Customer Reviews Outdoor Research Seattle Sombrero

I wear this hat everywhere I go now. One of the lesson I learned over the the decades of camping, hiking and backpacking, make sure to cover your ears. Most people forget this and end up with crispy ears. This hat takes care of that problem, it sheds the rain, you can cinch down the hat in the wind. Very good protection for the head.

Hat is comfortable, breathes and is great in rain! very stylish, I have gotten alot of compliments!

I wasn't sure what to expect when I first ordered it. When it arrived, I was surprised at how comfortable it was to wear. Construction seems good, but only time will tell...

Loved the hat...once it finally arrived! I spent weeks waiting for the hat to arrive only to find out (by emailing and calling customer service multiple times) that my order was canceled because of limited stock. I was eventually sent the hat in a different size and it all worked out, but I just wished I would've received an email letting me know my order was canceled so I didn't have to wait over a month to get this cool hat!

This thing is a bit hot in warm weather, but that's not what it is for. This baby is for inclement weather, for downpours, drizzles and sleet; besides, SHOULD it start feelin' a touch toasty around the noggin, just take it off for a minute - once you put that baby back on that chilly wet sweatband will cool you right down. It's fantastic! And, in the weather this puppy is meant for you won't overheat 'cus the wind'll be blusterin' and the mountain spindrift will be sayin' hi. Bought this beauty because I have aspirations of thruhiking across Scotland on the Scottish National Trail - dunno if that will still happen this year, but whenever it does my head'll be dry while my ears'll be nicely ventilated. Too windy? (Scotland is a hellishly windy place.) I'll just wear a neck gaiter around my ears, while this hat's chinstrap will keep it from flying off to parts unknown.

I use this to block the rain. Don't like hoods on a rain jacket.you can use it as a sun hat as well. Make sure you tighten strap as will will blow off your head. . It is a nice big size but wish it was really big .

Product is nice, decently made and stylish if this is the style your looking for , I like it my wife isnt a hat person and she doesnt care for it which is fine as I dont fish or cut the lawn with her around anyway and I really do not care what I look like while doing those things

The fit is better than other OR hats because of the lining, but I wish the lining was just a strip around the head for a secure fit so that the top could breathe. I only wear it in the AM or in cooler areas as my head gets too hot with the full lining. Besides that this hat is great and quickly climbed into my top 2!

Used this hat on a week long kayak trip in South East Alaska and it was useful when it poured. Front brim flipped up slightly, when paddling into a bit of rain and headwind, just enough to make it uncomfortable. Girlfriend has same model of hat and had no problems.

I got this hat after having to replace my OR Olympia rain hat (which got discontinued). Very easy to adjust for fit, and with the flip up brim you can give it a decent shape for around town. Brim down, it is hard to get the perfect shape back after it gets scrunched, so expect it to look a little floppy and warped. The folding brim actually makes it easier (than the Olympia hat) to fold for storage. It's great in the rain for walks, but doesn't breath well enough for serious exertion. The same issue applies as a sun hat. I'm also not generally a hat person so I might be less tolerant about head coverings. It is much nicer to wear than having a hood up, as you can hear properly without the crinkle factor of rain jacket hoods.

Use it for daily walk I rain.

A nice stylish paddling hat. The chin strap secures the hat well in the wind. However, when the wind blows, the brim flaps up and catches on the velcro.... not ideal when you want the protection from the rain. The hat does not breathe well enough for use in hot sunny weather....but ideal in cool wet weather.

Well made, and comfortable. I always wore a hood, but was annoyed by the restricted vision, and reduced hearing. This hat has literally changed my life. I'm still dry, but have all my senses! Maybe not enough sense to know that saying this hat has changed my life, was a bit too much. I just really like it.

I have loved this hat for years. Yesterday evening it really let me down. I was out on an ATV searching for animals in my pasture. It was windy and rainy, I couldn't find my good jacket so I was underdressed anyway, and the brim on this hat really seemed to just channel cold rain onto my face, neck and back. I guess the only good news is at least the top of my head was dry. The brim can be useless when you need it most.

When this hat had a stiff fishing line in the brim it was the GREATEST HAT IN THE WORLD.. Now it is subject to flopping and flaring in high winds. Not what it used to be but still a good hat. I really liked the solid blue version but that is a personal preference not considered in my rating above.

This hat is perfect for the Pacific North West. It rains a lot here and is usually not that windy/cold. If you are looking for a hat that will keep you dry then this is a good option for you. Personally though I have found that once the wind picks up or the temperature starts to drop, this had no longer does me any good. It, by design, just doesn't provide much warmth and has a rather flimsy brim that will flap in the wind. Its a good hat for wearing around town, but once taken into the wilderness I find it to be more of a novelty then a necessity.

I have owned my red Sombrero about 15 years, and have worn it almost everyday for at least 10 years. I have lost it about once per year, but always manage to recover it. Now it is getting ragged and I want to buy a new one. I have to decide what colour. I am leaning towards yellow for night-time visibility, since I walk to/from work, often in the dark. I have tried a few other kinds of hats, but this floppy scrunchable pocketable style of sombrero is very practical for me. Be careful to get the right size, not too loose and not too tight. The neckstrap is essential to prevent losing the hat in windy weather, but is also valuable for hanging the hat on a chair or coathanger. I recently accidentally broke the neckstrap, and am really missing it.

I use the sombrero mainly for hiking. The hat provides protection from the elements; rain, snow, and the sun. The hat works great, but has a strange penchant to separate from the liner in high winds (30+MPH). The liner stays tight to your head, but the shell raises an inch up making you look slightly ridiculous. The hat has a tendency to be warm in the summer, so unless it is a cold rainy day I would suggest you go with a lighter hat. The sides of the hat fold up and attach to the dome with velcro. I have not had the itch to hunt crocodiles, so I leave them down.

Nice fit, useful velco strap at back to tighten if needed, good neck strap. great to have a nice brim to save getting rain on my face.

Folds up nice in my pack and takes up very little space.

Have had the Sombrero for years and still love it. It always comes out when rain threatens. I roll it up and stow in my pocket or side pouch of my pack. It takes a moment to give it some shape back, then it's back in action. The hat is not rigid - it is more like a "boonie" cap so it will gain character the more you wear it.

Have used mine for at least 12 years. Head band is a little frayed but like a famous watch brand this hat has "taken a licking and kept on ticking". It has made Idaho, Smokies, and Utah backpacking trips, Boundary Water canoe trips, weekly local hikes and uncountable river trips but still does what it was designed for - sun and rain protection. Its been stomped on, lost and recovered, and soaked I don't know how many times. Only complaint would be the headband and its a little hot for high summer wear if its not raining.

I thought that the Seattle Sombrero had been renamed but this is a different hat. There is no headband structure incorporated in this hat. While the Gore-Tex does what it's supposed to, and the brim is nice, the fit and wear is like putting a bag on the top of your head and holding it there with a chin strap.

I agree 100% with the earlier reviewer regarding OR's unfortunate decision to eliminate the Velcro adjustment strap. This would have been my third Seattle Sombrero (Rain Hat) however I had to return it ($6.95 shipping) because I can no longer fine tune the size. Otherwise, it is a 5-star hat if your head is a specific size.