Hat Storage Question

[Doc Glockster]

I've recently purchased a couple of new fur and felt hats, one an Akubra and the other a Stetson.

I basically have a choice of two closets to store them in.

One is a walk-in closet, with a door, attached to the master bathroom. The door will stay shut most of the time, and if I use that closet, the hat will stay in its original box with a hat jack and will be toward the back of the closet. Although the bathroom itself has a shower and will be subject to the steam from that shower, I will maintain a "rule" that the closet is not to be opened if there is any chance that moisture from the shower is still lingering in the bathroom.

The other closet is in a den at the other end of the house, and is also a walk-in closet though not as deep as the other one. It is nowhere near the moisture from the shower, but it is at a corner of the house, and the large windows allow the warmth of the sun to make the den itself rather warm in the afternoon. This warmth is barely mitigated by the air conditioning. People in the room prefer to have a fan on even if the A/C is on. So, in a nutshell, the walk-in closet in this room is dry but is subject to be a little warmer than the rest of the house.

So, the question is: given the choice of these two closets, which would be the best one for storing hats so they do not deteriorate?

 

[belfastboy]

I've recently purchased a couple of new fur and felt hats, one an Akubra and the other a Stetson.

I basically have a choice of two closets to store them in.

One is a walk-in closet, with a door, attached to the master bathroom. The door will stay shut most of the time, and if I use that closet, the hat will stay in its original box with a hat jack and will be toward the back of the closet. Although the bathroom itself has a shower and will be subject to the steam from that shower, I will maintain a "rule" that the closet is not to be opened if there is any chance that moisture from the shower is still lingering in the bathroom.

The other closet is in a den at the other end of the house, and is also a walk-in closet though not as deep as the other one. It is nowhere near the moisture from the shower, but it is at a corner of the house, and the large windows allow the warmth of the sun to make the den itself rather warm in the afternoon. This warmth is barely mitigated by the air conditioning. People in the room prefer to have a fan on even if the A/C is on. So, in a nutshell, the walk-in closet in this room is dry but is subject to be a little warmer than the rest of the house.

So, the question is: given the choice of these two closets, which would be the best one for storing hats so they do not deteriorate?

 

[belfastboy]

I've recently purchased a couple of new fur and felt hats, one an Akubra and the other a Stetson.

I basically have a choice of two closets to store them in.

One is a walk-in closet, with a door, attached to the master bathroom. The door will stay shut most of the time, and if I use that closet, the hat will stay in its original box with a hat jack and will be toward the back of the closet. Although the bathroom itself has a shower and will be subject to the steam from that shower, I will maintain a "rule" that the closet is not to be opened if there is any chance that moisture from the shower is still lingering in the bathroom.

The other closet is in a den at the other end of the house, and is also a walk-in closet though not as deep as the other one. It is nowhere near the moisture from the shower, but it is at a corner of the house, and the large windows allow the warmth of the sun to make the den itself rather warm in the afternoon. This warmth is barely mitigated by the air conditioning. People in the room prefer to have a fan on even if the A/C is on. So, in a nutshell, the walk-in closet in this room is dry but is subject to be a little warmer than the rest of the house.

So, the question is: given the choice of these two closets, which would be the best one for storing hats so they do not deteriorate?

 

[belfastboy]

My experience is that felt hats need not be treated as fragile. They are quite robust. My big concern is moths. And with just two hats that is an easy fix. Perhaps start with a moth trap in whatever closet you choose, take the hat out at least monthly and give a good brushing or a quick steam, use cedar blocks in each hat box as a small measure of prevention. It gets harder as the collection grows. I have my hats strewn all over the house...much to my wife's consternation.....to no ill effect and no moths.

 

[Doc Glockster]

I'm actually more concerned with the sweat band drying out. I've used the leather conditioner on most of my hats over the years, but I'm concerned over long-term storage--like years of not wearing a hat because it's a spare.

 

[KarlCrow]

I'm actually more concerned with the sweat band drying out. I've used the leather conditioner on most of my hats over the years, but I'm concerned over long-term storage--like years of not wearing a hat because it's a spare.

I thought it was mainly salty sweat that did for sweatbands.

 

[moehawk]

I wonder if one of those giant ziplock plastic bags would work to keep a hat at the right humidity to preserve the leather...
Would certainly keep out the moths and beetles.

 

[belfastboy]

I'm actually more concerned with the sweat band drying out. I've used the leather conditioner on most of my hats over the years, but I'm concerned over long-term storage--like years of not wearing a hat because it's a spare.

I think a dab of lexol from time to time would suffice. I have vintage hats 50+ years old and the sweats are still supple and I think the hats have not been babied at all.

 

[jkingrph]

I have boxes that my felt hats came in. When warm weather arrives I put the felt hats back in boxes along with a couple of moth bolls and have no moth problems. Come cooler weather I take them out and odor is gone in a couple of days and my straw hats are in boxes for the winter. It probably takes me 30-40 minutes twice a year too swithch hats around.