Outdoor Research Sombriolet Review

The Outdoor Research Sombriolet stands up to the competition and scores high in protection, comfort, breathability, and style. It provides excellent sun coverage, an anti-glare brim, and is stiff enough to withstand high winds, making it an ideal choice for boating or water activities.

Performance Comparison

Protection

With 50+ UPF protection, the Sombriolet has some of the best coverage of the full-brim hats in our fleet. Its brim measures 4 inches in front and back and 3.25 inches on the sides. The hats with neck capes do have more protection on the back of the neck but look somewhat less stylish. The Sombriolet's brim is among the stiffest in the bunch and stands up to winds well. It has a drawcord you can tighten around your head to keep it on snugly. And, for extra protection from losing it, there is a removable chin cord you can deploy in the gustiest situations. The underside of the Sombriolet's brim is a darker grey color. This provides anti-glare protection for your eyes and face. This keeps reflections from water and snow surfaces from bouncing back on you.

Comfort

The Sombriolet is a very comfortable hat. However, the fit is important with this hat. Because if this hat is too tight, it will not be very comfortable. So err on the side of too big with this hat, or the brim will dig into your head. We don't think sizing up on this had makes it look too big, either. The most comfortable hats we tested were also extraordinarily lightweight and made of soft materials. The Sombriolet is on the lighter side, and you barely notice it on your head. It is not as soft as the lightest of hats because of the mesh ventilation inside the hat. But, this gives you the comfort of not having a hot head.

Breathability

The Sombriolet has a mesh-lined crown and vents along the sides, front, and back for ventilation. However, those vents could be bigger. We didn't find this hat to be very breathable compared to some others. In hot, exposed areas, we found ourselves reaching for another more breathable option.

Durability

The Sombriolet is quite durable for how stiff the brim is. We put stuffed it in a small ziplock bag for 30 minutes, and it bounced back okay. The Sombriolet is stuffable, but the brim will come out bent out of shape if you aren't careful how you pack it. It comes in a variety of muted colors which will hide dirt and stains well.

Style

We think the Sombriolet has an understated, low-key style. We like the shape of its brim, which is not too wide to stand out while still giving ample coverage. We also like that you can remove the chin cord to reduce the dork factor that sometimes happens with wide brim hats. We do think that some hats are just unavoidably dorky, and you may lose street cred if you are wearing them.

Value

We think the Sombriolet is a good value. It has more coverage than most of the full brim hats we tested. But, while some of our testers loved this hat, others didn't like it as much as others that were similarly priced.

Conclusion

The OR Sombriolet provides great sun protection with its wide brim. We took this hat out on the water a lot, from sea kayaking on the ocean to sailing on freshwater lakes. We also took it on trips out to the desert, where the unrelenting sun and reflective glare can be a burden. It offers exceptional coverage, has an anti-glare brim that is a darker color underneath to minimize glare, and has a stiff brim that will resist winds and stay on your head, though it might expose your face to the sun by flipping up in a big gust. It will stay on your head with its sturdy drawcord and cinch-able chin strap, too.