Real Deal Brazil Group Photo Planned for GeoWoodstock IX

It's good to have fans. It's even better to have the best fans.

Case in point: There's a whole lot of geoachers out there who are pretty passionate about our Real Deal Brazil recycled-tarp hat. They wear their own religiously while out on their intriguing pursuits in fields and forests and even urban jungles. This brings us much happiness here at the Real Deal Brazil, as we happen to think that geocaching is quite cool, and the 'cachers we've gotten to know through their own love of our hats tend to be even cooler still.

Which brings us to this happy note: Jenn Kunze, righteous Real Deal Brazil fan and reported geocache goddess (we've heard; we cannot confirm) is trying to organize a group photo at the fast-approaching GeoWoostock IX/GWS9 of fellow 'cachers who are also Real Deal Brazil hat owners.

GeoWoodstock, the world's largest gathering of geocachers, will be held this year July 1-3 at the Warren County Fairgrounds in Pittsfield, Penn.


That's Jenn third from right in the above photo, by the way, with her trusty RDB hat, a bunch of her 'caching homies and the prize booty of that particular day's geo-search expedition.

The only requirement to be in this pending group photo other than attending GeoWoodstock IX: You've gotta be wearing your own Real Deal Brazil hat. Some come one, come all, you geocaching RDB lovers! There might even be a nifty little gift in it for a couple of ya.

This photo is tentatively planned for 12:20 p.m. Saturday, July 2 at GWS9; actual location at GeoWoodstock is TBA, and we'll post it on our Facebook site as soon as we know it.

Geocaching, for you geo-phytes (we think we just made that up, though we probably didn't; however, until someone tells us different, we're feeling pretty clever), is a modern-day form of treasure-hunting involving a handheld GPS device to track down "geocaches" ("caches," for short) that fellow geocachers have planted at points near and far, all around the world. These sometimes-farflung treasure troves are typically waterproof containers of different sizes, with many holding only a logbook for signing with your recognized geocaching name/handle to document your success, though sometimes the containers also hold small toys or trinkets for trading.

The point, as in any fine pursuit, isn't the object of the search but really the search itself.

Geoacaching dates to roughly the year 2000, when Dave Ulmer (aka He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named) placed the very first cache in Portland, Ore.

And yes, that is indeed a Harry Potter reference. Want another? If you never knew that geoaching even existed before this, that makes you, guess what? A Geomuggle.

These geocachers: They're a clever bunch.

Real Deal Daddy-o!

What’s Dad really need this year? Some free time he can spend getting into all the best kinds of trouble with the kids, and his very own Real Deal Brazil recycled-tarp hat, natch. Because an RDB hat is the right kind of trouble just waitin' to happen.

The photo of quality dad time, above, comes from Roger Pinckney, avid Real Dealer, resident of sparsely populated Daufuskie Island, S.C., and senior editor of Sporting Classics Magazine. And with his photo came this fabulous explanation:

“Boys with their first 22 rifle and hunter orange get up. Christmas 2010 Daufuskie Island SC, no bridge, no ATM, no yoga, no yogurt and the fast food as fins, fur, or feathers.”

Intriguing guy, huh? This one-of-a-kind dad only gets more interesting the more you learn about him. Pinckney’s life is a testament to all that aforementioned trouble, and then some:

As a young man, he packed all he owned into an old truck and struck out from his home in the South Carolina Lowcountry for Fairbanks, Alaska, never to get there:

“Stranded on a chilly roadside in Northern Minnesota,” reads one of several online bios on the man, “Pinckney bought land, took up with a long string of Norwegian girls, raised horses, cattle, babies, learned to dynamite stumps, cook maple syrup, and drive sled dogs.”

Not long ago remarried, Pinckney, an avid conservationist, is an equally avid hunter. He dropped us an e-mail update back in early February 2011 of the trouble he and his boys and his hat were then getting into:

"Knocked over a limit of quail in S Georgia riding on a mule wagon and am heading out to shoot ducks on the Santee Delta on the 15th. Meanwhile, we organized the locals and put a serious dent in our huge population of island whitetails. 200 deer, times an average of 40 lbs of boned meat off each, (subtracting the back straps, adding the pork butts) equals four TONS of sausage. … The head DNR deer man said it was our civic responsibility to shoot more deer and, brother, we rizz to it this year.”

If ever there was a Real Deal kind of dad, Pinckney is all that and then some.

Real Deal Brazil Funny

Among the funniest things we've found lurking online about our hats is the following exchange encountered today on a survivalist forum with the provocative title "You Ain't Seen Bad Yet But It's Coming," in a forum topic devoted to our "Real Deal Brazil Bush Hat":

"You have no idea how hard it is to google the words 'Brazil' and 'bush' together and not get distracted by the main results."

To which another forum participant commented just a few days later:

"sometimes google finds what you weren't looking for."

Our Real Deal Brazil recycled-tarp hat: Seek it, and no telling what other of life's mysteries ye may stumble upon along the way ...

RDB All Funked Up? Tips on Cleaning Your Real Deal Brazil Recycled-Tarp Hat

Dirt happens. Also, sweat. And when the two get together often enough, especially in high-heat, high-humidity climates, they can add up to some really nasty s***. And, really, who's ever happy when s*** happens, especially when it happens to a beloved Real Deal Brazil recycled-tarp hat?

The horror, right?

But no real worries, actually. Because while you will never, ever, ever get the funky out of your Real Deal Brazil recycled-tarp hat, you can easily eliminate that certain foulish funk that's one day likely to seep in following heavy, serious wear.

Cleaning your hat couldn't actually be much easier. If you're in a bind and needing rapid mild-funk relief, just spray your groady headwear with a garden hose, then let the hat air-dry. If it's a warm day, and the RDB is left out in the sun, a couple hours should do ya.

When the funk gets a bit more serious, though, and you've got a few more minutes to spend on upkeep, we recommend hand-washing that dirty bad boy in the sink. Dilute some detergent or even use dish soap, soaking your RDB in the sudsy solution and, depending on the degree of nasty, maybe even scrubbing your hat a little with a rag or soft brush. Rinse thoroughly, then let your RDB air-dry, preferably outside. Done, and done!

And, presto: powdery-fresh kick-ass hat.

Of course, some funk is really, really bad funk. Consider this very real note we received a while back:

"Love the hat. But it has become covered in wild hog dung and needs to be washed. It is currently hanging in a tree. Any recommendations?"

In this weird case, add a little OxiClean to the soap-and-water mix, and maybe squeeze in a little fresh lemon juice, too. And don't be surprised if you have to repeat the whole process at least once. Wild hogs. Honestly. You people.

That said, we've had people put their highly funked-up RDBs in the dishwasher to good effect as well, though if there's any spot-scrubbing that needs doing, you're really right back to hand-washing as your best option, y'know?

We discourage machine-washing our hats, however. The agitator arm in a standard washer can beat hell on the hat's crown stitching, particularly if the RDB is crowded among other clothes, and can't easily work free. Don't chance it. Ain't worth it.

We also strongly advise against putting our hats in dryers. For one thing, all that tumbling can add a new shape to the brim that might then be hard to work back out. Air-dry, people! Air-dry!

So to recap: In a pinch, hose off your RDB, easy-peasy. Otherwise, for general cleaning, hand-wash with mild detergent/dish soap, rinse thoroughly, air-dry.

A word or two on air-drying: We recommend actually hanging your newly clean hat outside to dry vs. wearing it right after rinsing and waiting on it to dry that way. Your hat's heavy canvas fabric can soak up a whole lot of water while being washed/rinsed, and all that agua is liable to run all over you if you immediately slap your beloved, newly funk-free RDB right back on your eager head. Of course, if you really like, or even need, a good soaking yourself, then y'know, have at it.

Let it be said that there are certainly other effective methods for cleaning your hat. A little Real Deal ingenuity, and there's no telling what you can come up with.

Of course, some seemingly inspired ideas should probably be questioned a bit before being put into practice. For instance, no matter how brave your Real Deal Brazil recycled-tarp hat might make you feel, please do not, under any circumstances, put it on your head and then attempt to walk through one of those automated car washes. This is pretty much guaranteed to end badly, and certainly much worse for you than for your hat. In a match between your body and a big, swirling brush attached to an insistent mechanized arm, odds are on the brush, every time.

Long-standing Real Deal Brazil fan and funk-problem-solver Mack Simpson of Richardson, Texas, has a much less potentially hazardous suggestion toward getting a fouled-up RDB all spiffy again:

"I have a technique for cleaning mine that's worked every time. Beware, though: It is a long, drawn-out process that follows many steps, any one of which that might be missed could lead to total disaster. So here it is: 1) Place your RDB snugly atop your head; 2) jump in a chlorinated pool; 3) slosh about a bit, preferably with a pool-safe beer can in hand; 4) repeat as necessary; 5) leave your RDB out to dry overnight.

Please be sure to remember this is a professional-grade cleaning and not intended for amateurs. If necessary, I can provide you with my address for sending your hat and a case of beer. Expect your hat to return to you in clean condition in 7-10 working days."

That's some real generosity right there! Our fans, as we've always said, are just the best. The Real Deal best.