I imagine you can find some great ones in sports stores. ie, ones that are well designed for hunters and fishermen for keeping the elements at bay

(maybe add some fake flowers to them. ;) :) )

I love my wide brimmed Tilley hat. It is an off white, perfect for the Texas heat. It has a strap that goes under your chin and one that fits around the back of your head, so the wind gusts can't carry it off. The 100% cotton is cool/comfortable and is machine washable. It is sold in regular hat size and fits down low on the forehead for maximum shading and comfort. It also looks very cool.
It is a little pricey, but worth every penny. Most people wouldn't think twice about spending the $60-$70 on a pair of shoes or something.
I used to buy those straw hats that would tear up in the wind, plus the straw was scratchy and uncomfortable. My Tilley is on the third summer and when it wears out, I will be buying another.

Thanks, Greybird, you are absolutely right about shoes, and yes, so cool looking. I was just waiting to be enabled, and think I will get one.

By the way, their website states that if your hat wears out they will replace it free!

I have a whole hat wardrobe for keeping my head cool in the summer and warm in the winter. I'm rarely in the garden without a hat. I don't wear baseball caps because they don't give enough shade and protection. I'm already getting precancerous spots removed from my face, so that's an issue.

I am especially fond of fabric, vented wide-brim hats in the summer (with chin strap so they don't hang up in a bush), and a waterproof felt Indiana-Jones type hat in the winter. I got mine from REI but am always on the lookout for a good hat. When it's really cold, I have a Fargo-style bomber hat that makes me laugh just to put it on, as well as a variety of knit caps that my son calls "beanies."

Cass (berndoodle) taught me that, in general, you are better off with a brimmed hat to keep canes away from your face and eyes.
Anita

I have a Tilley hat that I've had for perhaps 20 years. But, with all the trees and constantly changing weather, I can usually manage to avoid working in the direct sun most of the time, so I rarely wear a hat while working in the yard. But, when I go elsewhere I bring a hat.

I have a Tilley but it is getting pretty battered looking. I don't like the way the brimline wavers once I washed it. Recently I bought a nylon hat made by Sun Day Afternoon that I like quite a bit. It is Youth sized so it actually fits. Adult women's hats that are One Size Fits Most are way too big for me.

I wear a hat when I think of it, which is part of the time. I wear a good uva/uvb sunblock daily. And then take my vitamin A to make up for it.

Rosefolly

Ogrose, if you do decide on the Tilley hat, may I suggest getting the T2 for maximum protection. I have one of the smaller brimmed ones as well, is really cool looking to wear to the grocery store or post office, but not enough protection for working out in the sun.
Once you get used to wearing a hat that is exactly your size, you won't go back to S-M-L-XL. Love that Tilley!

My hat is from Sun Day Afternoons www.sundayafternoons.com
It is made of nylon with UV protection with a wide brim and a back part to protect your neck. It's better than anything I've used in the garden.

Where do you get the Tilley hats? I buy great gloves from www.gardenwithus.com, and the owner is Wendy Tilley. Is that the same company?

I bought my hats from either Lands End or LL Bean. It is a wide brim, and protects the top of my ears.

Do you wear sunglasses? That is also so important, and something I often forget. I start working so early and almost always have my head down, that I don't realize that I have not put them on.

Sammy

The web site I saw was http://www.tilley.com/.

Gosh, you're right about the sunglasses, hadn't even thought of that.

My Tilley is going on 10 years and I love it! They aren't cheap but it is one-time purchase--maybe twice if you bought your first one at age 10 and live to be 100.

We really ought to be wearing sunglasses, though much of the time I do not. The UV damages our eyes over time just as it does our skin. That's how people get cataracts and macular degeneration. If we were careful about protecting our eyes, we could delay, or even avoid, these conditions.

I must admit that I often do not. My sunglasses have a mild distance correction which makes them great for driving but awful for the kind of close work I do in the garden. I suppose plain sunglasses might work, but somehow I'm building up a collection of too many pairs of eyeglasses, particularly for a person whose vision is pretty good.

Rosefolly

Doctor's orders are not to set foot outside without a hat and sunscreen 365 days a year. Like that's going to happen. Over the years I've bought two high UV-protection, wide brim, Panama hats with lining in both the brim and crown. At the first opportunity, my d@amned old dog sat on both of them. I still wear those hats, but they're...interesting-looking. For company, I wear straw hats sold at hardware stores for $12. I need a new one every year. The Panamas have been a better value in the end. Even all torn up and 50 bux each, they've lasted 15 years.
{{gwi:302077}}
I like a 4 inch brim so that it shades my face. Beware brims that hang down in front of your eyes You have to tilt your head up to see and that's a neckache in the making. I'm partial to natural materials, finding them the coolest. I consider hats made of artificial fibers (aka spun crude oil) a Satanic conspiracy. If you're not that kind of whackadoodle, then hats with polyester parts offer the best UV protection at the smallest cost.

Stampede strings optional.

Here is a link that might be useful: Stampede strings

Sammy, I checked out the website for the gloves. Do you like them? I do have arthritis and wonder if they really do make a difference.

I love them. I probably have osteo-arthritis, and need the support. They are snug, and have wrist support.They work well for roses if you are careful, and they also have the long ones for roses. I like the Bionic ones, and keep about 4 pairs. I like the colored ones, and the all leather ones.

Sammy

Mostly baseball cap or old fisherman's cap for me. I should wear a cowboy hat, being from Kansas, but everytime I put one on I look in a mirror and burst out laughing...just doesn't work for me.

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Musings

ogrose, I see you have 8 DFW as your location. If you live close to Grapevine (near Grapevine Mills), you might stop in at The Great Outdoors store. They often have great hats for working outside.

Randy

baseball hats are not good enough. They don't protect your ears or neck. I had a tilley hat, but it's too hot. Straw hats are not enough either. Go to REI and look at their hats. I bought one there. It's a SPF 50 hat. It's lightweight and comfortable and has a wider brim than a Tilley.

Also sunglasses are a must. Like others, I have prescription sunglasses, but I don't really need them for the garden. I wear safety/sun glasses I bought in Home Depot. My eye doctor also warned me about macular degeneration. With the hat, I don't need that much sun protection for my eyes, but I need some and also general eye protection from thorns and spray.

I love my Tilley. I have to prevent any sun getting on my skin, so I garden in long sleeves, pants and gloves, and my Tilley hat. (With fan and often beach umbrella in this heat.)
kay

hey Cass, i'm a panama wearer too. you can squash them. sit on them, let animals chew them, drag them through brambles - sure they look battered (character) but they work for me.

I have a soft ventilated fishing-type hat, probably from REI. Quite cool. Very tough, too, but it's gotten a little floppy over the years. Rose thorns snatch it off readily. Like others, I garden in long sleeves and long pants. Helps protect against thorns, mosquitoes, spiders, ticks, as well as sun.

Mike