Henschel Hats Pathfinder Breezer - 3 inch Wide-Brim Sun Hat for Outdoor Use

I have had a succession of hats for tennis and walking the dog. I bought this one (Henschel Aussie Solarweave) because we were going to be spending whole days outdoors in Greece and Italy and I sunburn easily. Once in Europe, I slathered sunscreen on, slapped this hat on my head and headed outdoors. The weather turned out to be unseasonably mild, so my fears of sunstroke were allayed. But the hat performed fantastically. In the sun, it provides enough shade from glare that sunglasses become optional. In the rain, it keeps my eyeglasses and shoulders dry. Best thing: I can keep it on indoors, say on the metro or in a museum, with perfect comfort. My wife was constantly removing her straw hat because it was too warm. Meanwhile, because of the airflow through the wide weave in the sides of the crown, I was as cool with the hat on as I was with it off. The hat is so light that it is less obtrusive than my glasses. The cord tie is essential to keep the hat on in the wind. It is also long enough to enable you to let the hat hang down your back when you don't want it on but you want your hands free (say on a cathedral visit). I crushed it fairly frequently during travel. It recovers with only hints of creases. The shape stays solid, but it gives it a less-than-new look, probably a good thing for such an outdoorsy piece of clothing. I won't be playing tennis in it because the brim is too wide for a tennis serve, but otherwise I expect to wear it a lot and then replace it with the same model if it's still available. Update: I've been wearing and packing this for 12 years. Still wearing it every day for dog walking, it's still working and looks pretty good. I hope they keep the quality up if I need a new one someday.

Perfect for travel

The quality of the hat was not in question. Very well made and looked great. The hat fit snug. Normally wear a 7 3/8 and based on chart size and similar product fit at Academy I ordered the L. The large came with an insert to go in the hat band to "adjust the size" to fit but based on the price I did not want to utilize that. The medium fit well. One laughable comment: the large size came in a large hat box. It was wrapped in plastic and well "guarded" in the box to prevent damage and was left at my door. The medium came in a plastic bag that was shoved in the mailbox. I know this is marketed as a "crushable" hat but thought the packing difference was humorous.

This hat works well if you receive it “uncrushed.” My 23 1/2” head requires the XL size despite an earlier reviewer’s results. First shipper sent the hat loose in a box - it came thru fine. Second shipper, Gempler’s, packed with packing paper - ended up causing the brim to be folded. It is not easily straightened but I have no time to replace it before my trip so will keep it and try to work it out. Do not expect this hat to be crushable - not even close. It is cool to wear and fit is good otherwise. I wanted to buy US made and this fits that requirement.

I bought this hat for my golf trip to Florida. I had played there many years ago and got burned from playing multiple days in the sun. This hat protected me very well and kept me cool too. The hat comes in a box with a protective tube of cardboard around it. I used this cardboard when packing the hat in my suitcase because I didn't trust that it would be OK when crushed. However, during several occasions, I accidentally crushed the hat and it popped back into shaped OK. I have noticed that it does develop some very minor unusual bends in the brim and the top if crushed too much. The chin-strap was used several times when the winds were high. You'll need to do this too because the hat catches the wind easily. Overall, the hat is great and looks like it will last me many years. It is well-constructed and very nice looking.

I purchased this hat for a trip to Kenya and Tanzania. It was a great! It kept the sun off my head and shoulders, it kept my head cool and it packed well for the trip and kept its shape. (In packing for the journey to and from Africa, in spite of the statement that it would not crush, I packed socks in the crown of the hat, which ensured it did not. So now, with the hat still in perfect condition I walk my dog every evening wearing this marvelous hat. If I wasn't so old (88), people would think Harrison Ford was walking the dog - well not really - I'm too short, too slow and, unlike Ford, as handsome as a garage door.

According to the size chart 21.5 in. is a size small. The small was too small and the hat was not as pictured. On top of that I had to pay $10 to return the item by mail to the seller.

Just took a cruise featuring a Panama Canal crossing. Chose this hat for the SPF rating and "crushability" and was not disappointed. Packed the hat in my 21" carry-on with a lot of other stuff. It popped right back into shape except for some minor, barely noticeable creasing on top. Fit is excellent and the brim is wide enough to provide shade for the both my face and the back of my neck. Sun felt really strong near the equator and this hat helped my stay comfortable and cool. When walking around, air flowing through the mesh weave at the top felt almost like I had a mini air conditioner on top of my head. Held up well throughout the trip and I'll back taking it along with me on many future trips for as long as it continues to hold together.

When the hat was received it certainly met the crushable description. It was so crushed that the brim was permanently lopsided and the crown area had permanent creases. The external part of the brim has a wire running around it and took effort in bending it to a smooth shape and start making the hat look presentable. The creases in the crown stayed even after I dipped the hat into water, hoping it would stretch back to a smooth finish when dry. The eyelet for the chin lace straps had been punched through stitching in the brim and it was now a loose thread. I sent a complaint to the Henschel customer service several weeks ago and have received no response. Luckily I had stopped buying a second hat for my wife until we had assessed this Henschel hat. We ended up going to our local markets and buying a Chinese made hat for my wife at half the price and better finish. I really expected this hat to be American made and of superior quality. It was not to be.

After looking into the reviews on sizing, I ordered a small since the reviews stated the hat fits lower on the head. I usually wear a medium but glad I ordered the small as it fits perfectly. Very cool on a hot sunny day since its breathable mesh and wide brim.

I am rather a devotee of these hats, they keep the sun off your face but stay relatively cool because of the mesh. The last one I bought in America and it wasn’t so ‘packable’, so that is a bonus with this one.

Très content d'avoir trouvé sur Amazon le frère jumeau d'un chapeau que j'avais acheté précédemment aux USA ! Il est pratique, protège bien du soleil, léger à porter et cela donne un petit look d'Indiana Jones pendant les randonnées. Je mets seulement 4 étoiles, car l'emballage est moyen et le paquet arrive un peu écrasé.

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