Wear the Right Hat For Your Adventure

I’m fairly good about sun protection, given my history of skin cancer.  I typically remember my sunscreen.  And when assembling gear for an outdoor adventure, I grab either a baseball, scout, or visor style hat.

But there is a small problem with that.  It’s been nagging at me in the back of my mind for awhile now.  But I’m just not a “big, straw, floppy beach hat” kinda girl.  So the voice just keeps nag, nag, nagging me while I’m out there playing in the sun, “You’re not protecting your head like you should (and could) be doing.”  And I keep ignoring it and doing the same ol’ thing.

Until my blogging friend Farrah from “The Three Under” featured a company called AdventureHat.com.  Bingo.  The coolest Aussie hat ever, just waiting there for me to make it a part of my outdoor life!

Bill Conner’s Australian Hats

If this style even remotely interests you, you’ve just struck gold.  Because guess what?  Bill Conner, of Adventure Hat, created Australia’s original leather hat with a shape-able brim in 1969.

There have been many copy cats spawned since then.  But you won’t find one that’s lighter, more stylish, or of better construction than this one.  Originals will have a brass “BC” logo on the hat band.  Bill Conner’s hats are hand made in Byron Bay, Australia.

What I Thought of My BC Australian Leather Hat

When I received mine, I was slightly surprised.  It was smaller than I expected for some reason – which was a good thing.  It’s not overpowering – the crown is just the right size to cover/fit over your head.

And it was softer than I expected, but with just the right amount of sturdiness.  The leather is rich and feels great, and the braided leather hatband adds a touch of class.

I chose the “BC Cool as a Breeze Australian Leather” style because it was gorgeous AND practical.  I really want this to be my new primary hat that I wear hiking, which gives me some added protection from the sun.  With this particular style, you get the look of leather but the crown is actually made of a mesh material.  So it’s also very cool and comfortable to wear during outdoor activity.

But I also just plain love the looks of it.  I know it’s the Great Outdoors, and that the bears and mountain lions don’t care what you look like.   And no, I don’t put makeup on when I go for a hike.   But you know if you don’t  look cool in a hat, you’re not gonna wear it.

A bonus being that since I do like the look of wearing it, I’ll wear it many other places as well.  Like outdoor concerts, farmers markets, and festivals.

Talk about an awesome design.  The sides are tipped slightly up, and the front slightly down.  And the hat is reinforced with a coil spring wire, so even when crushed it will pop back out to its original shape.  In other words – take it along with you anywhere, cause it’s extremely durable!

How the BC Australian Leather Hat Performed

I was very, very pleased with how this hat performed.

The AdventureHat.com site gives detailed instructions on how to determine your sizing.  So it fit perfectly, and was so comfortable and light that I quickly felt like I wasn’t wearing a hat at all.

Except that I could see so well without squinting. Because the brim all the way around does a wonderful job.  As far as pulling sun-blocking duty, it gets an A+.  I have never worn a hat that shaded my neck, ears, and face as well as this did.

Can you picture yourself looking all “Man From Snowy River”, Aussie-kinds a cool in this hat?  Yeah.  That’s what I’m talking about.

Other Styles Available from AdventureHat

If for some reason this style is just not your cup of tea, AdventureHat.com features a fantastic variety of hats on their site – over 400 styles!

They have hats for men, women, and kids.  You can shop by style, activity, material, or price.  All for what I thought were very reasonable prices.

And all with free returns, and 100% satisfaction guaranteed.

Recap Review ~ BC Cool as a Breeze Australian Leather Hat

What I loved:

• Soft, quality leather materials
• Provides excellent shade/sun protection
• Lightweight
• Extremely comfortable
• Coolest style and design that I’ve seen

What I didn’t love:

• The mesh crown and brim were different colors (crown is quite a bit darker), and accentuated the fact that they were made of different materials.
• I’m not sure how well it would stand up to getting wet (rain, mishaps while stream-crossing, and what not).  But if that was of concern for how you plan to use it, you could select the canvas version instead – which offers you the same style, plus sounds virtually indestructible.

I chose the “Moose” color, and from the picture on the website I thought the mesh crown and leather brim would be almost the same colors.   They were not, but I must say that I would probably still pick the same one over again – it really is a beautiful color.

The BC Cool as a Breeze Australian Leather Giveaway

That’s right – Adventure Hat has offered to give one of my readers this very same amazing hat style “BC Hats Cool as a Breeze Australian Leather”, with a retail value of $49.99!

Enter using the form below.

I received a sample BC Cool as a Breeze Australian Leather Hat for the purposes of this preview.  But all opinions are my own.
a Rafflecopter giveaway