Friggin hats.

J!m

J!m

Veteran and General Yakker
Joined
Dec 24, 2019
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Connecticut
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I’m looking for a hat. No, I’m looking for MY hat.

I have a lot of ball caps “dad hats” and they’re fine. I have a decent rabbit fur fedora of the Indy type. I have an Akubra Australian hat.

I wear my desert storm era Bonnie hat mowing and such. I like the coverage and style. But I’d like something a bit more formal, wide brim, not chocolate chip camo, proper felt (ideally Beaver so it doesn’t shrink like the Indy hat did) as “my” hat.

looking on the Stetson website I see some outdoor hats that are looking good to me, but they’re the “crushable” wool felt I don’t care for. The Akrubra is like cardboard and no hope of altering the shape. Not without a hatter anyway.

I’m fortunate there is a hatter in New Haven. I need to pay a visit. But I’m looking at used vintage cowboy hats (Stetson, reaistol and others) in my size to maybe clean, Re block, re-bash and perhaps a brim trim and make the hat I want. For the price of a new low-end Stetson I can get a high-end one and just make the shape how I like.

Anyway, if anyone has a hat they like and wants to post a photo maybe I can find something “off the rack” that I like. The Stetson “gun club” is not bad. Brim is a bit narrow- it looks great but I think more coverage is needed. Maybe that bash with a wider brim is the hot ticket…

Re-engineering a hat will not be cheap but on the other hand I’m trying to make MY hat, and if it ends up being a one-off no one else can buy, that’s not such a bad thing either. A new beaver felt hat will be more expensive than recycling ann old one and added labor.
 
Another problem is I feel under dressed with a hat on. I feel sneakers are not appropriate with a hat for example. Neither are shorts. Ball caps are okay, as is my boonie hat, but not a "real" hat. To me anyway.

Not a problem when I (used to) adventure travel, as I was usually wearing long pants and my Redwings. But when it's hotter than Satan's butt crack I go to shorts and sneakers...
 
Dad and both my grandfathers had dress hats. Wish I had one to photograph; even if mom kept one I'm sure we tossed it cleaning out her house. Cowboy hats (or boots) were not a thing in our household, however, as all of us were eastern peeps. Those Stetson Fedoras with the front brim turned down is as close as I remember.

I like my oilskin Stormy Kromer for rainy winter days and the Dorfman Pacific hat with the vent is nice for hiking in the summer or at the beach.

IMG_3858.jpg
 
I have a waxed cotton Barbour hat my wife got me. Short brim all around but otherwise great in the rain.

That D-P brim looks about the right amount of coverage for me. About 5 inches is it?
 
About 3.5", actually. Just measured it. Got it at one of those hipster Mast General Stores in Boone or Valle Cruices, NC some years back. Used it a lot in the Miata and Mustang with the tops down. I've since taken the leather strap off; it's around here somewhere.
 
Think I found something...

Filson tin cloth with the wide brim and neck strap... Seems just about perfect other than the sizing seems to be a bit random.
 
In all seriousness, as my thin spot gets thinner, I’m considering a visit to a haberdasher. The issue is what goes best with a Levi’s trucker jacket or a leather motorcycle jacket. I live in jeans and I always will, just not a dapper dude. Black Levi’s for Sunday-go-to-meeting is the apex of my sartorial range.
 
Check out the Filson tin cloth hats. They have one with a narrower brim and no strap as well as the wide brim with strap I prefer.

I also have a dark green Barbour hat that has a narrow brim. Great in rain but not enough coverage in the sun.

Otherwise a boonie or ball cap.
 
J!m said:
Mark: I’m selling this now as I just ordered the Filson for myself.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/326205274156

If it suits you (and fits you) I’ll give you a good price as a fellow audio degenerate. If not, it might be a style to consider.

Slightly less “cowboy” cowboy hat…
Click to expand...
Nice style, looks good, just not in clothes buying mode.
 
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