I wasn't super enthused about the color, at first- but when you have a grape the size of mine, you take what you can find. The color has grown on me now that I've worn it, though.

The fit- runs about accurate- so my 24.25" head is a bit of a squeeze into the hat, but not to an untoward degree. It will loosen with wear, and use of a hat jack. DON'T let this dissuade you- there's nothing wrong with the product, there's something wrong with my head! It's freakishly large!

The hat arrives somewhat tacky- the oilskin treatment isn't fully absorbed into the material. A few minutes in a 150deg oven and it's completely dry on the surface. It has decent waterproof tendencies as delivered, for oilskin- that isa to say it has excellent waterproof qualities for a consumer good. A second coat of Duxbak or Sno-Seal applied and then 5 minutes in that 150deg oven will make it have amazing waterproof qualities.

The hat is similar to other vendors' "Aussie" hats (like the Tilley, the DP Aussie, JHats' Aussie, et al), but with the addition of a fore-and-aft chin cord (locks under your chin and under the back of your head- the hat isn't going anywhere!)and snaps on BOTH sides of the brim (seriously, why would you only put a snap on the one side on anything other than an Australian Army slouch hat- and it better be a genuine Akubra!)

Once you've got the oilskin treatment cooked in fully (via the oven, a hair dryer, or use), the material gets this wonderful "lived in" mottling to it, just like all oilskin does. Yet another reason to love the material!

I'm not a fan of hat pins, especially those with the maker's mark on them- but the "Outback" pin actually looks quite sharp. Good thing, too- it's got a rather stout penetration of the material, so you're kinda stuck with it. It's so nice, though, that I wouldn't mind it on some of my other hats (and god have I got hats... I'm a bald guy, family history of skin cancer, and my best friend just got diagnosed with skin cancer.. I've bought 5 hats this month, since it's so hard to find ones that fit!).,

Best of all, my price with shipment on this hat was less than the price of the hat alone at many vendors. Oh, and shipment was reasonable, too...

Let's talk about shipment. I'll be honest, I got a little irate with them (MY fault, not theirs). Sent off a nastygram this morning (at 3 am... yeah, I'm a nightowl) after 3 business days of not seeing the hat indicate shipped. I received a reply at 805 their time (can't get much more prompt than replying first thing when you step in the door while coffee's still brewing!) stating the hat had already shipped, here's the tracking number, and oh yeah- it's being delivered today. Well, wow.... there goes all my bluster and preaching about taking forever to get my hat to me... very sorry, and thank you for the effort!

Only one problem- and I certainly can't fault them as they're not Amazon so can't engage in the Prime program... they do take swapouts within 90 days for resizing, or refund. But you'd have to pay for the return shipment. I was concerned that the hat wouldn't fit, and then I'd be in another $20 for shipment of this hat back, and the new one back to me. In that case I'd have given the hat to my son and called it done. I can't fault them for this, can't expect them to eat half the price of the hat on return shipments.

My only suggestion to improve the product lies directed toward Outback Trading Company: "Make these in XXL! Lots of gargantuan-gourded gents want this hat and can't wear it! It's the only reason I'm giving 4 stars instead of 5!"

A fine quality hat. Looks great and fits perfectly. I love this hat.

I wanted sun protection with style and this definitely fit the bill. I've worn it all summer, it shows almost no wear and still provides good rain protection. The chin cord is essential for me but stows away nicely when it isn't windy.

I like that it fits tight to my head, especially driving a convertible

This hat is prefect! It's relatively lightweight, especially considering the large brim and all the hardware. Completely waterproof as well. Works great keeping water or sun off my head & neck. Considering how waterproof it is, it also doesn't get too hot on my head.

I'd say this hat is primarily for protection from precipitation. It keeps your head protected from the sun, but there are better sun hats out there. It's breathable, but there are cooler hats available. This hat does a great job keeping your head dry, while also being relatively light & cool.