
Patagonia: With Ventura-based Patagonia, you
get what you pay for. What you pay is a
lot. What you get is exactly what you want. Patagonia’s gear and clothing looks great, it
works perfectly, and it is manufactured as ethically and sustainably as
reasonably possible. I do not yet own
any Patagonia hats. But I do own a broad
cross-section Patagonia clothing and gear, all of which may very well last me
forever.
Mountain Hardwear: Richmond-based Mountain Hardware
has been my go-to supplier for camping-and-backpacking clothing and gear for
more than a decade. One of the things
they make is hats.
North Face: Alameda-based North Face makes
pretty much everything an outdoors-enthusiast could want, including sun hats
and baseball caps. And – judging by
everything I’ve bought from them so far – they make all if it really really
well. Fifteen years ago, I bought a
North Face backpack. Thousands of backpacking
miles later, not a stitch has popped, not a buckle has broken –the thing
doesn’t even smell bad.
Volcom: Orange County-based Volcom is a
one-stop shop for skater/surfer/snowboarder fashion, from hats to board shorts to
two-piece suits. Because they target
skaters – who shred clothes quickly, no matter how high quality – I did not
expect Volcom to put much effort into the second-thing-to-go elements of
clothing construction. After all, why
double-stitch a garment that’s going to be rags within weeks regardless? But I was pleasantly surprised. A few years back, I bought a Volcom
button-up. It was a good purchase. The
shirt had a clean silhouette, but with slightly skewed seams that bent people’s
eyes just enough to prevent them from looking past me. And – because I do not lead a
tear-through-fabric lifestyle – it lasted for years.
San Diego Hat Company: Carlsbad-based SDHC makes inexpensive servicable hats for keeping off the California sun.
Chrome:
When I lived in the real Bay Area (i.e., the Bay Area in which you can
see the Golden Gate and/or Bay Bridge with minimal effort), Chrome was
the most ubiquitous brand of messenger bags and backpacks. Now, they've
expanded their line to include everything a bike-messenger-type
urbanite needs for day-to-day living, including caps.
San Diego Hat Company: Carlsbad-based SDHC makes inexpensive servicable hats for keeping off the California sun.

No comments:
Post a Comment