Great hat, and great story! I tend to prefer visors over hats, which make my head hot. But on a road trip in Baja one year, my kids and I all bought straw cowboy-style hats from a man on the street. He was making the hats right there, which we thought was cool.

Once upon a time there was a serial volunteer with a fabulous old floppy leather hat. As the volunteer grew she worked with animals more and more. Then one day an evil tribe named ‘The Vegetarians’ began to speak to her in tongues through the animals she worked with. She tried to resist the spell being cast upon her, but she was weak and eventual succumbed to their strange ways. In time the voluntary traveler could no longer stomach nibbling on the critters that she rescued. Alas, wearing them on her head became problematic as well, as she was haplessly absorbed into the vegetarian tribe. The floppy old leather hat now sets perched high atop a large stuffed orangutan in the office of the poor volunteer – collecting dust, oh so much dust. And, she is cursed to roam the earth - living hatlessly ever after.

Or is she?

New hat sounds great.. comes with it\’s own travel history even before it sits on my head. If only it could talk and share those tales.
My favorite travel hat has to be a Tilley Hat made by a Canadian company (Tilley Endurables). When Alex Tilley designed the first sailing hat his family tested prototypes of the first Tilley hat on a sailing charter to Belize which is a place dear to my heart.
Thanks for sharing.

My favorite travel hat was one that said Peace Corps Nicaragua on it, made by some guy in Boaco. He made as many as our group wanted, so a lot of people got one. Unfortunately the craftsmanship was lacking, so after a few weeks I decided to keep it as a souvenir before my sweat ate through it. After that I picked up a nice green one with a bird on it, for about 4 dollars. That one lasted me the rest of my time ,)

My favorite traveling hat to Nicaragua in 2005 was a Ross Reel fishing hat, I had just completed the building a retail fishing store in Charleston and one of the perks was to pick out some gear for my next trip to Nicaragua. The hat fit great a was the type of hat that only die hard fly fishing guys would recognize. I was approached several times in the airports going down by people and asked where I was going and always told them the same story, that I’m a builder and that I build orphanages in Nicaragua, I’m not going to fish for the fantastic Peacock Bass that live in Nicaragua. Well I went down and worked several weeks and on my way to the airport I set my hat down and left it on the bus, when I went through customs a realized that the hat was missing, I’m very organized and was upset at myself for loosing the hat, understand that I have made 12 trips to Nicaragua and never lost anything! I went back home and the following year I made my annual trip back down and was in Managua when my house keeper came in wearing a “Ross Reels” hat exactly like mine, I asked in my broken Spanish where she got the hat, she said her husband was a bus driver and that he has given her the hat. Knowing now that the hat was mine, I asked if she would sell me the hat for 215 cords and her eyes lit up with a “YES”! I have the hat safely with me on the last 12 trips to Nicaragua.

My favorite hat has yet to even hit the road with me. For the last 2 years we have not traveled at all as we save up for 3+ years on the road. So, I spend my free time sitting on our deck with a drink, a good book, and my hat to keep the sun out of my eyes. I have hiked in the mountains andwalked around the city of Seattle with my trusty hat keeping out the rain and sun alike. As we are heading out for our trip in just over 2 months it seems a perfect time to get a new hat for all the new experiences we will see around the world.

Found your blog tonight and excited to read more of your posts as a subscriber.

‘Tis a well-known fact that no Levine can wear a hat without looking like an idiot. Our heads go…this…way…to much and not enough…that way. But we are also so fair that we must coverup on the beach, in the garden, etc. After much trial and error and mortification of children and having many hats fly away in the beach wind because our heads are apparently gripless, I discovered a beauty from the San Diego hat company. Wide brim, sits nicely on the head and straps with a sliding bead to keep it on. Am so delighted, I am may buy in bulk quantities for generations of ice cube head Levines to come. May become my go-to baby present. “Yes, it’s bigger than she is now but wait. In 20 years, you will be thanking me with tears in your eyes.”

Ah, the good old travel hat. The hat I choose is one that served me well in the deserts of Saudi Arabia. it is a military issue boonie hat in desert tri-color. I have my name in English and Arabic stitched across the back. It definitely draws attention, especially from fellow vets. I have had that hat since 1990 and it is still providing protection for me in foul weather. It’s traveled to London, Italy, Paris, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Hot Springs and next April I head to Costa Rica on a fishing trip and once again the boonie hat will be with me.

my favorite travel hat was a real deal brazil hat. i took it to Puerto Rico, Santo Domingo, DR , and guantanamo bay, Cuba. i lost it while i was in Cuba. i think the guy working at the little bar is probly wearing it now. maybe i will see it again if i ever go back. i got that hat in North Carolina and its been all over the east coast. we now live in the Key West, FL. i eventually got another one that i share with my family. but i do miss my old hat.

Ah, can never have a good depedable travel hat, one that is well broke in. My travel hat is my every eveyday had and mesh will not cut it! Real Deal all the way! but my first true travel hat was from Sheplers, there very fine crushable felt hats. I had 2 , one tan and one black, wore them right out and and fadded. love a good and full hat to keep the head covered. they have been over the states over the years and still in use for yard work, well fadded and worn.

Mine has always been my grandfather\’s baseball cap. We use to explore the woods together and go on all kinds of adventures. When he passed away, I was in sixth grade. I remember the family fighting over his belongings, things to remember him by. All I wanted was his hat. I got it and to this day I have worn it literally everywhere that I have gone…to almost all 50 states to the Bahamas. It always made me feel as if he was there with me sharing my adventures still.

My perfect hat is not just a travel hat, it is my everyday hat. It is an NHRA cap that I got a few years back. (Very girly too because it is pink and white.) I wear it for everything. I wear it when we travel, to mow the grass, going to the beach, to watch my husband play softball…etc. It is very worn and just now getting broke in. I usually wear it with my hair pulled through the loop so that it looks like a ponytail.

Being a three time cancer survivor, I became quite involved with our local Relay For Life. My team’s “uniform” was survivor purple camo and my favorite part quickly became my purple camo military bucket hat with a neck strap. The strap can be used to keep the hat on as well as using it to stylize it to look several different ways. I have used that hat for hiking, gardening, camping, geocaching and anywhere else I’d travel to (in addition to Relay) over the past ten years! Unfortunately, the hat was destroyed by a flood a couple years back. I have seen the Real Deal hat on the geocaching website and it would make a great replacement to my camo

I frequently wore hats when I was younger, but stopped and hadn’t worn one, outside of a winter hat for warmth, in a very long time. After moving to Finland, my husband bought me one to wear on the lake and at the summer cottage. It has a small brim and a pouchy top which is perfect because all my hair will fit up in it. Well, it looks a little silly, but works great. Recently I got my tarp hat which I love to wear at the summer cottage and on the lake. It looks much more cool. I still use the other one when it’s very hot though. My hubby likes to see me wear the one he bought me too

I’m with Ken above, my favorite travel hat is the military issue boonie, first introduced to me in the desert (sounds like the same style and emroidery as Ken) tri color, and name. It suited me for several years. Now that is stored in my military memory box and I have transistioned to a tiger stripped boonie. IT travels with me and is used while I teach wilderness & tactical emergency medicine. One of these days I hope to invest in a Real Deal hat and bag combo, but the wide seems to have other ideas for our finances..lol

I love my Real Deal Brazil hat. I used a boot shoestring to run through the two holes in the hat and a wooden button to run the shoestring through and tied a knot underneath the button so I could keep the hat from flying off my head in the windy state of MN. I love my hat.

I am a Real Deal Brazil convert. I haven’t had mine all that long but it has put in a lot of miles with me as I travel the east coast of America and at my job on a tugboat working the Chesapeake Bay area. It definately is a durable piece of headwear and has become a favorite gift to give to friends and family.

My favorite travel hat is an army surplus hat with brim and vents. But my best hat story tho is the day Peace Corps when I was showing a trainee around in the campo south of Matagalpa, Nicaragua and it poured all day. We were waiting on our ride to come and we decided to start walking back. After several ours of drenching rain. We both had nice rain jackets w/hats built-in and I reached into my jacket pocket to get my camera. It was full of water, my camera was ruined.

Everyone fell in love with the hat. Now all the nephews,nieces, my husband, daughter, and sister-in-law wear these hats. My daughter’s is the cutest. It’s a “pretty ugly” hat. It is floppy, cute, and can take any kind of kid treatment she puts it through. She fills it with water in the pool and promptly puts it on her head. When she does, water spews out of the air holes like a fountain! It is so hilarious!! I don’t have a hat, but I do have a Real Deal Brazil purse. It is just as cute and rugged as the hats.

The Real Deal Brazil hats are our family favorite. It all started when we were at a cook out at my nephew’s house. He was wearing one. Everyone fell in love with the hat. Now all the nephews,nieces, my husband, daughter, and sister-in-law wear these hats. My daughter’s hat is the cutest. It’s a “pretty ugly” hat. It is floppy, cute, and can take any kind of kid treatment she puts it through. She fills it with water in the pool and promptly puts it on her head. When she does, water spews out of the air holes like a fountain! It is so hilarious!! I don’t have a hat, but I do have a Real Deal Brazil purse. It is just as cute and rugged as the hats.

My favorite travel hat is the Real Deal Brazil tarp hat. My sister bought it for me. It is light weight, looks great, and can withstand anything you put it through.

My favorite hat is, by far, my Real Deal Brazil tarp hat. I’ve had it for a while, and patched it a few times, but no matter what, it will always hold up for me.

My favorite hat is my Real Deal Brazil tarp hat. I got it a few summers ago as a work hat for my summer EPA job. Since then, it has been on every trip with me. I’ve taken it all over Arkansas, my home state, from the bootheel of MO down to Texarkana and everywhere in between. It has even gone on some float trips of its own ( I once lost it on the Buffalo National River, but recovered it downstream a ways). I love this hat and it will go everywhere I go until one of us dies.

Tucker Burton Teutsch Jr.
my favorite hat was a safari hat that i bought from the original banana republic back in 1982 and wore during my 5 months in Kenya on a camping safari-that hat went all around the world with me-it was confiscated from me coming from Nicaragua in 2005 at George Bush int’l airport in Houston because it had a leopard skin hat band originally a 1940’s belt from Neiman Marcus -it had the label inside-it didn’t make any difference to the officials there-said it was an endangered species and took it anyway-my other favorite hat-a panama-that i had in 1972 when i was busted in Ecuador where i spent 2 months in jail-it is here with me now in nicaragua but i rarely wear it because it is retired like me-i love a good travel hat and need another one to take on my travels

I had a white hat with a big brim to hide the sun. I looked like a dork, but it worked. I can’t wait until I get paid from my new job so I can buy one of the tarp hats… or you could pick my comment and save me the money

I have one hat that I take everywhere and no matter what other hat I try on, I can’t find one to replace it. The hat is your basic ball cap that I got at a bait shop. As you can guess it is a camo print hat advertising a bait company. The brim is broken in just right and there is a hook attached to it. The hat is comfortable and not only do I take it travelling with my across the U.S., but it goes everywhere with me around home as well.

Favorite hat…that’s easy. It’s a baseball hat that I’ve converted into my ‘workhorse’ hat. It does everything…battles foundry work, welding, throwing clay on a potters wheel, and typical woodworking. It’s been a beast…seen a whole lot, and It’s always been that perfect fit. I’ve bought hats since…but nothing ever seems to work for me. Nothing has stood up to the abuse I put on them except this one…maybe it was made by magical gnomes…It’s coming up on about a decade old…it’s done it’s job. Bout time to pass the workload off to another hat!

I wear my real deal hat to work every day. I mostly work outside. There has been two times that the wind has blown it off my head into the road. So needlees to say it has been run over many times. I just chase it down brush it off and reshape it and slap it back on my head. I like to call it my imortal hat cause it can’t die.

No cool hat story, but I want that hat!!!

My favorite travel hat is my Real Deal Brazil hat that I purchased earlier this year. I wear it in the sun or in the rain the hat just keeps up with everything.

My hands down favorite was made by Josue Salgado in Boaco.

Best one I had was black and the front said:
CAMPO DE SUENOS
Back said:
EMPALME DE BOACO
JIM

‘Nuff said. Still got it hanging in my man-space.

When do I get my new hat in the mail?

: )

Jim

My fave lid is one that mi hermano de Cuerpo de Paz gave me that says “Rolling Rock” like the fine American lager brewed in Latrobe, PA that should be served at a brisk temperature and enjoyed among good friends and inspires friendly conversations between a traveler and his new acquaintances. Tomemos una cerveza, Josue.

My best hat is also my real deal brazil hat. I use it for everything from mowing the grass (a 4 hour job) to geocaching and hiking. I really would love to have a spare, just in case mine goes missing!!!!

I know I’m late, but wanted to tell my story anyway.
I’ve two favorite travel hats, one of which is indeed a Real Deal hat(but I’d love another one!).
The one with the story however is a simple frameless camo brim hat from Gander Mountain that’s perforated with breathing holes, crushable, and durable. It’s warm in the winter, cool in the summer, and follows me everyplace. Most interestingly likely are the handful of times it’s been with me on Sasquatch research outings, one time on my head as I watched one…and several times as we have recorded what we believe to be them screaming at us!

when i was busted in Ecuador where i spent 2 months in jail-it is here with me now in nicaragua but i rarely wear it because it is retired like me-i love a good travel hat and need another one to take on my travels