Stetson Gresewood Leather....First Hat...

[wolfman]

Hi all,

I have been an occasional visitor here since i was looking to buy my AeroLeather B1 jacket a year or so ago.....

Now im looking to buy my first "real" hat....obviously not to wear with the B1

I have spotted a "stetson greasewood leather" in brown that looks spot on with my walking jacket.....im looking at it as a casual rough an ready hat to keep my head dry in the scottish rain and winds.....

ive looked at a few felt hats but i really like the leather....

I cant really find any information on them or similar hats, other than the same few general comments from websites selling them.

Does anyone out the have any comments or advice on this hat.....

How will it react to getting wet in the rain etc ?

Is leather "better" than Felt or Fur..... ?

Are there any downsides to a hat like this ?

I have been searching a fair bit through this site....but im sorry i havent really found anything sort of specific....so i just had to ask before i part with my cash....

All the best

Ian

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

Hello Ian, and welcome to The Fedora Lounge.

Over the years, I've owned several leather hats. A couple could be considered trilbys by their style/proporions and few others were 'Outback' style hats. I still have a couple of them. The ones with smooth, almost shiny surfaces were fabulous rain protection, the suede one would shelter me from the elements too but wear and soiling show up on it (in fact, it's gotten quite nasty looking over time and I have to admit that I like that ).

I very rarely wear any of these any more as I have grown to be far more comfortable in fur felt snap brim hats. The leather ones are manly and rugged, almost cowboy hats in their styling but with the edgy-ness of leather.

The downsides are that they are physically heavy and can be quite hot to wear. The exception to this is my kangaroo leather hat which is lightweight, flexible, waterproof and my go-to hat for long hikes with a high backpack.

 

[wolfman]

Hi there

thanks for the reply, thats the kind of feedback and comments im looking for about leather style hats.

I also like the rugged look, and also the way they lightly mark up when scratched etc.

I keep going back to the shop to try this hat on.....and the more i try it...i like it.....but.......

im now having trouble deciding which size is right.........the medium, feels nice...snug and not too loose.....but it seems ,according to size guidelines, that it sits too low....ie is too big......It sits just at or on the tops of my ears.........but the Small size down, feels horrible to wear.....its very hard and firm and feels like its sitting on my head like a bowl......if you get what i mean........

Any thoughts ?

cheers

Ian

 

[Dewhurst]

wolfman,

In the hat world sizes in Small (S), Medium (M), Large (L), etc., are usually staged by intervals. So, in more precise hat sizing terms, when you jump from a M down to a S, you are probably actually jumping two "hat" sizes when it is seemingly a single labeled size.

Does the leather hat have a sweatband that you would be able to put a little bit of something behind in order to snug it up at all?

Otherwise, it sounds like, if you want that particular hat, the medium is probably the better choice as it is much closer to the sizing you are looking for.

Take it all with a grain of pixie dust.

 

[Corky]

Over the years, I have owned a few leather hats...

To tell you the truth, I had almost forgotten that I ever owned any leather hats. I have been making things out of various kinds of leather since I was about ten.

Over the years, I have owned several leather hats and caps, of various shapes, designs and types of leather. Hand-made leather caps were briefly in fashion back in the early '70's. And the brimmed models were popular after Clint Eastwood wore one in one of his post-spaghetti Westerns.

I felt much as you do about leather hats when I acquired them. But looking back, I realize that I eventually lost interest in wearing them and gave them all away.

The hats I wear today are all lighter, softer, cooler, and more comfortable than a leather hat would be. I wear a tweed cap or a felt brimmed hat for most days and a sized baseball cap for driving. The felt hats I acquire now have a substantial percentage of Beaver fur.

Leather hats do have a distinctive look and feel, but they tend to be heavy and hot. For the brimmed models, the longer I owned the hats, the less I felt like wearing them. A good felt hat has the opposite characteristics: the more you wear it, the better it looks and feels.

And it has also been my experience that even the best of the leather hats tend to shrink when wet. Also, some of my leather hats did not age well when sitting on the shelf between seasons: the leather dried out and became something that one simply did not want to put into contact with one's skin.

And finally, at least in places like Los Angeles and New York, it must be noted that certain types of leather hats and caps are sometimes considered symbols of identification with particular subcultures. So be aware that you might find you are getting more attention than you bargained for.