Testing the Melin Coronado Hat in the Snow | Photo Connor Burkesmith Mountain Weekly News
Melin hats have slowly been creeping onto my radar. From podcast hosts, to athletes, to hip dads I’ve been seeing these hats more and more. Now I don’t claim to be as cool as anyone in the above category, but I had to finally give Melin a try. I started with the Melin Coronado Hat. Beam Hydro.
Durability
If I’m good at anything, it might be beating the living s#%t out of hats. At this point, I find myself cycling through free hats I get from tradeshows and brands I’ve worked with. They all have one thing in common: after a few weeks my girlfriend lets me know I have a piece of garbage attached to my head and it’s on to the next.
Melin hats are different. While I’ve only had the Melin Coronado Beam Hydro for a couple of weeks, I’ve put it through its paces, and it still looks brand new. Sweat stains come out easily with a quick rinse under the faucet. The hat keeps its shape, and the material looks good as ever even after a long day in the mountains or being squished in a backpack for the ride down. I’m excited to see how much abuse this hat can take in the coming weeks..? Months..? Years..?
Material
If you’ve never nerded out about a hat before, now is the time. This Melin Hat is crafted with high end materials that deliver. The Hydro series are water friendly which I found perfect for ski touring and sweating my ass off in general. The hat also floats for those of you who spend time on the water. These two features team up to make an extremely durable, washable*, and lightweight hat.
The Melin Coronado Beam Hydro is also moisture wicking and antimicrobial. It took me multiple long days in the mountains before I could see any sign of sweat on the hat. If you take your hats on adventures as well as the office, do yourself a favor and get a Melin.
Compare Prices
Fit
I’m tempted to exaggerate, but I’ll be honest. When it comes to size, my head is roughly average. I found the Melin Coronado Beam Hydro Classic size right on the cusp of being too large. Next time I may take it down to a small and would consider a curved brim. I find that a curved brim hat typically fits smaller heads better than flat brims. If you have a large head, I would recommend the flat bill. If you run a little smaller go with a curved brim.
Features
A hat with features? That’s right. Now we have already touched on the lightweight, moisture wicking, antimicrobial material, so what are we missing? The Melin Coronado Beam Hydro comes with a hidden pocket in the front perfect for… well, we all have our use cases. I also love the adjustable strap in the back. Instead of using a somewhat hard plastic that constantly breaks, Melin uses a rubber-like material. I would compare the adjustable strap to a ski strap… AKA bulletproof.
Overall Impression
The Melin Coronado Beam Hydro ($89.99) is a hat like none I’ve ever worn. The material and durable construction makes this hat an absolute joy to wear. If you’re someone who spends a lot of time in hats or are prone to destroying whatever is on your head, you may have met your match. Do yourself a favor and try out a Melin.
*hand washable – see Melin’s cleaning guidelines.
Related Articles:
