Real Deal Brazil Amazon Tarp Hat Product Review
Can you imagine having a hat that used to travel the winding, wet roads through the Amazon? Can you imagine wearing a hat that was pelted by rain, covered in dirt, and sat on by exotic birds?
Yeah, sounds cool right? Well, it is. Here’s the story of Tarp Hats.
Green Hats From Brazil
When I was first contacted by The Real Deal Brazil hats, I honestly didn’t think they were going to be that cool. After all, I’m not much of a fedora kind of girl. And, how green could they really be, anyway?
Well, we can chalk that up to one of Heather’s “Assumptions Gone Wrong”.
Frank at Real Deal Brazil was kind enough to send me one of their Tarp hats to check out. And, I’m completely in love with it.
What The Heck Is A Tarp Hat?
All the hats that Real Deal Brazil make are from cast off truck tarps (see first pic on left). These tarps covered the back of freight trucks that typically go through the Amazon to Sao Paulo, Brazil. When they start to get ripped and worn out, truckers toss them in landfills.
Well, Real Deal Brazil decided to reuse this material. They hired a local family to start making unique hats and bags from them. Each hat and bag is hand-sewn by Brazilian villagers, and each has its own story to tell.
Everyone benefits here: we get really funky hats, the Brazilian family get jobs paid at a fair wage, and the tarps are given a second life and kept out of landfills.
What’s not to love here?
Product Specs
Real Deal Brazil offers hats in sizes S-XL. I chose a medium, and it fits perfect. I’d imagine the small size would fit children well, and if you go to Real Deal Brazil’s website you’ll see many kids wearing their hats. Most men I think would need a large.
The hats also have a shapable brim, so you can make it look however you want. You can make it into a Texas cowboy hat, an Aussie roll, or let it go “au natural”.
Why I Love The Real Deal Brazil Hat
I love this hat because it’s authentic. And I know that may sound cliche, but it’s really true. No one else in the world has a hat exactly like mine. The stitching, the wear of the tarp, the color, the writing, it’s all different on each hat. So, mine is unique.
I also love it because it’s mysterious. Where did this fabric go when it was a tarp? Did it transport mangoes? Bananas? Brightly-colored fabric?
Every time I put it on I can’t help but wonder at its former life. And, I’ve certainly never done that with a hat made from a factory in China or Taiwan.
It also looks great on. I’ll be posting a picture of me wearing the hat soon, but trust me; this is a hat that will look good on almost anyone. And when you wear it, you get to feel like Indiana Jones.
It’s also eco-friendly. This material would have been left to rot in a landfill if Real Deal Brazil wasn’t turning it into hats and bags. I love that!
So, there you have it. As you can tell, I’m pretty enthused about these hats, but I think with good reason. They’re definitely worth a lookly-loo.
Disclaimer: Everything in this product review is 100% my own opinion. All product specs and sources come from The Real Deal Brazil at www.realdealbrazil.com
This is NOT a paid or sponsored post. There are no paid or sponsored posts on The Greenest Dollar.
I did generously receive 1 Tarp hat for the purpose of this review, and I’m thankful I did. I might not have heard about this great product otherwise. And, I’ve been having a blast wearing it around.
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
I saw this hat in of all places a Reader’s Digest mag. I knew I had to have one………takes me back to the Indiana Jone’s movies……….I which I could find ruck sak too.
Too cool
that’s wish……..not which, sorry
Rebecca,
I didn’t know they’d been profiled in RD; that’s great for them!
Yeah, I love this hat. It’s so unique, and I’ve never seen anyone else wearing one! 🙂
The make a laptop bag that might be just what you’re looking for
At first i though what kind of crap is that 😉 Then i found the european store realdealbrazil.eu and called those guys. They conviced us and i have to say mine looks just great ! 😉
the tarp hats and bags are now also available in Europe http://www.realdealbrazil.eu
Take care of your environments – that’s the only thing what we have to take care of. Don’t take care of our hats they’ll take care of you 😉
Mine arrived here in Australia today, and it’s a great hat!
However, beware! They charged me US$26 for shipping, which I thought seemed a bit excessive but I was determined to get the hat regardless. When it arrived the bag they shipped it in clearly had the postage labeled: $2.58 US Postage Priority. They charged me 10x what they paid in postage! I understand the shipping costs should include handling, packaging and maybe even a little profit, but 10x is simply ridiculous. Take note!
An update to my post, if anyone’s interested (as I feel I owe it to Real Deal Brazil) –
I just got an email from Real Deal Brazil – they have told me it was actually a surprising error by the US Postal service. They tell me that it is supposed to cost $26+ based on the quote from the USPS (they included a screenshot) . They go on: “Someone in shipping was not paying attention, and instead of printing a label to Australia, they printed the $2.58 label for US shipping and stuck it on your package. Then, instead of returning the package for insufficient postage, as the Post Office should have, they actually delivered it to you.”
They are refunding me the shipping costs (less the $2.58, I’d assume), which is quite nice of them. I guess I’m still a bit skeptical that both their shipping dept and the USPS could make such a mistake at the same time, but even so they’ve done a pretty honorable thing in refunding me.
Where did you buy the hat from
The Real Deal Ruck Sak Is Awesome! Beat The Crap Out Of It… And It Looks Adventurous.. Not Worn Out Like The Average Commercial Made To Look Good On Shelves In Stores!
I have both the hat and wallet from these fine folks, and there’s nothing I don’t love about them. They’re 100% individual as well as very well made. My hat gets mucho compliments and I know it’s built to take whatever the southern AZ desert can throw at it. I want the backpack next as that will fit my travel style very well.