Re: RC: FW: wet weather riding

[Leah Peasley <lkpeasley@ucdavis.edu>]

If you do choose to ride without a helmet, those Outdoor Research hats are
*incredible*.  And they'll stay on in wind if you adjust the brim and
strings right.  Nice big brim too, enough to let the rain roll away from
your neck.  Basically, no other non-helmet hat will work quite as well (or
even close).  And they will work better than a helmet, if you assume that
risk.

Gore-Tex is definitely the best.  For all practical purposes, anything
else that claims to be "waterproof" really is NOT.  Maybe for a few
minutes to an hour (if you're lucky) they'll keep the water off, but then
the fabric will start to soak in water. So, they're waterproof ... for a
limited amount of time.  Say, to run from the house to the car.  Not for
an hour or more of horse back riding.

> seem to get soaked through very easily either. The only GoreTex brimmed hat
> I'm aware of is from Outdoor Research; just a waterproof crown is useless --
> you'll have a cold wet ring around your head where the hat sits.