Marmot PreCip Safari Hat - 2007 BCS

I posted this on the OR Seattle Sombrero page as well. For I tested 3 different hats in order to find the one I like the most.

When I set out to buy a hat I was looking for something dual purpose...sun and rain. I ordered 3 hats before I found the one that fits the bill as a Sun and rain hat. The 3 hats were The Outdoor Research Seattle Sombrero, Mountain Hardware Stimulus Rain Hat, and the Marmot Precip Safari Hat. All these hats are waterproof so they all should perform in the rain well. Water repellent hats were not considered at all for they are not fully waterproof and would not do well in a long down pour. Here's my brief review of each.

The OR is the most expensive of the bunch might be because it was the only one that uses Gore-Tex. It has the strongest rim but is also the heaviest weight hat of the group. It has a great amount of adjust ability so fit can be really adjusted. Even the head band can be finely adjusted to fit your head a little better. The velcro side flaps are ok and I notice when the side rims are attached they pull on the top sides of the hat...not really a problem just makes the hat on my head look funny! It just tugs then and makes them stick out. It is very good as a rain hat probably the best for the rim is the strongest so in a heavy down pour it will hold up better than the others. However because if its weight and Gore-Tex the same cannot be said as a sun hat. It gets far too hot!! Which is too bad because OR used a darker color on the underside of the rim to cut down on reflection and glare. Because of its weight and being too hot in the sun I gave it a 3. If you just want it as a rain hat...I give it a 5 all day! The Rim will make it the best of the group

Next was the Mountain Hardware Stimulus Rain Hat. Lightest of the bunch but very close in weight to the Marmot. The rim is the weakest so in a heavy down put it might not do so well. No one plans on being in a heavy down pour but they happen. And if you are in one with this hat the rim might not hold off the heavy rain very well. The fit was as good as the others...it does not have a head band adjustment. The color is a stainless/silver like. It is great for heat reflection but the underside of the rim is the same color so it will add glare in the sun. The rim also velcros to the side of the hat just like the OR but doesnt deform as much because the rim isnt nearly as heavy as the OR. There isnt nearly as much adjustment as the OR or the Marmot. This is probably the coolest of the hats in the sun, both from the weight and the color. I didnt care for the fit as much but the one I got was pretty deformed from shipping. It went back. I felt this was my least favorite of the bunch.

The Marmot Precip Safari Hat was my pick. It isnt the heaviest but isnt the lightest either. It has the same amount of adjustments as the OR and is more than a 1/3 the cost. The sides fold up and attach via a magnet. I didnt think I would like this but I really do!! I found this hat to be the perfect fit for rain and sun. It wont handle the heavy rain like the OR but will do better than the Mountain Hardware. It is cool and the color I got keeps the reflection and glare down in the sun. It fits me well and looks really nice. Overall this one fit nearly all my requirements. The quality is also excellent, pretty much all the hats were manufactured well.

Great hat. It is exactly what I was looking for. It is completely waterproof, light-weight, and flexible. The detachable chin strap is handy. Good workmanship. Great for hiking, and walking the dog in the rainy Northwest area of Portland, Oregon.

I wore it on a calm but wet day kayaking & thought it was the bomb. It kept me nice & dry & warm.But 2 days later, wore it hiking in wind & rain. It sucks in the wind. The wind blows up under it & makes it puff out quite comically, plus when the brim blows up the magnets engage and you don't stay so dry with the sides up. I alleviated that issue a bit by tightening the elastic string, but that broke on day 2 - not because I pulled too hard, because the wind did! And once you tighten it, it puckers & looks goofy.So I'll be sending it back when I get back in the country, and wouldn't really recommend it.

I have come to really like this hat. There are several features not mentioned in the description:
-There is an elastic adjustment on the back allowing you to adjust how tight the hat is
-The chinstrap is removable
-If you flip the sides of the hat up, they will stay there (due to small magnets)

This hat is indeed waterproof, and the brim is not too floppy. Interestingly (at least to me) is the fact that the inner headband is not cotton, but instead is a wicking polyester. It is soft, but does not retain any moisture. The hat is very lightweight, and breathes well.

Dont love it, dont hate it. Brim collapses under medium rain sometimes making it difficult to see. attachments for removable strap can irritate ears from time to time.