You probably know Stetson for iconic cowboy hats and western lifestyle look. But they have more to offer than just that. For a recent trip into Robbers Roost Canyon in Utah, the new Stetson No Fly Zone sun hat fit the bill.
Speaking of the bill or brim, the smaller 2.5″ brim was perfect. Especially for backpackers carrying packs that often come up to at least the height of their heads, if not higher, a large brim hat will only bump against the top of the pack and either shift around or just get knocked off. Because the No Fly Zone has a neck flap that folds out of the brim as needed the brim can be much smaller and avoid the incompatibility of hitting up against a full overnight backpack.
The No Fly Zone also has two other key features to keep the hat on your head. As expected, there’s the over extended chin strap to be tightened as needed when the wind is being particularly obnoxious. But for those times when the breeze is pleasant but a little extra grip is needed to keep your hat on, there’s a bungie draw string in the back on the outside to provide that extra piece of mind.
Naturally, as a sun hat should, the hat only comes in khaki and has good ventilation all the way around the mid-upper. A soft liner on the inside of the brim is very comfortable, even as it gets sweaty and grimy and as is totally unavoidable in Robbers Roost, very sandy. A quick dip in water rinses everything out and the nylon will dry quickly, though you might not want it to.
True, hats really aren’t that complicated and you could probably weave something together with field grass if you needed to, but there are some considerations that make wearing a hat more enjoyable and Stetson has done it, again. $30; stetson.com
