As you may have noticed, if you’re a keen follower of The Mud Life reviews, sometimes we go a little crazy over new pieces of kit, and other times we like to give credit where credit’s due and re-review old products, simply because of their longevity and general reliability.

Today I’m singing the praises of my old Tilley Outback hat. It really is a testament to how good Tilley wear is, that after 6 years of near constant use, it still looks like new.

At Tilley, they make their hats to survive, mine has been worn almost everyday during the last 6 summers to protect my head from sun, hail stones and low branches.  It’s survived being submerged in salt water at the beach, and clouldy canal water whilst canoeing.  It’s been driven over in muddy ruts, forgotten about and left outside for a month or so during which time it was home to more than one family of snails!  It’s been both folded neatly in a suitcase on its way to foreign climes, and screwed up to fit in a jacket pocket, and it’s survived the lot.  

The TWC5 Tilley Outback Hat is made from 100% cotton with a synthetic wax finish and designed with a medium brim, it’s modern waxed cotton technology means that can be washed, worn, packed, used and abused.  It floats, it repels rain and has a cord so you don’t lose it in windy conditions, is insured against loss, oh and it’s guaranteed for life not to wear out.  It also has a secret velcro’d pocket in which you can stash the odd £20 or credit card.

If that wasn’t all, it has excellent sun protection, rated UPF 50+ and has a dark underbrim for glare protection from water, sand and pavements.  For even more protection from the elements, a Tilley sits lower than other hats, and for comfort they're held on by gravity not pressure which, on a hot muggy day is especially appreciated.

It also has a soft and comfortable anti-sweat band that picks up sweat from your forehead and wicks it away to your temple area where it evaporates, which not only is clever stuff, but also works.

Have I mentioned that it’s also machine washable and therefore won't shrink?   Don’t worry, when you receive your Tilley hat, you also get a 4 page owners manual that explains all that you’ll ever need to know!

Over the past 6 years my Tilley has stood up to levels of abuse that a hat really shouldn’t be subjected to, but after a wash it’s like new again, as may have guessed, I’m not good with hats!

Unfortunately, Tilley have discontinued the TWC5, but fortunately they’ve replaced it with the TWC6 & 7, same material and style, just a different colour, Olive with a tan trim.

Website: www.tilley.com
RRP: TWC7 - £75 (Yes, you may think £75 is expensive for a hat, but it will be the last hat that you will ever need to buy, unless of course you fancy another one, but you know what I mean.  If ever there was a product that you buy for life, then a Tilley hat is that.)