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Coolibar Crushable Ventilated Canvas Hat Review

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coolibar crushable ventilated canvas hat sun hat review
Coolibar Crushable Canvas Sun Hat
Credit: Coolibar.com
Price:  $70 List
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Manufacturer:   Coolibar
By Devin Chance ⋅   ⋅  Jul 2, 2012
74
OVERALL
SCORE
  • Protection - 30% 7.0
  • Breathability - 20% 7.0
  • Comfort - 20% 8.0
  • Durability - 15% 6.0
  • Style - 15% 9.0

Our Verdict

The Coolibar Crushable Ventilated Canvas Hat is the best looking hat we tested. It has a good-size brim to keep you protected from the sun while also being comfortable and stylish. It was also surprisingly crushable. We assumed that even though this hat was advertised as crushable, it was only crushable from the top down. To our surprise this hat is totally crushable, brim and all. If you're looking for a durable, comfortable, stylish hat that will protect you from the sun, then this hat is for you.
REASONS TO BUY
Stylish
Breathable
Good protection
Crushable
Comfortable
REASONS TO AVOID
Gets dirty easily
Bulky

Our Analysis and Test Results

Protection


The brim on this hat is three inches all around, giving you a decent area of protection. It is also rated at 50+ UPF, which will prevent about 99 percent of all harmful UV radiation. One thing we liked about this hat is that it is able to give you the breathability you need without sacrificing its protection, which happens with some of the other hats that had mesh on the sides. This still keeps its breathability but has a protective liner behind the mesh.

Comfort


We really enjoyed wearing this hat because not only was it stylish, it was also very comfortable. It has an internal elastic band that gives it a nice fit so that it stays on your head, and if it gets too windy you can pull up the neck cinch cord. However, we did notice that the neck cinch cord was fraying a little at the bottom, and sometimes it wouldn't stay in place when we placed it. You also want to make sure you get the right size. This is more important with this hat than the other hats we tested because this one doesn't allow you to cinch it in the back. With the right size this hat does fairly well in the wind, and is likely not to go anywhere with it cinched up around the neck. If you want a really comfortable hat that's lightweight but offers a little less protection, check out the Outdoor Research Sun Bucket or, for even better protection, our Top Pick Outdoor Research Sun Runner Cap.

Breathability


Yes, it is ventilated like Coolibar says in the name, but it's still not the most breathable hat. A factor in this is the protective liner in the top, which gives you more protection but takes a little breathability away. We thought they made the right choice because the people wearing this hat are not likely to be doing very high output activities. If you are then you should get a lighter hat that is more versatile and specific for those activities. However if you are just hanging out in the sun doing low output things, then this hat is fine, and it will breathe fine, keeping your head at the right temperature. Some of the more breathable hats we tested were the Best Buy Outdoor Research Sombriolet Sun Hat and the Editors' Choice Sunday Afternoons Adventure Hat. These were a lot more breathable but had to sacrifice style to be so.

Durability


This hat is fairly durable and a lot more crushable than we originally thought. The bill performed well in our 30-minute crush test, but it was a little damaged after a couple of trials. We fixed it by putting some heavy books on it to flatten it out after. It says crushable in the name, but they mean top down like in the bottom of your suitcase. We noticed that this hat was very white when we first got it and now it has some dirt stains. The spots are kind of removable with a little rubbing and water, but this hat looked a lot more worn out by the time we were done testing it compared to other hats. Even though it was worn out, it still worked just fine. Our most durable hats were the Tilley hats we tested such as the Tilley LTM6 Airflo.

Style


This is the best looking hat we tested, but is a little less practical for certain activities because of its awesome style. A lot of these hats walk a fine line between looking good and being protective and effective. We thought this hat did a fairly good job of looking very good while also being fairly protective.

Devin Chance