Real Deal Brazil Original Recycled Tarp Hat, Handcrafted in Brazil

Since each is unique and made from an up-cycled truck tarp, it's really the luck of the draw if you're going to get a patch worked affair or not. I lucked out and received a hat with no patches and very little printing, and from friends who've received products from Real Deal Brazil they'll exchange unused products for what you want if you contact them directly. It's certainly unique and becomes a sort of signature for you if worn often enough, and I rarely venture on the trails without it. I get compliments on it quite often. The treatment makes it water resistant (note--not water proof) and stiff, but it softens up in no time if that's what you prefer. It fits like it was made for me, but a stiff wind is enough to send it flying if you're not careful. I made a paracord retaining strap, feeding it through the vent grommets and down the backside so I can cinch it up on the back of my head to keep it secure. I finished it with a paracord hatband in the "cobra" style, and the sage green cord I used complements it perfectly...plus I now have about 30 feet of cordage should I need it. The moldable brim takes and holds pretty much any shape you throw at it, and bends back easily if you ever want to change it. I highly recommend this hat if you spend any time in the outdoors or just want something unique looking. Lacking a photo of the paracord retainer to keep the hat on even in the wind, here's how I did it: 1. Cut a length of cord approximately the circumference of your head, plus 8 inches. In my case it was around 30 inches. Be sure to fuse the ends to prevent fraying. 2. Feed one side of the cord into a front vent grommet, through the hat and coming out the other front grommet. Make your two ends outside the hat an even length. 3. Pass the free ends of cord through the back two grommets, first one side, then the other, keeping them about even and without pulling on the hat. You should see a horizontal line of cord connecting the front and back grommets on both sides, with the free ends dangling from inside the hat. 4. Pass the two free ends through a small hollow object, such as a wooden bead or barrel cord lock. Knot the cord ends to prevent them from coming out. Done! To use the retainer, hold the cord with the barrel lock or bead outside and to the back, then put on the hat and square it up on your noggin. Once comfortably set, just slide the bead or lock up the cord until it's snug against the back of your head, letting the two free ends stay loose. Your hat is now very wind resistant, and can be tightened further if needed.

This is an AWESOME hat! Five stars is not enough! Fits great and looks even better in a rugged rustic way. I like hats but seem to just collect them and never wear them. However, this is the first hat I have ever worn ALL day working around the house and yard in the hot Georgia sun ; keeps you pretty cool for a hat. It is so comfortable you forget it's on. My wife (who rarely wears hats) asked me to get her one...she has never done that before. The hat looks great on her too. So convinced is my family, I had to get one for my daughter! However the hat my wife received was a little too rustic with several large patches that we will return and exchange it for another; each one is unique and you don't know exactly what you will get. Comes shipped flat but shapes up very well to what you want with wire brim and wire in crown. FYI I have a 21 1/2 inches head and ordered the small and it fits just right with enough tightness it won't blow off. My wife's medium also fit me but was barely different from my small; just a tad looser. My daughter's small was actually just a tad small for me but still okay. So, size of a small is right at 21 1/2 inches which is a hat size 6 7/8. I retired from the Army and usually wore a size 7 and sometimes a 6 7/8 (but did not like wearing them all the time for 30-years). FINALLY found a cool hat to actually wear and enjoy it. I wouldn't be surprised if I went and purchased a second one. Hope this helps. Dr Russ

I love my hat so much my wife has to make me take it off when I go to bed I also bought 1 each for my two sons

I've only worn it a handful of times, but so far it is very comfortable, keeps the sun out of my eyes and off my neck, survives getting stuffed in my backpack, and makes me look a bit redneck, just as it's supposed to. UPDATE: I've worn this on multiple hikes now, and I love it more and more the more I wear it. The fit is great for me, it doesn't blow off even in high alpine winds (though this is really about the perfect fit to my specific head size/shape). The metal ribbon that defines the brim doesn't hold the shape as well as it could, and the brim has curled a little bit around the metal ribbon, but that's a pretty small complaint overall. I love this thing for hiking as I can easily strap it to my pack when I don't want to wear it. You can't really stuff it inside the pack as that will bend the brim way out of shape, but strapping it is really easy. It does a great job of keeping the sun off my face, neck, and ears. I wish I'd bought this years ago and saved myself the skin cancer risk and pain of all those sunburns from sweating through my sunscreen. I would definitely buy this again and again.

It is exactly as advertised on the REAL DEAL BRAZIL website; both the good and the bad. I got lucky with the fit- a medium hat happened to exactly fit my medium head. I was worried about that since others have complained about sizing problems. I probably would not have bought it without the free return shipping, because of that issue. The hat looks cool! I feel like I should invent a story to go with it...something about crocodiles or smuggling diamonds would work. The hat will absorb sweat IMMEDIATELY and instantly get soaking wet around the crown. It's not the hat to wear into one of the finer restaruants on a hot day because of the sweating issue, but once it dries out, it looks fine. Like I thought, my wife hates it, but that's OK with me...she'll change her opinion when she sees the gems I smuggled in from Bolivia...."W".