Customer Reviews Outdoor Research Seattle Sombrero

I used to work outdoors at Esalen in Big Sur in the rainy season and these things were pretty good unless it's windy. They need a stiffer brim. recommended unless it's windy

I wear my hats to protect myself from light and motion due to a medical condition. This hat was to replace its predecessor the Seattle Sombrero, the version that had side vents and a stow able rain cover. That hat died because the brim foam shattered. It was an awesome hat. Unfortunately that hat is gone and you have to chose between a rain or sun version of the hat now. The sun version looks stupid and the venting is covered. I don't sweat properly do to medication so I need my hats to breathe. The sun version just looked like a ugly duck with lack of funk of function. That and they were out of my size. So, I went with the rain version. It looks great and it is actually lighter than the older version. Only one major issue "IT DOES NOT BREATH"! If you live in the Midwest where it is hot and humid this hat is useless. I could not wear it until fall at the earliest and I bought two of them. One for me and one for my son because one of the hats was Miami Dolphins Team colors. Fire the designer and testers who thought anyone could wear these hats year round. Felt inner lining?! What where you all you thing?

I live in Texas and bought it to do yard work in that would give me more coverage than my cowboy hat. However, I find it extremely hot and unbreathable. I also can't wear it in windy conditions - it just blows up and off.

Pretty good but the brim blows upward in a breeze, greatly reducing protection from sun and precipitation. There is little to make it hold its position; it flops around quite easily. Best when there is no breeze, which greatly limits its usefulness. If the hat fits you with the ear flaps down, then it will be much too small when they are folded up inside the headband. If it fits you when they are folded up, it will be much too big when you fold them down. The ear flaps are thick enough to change the hat size radically when added to/subtracted from the headband area.

Trade a wet head for a soaked back? Seattle Sombrero may keep rain off your face (and eye-glasses) by re-routing it around the hat brim to your back...okay in weather cool enough to wear a rain jacket and pants, but less useful in warmer climates, when perspiring under rain gear leaves you just as wet (and stinkier) than you would be without any protection. Flimsy brim doesn't handle gusts over 10 mph. Sombrero is nowhere near as breathable in hte heat as the Sombriolet Sun Hat.

BRING BACK THE OLD NAME!!! I LOVE this hat and don't appreciate the recent name change. You have to be kidding me! This has been and always will be the SEATTTLE SOMBRERO. Very disappointed in what I'm certain was a reactionary decision.

2

We have always been impressed at the thoughtfully designed and well-constructed OR products. So, when I finally ruined my last Sombrero, I ordered a replacement for me and got 1 for my wife for good measure. These hats in general are effective at keeping the rain off your head and out of your eyes...and they're rugged. The problem is that, in what I presume was a cost savings measure, the adjustable tab inside the hat has vanished and customizing the fit is now impossible. Even cheap outdoor headwear often has some kind of method of adjustment. On its initiation hike, I had to wear a thick headband to keep it on. A hat that once could be adjusted for a perfect fit now floats on my head just enough to be uncomfortable and is more prone to flopping around or off in the wind. A well designed hat otherwise is now not worth very much because of a cheap penny cost production decision. Disappointing...

I checked out the measurement guide and measured my head accordingly, but the hat just doesn't seem to sit low enough on my head. I'm very disappointed. I bought a different type of hat a while back and it fits fine and I love it. I also purchased gloves with the order and I love them too. Unfortunately, I'm not enjoying wearing this hat.

I bought this to replace one I loved and lost. The design has changed. There is no more size adjuster. For me, the medium is too tight and the large is too loose. I returned it.

I lost my much loved old seattle sombrero on my last work trip to Alaska; ordered a replacement and am very dismayed that the new one does not have the slick velcro cinch band, even though the instruction card that came with it still tells you how to adjust that. I've always loved the comfort and versatility of this hat, and the precise fit was a big part of that - I could put it on in the morning and spend the day working in windy rain, and it wouldn't budge. Sure it's got a chin strap - but since the hat is very large even on my big melon, I worry it will be shifting around a lot. Appears they removed the fitting band but left it very large as if it would still have one - many of their hats barely fit me at all but this is sloppy, so folks with normal-size noggins might want to go down a size now. It's a shame when formerly well-thought-out OR gear loses some of its most distinguishing and useful features, but it seems to be a trend.

I grew up with an OR Seattle Sombrero stuck to my head and wore it on every adventure where the rain showed face. Sadly this new hat, while waterproof, breathable, and lighter weight than the original, is useless as soon as the wind blows. The brim of the hat bends back and plasters against your skull at the slightest gust, which means you're basically wearing a waterproof skull cap. My raincoat hood is better use at that point. Can I still buy the old style that could handle wind?

You would think that after all these years and with new super high tech materials they would come up with a brim that doesn't just flop around in the wind. Maybe in Seattle they don't have wind? Or they don't ski or hike much?

I purchased this hat to be worn on a trip to Central America. While it appears to be of good quality, and it performed well in the pouring rain, it performed poorly with more than just a light wind. The brim is floppy and does not maintain its shape in real conditions. When the wind picks up, the brim actually reattaches itself in the up position with the velcro! Hard to imagine that the testers missed this.

This hat is heavy on the head and too hot. It is not breathable. I also feel stuffy underneath then my head gets sweaty shortly after wearing it. I now just hang it in the garage and will donate this to a homeless person soon. It does not have any method to secure it snugly on the circumference of the head so it can fall off or fly off any time by wind or gusts.

1

The slightest breeze will flip up the brim, exposing your face to sun and rain. The old version had a stiff brim which withstood wind but OR took out the brim stiffening material. I'm assuming to save money and increase profit, and now it is just floppy with no shape at all. I lost the old version and the new version is completely useless in any condition except maybe wearing it indoors.

I lost my old seattle sombero at which was great because it had a stiff brim so I bought another thinking I was getting the same hat. Unfortunately, OR decided to take out the brim stiffening material (presumably to save money and increase profit margin) and now its basically useless as a rain hat or a sun hat. Whenever the wind blows, which is most of the time when you're hiking outdoors, even the slightest breeze will cause the brim to flip up and exposure your face to sun/rain. So i find it basically useless in any outdoor condition due to it not being windproof and a complete waste of money.

Unbelievably poor choice to use Velcro. Any slight breeze automatically attaches the flap to the side of the crown. Hopeless. I get annoyed having to keep detaching the flap when it's raining. Can't Outdoor Research afford to employ decent designers?

I don't get why people like this hat. Yes, it does keep you dry but any wind over 5 mph and the brim is folding up letting the rain or sun into your eyes and face. I also wanted to use the hat kayaking. Well the interior layer that overheats your head in the summer but keeps you warm in the winter soaks up the water like a sponge that drips down on your face after you do a roll. Nice if it is a warm day with fresh water but in the ocean it is an annoying dripping of salt into your eyes. It does pack nice into any sack. It would be helpful if OR put a stiff plastic interior brim into the front to keep it from flipping up in the 5 mph wind.

Don't buy this hat. The fit is awful. The headband rolls out, it's not useful, a waste of money.