I've used this hat in both of its capacities, blocking sun and blocking rain. It's great to have a single hat for both, but in designing for versatility, there are some minor functionality trade-offs and annoyances.
As a sun hat, this hat does reasonably well. It's vented, light, and the brim seems properly sized to block the sun, yet not block your vision. I like that the inner band is adjustable, and that the neck cord is removable. The hat is light and packs flat. While the hat is vented, the material clings directly to your head, which doesn't allow for much air movement. Some sun hats I've looked at sit a little higher on the head to allow a bit of air circulation between your head and the hat. This hat will be a little hotter than those. Also, the vents face upwards, so the sun protection won't be particularly strong in those areas. This could be of concern if you shave your head or are balding.
The rain cover is stowed in a small pouch on the back rim. This is convenient, as you can quickly pop it out and stretch it over the hat. The rain shell works very well at beading up and repelling rain, and I've no complaints there. I do wish that the pouch were a little wider, though. As designed, with the rain cover in it, it creates a bit of weird bulge that weights the back of the brim down and sits against your neck. If the pouch were wider, the shell could be packed thinner, and not bunch up quite as much, making this less noticeable If there's no chance of rain, I'll usually pack this separately to avoid this problem.
So am I glad I purchased this hat? On the whole, yes. It's nice to have one hat for all situations, and this one has worked for me so far. If you plan on being somewhere exceedingly hot and/or have a head that burns easily, you might want to look at some other options. Also, given the price of this hat, you may be able to purchase both a good sun hat and good rain hat for the same money.
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This is a mostly great hat. It is water resistant and comfortable. The only issue I have is that the water-resistant cover would sometimes blow off the rest of the hat. I had to hold my head at times to prevent it from flying away. If there was a button or snap to hold that in place, I'd give this 4 stars.
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Really digging this hat bought on a hiking trip in North Carolina mountains and rainforest. It's ultra-light, it looks jaunty (at least to my eye), the brim shades my entire head and neck without being too floppy, I'm feeling a good breeze but not much sun through the vents on my sparse-haired head, and the rain shell is very ingenious. The person who said the rain shell flies up in the wind ("not for a windy day") isn't using it right. The rain shell has a lip the brim tucks under all around tight as a drum in as much wind as you like.
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I purchased this for a variety of outdoor activities that I am active in and other than the gustiest of days here in the midwest, I have yet to be disappointed in the fit and finish of this hat. It is very comfortable and doesn't get tacky on the hottest of days as would a regular ballcap would. Though I have yet to try it in any rain, I highly recommend this hat.
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Love this hat! Fits great on my head as most small hats are too big. The rain guard is awesome and with or without it, it looks great on and gives ample shade without loosing visibility. And you can store the rain guard in a little pouch on the underside of the back brim. I wish I had found this hat a long time ago. HIGHLY recommend buying it.
