I wear a 7, so not far out of the mainstream. Constantly looking for hats in the style of the featherweight I linked.
I thought the same. Also seems like the white lining was taken out, unless it was never there.
John Lofgren Monkey Boots Shinki Horsebuttt - $1,136 The classic monkey boot silhouette in an incredibly rich Shinki russet horse leather. 
Grant Stone Diesel Boot Dark Olive Chromexcel - $395 Goodyear welted, Horween Chromexcel, classic good looks. 
Schott 568 Vandals Jacket - $1,250 The classic Perfecto motorcycle jacket, in a very special limited-edition Schott double rider style. 
Any suggestions on who to send this to for repairs? The sweatband is almost separated and I want to find someone who can reattach it without damaging the sweat. Any recommendations/solicitations are much appreciated! TIA!
Rick,contact Bond or Tim Mahovich.
Great recommendations. Thanks!
Hi Foghorn,welcome to the Lounge.
Welcome!
It's fairly common for felt hats to taper and become misshapen when they get wet. Some handle foul weather better than others. Reblocking isn't exactly cheap, but it's the only way to restore a hat when it's really out of shape. A good wood hat block is close to $200 but if you have a lot of hats it's a good investment. If you foresee using a block infrequently you should check out Hat Shapers plastic blocks for about the price having one hat reblocked.
http://www.hatshapers.com/Product Pages/Straight_Sided_Dome.htm
I use the straight sided dome for reblocking when I don't use a wood block.
One last piece of advice: always let your felt hats dry naturally, even if it takes a few days. Never use any form of heat.
And one more piece of advice: umbrellas are better than hats when it's bucketing down rain.
Greetings All:Long time no post, but I need some advice on the old size-up or size-down question. I am looking to get a campaign hat (think Smokey Bear, not Rough Riders). Usually I wear a 7-1/4, but measurement-wise I'm between a 7-1/8 and 7-1/4. And I've recently figured out that I'm an extra long oval.
Stratton's felt campaign hats come in XLO and I recently went to a local uniform shop to try the Stratton size rings. The size rings confirmed the head shape, but left me utterly perplexed regarding the sizing. The first one I tried was the 7-1/4 XLO and it was like putting a hoola hoop over my head. Then I tried the 7-1/8 XLO and it fell down and rested on my ears. So I tried the 7 XLO and it sat ever so slightly higher on my head, but very close to where I'd want to wear the hat.
The shop didn't have any hats in the style I wanted in XLO to try on, but did have one in another style in a 7 XLO. And of course it was too small and sat on my head like a kids' hat. My theory is that the size rings actually match the blocks and don't account for the sweatband, which makes no sense at all from the perspective of trying to figure out what size you wear. Go figure.
Anyway, my head measurement is 22-3/8". Stratton says a 7-1/8 is 22-1/4" (or 1/8" smaller than my head) and a 7-1/4 is 22-5/8" (or 1/4" larger than my head). Normally I'd go up and put padding behind the sweatband and so far every hat I own has eventually shrunk to fit. But I have no idea what to expect from a stiff hat like a campaign hat.
So, do I go with the 7-1/8 and try to stretch it out the extra 1/8" or go with the 7-1/4 and pad it in the hope it might shrink a little?
All comments welcome and appreciated. Extra points for comments coupled with experience.
I agree 100%. If you know you're going to experience weather conditions that might somehow damage a vintage or otherwise hard to replace hat, wear a different hat or bring an umbrella. But rain is ultimately only water and as long as you treat your hat properly if/when it gets wet, i.e. set it aside and let it dry at room temperature, even a half-way decent fur felt hat should be just fine. Regarding wool felt hats, I've only owned really cheap ones that all shrunk in a relatively short period of time no matter what I did, so based on my experience I wouldn't recommend them. That being said...
I also agree with this 100%. I currently have six Akubra hats, have worn all of them in light to medium rain storms at one time or another, and they all survived just fine; if anything, the rain made them a little softer. But I have worn two of them in drenching downpours that soaked the felt thoroughly--Akubra has a reputation for durability, so I thought I'd put it to the test--and they also survived with no apparent ill effects. I have zero experience with modern production hats made by other manufacturers like Stetson so I don't know whether or not they would survive such a test (I suspect they would), but my Akubras have proven themselves to me. Here on The Lounge Akubra has it's devotees and detractors, but I think everyone who wears hats regularly should own at least one if for no other reason than to wear it as a dedicated "rain hat". And if it somehow gets damaged, unlike most vintage hats it can easily be replaced.
