Boonie hat
A boonie hat (from English boondocks "hinterland, wilderness, pampas" and has "hat") is an originally military headgear with a circumferential brim to protect the wearer in warmer regions. In German-speaking countries, the hat is also called a bush hat or brim hat . To protect it from loss, it has an adjustable chin strap. It resembles a fishing hat, but the brim is wider and less steep. In contrast to z. B. felt hats, the boonie made of cotton or polyester fabric is not dimensionally stable, but can be crumpled and z. B. be stowed in a pocket.
Military origin
The Boonie was introduced by the US armed forces during the Vietnam War , when the Special Forces troops deployed there had their hats made by local tailors in the Tiger Stripe camouflage pattern. The hat shape itself has been around for a long time in Indochina. Foreign legionaries also used them. The usual steel helmets proved to be uncomfortable in the hot climate, and peaked caps offer less protection from rain and sun on the sides and in the neck.
In 1967 the hat was officially introduced by the US Army under the name " Hat, Jungle, with insect net " in the colors / patterns olive green, tiger stripe and the newly developed ERDL pattern. Since then little has changed in the cut of the hat and today, in many armies around the world and in dozens of different camouflage patterns, it is a common piece of equipment and an alternative to the field cap . Only the materials used and the name, now “ Hat, sun, hot weather ”have changed. The Bundeswehr also uses the boonie (brim hat) for operations in warmer regions; in reports about the troops in Afghanistan you can often see boonie hats in 3-color camouflage print ( tropical camouflage ).
The boonie in civil life
Like many other pieces of equipment, formerly only intended for the military, the boonie hat has also developed into a piece of clothing for everyone. Due to its light design and the often low price in the single-digit euro range for replicas, it is very popular with people who have a lot to do outdoors, professionally or privately, not least because it can be easily folded up and put in your pocket when not in use and because it also protects its wearer from rain to a certain extent.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Brim Hat, Tropics. (PDF) TL 8415-0268. In: Technical delivery conditions. Federal Office for Equipment, Information Technology and Use of the Bundeswehr , September 4, 2008, accessed on January 6, 2015 .