Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

The elder son got a cabin on a small river and has kayaks. After chasing his dad's straw hat downriver twice in one ride he "suggested" we get something with ties so Dad's hat wouldn't blow off. This looked OK, though I worried about "one size" as that often translates to "fits no one." Turns out "one size" is great. I just measured; the inner circumference is 23.5". That's fairly large, but it has elastic around the back half (in a casing between the sweatband and the crown) and there is a cord lock on it so you can pull the elastic tight and keep it there. The elastic goes through the crown and the lock is on the outside for easy adjustments. The brim is 3" wide and stiff enough to keep it from falling in my eyes. The tag has the international "no washing" symbol on it, and (from 55 years of sewing experience) I'd say that is because a washing machine would wreck the interfacing they have used to stiffen the brim. However, the fabric feels to be one of those fast-drying polyesters, so it will probably shed most dirt. You could probably still wash it by hand if you don't scrunch the brim. The chin strap is long enough to get it on, but not so long that it will get in the way, and it has a slide lock. The sweat band feels to be cotton or at least a 65/35 cotton/poly blend. There are the standard 4 grommets in the crown for air, but also a strip of mesh all the way around. Construction looks durable. Stitch length was set at 3mm, which is correct for this fabric weight and the number of layers. This is not "basted" together. It looks like all the seams in the crown were serged, but they have also been covered with bias tape which is an excellent finishing touch. The crown flattens completely for packing. I would not fold the brim, but it's only 14.5" across, so that should fit in most suitcases. I ordered one for "Dad" and one for me. We haven't put them to the kayaking test yet, but I'm pretty certain that they will pass with flying colors. Aug 12, 2015 addendum We've been kayaking and the hats were excellent. If you are going to be using them in the summer where it's hot, I recommend the lightest colors.