GADIEMKENSD Mens Folding Outdoor Hat Long Brim UPF 50+ Sun Protection

This is a GREAT hat!!
I bought two of these hats, light gray and dark gray, specifically for running. I was looking for a hat that was light-weight and gave great ventilation while protecting from a strong and direct sun on my, unfortunately, 60+ year-old hair challenged areas. This is the perfect hat. My rating of this hat is based upon (1) its construction, and (2) if it accomplishes my goals. First, the construction. I’m usually very skeptical about buying items on line because of concerns for quality in fabrication. None of that here. I checked every seam and stitch and it was flawless. I should note that the fabric used is very pliable, so it’s not stiff like it appears in the picture, and it seems to be a quality fabric. I was intrigued by the folding option of the hat. It folds up as advertised, yet I’m not sure how many times it can be folded before the reflective rim (which is a firmer fabric) will begin to crack at the folds. Time will tell on this, but unless absolutely necessary, I won’t be folding up the hat to put it in my go-bag anyway. The hat’s bill is a full inch longer (4″) than the standard bill on most ball caps (3″). This gives the hat sort of a “duck-bill” look, but more shade for my more-prominent-than-most nose can’t be bad. One thing that would be nice is a logo of some sort on the hat’s face. The hat is very plain looking except for the reflective accessory (which goes around the bill, and a thin line of it that goes underneath the ventilation areas and across the top of the hat’s face), and a different colored ventilation fabric. But because I’ve always been more into functionality than appearance, I’m not disappointed in the hat’s look. Second, does it accomplish my goals — PERFECTLY. Living in a higher heat-area of the country, I routinely run 9-11 miles in the sun and 90 degree+ heat. My trial run with the hat was a 10-miler in 94 degree heat. In the run I immediately noticed that I wasn’t sweating from my head as much, and my head, itself, felt much cooler. With other hats I would have to take the hat off and run a bit to cool off, and especially if I could get in to some tree shade. Not with this hat. I sensed no need to take it off at all. And now that I think about it, I believe I consumed less water during the run because I didn’t feel so dehydrated. I think the design of the hat’s head band is smart, as it seems to wick the sweat from the band and into the hat’s fabric. In my run I soaked the hat’s fabric pretty good, including the ventilation fabric. Yet, I sensed that the moisture in the hat’s fabric might have been working as part of the hat’s cooling system. Now, I’m not a scientist in these things, but I can report that my head was significantly cooler during my run. And the fact that the longer bill gave greater shade to my face adds to my satisfaction. Lastly, the hat is hand-washable, so all that sweat it collected won’t be distracting fro the hat’s basic look. All-in-all, I give this hat 5 stars in both quality of fabrication, and also performing to my expectations.

Lightweight but sturdy
Nice lightweight comfortable cap easy to fold and put in a pocket. Velcro adjustable strap makes it likely it will survive an occasional machine wash.

Great hat
Well made. Durable. Light. shapable. nice design with flex sides. Good buy.

Great hiking hat!
I originally bought this hat (khaki) in 2020. I just bought another one. The new one has a shorter brim, which I prefer, and otherwise seems just as good as my original one. I thought the new one (Folding Sky Blue) would be more of a brightish greenish blue per the photo on Amazon, but it’s actually a dusky blue (fine by me). I typically hate wearing hats, but knew I should be better about protecting my head from the Colorado sun on long hikes, so I bought this. After 3 years of occasional wear, it’s still working well. The reflective coating on the brim edges of my original hat has worn off a little. It appears that the new hat doesn’t have this feature. I have hand washed my old hat at least two times and was very satisfied with the results. I love the fact that I can throw this hat in my backpack and not worry about the brim getting mangled since it’s a foldable and firm brim. I also love how breathable and lightweight it is. I don’t feel like I’m wearing a hat. The adjustable sizer works well too (buckle on my old hat, velcro on the new one). I highly recommend this hat!

So handy to be able to fold it and shove it in a pocket or a cubby, very comfortable and I think it looks great. After about 2 months of regular wear, it still looks like new. If I lost it I would replace it.

Light but sturdy enough to hold its shape. Have worn in heat and rain.

Comfortable hat for trail running & hiking, easily folded & tucked into a pocket. Eminently wearable.