Summertime. Spring skiing. Portillo lounging. Father’s day gifting. Whatever. Looking for a hat that’ll protect your ears from sun damage and subsequent amputation?
Consider the Carhartt Angler Boonie (a re-name and slight redesign of the former Mandan hat we’ve liked over the years). Wicking headband, check. Full sun block, check. Wire brim that resists flopping, check. Chin cord, check.
What’s not to love? Due to the malleable wire rim I’m afraid to wad this hat up in my pack like my previous boonies. It needs to be stowed with a modicum of care — extra effort but worth it. The MSRP is a bit stiff. A secret little velcro pocket is built into the crown, kinda trivial and adds bulk, easy to scissor out so it only forms a double layer 100% UV block instead of heat retaining triple layer.
Color is perfect. Amazon product to right shows a blue, but it’s also available in a shade of tan that I find vastly more pleasing, and practical for fitting in while traveling.
What’s strange is a small-medium size doesn’t seem to be offered. Do all Carhartt customers have jumbo skulls? Meanwhile, medium-large fits me comfortably, though I might stitch a small pleat into the band so “mon chapeau” doesn’t get tipped so easily in the alpine breeze.
Yeah, it’s just a hat. But good boonies are hard to find.
WildSnow.com publisher emeritus and founder Lou (Louis Dawson) has a 50+ years career in climbing, backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering. He was the first person in history to ski down all 54 Colorado 14,000-foot peaks, has authored numerous books about about backcountry skiing, and has skied from the summit of Denali in Alaska, North America’s highest mountain.