Share Your Tilley Story
Susan F, Canada
"I took my beautiful new Tilley on a recent trip to Portugal. I wore it everyday until one day it disappeared. The last I could remember having it was an afternoon at the pool. We searched high and low, but to my dismay the hat could not be found! Two weeks went by, and I was devastated. My husband decided one morning to look a little closer in the areas surrounding the pool…. Lo and behold! He spotted something tucked under a bush… My poor hat! Flattened, filthy having been out in the rain, sun and wind for 2 weeks. I was thrilled when he surprised me with his find! My HERO… I tried to clean the hat… the inside was full of pine needles, dirt and cat fur… I managed to get it in pretty good condition except for some discolouration around the outer band. Overall the hat regained its shape and didn’t lose the shaped brim! "
Sarah R, Canada
"My dad was always wearing a Tilley when I was growing up, it was his signature look. This year for his birthday we got him a new tilley, and you should have seen the smile on this mans face. He was even wearing it around the house- my mom said she was surprised he didn't wear it to bed. Unfortunately this story has a sad ending (for the Tilley), while out sailing in high winds, my dad had just finished a race and was heading in for the evening and off the Tilley flew, right into the drink. Of course, my father was not going to let it escape, so around the boat came, and with it the boom (the big metal bar attached to the bottom of the sail, very aptly named) crossed the deck with vigour, catching my father right between the eyes. Overboard he went! He was promptly rescued by his skilled crewman. His first words when he got out for the water were "Did you get my hat?" "
Laura K, USA
"I purchased my Tilley LTM6 in 2010 when my son and I climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. I also purchased an additional LTM6 for my son. We have had absolutely no trouble or issues with either of the hats. He still wears his frequently as he is now 24 years old and an avid outdoorsman. As silly as it sounds we were both so caught up in getting our gear for the climb and listening to the stories the hat salesman was sharing with us, we never even removed the owner's manuals from either of them and still both have kept them there as now they feel like part of the hat. "
Simon, Wiltshire, UK
“The Hat has been hammered to hell! It’s been soaked through whilst standing at the end of a race track pit lane, baked in the sun on a hot, hot holiday, dunked in the sea, driven over while biking with my local club (took me 5 minutes to dig it out of the mud).
It has been peed on by a cat, washed who knows how many times, frozen solid in the snow, chased down the road and caught by a truck, washed yet again, soaked in beer at a particularly fun party, danced on (we couldn’t find a sombrero!) and used as a Frisbee. The list is still being added to and the Hat looks (almost!) like new!”
Steph, Ontario, Canada
"It’s hard to find a photograph of my grandfather when I was growing up where he wasn’t wearing one of his Tilley hats. He has a collection of four Tilleys, but his favourite was his T3 Wanderer. He bought the hat over 35 years ago and never went anywhere without it!
If hats could talk, his would have a lot to say! The sweat-stained inside, faded colour, and the many dirt marks are what makes his hat beautiful to me. The hat can tell the stories of his adventures and hold the memories he collected over his lifetime. Truly priceless. Today, I honour him and keep his love for adventure alive by wearing his T3 Wanderer on my travels worldwide! Let the adventures and stories continue…”
Dana, Ontario, Canada
“Growing up my dad was known as Scouter Bill and famous in our small town of Thunder Bay for his Tilley hat. He wore it so much that there was even a rumour going around that we were Australian, because he looked and dressed like Crocodile Dundee.
Back in the early 2000s, Alex Tilley even called our house once - I can’t remember why, probably because my dad entered a contest or sent him a letter, or maybe because my dad was the best non-employee sales person for Tilley, constantly selling people on the virtues of the hat wherever we went. All I know is the my dad wasn’t home at the time so I took the message, and I remember being amazed that I spoke with the man responsible for my dad’s iconic look, and so sad my dad didn’t get the chance to speak with him directly - I’m sure they would have chatted for a very long time."