Hats on safari

Happy Myles said:
Probably my imagination but i feel i can see and hear better from under a hat brim. Additionally, a brim protects my skin better from the sun and shades my face from glare alerting animals i am stalking. I grew up under Western hats so am used to dealing with a brim. However, my headgear changes with weather and environment. I may be seen with boonies to ball caps.

if Borsalinos attract beautiful Blondes I may try one. Thank you Tanks
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So you must have seen @Tanks beautiful partner!
 
I’ve worn a ball cap daily since middle school swapping it out when required for a helmet but going back to a ball cap as soon as I could. Occasionally a boonie will make an appearance and is very convenient for fishing on the Zambezi in November. Great to dip in the water and let drip down your neck and back.
 
Forgot one thing. A Boonie hat brim keeps a head net away from skin contact in Tsetse country. If you have been under siege by Fly you’ll know what I mean. Kindest Regards
 
Saw my PH wearing a Rogue hat and decided I needed one.

Ordered one directly from South Africa. At 40 bucks it’s cheap enough. But in the sun it’s priceless.

I ordered a green hat with a mesh crown and a canvas brim. Very light and comfortable.

Very much prefer it to the Tilley style that I took with me.
 
I wear a Tilley mash up. Very comfortable hat.

IMG_8961.JPEG
 
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I think hats are like guns, which are like watches, which are like pens, which are like ....... I could wear an advert baseball cap, a Timex, carry a Remington model 783 in .308 mounting a Tasco scope, sign my final bill with a Bic pen, and have a very successful safari or North American hunt. But, I frankly wouldn't enjoy it.

My last hunt in Africa was with a Highland Stalker .275 carrying a Leica scope, and my watch was a Sinn. I sign checks with a Montblanc. If I were hunting in North America, my hat likely would be a Rand and the rifle a Bradshaw or R8. Other than the hat, all of those could be bettered easily by the "if you have to ask" class.

I use those things because I appreciate the quality they represent as much as the efficiency or fiscal logic of something less expensive. That is purely a personal sense of value and appreciation of ownership.
 
I normally hunt in a ball cap but the advice from my PH was that a lot of people are not prepared for the sun and to be ready for it. I took an Outdoor Research Sunbriolet green (Fatigue) hat and it did a great job protecting me from being in the sun all day for a week. Very comfortable and packable as well.
 
On my first hunt, wore a boonie (pictured) I picked up at some gun shop. It was camo, light weight, ventilated (but not mesh) and had a smallish brim (maybe 1.5”). My PH liked it so much, I gave it to him at the end of the hunt. I’ve never been able to find one like it.
On my second I wore a boonie I purchased at Wally World. Solid top, sides are mesh, but the brim is larger than the previous hat and flapped in the wind. Ended up wearing a ball cap.
On both hunts had a watch cap for cold mornings and evenings.
Kuiu makes a boonie I may try.

IMG_0666.jpeg
 
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In my father's day, hats were everyday wear for men, generally either wide or medium brimmed. My generation, being born in the 1950's, rebelled against such fashions - we were smarter and knew better!
No hats for us. Latter in my Army days, the headdress for bush wear was the giggle hat - a cotton hat with a ridiculously small brim. In civie street hats again weren't worn however when hunting or at the range it was generally a 'baseball' type cap. Now in my latter years, having several skin cancers removed every year, principally from my scalp, ears, face and neck, I'm convinced our forefathers had it right. I now use a brimmed hat every time outdoors, unfortunately most of the damage is already done.

Irrespective of your personal choices, I would also suggest packing a couple of cheap spares. Even a 7 day hunt can be a long time if your favourite hat was lost on the first day. Heat stroke and severe sunburn is a definite spoiler.
 
Ball cap has treated me fine on all my safaris. some hunts I might pack a boonie/ floppy but a classic ball cap does the trick
 
Ontario Hunter said:
Those Tilley hats are practical indeed. I just can't bring myself to be branded as an old guy ... even if I am. So I wear what I've always worn hunting: a ball cap BRIM FACING FORWARD! And NO flat brim. And no ratty purposed worn spots. I am not a skinny pants millennial or a monster truck Bubba or a coke dealer. Some stereotypes are worth avoiding. Correction: all stereotypes are worth avoiding.
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I never understood people grinding their hats to make them look worn, mine look like that all too soon, by themselves. Nothing like a good broken in hat, baseball, crusher or cowboy hat.
 
Ontario Hunter said:
It boggles my mind how some people think spending a lot of money on stuff equates "quality." It ain't necessarily so. I remember one of my high school chums who put himself majorly into debt to buy a "quality" Jaguar XKE. What a piece of crap! It was in the shop more than on the road.

Some of us aren't into the white hunter style show and some of us are. Oh well. No one is criticizing. Well, not from the "absolute garbage" crowd anyway. I think the insecurity comes from discovering not everyone worships your exhaulted tax bracket. FYI I'm retired, my income is well over six figures, and no debt. For a ballcap hunter I'm doing okay. Not filthy rich, but okay.
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Well that fishing expedition worked well. Nice bite here:LOL:
 
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The Engineer
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I like the Tillie in my picture. They are supposed to fit loose (2 fingers inside hat band), have mesh for cooling, and hold their shape after washing.
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