My First Felt Hat (advice please)

[Kai]

Last Spring, I bought my first straw hat (a Montecristi Panama from Brent Black.) I find that I like it a lot. Keeps the sun off my head with a bit more style than a baseball cap. I find that I'm wearing it more than I expected.

So, I'm considering purchasing a fur felt hat, for the cooler seasons when a Panama isn't as appropriate.

For my first hat, what color would folks recommend? I'm leaning toward charcoal grey, or perhaps something a shade or two lighter than charcoal.

Does anyone have experience with a guy named Trent Johnson, in Greeley Colorado? He runs a store called Greeley Hat Works. I live not too far from Greeley, and am considering having him make me a bespoke hat.

What do folks do when they travel? Is it a hassle taking a hat on an airplane?

Lastly, I'm curious about wearing a fedora-style hat in the cold of winter. What do you do about cold ears?

 

[Art Fawcett]

Welcom to the Lounge Kai

You can't go wrong with a grey hat for your first felt. Normally dark grey for winter but it really comes down to what you like and how you want to wear it. In short, personal style. I don't know of anything you can do about cold ears. I guess it's the sacrifice you make for appearance.
Trent Johnson is a well known and respected hatter as well as others, but not as close as he is. I have never handled one of his fedoras so I have little more than reputation to go by and his is a good one!!. I would caution you that he does mainly Westerns which are very much stiffer than the dress fedora so when ordering please mention that stiff is not good in a fedora.

Find a traveling hat case ( Miller hats has one) that is plastic and works well. Looks like luggage

I also make dress hats but am over 1000 miles from you.

Hope this helps

Art

 

[BD Jones]

Welcome! This is what I used the two last years during our late season football games (I'm a HS band director). It wraps around the back of the head, allowing a hat to still be worn. Depending on how low you wear your hat on your head (how close to the ears) this should work fine. It is quite light and very comfortable to wear.

 

[Canadave]

Welcome, Kai-dude. Stick around, you're bound to learn something!

David

PS What's your hat size? (My obsession.)

 

[K.D. Lightner]

Those Noggin Tops look a lot better and more comfortable than ear muffs. Do they make ear muffs anymore?

Ear muffs would make a person look like some sort of furry critter in a hat.

I have also seen people wear a tight watch cap under a fedora (suggest the same color). And I have seen fedoras with ear flaps inside them but they are mostly not the dressy, classy kind.

karol

 

[gcollins]

Hi Kai and all you cool cats.

I find that since a good lid traps in body heat in the winter that my ears and nose (and even feet) don't as easily get cold, even in very cold dry, windy climes like Beijing.

There is magic to a good hat.

 

[gcollins]

By the way, what actually is a "bespoke" hat?

 

[Nathan Flowers]

Main Entry: be?Ǭ?speak
Pronunciation: bi-'spEk
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form(s): be?Ǭ?spoke /-'spOk/; be?Ǭ?spo?Ǭ?ken /-'spO-k&n/; -speak?Ǭ?ing
1 : to hire, engage, or claim beforehand
2 : to speak to especially with formality

It basically means you tell the creator of the good exactly what you want, then they make it. I think you could say it's a superfluous way of saying "custom".

 

[gcollins]

And a find definition indeed, Zohar. I got it. Thanks.

 

[myronw]

Bespoke hat...

Welcome to the lounge, Kai.

I've not dealt with Trent Johnson, but I did do a fair amount of looking before I ordered my first custom hat... I contacted the nearest custom hatter (Other than the stratospheric offerings in Jackson Hole Wyoming!) who happened to live about the same distance from me as Mr. Johnson does from you. He is a fellow who lives in Salmon, Idaho and does business as Jaxonbilt Hats. I had heard from another member on the lounge that he made the Gladhatter's hats; but he said that although he had been associated with Charlie in the past, he hadn't made any custom hats for him for a while. He assured me that Charlie could make me as good a hat as anyone, but that he was more than willing to make one, too.

It's hard to say why one makes a decision like this, but I finally settled on a Gladhatter custom in the 1000X beaver grade. Charlie sent me photos of two hats, one a 25X, and the other a 1000X, and you really can't see any difference. He said that the real difference is in the feel of the felt. Anyway, I was so happy with the first hat, that I have since ordered two more in lighter colors. When I first started talking to him, I was thinking of a charcoal grey, and in subsequent discussions over the telephone (Call him, and he'll call you right back, so that you're talking on his nickel!), and by email, he's told me that he has some very nice charcoal grey bodies, as well as lighter and darker shades. He was also the only one I talked to that had almost any color you want in several different grades of felt, so that you can spend as little or as much as you want.

As for travel, I haven't yet purchased one, but he has connections where he can get really nice custom made hat "luggage". It is made from the highest grade leather and they will make it to fit one, two, or even three hats. Charlie also makes a hat that can be tossed in your suitcase and then shaped as you like when you reach your destination.

Now I know that this post is kind of long, and that it sounds like some kind of an advertisement. That's not my intention... I just hoped to help you avoid some of the research time that I have spent in my search for the "perfect" hat.

Myron

 

[K.D. Lightner]

I also had a positive experience with Charlie at Gladhatter. He was responsive to my emails, showed pictures and styles so that I would know what I was ordering and getting. he ven described the equipment used in the making of the hat.

I got a 25X navy blue fedora and just love it. I am trying to get some pictures so I can show it on this site.

This was also my first experience with a custom hatter and I will also be ordering a new hat sometime in the near future.

good luck with your quest.

karol

 

[Matt Deckard]

There are alot of hatters out there and many different qualitities and ranges felt.

If you are looking for something to keep your head warm, felt is the way to go.

Akubra around $80

They are a tough hat for the price... I am not a great fan of their hats, though I'd buy one in a pinch if I wanted something I could beat the heck out of. I have a slouch hat from them and I don't think it takes the rain as well as some brands, though it is better than Borsalino or Stetsons current offerings.

Peters Bros. custom $185

Custom hatter. Their fedoras are made of a stouter felt that is usually used for cowboy hats, they have a reputation for stiff hats, though they will custom make you anything you want. The only problem I have had with PB is needing to constantly uing a hat stretcher on their hats.

Optimo around $400

My favourite... Their felt is like that of a vintage hat. I have four Optimos. The ones I have have been rained on rolled up and have held up great. Their felt is super soft and super fine.
Optimos are the closest I have seen to what you might find in a department store in the 30's or 40's. They still stitch in their liners.

Those are my take on some of the companies I know.

You may want to give Art a call and see what he can set you up with.

 

[Renderking Fisk]

I can't say enough about the Akubra Federation fedoras.

They're great hats that take a good beating and still look new.

 

[BD Jones]

I too have a custom hat from GH/Charlie. He was a real pleasure to deal with and the felt is fantastic. It is the hat in my avatar. You can read about it and see more pictures here. A top notch hat.

I also have a couple of PB customs. They are great hats and are very stiff at first. However, with wear and a little work they will soften up.

 

[Retro Grouch]

Howdy all,

I stumbled in here after lurking over at the Atomic magazine forums. Great site!

Originally posted by Kai
Does anyone have experience with a guy named Trent Johnson, in Greeley Colorado? He runs a store called Greeley Hat Works. I live not too far from Greeley, and am considering having him make me a bespoke hat.

Kai,
I live in the mountains, not too far west of you. I have seen Trent's shop but it's never open when I venture to Greeley. Don't know much about him but from what everyone has said, it sounds like Trent is a "western" hat maker who makes fedoras also. Not a bad thing, just an obsevation.

I'd be interested in hearing more about Trent's work. I like to support the locals and play with stuff before purchase.

Take care.

 

[Art Fawcett]

Welcome to the Lounge Grouch ( wish I'd have thought of that name) pull up a chair & sip a while!!

 

[Renderking Fisk]

Does Trent have a website?

 

[Andykev]

Ask and you shall receive

He most certainly does. Greely Hatworks.

Nice site.

GREELY HATWORKS

 

[Nathan Flowers]

The only thing about Mr. Johnson's site, is that his "Dress Hats" are too western looking for me.

Perhaps they do well west of the Mississippi, but I'm an east coast/traditional kind of guy, so I dig the styles of Graham and Art.

 

[Andykev]

Western fur felt from Greely and other places

Yes..there is the western look to his hats. MY FIRST fedora EVER was from Jackson Hole .......a silver beaver hat for $125, and it was 50% beaver! It was a nice hat, but stiff as a pizza box. I still have it, Art wouldn't trade anyting for it.

It is really a piece of crap. But for a western, it would be good for a hike in pouring rain while riding ol' Trigger up the dusty or muddy trail. I won't sell it. I decided to keep it and use it as a hat when the rain is coming down in buckets and for some stupid reason my rubber boots want to hike up in the Brinones Regional Park near my house (10,ooo Acres of watershed).