Re: Anyone tried the Water****p Vineyard Haven Wind Performance Hats?

On May 8, 9:36=A0am, Bob T <thom...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> The summer sun is starting to get intense here in Texas and it's about
> time I find a good hat! I ran across these brimmed hats which are
> supposed to be somewhat stable in winds up to 30
knots.http://water****p.co=
m/main.php?navarea=3DCollections&catid=3D13
> Has anyone tried them and how do they work in wind? =A0I ordered one of
> these Outdoor Research hats before I ran across the Water****p
hats.http://=
www.outdoorresearch.com/site/transit_sun_hat.html
> It hasn't arrived yet so I haven't tried it. =A0If the brim is too
> floppy, I may try the Water****p hats.

The issue with most "stiffened" fabric hats is the amount of wind that
the wide-brimmed hats catch and the flip-up/fly-off tendencies of
these hats.  A claim of stability to 30 knots isn't terribly useful
for windsurfing in 15 knots or greater, since our apparent wind can
easily exceed 30 knots on a close reach.

The only brim-hats I've seen that are effective for higher wind
shortboarding are those made marketed by Phil McGain et al a.k.a. The
Team.  I've used one and it works great.  Just enough sun coverage,
not enough brim to catch the wind.

The other is a custom hat that Tinho Dornellas wears.  It has a stiff
plastic brim covered with Dacron or some woven material.   The design
is shape similar to the one in the post, below, but w/o the tassel.
http://www.masks-wigs-and-costumes.com/Hats/images/spanish_hat.JPG

-Dan