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[scottyrocks]

Put it on and sweat in it if it's not so small that it makes your head hurt.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Yeah, but hey, the weather here in The Swamp has finally gotten to the point where I can wear a lined felt hat without sweating!

Oh, wait. It'll be hot and humid again on Saturday (grumble, grumble). I can try it then.

 

[wharvey]

Now that winter approaches and I'm back in Texas I got out my old Stetson fur western hat. It is a 4X beaver felt. I did some reseach and found what the X rating means and how meaningless it is to compare hats of different brands and eras using it. One thing I read was that most hat felts are made of a combination of beaver and rabbit fur and that the higher the beaver content the more X's and the quality of the hat is better.

Assuming the above is correct it leaves me confused about Akubra hats. I am under the impression that my Akubra Banjo Patterson, which is my favorite hat, is made from rabbit fur. I've never read or heard of anything bad about Akubra hats. It seems that they are considered one of the highest quality hats made.

So after all that preamble the question is, if more beaver fur is better, more rabbit fur is worse, how is it that Akubra hats are some of the best?

 

[masiaka]

You're right: Higher X's are a measure of the percentage of beaver fur in the felt of a hat; how well it's treated and used during manufacture, and the quality of the fur that went into the hat is another matter. While beaver fur is generally regarded as being a better hat material that rabbit fur, a hat with 4% high grade beaver and 96% low grade rabbit fur can be worse that a 100% high grade rabbit fur hat. This happens if the rabbit felt manufacturer is more selective about the quality of the unfelted fur or if they take more care in felting the rabbit fur than the manufacturer who uses a beaver/rabbit mix. Akubra is unique because they still make their own felt and they are more careful to remove unwanted rabbit guard hairs than their competitors. Not that other manufacturers are necessarily worse than Akubra, but they spend their time and money adding in beaver fur to up the quality of their felt while Akubra spends their time and money removing impurities from their rabbit fur to up the quality of theirs.

 

[jlee562]

The Akubra heritage felts also incorporate wild hare fur which is more resilient than regular rabbit fur.

 

[newturnofphrase]

In bowlers and top hats I'm generally a 7 1/2 to 7 5/8. I tried on some fedoras that were 7 1/2 in a store recently, they were all a bit too large. Answers?

 

[masiaka]

Were they new fedoras? I just recently joined because I wanted advice on buying an Akubra, and one thing I see over and over in the Akubra threads is that they run large when new and then shrink a little after their first rain to become true to size. Maybe this happens with new fedoras and not just new Akubras? (I really have nothing to base this on, just guessing.)

 

[newturnofphrase]

They were new, but the reason I ask is because I think I might be able to go down a size if fedoras generally run a tad larger than hard structured hats, whether new or vintage.

 

[wharvey]

It may not just be the style of the hat but the maker. I wear a 7 3/8 Akubra but a 7 1/2 Stetson. They are different styles but that is still a possibility. Another is the amount of oval the hats have. If they are different then the size may very well be different.

 

[bowlerman]

I have spent a bit of time with this exact issue. I believe that (though it is true that different manufacturers can size/shape differently) the stiffness of a bowler creates a sensation of it being tighter. Some of mine are also heavier which along with the stiffness can enhance the same effect. I really only discovered fedoras "for real" less than a year ago and was SO amazed that I could wear a wider variety of sizes and ovals and still be comfortable! In a bowler-- shape matters, size matters... ...much more than in a fedora.
My two cents.

 

[newturnofphrase]

I have spent a bit of time with this exact issue. I believe that (though it is true that different manufacturers can size/shape differently) the stiffness of a bowler creates a sensation of it being tighter. Some of mine are also heavier which along with the stiffness can enhance the same effect. I really only discovered fedoras "for real" less than a year ago and was SO amazed that I could wear a wider variety of sizes and ovals and still be comfortable! In a bowler-- shape matters, size matters... ...much more than in a fedora.
My two cents.

That was my first thought as well, but as I have almost 0 experience with fedoras I didn't want to make any assumptions or spin wild theories. The fedoras I tried formed themselves to the shape of my head, and also didn't need to sit quite as far down on my forehead in order to look great. I'll give a 59 a try, see how that works out. Thanks for the advice!

-Andy

 

[Benzadmiral]

In various posts I've seen a reference to the "common" knowledge of when Stetson changed from brown sweatbands to black ones. However, my searches haven't turned up the post or posts in which the knowledge appears. So, when was it? A particular year, a portion of a certain decade, or what?

I have a new-to-me Royal De Luxe OR with a black sweat and a Royal Stetson with a brown, and I'm curious.

 

[masiaka]

It looks like I'm going to have enough money for both a wide brim walking/working hat and a dressier hat without breaking the bank (if I play my cards right). Gotta love having a rich uncle that you didn't know existed.

Which of the OR style fedoras will give me the most bang for my buck and where is the best store to order said hat from? I'd rather not save money on shipping if my new hat gets crushed in the process. Right now I'm leaning toward a Campdraft from Everything Australian, but I don't enough about brands as of yet to decide between that, an original OR, or a resistol. I also have no idea how well any of the online stores pack their hats for shipping. (I'd prefer to buy new rather than get a vintage hat from ebay

 

[rpatrick]

Is it acceptable to wear a Panama hat in the winter if you live in warm climate? Always told not to wear white after labor day

 

[monbla256]

Is it acceptable to wear a Panama hat in the winter if you live in warm climate? Always told not to wear white after labor day

That admonition about white after labor day is somewhat dated in todays world though I also live in a warm spot. I have been known to wear a Panama when it is up in the 80s+ here in Texas though usually not with a suit and tie. Especially during the months of Nov. thru Feb. I would not. A light wieght, light color felt usually works then. But the final decision is up to you and your personal comfort level and where you may be wearing the hat and how you feel about that.

 

[wharvey]

Another question - kind of like the sweatband color question above. I hear the term vintage tossed around like we should all know what it means as to dates. In the case of Stetson, about what years separates vintage from modern?

Also, I have a Stetson 4X beaver Cuerda. I bought it some time around 1990 but don't really remember exactly when. Seems to be a nice hat, comparable to what I now see selling for upwards of $200. Don't have the foggiest memory of what I paid back then. Can anyone tell me anything about the hat such as to years made. I like the style much better than the newer hats with the extremely turned up brims.

Thanks.

 

[scottyrocks]

Is it acceptable to wear a Panama hat in the winter if you live in warm climate? Always told not to wear white after labor day

Ultimately, the question is, 'acceptable to whom?' The people around you who probably don't know a suit from a suite? The people that exist in the ether who do know better but will most likely never see you? Yourself?

I say wear what you like.

 

[VetPsychWars]

It looks like I'm going to have enough money for both a wide brim walking/working hat and a dressier hat without breaking the bank (if I play my cards right). Gotta love having a rich uncle that you didn't know existed.

Which of the OR style fedoras will give me the most bang for my buck and where is the best store to order said hat from? I'd rather not save money on shipping if my new hat gets crushed in the process. Right now I'm leaning toward a Campdraft from Everything Australian, but I don't enough about brands as of yet to decide between that, an original OR, or a resistol. I also have no idea how well any of the online stores pack their hats for shipping. (I'd prefer to buy new rather than get a vintage hat from ebay

My preference for this is a Borsalino Alessandria from Bencraft Hats in New York. Be advised their "taupe" color is actually a dark greenish grey and not really taupe (major disappointment to me).

You can also get a custom Beaver Brand from The Fedora Store. I did one of these in their Bordeaux color and it's a nice hat.

The Alessandia is advertised in open crown but the ones I've received are actually shallowly dented top and front, which is actually a nice thing as it gives you a guide to crease on your own. The Beaver Brand comes with a blocked crease that looks good, if you don't want to be creasing yourself at this point.

This is the Alessandria in "taupe" that I creased myself:

This is the Beaver Brand custom teardrop with the blocked factory crease:

Tom

 

[DJH]

Which of the OR style fedoras will give me the most bang for my buck and where is the best store to order said hat from? I'd rather not save money on shipping if my new hat gets crushed in the process. Right now I'm leaning toward a Campdraft from Everything Australian

I have a Campdraft (Bluegrass Green) and I find it to be a perfect hiking hat. It is comfortable and can take just about any abuse you can throw at it.

My CD is my go-to bad weather hat - its been through snow, rain, cold, heat and is still as good as new. Great value as well.

 

[Yeps]

Is it acceptable to wear a Panama hat in the winter if you live in warm climate? Always told not to wear white after labor day

Well, I am not sure how your weather is, but I have noticed that in warm places, the winters tend to be wetter, which makes panamas tough to wear. If you find it to be appropriate to your weather, go for it. I am having a tough time lately justifying a fedora over a stocking cap around here (except for the rain, the rain demands a brim).