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fur felt in hot weather?

johnnycanuck

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,008
Location
Alberta
This topic gets brought up a few times a year. Myself I wear felt year round. From -30 degrees Celsius to plus 30 degrees Celsius. But that's just me. :)
Johnny
 

theinterchange

One Too Many
Messages
1,673
Location
Why do you ask?
Living in Central Florida, I wear felt year 'round. Have never seen the need for wearing straw during the summer months. [but must admit when I briefly owned a Penman last summer, it was THICK and HOT]
 

dlvh

New in Town
Messages
45
Location
Michigan, USA
Thanks for the input guys.

It sounds/reads like the Felt Fedoras can get a bit too hot for some of the warmest days in the summer months. I'll have to get myself a lighter colored Felt Fedora, seeings I only have a Black one and a Brown one...most likely I'll be purchasing a Straw Fedora pretty soon here, but I'm going to keep my eyes open for a Silver-Belly or similar colored Fur Felt, sometime in the future as well.
 

Engrishman

Familiar Face
Messages
92
Location
Vancouvice-vancouversa
I live North of the Border, and I have to admit that on a hot summer day, nothing cooks your head like a felt hat. I bought my first one during summer and came to regret it really fast.

Then I wore it again during winter, and all was well.
 

Salty O'Rourke

Practically Family
Messages
636
Location
SE Virginia
Here in the southeastern corner of the Old Dominion, I can wear my "regular" felts until mid-April. Then I have a couple of lightweight vintage felts that will get me into late May/early June. I start easing the straws into the rotation around mid-May and they get me through late September/early October when the felts come out again.
 

daizawaguy

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,661
Location
Tokyo
It`s related to humidity. In a dry hot climate (like Australia) felts are fine at 40 degrees C, but with humidity even at 20 degrees they feel uncomfortable. As soon as you sweat with a felt on, you`ll want to switch to straw...
 

Blackthorn

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,567
Location
Oroville
Yeah...where is he? Anyone know?
After an absence of a month or two, he posted again to say that he had congestive heart failure, which made it difficult to even get up off the couch. He posted once or twice after that, and then stopped. He had such a great sense of humor.
 

Burton

One of the Regulars
Messages
144
Location
Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station
Blackthorn, I've used fur felt hats in very hot tropical weather and find they work fine. Not sure anything is really "cool" in such conditions. I do use Panama straw hats for dressy occasions but I dont like them for tough conditions. As you mentioned being concerned about "ruining" the hat I suppose all mine are ruined by some folks standards but to me thats part of their charm.
 

ScionPI2005

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,335
Location
Seattle, Washington
I can't wear fur felt all year around. I don't know if I'm just sensitive to the heat, but generally once the temperature reaches the mid 70's (and definitely by 80 degrees), I have to go to straw fedoras or linen caps. All in all, I get about six months out of each year to wear fur felts, and then another six months for straws and caps.
 

Scotus

One of the Regulars
Messages
176
Location
Illinois
According to a blog I just read, straw hat season is from May 15 to September 1, when you can put your felt hat back on. ;) I had remembered it was June-something. I just put the straw one on when it seems too warm for the felt.
 

Benzadmiral

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,815
Location
The Swamp
Down h'yar I'm lucky to wear even a light, unlined felt past mid-April & not again 'til November! :confused:
Don't I know it, Rick. That's when I'm most active, from December to March or so, when it's actually possible to dress like a grownup, when it's possible to go outside and not have your hands feel as though they've been dipped in glue (from the humidity).

That said, I'm going to attempt wearing the light, unlined Resistol Open Road clone for a while this "spring." It's risky, but someone's gotta do it. Tell Mama I died game.
 

Harry Gooch

One of the Regulars
Messages
176
Location
The North
The hat liners with the plastic tops are killers in the heat. I removed the liners from all of my Akubras, and put them back in during winter time. No worries, even in 30 C heat.

I find that the felt nicely insulates my head from the noonday sun. Mad dogs and Englishmen?

Harry.
 

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