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Felt hats in summer..

Quetzal

One of the Regulars
Messages
147
Location
United States
Clearly, wearing a felt hat is better than no hat: I'd rather have a brim to protect me from the sun's rays than just sunglasses. Besides, my head would be freaking out if it were naked outside.

-Quetzal
 

Nyah

One of the Regulars
Messages
283
Location
Northern Virginia, USA.
I wish there were tweed fedoras with 2.5" brims. I have a tweed cap that's quite comfortable to wear in any weather (untested in desert climates though).

APP Adrian said:
Now that summer is over. Do you guys wear straw hats when it's really hot out, but the sky is full of clouds?
I wear my panama only if the chance of rain is low.
 
Last edited:

Quetzal

One of the Regulars
Messages
147
Location
United States
I wish there were tweed fedoras with 2.5" brims. I have a tweed cap that's quite comfortable to wear in any weather (untested in desert climates though).


Only if the chance of rain is low.

Oh, but there are... just look around in thrift stores; the 1970s produced some very nice looking (contrary to popular belief, not all of the 1970s clothes were garbage) tweed hats. One time at Goodwill, there were FIVE like-new hats in the "Men's Bin", all from the 1970s, consisting of a gray and a brown fur felt hat, a gray tweed one, a dark brown/green velour one, and a beat-up straw hat; unfortunately, I only saw these from a distance, as around ten people, both men and women raced over to the bin and savagely took all five of them.

I've always thought that a dark gray tweed hat with a little feather is the ultimate "casual" hat, but only works with vested "casual" fabric suits like corduroy and tweed, or with an overcoat or a simple raincoat (this combination is what I think of when I hear 1970s clothing; my folks remember seeing men of various ages wearing these in the winter with their suits and overcoats in the busier parts of Chicago).

-Quetzal
 

Mr Oldschool

One of the Regulars
Messages
108
Location
Southern Oregon
I've been wearing my felt all along, although I have a milan I've been alternating with it. When it looks like it could rain, I only take the felt. Heat be darned.
 

Mystic

Practically Family
Messages
882
Location
Northeast Florida
I live in a pretty warm region of the north Central Valley in California, and alternate between straws and lightweight vintage felts like the Champ featherweight and analogs by other hat makers in the summer with pretty good results.

Me Too.

I'm in Florida. Hot and humid summers. I wear mostly straws in summer. I have quite a few and like Milans in summer.
I also have a couple of vintage lightweight felts. No liners with tip stickers. Both do well for me in the heat and humidity. I haven't weighed the Milans but they seem to be heavier than some of the lightweight felts.
 

Renault

One Too Many
Messages
1,688
Location
Wilbarger creek bottom
Felt year round. Whether it's 10 or 110 degrees F. Don't matter. I sweat just as much with a felt has as I would with a straw.

Always feel that felt is better protection. Dunno? Just me.

And I wear a hat every day.
 

Quetzal

One of the Regulars
Messages
147
Location
United States
Felt year round. Whether it's 10 or 110 degrees F. Don't matter. I sweat just as much with a felt has as I would with a straw.

Always feel that felt is better protection. Dunno? Just me.

And I wear a hat every day.

Perhaps it's the notion that felt is MUCH more durable than straw, especially if the weather were to become nasty. This is my logic, anyway.

-Quetzal
 

jkingrph

Practically Family
Messages
848
Location
Jacksonville, Tx, West Monroe, La.
Straw in summer, and a ventilated straw is cooler than one that is not. For yard work a cheap fedora, cotton brim and crown top, the crown sides are a nylon mesh all around, and the sweatband and brim often gets sweat soaked.

Cooler weather, it's felt all the way
 

Nyah

One of the Regulars
Messages
283
Location
Northern Virginia, USA.
Quetzal said:
Oh, but there are... just look around in thrift stores; the 1970s produced some very nice looking (contrary to popular belief, not all of the 1970s clothes were garbage) tweed hats. One time at Goodwill, there were FIVE like-new hats in the "Men's Bin", all from the 1970s, consisting of a gray and a brown fur felt hat, a gray tweed one, a dark brown/green velour one, and a beat-up straw hat; unfortunately, I only saw these from a distance, as around ten people, both men and women raced over to the bin and savagely took all five of them.

I've always thought that a dark gray tweed hat with a little feather is the ultimate "casual" hat, but only works with vested "casual" fabric suits like corduroy and tweed, or with an overcoat or a simple raincoat (this combination is what I think of when I hear 1970s clothing; my folks remember seeing men of various ages wearing these in the winter with their suits and overcoats in the busier parts of Chicago).

-Quetzal

Sadly those hats usually have brims which are not wide enough to provide sun protection. If they had a 2.5" brim, and no water repellent added, they'd be great all-around hats for the type of climate I'm usually in (not sure about desert areas). Lightweight tweed works for me in both Winter and Summer.
 

Blackthorn

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,568
Location
Oroville
I have lost patience, waiting for cooler weather to finally get here. I miss wearing my fur felts so much that I am trying to jump start autumn and am now wearing my old beater Stetson Nostalgia every day in this 95 degree weather.
 

HeyMoe

Practically Family
Messages
698
Location
Central Vermont
I have lost patience, waiting for cooler weather to finally get here. I miss wearing my fur felts so much that I am trying to jump start autumn and am now wearing my old beater Stetson Nostalgia every day in this 95 degree weather.
I have been wearing felt for a few weeks up here in Vermont - 49 degrees and cloudy.
 

Seb Lucas

I'll Lock Up
Messages
7,562
Location
Australia
I wear this in 115 degree heat. That's what they were designed for.

cattleman.jpg


I don't generally wear a hat in winter.
 

jkingrph

Practically Family
Messages
848
Location
Jacksonville, Tx, West Monroe, La.
We are still running in the mid to upper 80's here. I am planning on packing up my straws and getting the felts out tomorrow as we are due a couple of "cold" fronts next week. I did take Panama hats direct up on a sale with reduced shipping on a super fino gambler style straw though.
 

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