Coolibar UPF 50+ Men's Holden Packable Travel Fedora - Sun Protective

This is a review and comparison of men’s broad brim fedora style hats. My primary goal was to find a hat with excellent sun protection that also looked good. My secondary goals were packability, heat resistance and water resistance.Coolibar Men’s Packable Travel Fedora ($60) - 2 5/8" brim, polyester. This is definitely the most packable of the hats I tried. It rolls well. I can stick it in my pocket, and it regains its shape quickly when unrolled. And it looks surprisingly good for a hat with very little rigid structure. It is slightly warm in the hot sun. I am keeping this one - it protects from the sun, looks pretty good, and is very packable.Coolibar Men’s Wallis Sun Fedora ($79) - 2 3/4 brim, polyester. This is one of the best looking of the hats I tried. It has a fairly rigid brim. It could go with anything from nice shorts to slacks and a tie. The L/XL size was the only one available on Amazon and is equivalent to about a size 7 ½. The fit was comfortable. It is definitely Not crushable. Unfortunately, quality control is poor - I separately ordered 3 of these hats and all arrived crushed and did not regain their shape. I would like to keep this hat - it looks good. But I’m still trying to get one in good condition.Coolibar Men’s Fairway Golf Hat ($60) - 3" brim, Toyo straw. This hat looked a little too rigid and formal for me, but it would likely appeal to others. The material is very thin and flimsy but holds its shape well. This certainly does not appear crushable. The Ivory color is lighter and more solid than that pictured. I don’t think it looks as good as the others on me.Dorfman Pacific Men’s Soaker Hat with Mesh Sides ($38) - 2 3/4 brim, 60/60 polyester/nylon. This hat is a little more casual than the others but looks pretty good. I don’t think I would wear this with a tie. The ability to soak it on a hot day for evaporative cooling and the price are attractive. I’m on the fence about this one.Henschel 5310 Packable Mesh Breezer ($32) - 3" brim, cotton. The brim is wide and looks it. It reminds me a little of “The Flying Nun.” It is packable. It is not the hat for me.Conner Airflow Light Weight Supplex Outdoor Hat ($37) - 3" brim. This hat is made from recycled water bottles. Unfortunately, it also looks like it. The crown and brim are wrinkled. I did not like the appearance. But if you want a more casual, worn look, this could be a good hat. It is packable and water resistant.Tilley LTM6 Airflo ($80) - 2.5 - 3.5" brim, nylon/polyester. This hat looks pretty good. The brim is wide, but it doesn’t look like it. This is likely due to the narrower brim at the sides. The darker (olive) color makes the brim appear even less wide. The crown sides have no rigidity, so it doesn’t look quite as nice to me as the Coolibar Travel or Wallis fedoras, but it still looks pretty good. And the compressible crown sides make the hat packable (flat) - it was shipped that way, and regains its shape well. It also rolls pretty well, but would likely roll best if you remove the crown insert first. The hat has several extra features. There is a 3/4" mesh at the top of the crown to help keep cool on a hot day. It has a velcro pocket in the crown. It is water resistant. It floats. There are front and rear wind straps that can be tucked into the crown or used when desired. The hat is designed for boating, and I can’t imagine any wind short of a severe storm that would blow this hat off when using both straps. It is machine washable. The hat is guaranteed for life. This is a quality hat. This hat is almost as good looking as some of the Coolibar hats, and it has many extra features. The price is higher, but it has a lifetime guarantee. I can see why this hat is so popular.Tilley T4Mo-1 Hiker’s Hat ($100) - 2.5-3.5", organic cotton. This hat is very much like the Tilley Airflo, with a few exceptions. The material is cotton instead of synthetic. It has a very slightly “softer” look. I imagine it may be a little cooler on hot days. There is an evaporative insert in the crown to increase cooling - I don’t know how well this will work. There is a small fabric loop at the rear brim, so you can hang the hat when not in use. These minor differences all appeal to me, so this hat is a keeper.

After bumming around Italy and Malta for a month, the hat looked forlorn. When they say "packable" and "travel friendly crushable protection," they mean it won't be destroyed, but it will crease up badly until you iron it out. I was hoping for something more wrinkle resistant. But maybe that is an unrealistic expectation on my part. After ironing the brim, it is ok again. I think the brim could be stiffer to resist waviness.I was also hoping it would be cooler on the head. The wide brim definitely keeps off the sunrays, but in Malta July I sweat a lot. I'm not sure any other hat would perform any better. So overall, this is a decent travel hat.I wish it had eyehole grommets in the brim for a neck strap ( i almost lost it a few times). And a secret pocket in the crown for a credit card and $20bill.

I get compliments, but it feels kind of feminine so I rarely wear it. It's partially the texture, which is more like a women's beach hat than what a typical male hat uses. It is indestructible however, so I carry it in the trunk of the convertible for emergencies.

Great style & sun protection

It would be 5 stars but…..just like other reviews, it came crushed in an envelope. Luckily I was mentally prepared and not too surprised. I was/ am currently reshaping crown and brim. So far it has made a good recovery and fit is as expected. Seems like a well made hat. Fair price, however, at this price point it should be packaged in hat box or at the least some box that allows hat not to be crushed.Hat is lightweight and seems to breathe well! Appears to have wire at edge in brim that assist with shaping. Color (blue) is as depicted but really looks better in person. I would consider buying the same hat in the other colors but not if continued to ship crushed in envelope.I would say overall that it is good buy!

I like the hat. Problem is the packing. The hat came folded in a shipping envelope.Totally wrinkled and the metal in brim is bent.I cannot get the wrinkles out and the brim cannot be bent back.Unwearable in this condition.Do not buy until Coolibar gets their shipping act together.

Traveled to Peru around the PNW and it works just as advertised! Still using most sunny days.

I bought this hat to use on a two week trip to Italy. The hat comes in a flat package, but comes back to shape easily. It holds its shape even being packed and unpacked in my suitcase several times. Sturdy material and needs minimal attention to keep its shape when you're wearing it. Liked it so much I bought a second one as a back up.