Size variation between brands?

[retrofashion]

Is there any variation of size between hat brands? I’m normally a 7 ¼ hat size, but I recently bought a Stetson out of the bay and when it arrived it is too small. I also tried a couple of Jaxon hats and their size L is too big for me and their size M is a bit too small, but this 7 ¼ Stetson I got is even smaller than the size M Jaxon. Any ideas?
Thanks.

 

[HamletJSD]

There are small variations even within the same brand! I have three Akubras, each size 60, and they all fit slightly different.

I think there are definitely some brand differences, but you may find that, with used hats, it is more often the way they were treated by their previous owner...

 

[Akubra Guy]

Hat sizes vary so much with vintage hats as well as new production hats . I never trust that tag -- I like to think of it as a "guide". You have to know your head measurement and if you can't try it on you have to have them give you the exact measurement around the sweatband to see if it close enough to get it to fit correctly before you buy/bid.

I'm just under 6 7/8 but I have sizes from 6 3/4 to 7 in my collection that fit correctly. A little investigation pays off in the end as there is nothing worse than getting a hat and it doesn"t fit!!

 

[MikeS]

^^^...as stated above.

I talked with one guy in particular who had three different hats from three different manufacturers all labelled with differing fitted sizes. They all fit the same. Go figure...

 

[tandmark]

Howdy,

To second what HamletJSD said, right now I'm looking at two Dobbs fedoras: A stingy-brim felt and a straw. Both fit fine. But the first is marked 7 1/2 while the other is a 7 5/8.

And to second what Akubra Guy & MikeS said, the same thing happens when you compare hats from different brands. Here's another stingy-brim, a vintage McAndrew marked 7 3/8. Too small for me? Nope. It had to be shimmed up quite a bit in order to make it wearable at all.

That last example is a bit of a cheat, though. McAndrew is a British maker, so their 7 3/8 ought to be equivalent to the US 7 1/2. But even so, it's considerably bigger than the straw Dobbs fedora that's marked as being an eighth of a size bigger than that. So my cheat is only a little bit of a cheat.

(For the record, my head measures 24 1/4 inch or 61 1/2 cm around, which ought to be a pretty straightforward size 7 5/8. If only life were that simple!)

Cheers,
Mark

 

[Cat In The Hat]

As you can see by the posts, everybody has had hats of the same size fit differently. I've even had hats from the same company fit differently. In fact, I have two hats from the same company, the same model/style, (only in different colors) and they fit differently. I've got European hats that are the same 56 size but they fit differently. It's hard to figure out what to do when ordering online. I guess don't be afraid to send it back and get the right size. But it's always best to try it on, obviously.

I've got a 6 7/8 Borso that fits well although I'm a 7 1/8. Go figure.

 

[retrofashion]

Yes, I guess I learned the lesson.
For now on I will always ask measures.

 

[fatwoul]

How much too small is the Stetson? Can you not put it in a stretcher? That can usually get about one size more out of a hat if you need to.

 

[retrofashion]

It has a 7 1/4 tag but it barely measures 22".