Outdoor Research Sunshower Sombrero Hat

I've used this hat in both of its capacities, blocking sun and blocking rain. It's great to have a single hat for both, but in designing for versatility, there are some minor functionality trade-offs and annoyances.As a sun hat, this hat does reasonably well. It's vented, light, and the brim seems properly sized to block the sun, yet not block your vision. I like that the inner band is adjustable, and that the neck cord is removable. The hat is light and packs flat. While the hat is vented, the material clings directly to your head, which doesn't allow for much air movement. Some sun hats I've looked at sit a little higher on the head to allow a bit of air circulation between your head and the hat. This hat will be a little hotter than those. Also, the vents face upwards, so the sun protection won't be particularly strong in those areas. This could be of concern if you shave your head or are balding.The rain cover is stowed in a small pouch on the back rim. This is convenient, as you can quickly pop it out and stretch it over the hat. The rain shell works very well at beading up and repelling rain, and I've no complaints there. I do wish that the pouch were a little wider, though. As designed, with the rain cover in it, it creates a bit of weird bulge that weights the back of the brim down and sits against your neck. If the pouch were wider, the shell could be packed thinner, and not bunch up quite as much, making this less noticeable If there's no chance of rain, I'll usually pack this separately to avoid this problem.So am I glad I purchased this hat? On the whole, yes. It's nice to have one hat for all situations, and this one has worked for me so far. If you plan on being somewhere exceedingly hot and/or have a head that burns easily, you might want to look at some other options. Also, given the price of this hat, you may be able to purchase both a good sun hat and good rain hat for the same money.

I measured my head and purchased the appropriate size. Coupled with the adjustable band I was able to fine tune the fit and how tight it fit my head. My first use of the hat (initial reason for purchase) was spending 3 days in the sun helping my sister build a run-in for her horses in the middle of a pasture. No way to hide from the sun, so I bought this to keep the sun off my face. I must say it is comfortable and functional. Never once did I feel the need to take my hat off and readjust the size to change fit and retention. Even during a windy/gusty afternoon it never blew off my head. The mesh vents in the hat were noticeably functional as I could feel the breeze across the top of my head, keeping me a bit cooler out in the sun.I haven't used the rain cover yet, but I did take it out and give it a test fit. It's sized appropriately and rather easy to place on the hat. My first inclination was to carefully stretch it and wrap it around the brim of the hat. The foam brim on the hat isn't rigid enough for this to work. The easiest way is slightly wad the hat up on your hand, stuff it into the center of the rain cover (like garbage into a bag), and then reform the hat inside the cover with the brim fitting inside/under the outer elastic band. When not in use it does fold up neatly and pack into the pocket under the brim of the hat. It isn't low profile though. Thankfully it's intelligently designed to be at the back of the hat as the weight of the cover pulls the brim down. This can be annoying, but it does help keep the brim down and blocking sun off your neck. Unless you're expecting rain you can pull the cover out and I think the hat is a touch more comfortable.

This is the second one of these that we bought, and is for my wife. We have a habit of attracting rain whenever we hike, and these hats are great for keeping you dry, and preventing water from running down your neck. I also use my mine whenever I kayak, and it has been excellent. In a strong headwwind, you need to find the "sweet spot" of hat angle on head, and angle into the wind to prevent the bill from "flopping", but it is a smallissue when compared with the benefits of protecting you from the rain and the sun. Like the raincover storage pocket under the brim.

I had to return it because it was delivered with a huge crease on one side of the brim that was irreparable. I did got to the OR outlet and purchase directly and the hat is just OK. As others have mentioned, it can be useless in windy conditions because the brim is thin and floppy.

very comfortable with a wide adjustable head band. It has a water proof but breathable removable rain fly. When the rain fly is removed. the hat has large mesh vents and makes a great sun hat.

This is the finest hat I have ever had. It is light and cool for summer hikes but gives great sun protection all around. the neck strap keeps it on in windy conditions and you can slip the rain cover out of the storage pocket and put it on if it rains.This is my second of these. The first was sadly left behind in Mexico and I couldn't wait to get a replacement.Finally, I have a very large head (larger than 8 in). The XLg size actually fits me well.

This is a mostly great hat. It is water resistant and comfortable. The only issue I have is that the water-resistant cover would sometimes blow off the rest of the hat. I had to hold my head at times to prevent it from flying away. If there was a button or snap to hold that in place, I'd give this 4 stars.

So i've purchased 3 of these over the past 5 years, the first from the manufacturer the other two from amazon due to price and speed of shipping. Im a ferry capatain that has to deal with all the elements. In the summer its perfect to keep the sun off your neck and if a storm blows up just slap on the cover and bamn no more rain. Normally I just keep the cover on hand instead of the pouch...tends to make it droop.