Most Important Hat

[CharlesHarris]

I always admired the Tilley hats from Canada. A testimonial on their website has a testimonial from an Ontario zookeeper that remarked that one of their elephants has a habit of grabbing his hat with with its trunk and eating it. After having been recycled through the elephant three times, the hat was none the worse for wear and had acquired a nice soft texture distinctive patina... http://packpaddle.com/2014/tilley-hat-ea...t-3-times/

Having no elephants in my neighborhood I didn't see the point in spending money for a new hat which would require being chewed, digested and defecated by a large animal to have the "right" look. My circa 1970 USGI boonie hat, after many years of wear, sun, rain and salt water exposure, tempered by wood smoke and many machine washings, is somewhat faded with an outdoor patina, but soft, having a jaunty shape to it. Best of all I didn't have to pick it out of a pile of steaming elephant dung to make it so...