Elkheart's Favorite Fair-Weather Hunting Hat

By David Petersen

Ironically, about the same time I got out of the Marines and finally could grow my hair long (an almost mandatory style for single men in 1970s southern California), I started going bald. Having never been a fan of hats, suddenly I had to become one. For most occasions the standard baseball cap served, and still serves, the purpose…but not for traditional bowhunting and archery, where the long stiff cap brim blocks coming to full draw for many shooters. For cold-weather wear, a watch cap has usually been the ticket for me. But in warmer weather, such as most early elk and deer archery seasons, the search for a perfect bowhunting hat becomes a bit more complicated. First, a fully functional warm-weather hunting hat needs a brim large enough to block glaring sun from the eyes, neck, and face. Second, that same brim must be soft enough to collapse effortlessly when contacted by a bowstring coming to full draw. Third, the material needs to be thin enough, with sufficient ventilation holes, to allow for air circulation to minimize sweating. Fourth, the material must be quiet. Finally, I'm not into spendy clothing items, so the perfect hunting hat has to be at least reasonably priced and preferably dirt-cheap.

Across the almost four decades since the balding process began for me, I tried just about every sort of warm-weather headwear before finally finding a perfect fit for my needs: the Aussie outback hat. In contrast with the common bush hat, which has a short brim all around, the outback hat has a wider brim, and that's the secret to all its advantages. For normal wear, in order to leave the ears exposed for best hearing, I wear the hat with both sides snapped up in what I call the cool look.

If there's a hot sun or cold breeze on the back of my neck I simply fold down the back portion of the brim. For maxim wrap-around sun (or light rain) protection I simply unsnap the sides and allow the brim to flop down all around. You could snap one side up and leave the other down. Just find the combination that works best for you.

The icing on the cake; the best brand of outback hat I've found for all the above needs is also among the cheapest. Many of the best outback hats we see advertised are made more for show than go, using thicker material (too hot) with stiff brims that don't take well to repositioning from their original shapes. At the opposite extreme, the cheapest varieties (Oriental Trading sells them for $19 a dozen!) are too thin, with wimpy brims that don't like to stay where you put them. Happily, good old Walmart, like it or not, offers the perfect compromise in their Faded Glory brand, pictured here. Last year I bought one for $10 and was so pleased with it that I bought two more this year...and the price had dropped to just $8. If you try it and like it, I suggest you stock up as these hats are a seasonal item and one of these seasons will predictably be discontinued. I machine wash mine and line dry, with no notable shrinkage.