Teesar Boonie hat, ripstop

Boonie hats are among the best things you can wear in hot weather. This is a US army style boonie hat in Woodland camouflage.

Hats with a brim have been around for ages, but their military use was limited because of "scruffy appearance". It's always the officers in offices who know best, and the primary purpose of any military is to look good in a parade. Despite looking like Hulk Hogan before it was cool, the US armed forces started using boonie hats in Vietnam.

The boonie is superb for field use: it protects your face and neck from sunlight and rain while also breaking up the shape of your head, which is essential for anyone who wants to blend into their surroundings.

Boonies come equipped with a chinstrap with an adjustment slider, which is usually made of leather. With this you can either make sure the hat doesn't come off when you're going fast, hang it daintily down your back when you aren't using it or turn up the sides of your hat and wear it "Aussie-style". If you do the latter you automatically become a Manly Man.

Around the base of the hat there is a "foliage band", which is essentially a strap of fabric sewn on the hat that you can attach camouflage materials to. On the sides of the hat are two screened metal eyelets for better ventilation.

material and care

The fabric is 100% ripstop cotton. Wash it with your undies in 40 degrees. Please note that any good luck charms are washed away in the process, so avoid washing the hat. Monsoon rains should be enough to get rid of excess dust.

Sizing

Only approximate sizing was available, so we measured and tried these on to figure out what the deal is. The results are found in brackets: head circumference in centimetres. When in doubt, choose the bigger size. Some people deliberately use a hat 1-2 sizes too large, because tightening the chin cord behind your head forms an open fresh air channel to the back of the hat. Refreshing and cool!

Teesar is a brand of STURM, just like Mil-Tec. These hats are good quality, take our word for it.