Hat

A hat comprising:

• a) a canopy;
• b) a front sweatband and a rear sweatband disposed along a lower periphery of the canopy, the front sweatband and the rear sweatband defining a right sweatband gap at a right side of the canopy and a left sweatband gap at a left side of the canopy, the right sweatband gap being bounded by a front sweatband right edge and a rear sweatband right edge, and the left sweatband gap being bounded by a front sweatband left edge and a rear sweatband left edge;
• c) a right ear panel spanning the right sweatband gap and connected to the front sweatband right edge and the rear sweatband right edge;
• d) a left ear panel spanning the left sweatband gap and connected to the front sweatband left edge and the rear sweatband left edge;
• e) wherein each of the right ear panel and the left ear panel comprises a fabric sheet folded to define an inside layer configured to be oriented inwardly toward a user and an outside layer disposed outwardly relative to the inside layer, the folded fabric sheet having a lower edge fold;
• f) wherein the folded fabric sheet includes a plurality of openings extending through the inside layer and the outside layer;
• g) a peripheral thermal weld;
• and
• h) wherein the peripheral thermal weld surrounds at least one of the plurality of openings to bond the inside layer to the outside layer.