sits low to aid in keeping the hat in place. The crown by contrast has two layers, the inner comprised of a lightweight and stylish plaid material. No silly pocket up there either. However one could slit the inner enough to slip in a very lightweight 'skeeter head net- just in case.A few more random thoughts. The body is made of three panels, the crown adds a fourth. It is nicely and purposefully shaped with the rear about 2/3's higher than the front. This allows good purchase over the occiput. There is a single tab on both sides, about 2/3's the distance from crown to bottom, providing reinforcement for two metal grommets per tab. This is perhaps only styling detail as they certainly do not notably aid ventilation. However these holes would make dandy chinstrap pass-throughs as they would allow the lanyard to sit on the front of the sweatband on the outside and still pass under the chin, if you were so inclined. Also a pretty good place to anchor a turkey feather if you like Macaroni. The holes do limit usefulness of the hat as an expedient bowl or bucket; still it holds a significant amount of liquid. I was able to put in excess of a measured liter. The flat bottom and stiff band makes a very good camp bowl shape, the possiblilty of which is only enhanced by the usefulness of the stiff brim as a handle. If one were to construct a removable waterproof liner from, say, a common disposable T-shirt style shopping bag the result might be a vessel which exceeds the usefulness of expensive purpose-built collabsible camp bowls. But one would have to be particularly crafty, expirienced and nimble-minded to think in those rather odd fashions, wouldn't one? BTW don't try this trick with your modern, svelte and contoured outdoor cap. Without the stodgy and dependable flat crown of a hat you'll just lose your water when you set it down.The fabric fades as does all colored cotton and shows salt stains readily. I have no doubt the designers selected the single grey-green color for the graceful way it accepts these marks of emprise. Of course being pure organic cotton one could very likely re-dye the thing any desired color, just the way one can erase the hard-won lines of gest from an interesting face with a bit of Botox.OTOH I have no doubt some independant soul in Portland is right now sporting a customized fuschia version of this very good hat.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about REI Explorer Cadet Hat:
I was bought the size L/XL, but really it's 2XL/3XL.
Be careful when choose
Displaying reviews 1-2
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