The sou’wester has been around for close to 200 years. It was first worn by Gloucester fishermen in the mid-19th century, and while the materials it is made of may have changed, the essential design has not, a testimony to its effectiveness as foulweather gear.

Grundéns, established in Sweden in 1926 as Grundéns Regnklader (Grundéns Raincoats), made waterproof oilskins for North Sea fishermen. In early days, the company used a rubberized material for its rainwear, but in 1950 production switched to polyvinylchloride (PVC)-coated fabrics, which are still used today.

The Sandhamn 21 Fishing Hat, Grundéns’ version of the timeless sou’wester, is made of PVC-coated polyester with a polyester-flannel lining. It is available in dark green, orange, yellow, black, and a bright neon “Seattle green.” While the orange, yellow, and Seattle green have the best visibility, I opted for the black for its traditional appearance—the earliest sou’westers were waterproofed with linseed oil and lampblack.

Photographs by the author

The seams on the Sandhamn are a combination of sewn and welded; none showed any signs of leakage. The light-colored stripe inside the folded-up brim is a weld that locates and facilitates the fold when making what Grundéns calls the “water ditch.”

The hat’s brim is made of two layers of coated polyester sandwiching a stiffener that maintains the brim’s shape. The brim isn’t distorted by being crushed into tight folds, and comes back to shape after it is unfolded. Around the front of the brim a weld divides the stiffener so that the brim can be easily folded to make a “water ditch,” channeling water from the front of the hat to drain off to the sides, away from the wearer’s face. The form-fitting crown has two side panels—near semicircles—and two parallel top panels arching from front to back; all the seams are sewn and welded. Below the brim, an integral flap lined with polyester flannel provides ear and neck protection. An elastic chin strap, sewn into the right side of the flap, has an adjustable snap; when not in use the strap is snapped up to the right, out of the way, but when needed, it wraps under the chin to snap on the left.

My Sandhamn is an XL, the largest of the four sizes offered, and is a perfect fit. It is comfortably snug around the circumference of my head at its largest point just above my brow and ears. The top of the crown isn’t in contact with my head but leaves an air space for both comfort and warmth. The flannel-lined ear flap is warm and comfortable and can be tucked into the crown so that the Sandhamn can be worn in comfort without covering the ears.

The lining of both the crown and ear flap is a brushed polyester flannel that is warm and soft to the touch. The chin strap is 9 1⁄2″ long, has an adjustable snap, and is highly elastic so that it never feels constraining. I don’t often use the elastic chin strap, but it is useful on windy days and wide enough to be comfortable. In a headwind of 25 mph (experienced while standing with my upper body through the sunroof of an SUV driven along a quiet backroad), the Sandhamn stayed firmly planted on my head—but I was glad of the strap when the hat started to lift at 30 mph.

The Sandhamn is completely waterproof—I have never detected any leaks when wearing it in the rain, nor in a preternatural garden-hose downpour. In a test, I inverted the hat, clamped its brim to the perimeter of a 5-gallon bucket, and poured water into the crown up past the seam with the brim. After an hour there was no sign of any water getting through.

For the past 100 years, Grundéns has been making foulweather gear favored by commercial fishermen. Their Sandham 21 is a well-made, reliable sou’wester.

Christopher Cunningham is editor-at-large for Small Boats. His first sou’westers were two that he made in the late ’70s from canvas coated with GacoFlex rubberized paint.

The Sandhamn 21 Fishing Hat is available from Grundéns for $59.99. It is also carried by many online sources and marine hardware stores.

Is there a product that might be useful for boatbuilding, cruising, or shore-side camping that you’d like us to review? Please email your suggestions.

Looking for more foul-weather protection? See:

Taku Essential Jacket, a waterproof and breathable jacket kept simple reviewed by Christopher Cunningham

Third Reef Foulies, a waterproof jacket and bibs from West Marine reviewed by Kent and Audrey Lewis

Xtratuf Legacy Boots, serious knee-high rubber boots reviewed by Bruce Bateau