I have had all of the Tilley hats from the original bucket duck hat to the present day help and microfiber ones, almost every one that they have made over the last 30 years.
I have to say, that Rim Chung’s stylish fishing favorite was and still is the T3, in white with green under brim. I got one of those to start, but I really didn’t like the white color for standing out too much while fishing or shooting. Rim claims “it made him blend in with the clouds.”
My favorite was the LT6 in Khaki with Green underbrim. It was perfect for fishing and shooting, but they no longer make it and finding used ones are now difficult even, such as this one on ebay Tilley Endurables LT6 Hat Khaki Tan w//Green 7-3/8 Outback Straps Wide Brim
I used to wear a Fedora and then safari hats for hunting then cowboy hats but I keep coming back to the Tilley. They are perfect year round, except the colder days of winter.
The T4 duck hat was better looking with the brass holes than the current LTM6 mesh around the top of the crown version. I have also tried the models with bigger and smaller brims. They don’t make much difference in the actual sun protection, as the longer brims are floppier (moving around some in the wind), and the shorter versions are more fixed allowing for you to keep them in place to provide shade. Neither of these new models are as good looking as the original T4. But I guess the T5 or LTM6 is better than the longer brimmed LTM2, which is very floppy as you walk around, if you have to get a current model. And the original duck canvas looks better than the new microfiber, but it got dirtier a little faster. I have all of these models, as my girls frequently steal my hats. But you can wash them in the top rack of the dishwasher, which works great (no dry cycle). Then just air dry and stretch a little while wet on your head.
The new hemp model is perhaps the best looking one, of all the currently available models, though it still has the mesh, which I don’t like the looks of (it works great it just makes it an ugly grandpa microfiber travel hat with the mesh) as compared to the brass rivet holes especially with the canvas which had more of a military or safari vibe to them TMH55 Mash-Up AIRFLO®. Get rid of the grandpa mesh Tilley and bring back the beloved rivet holes!
And why not round it out with an Hermes scarf?
