Summer hat for rainy Seattle

[TopGumby]

Hey, sunshine and low fifties today...Spring is peeking at us early here in the Pacific NW.

The weather has me thinking about a summer hat. I've currently got an fawn Akubra Stylemaster that is my everyday lid, and a Resistol San Antonio OR clone that gets weekend duty. Not exactly hot weather gear, although the Resistol in Silverbelly comes closer, IMHO.

My budget is going to be under $50, so unfortunately that rules out a lot of nice Panama type hats.

I like the look of the Stetson Retro, but I've heard that traditional straw hats don't tolerate rain, and we sometimes get rain with our sun.

I know Akubra makes Summer lids out of Polypro eek: ), and it seems that would be a good match for any moisture, but a plastic hat? I dunno if I can do it.

So, my questions for the oracle of all things hat related that is the FL:

Any sub $50 straws with a fedora style worth looking at?

Will rain kill 'em, and if so, is Scotchgard a possible defense?

Anybody have any dealings with the plastic Akubras?

Thanks in advance.

 

[jpbales]

Yes!

I would say that a Sunbody hat may be your solution:
https://ssl.webwize.com/Sunbody/category.cfm?Category=6&CFID=5298458&CFTOKEN=11723568

It's made of woven palms in Guatemala. It gives you a similar look to a panama hat, but it also gives you a lot of durability and can be worn in the rain. Not to mention, the price is right! Plus, you can get open-crown ones along with a plethora of other options including different ribbon sizes and colors, bound edges, eyelets, brim trims, etc.

A 3" brim, 5 1/4" open crown starts at 34.50

I just got one a few days ago, and I will tell you that I am very impressed by it and I recommend it. It is definitely water-friendly, rebashes with just being wetted a little, and it will conform perfectly to your head just by wetting it a bit and putting it on your head. It immediately conforms and then dries the same. I think it's great. I can't wait until summer to test it out!

Check out the Sunbody Association thread (lots of info posted, some by yours truly):
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=37036

Anywho, that's a long enough rant!
Good luck,
Jimmy

 

[RBH]

I say SunBody also..

 

[Esme]

Sunshine and the LOW 50'S!!!

Wahhhhhhh, I wanna go home!!!!

It's been so hot here my legs ache and I feel like I haven't stopped sweating in four days! I miss the Pacific Northwest.

Sorry to be so off topic.

fftopic:

 

[Aaron Hats]

Straw and rain don't go together. You could go with a Sunbody hat because they're actually shaped by dunking them in water. There are a couple things to keep in mind though. First, they're much heavier than most other straw hats. Second, they can be very warm in hot weather so you may want to choose one that has vent holes in the crown.

Good luck with your search.

Aaron

 

[gtdean48]

Here during the warm Georgia spring, summer & fall, I just take the liner out of a felt hat. Seems to help my head breathe & keeps the rain off. I wear felts year round in the rain. My shantung straw hats don't do well in the wet...

 

[Dewhurst]

Those Guatemalan palm leaf hats can be really warm, as Aaron Hats said above.

The durability of straw hats is really not much compared to felt hats. Straw hats get dirty really easy, don't like rain very much, sweat has negative effects in short amounts of time, and they always seem to start cracking before you even get a real chance to get them worn in well. Maybe it is just me. [huh]

Maybe you could try a light colored felt hat, preferably with no lining as gtdean said above. That would be the most durable, and if you wear it out on a few hot days, you may be surprised how little difference there is between a felt hat in summer and other materials during the same season.

Another option could be to go with a light-weight linen hat. There are linen walking hats, linen fedoras, etc.

Ugh, too much talking by me. Anyway, take my opinion with a grain of salt, as I have never had a good experience with a straw/shantung/palm leaf, etc., hat as of yet. I may be biased due to bad experiences.

Oh yeah, forgot to mention this, but where I live here in the South it doesn't really matter what hat you wear during the summer. Sweating bullets is the name of the game. It is more important to keep the sun off.

 

[citRon]

How about the Campdraft in a light color? Are these thin enough to wear in the Summer? -Do they come with a liner?

 

[JohnnyB53]

Hey, sunshine and low fifties today...Spring is peeking at us early here in the Pacific NW.

The weather has me thinking about a summer hat. I've currently got an fawn Akubra Stylemaster that is my everyday lid, and a Resistol San Antonio OR clone that gets weekend duty. Not exactly hot weather gear, although the Resistol in Silverbelly comes closer, IMHO.

My budget is going to be under $50, so unfortunately that rules out a lot of nice Panama type hats.

You may want to check in-store at some local vendors. The David Morgan showroom is in Bothell, and he has an Ecuadoran-made Panama Barossa for just a little over your budget at $75:

It's a very nice hat. If you have a normal day job, you may have a little trouble hooking up as Morgan's showroom is only open 8-5, M-F. They also have a "reject pile," so you might get lucky and find a second on a $125 hat for $50.

Then there's Byrnie Utz's downtown on Pine near 3rd, most hats per square foot you'll ever see, with knowledgeable and helpful staff.

Finally, you'd be surprised what you can find at Fred Meyer ("what's on your list today..."). I have an Australian-designed, Chinese-made safari-style straw hat (complete with forest green puggaree hatband) that I got at Meyer for about $20 on closeout. For the straw hats check both the men's and women's clothes sections. A safari hat looks fine on either sex. The brand name is "Summer Club."

 

[HatDoc]

Hey, sunshine and low fifties today...Spring is peeking at us early here in the Pacific NW.
Anybody have any dealings with the plastic Akubras?

Thanks in advance.

TG,

I've had the same dilemma. I finally decided on the following:

1) I bought a Sunbody directly from Sunbody.....I had him cut down the brim to 2-5/8 and add a beige ribbon...just like RBH's hat (see the Sunbody Association link above). I'll use this hat for my outdoor activities during the summer when it's rainy. I love the hat.....I rebashed it a little and everything they say about them is true. I'm not too worried about the weight. It's not a Panama, but it also won't wilt in the rain. I'll post a photo later.

2) I bought an Akubra Capricorn from EA.....it's been shipped and should arrive later this week. I'll use this for "around town" summer hat when it's rainy outside. I think it'll look okay....just worried about the narrow brim.
Will also post photos later this week.

I'll reserve my Panamas and nice Milans for nice weather.

Good luck.

Randy

 

[RBH]

TG,

I've had the same dilemma. I finally decided on the following:

1) I bought a Sunbody directly from Sunbody.....I had him cut down the brim to 2-5/8 and add a beige ribbon...just like RBH's hat (see the Sunbody Association link above). I'll use this hat for my outdoor activities during the summer when it's rainy. I love the hat.....I rebashed it a little and everything they say about them is true. I'm not too worried about the weight. It's not a Panama, but it also won't wilt in the rain. I'll post a photo later.

2) I bought an Akubra Capricorn from EA.....it's been shipped and should arrive later this week. I'll use this for "around town" summer hat when it's rainy outside. I think it'll look okay....just worried about the narrow brim.
Will also post photos later this week.

I'll reserve my Panamas and nice Milans for nice weather.

Good luck.

Randy

Randy... you are a very wise man!!!

 

[HatDoc]

Sorry for the double post, but I've been thinking.

If you only have 50 bucks and you MUST have a water-resistant hat, and you want a Fedora style....you don't have a lot of choices.

The Sunbody is NOT a dress hat. It's okay for casual, but you wouldn't want to wear it to town.

The Panama is NOT water resistant.

The Akubra Capricorn is probably your best bet.

That's my $.02

 

[TopGumby]

I'm looking pretty hard at the poly Akubras and the Sunbody hats.

The hat is going to be worn mostly with collared shirts and shorts and tennis shoes, so it's pretty much casual. I'm thinking I might go straw when there is no rain in the forecast.

I'll wait to hear about the Capricorn - I was looking over the EA site and it did catch my eye.

Randy, what color did you order your Capricorn in?

 

[Splitcoil]

Rain in the summer?

Pardon me if you're a long-timer up here, but I wouldn't worry too much about rain in the summer. We don't get too much in my experience.

Summertime I stick with my lighter weight felt hats, a Chinese plastic fake-straw stingy brim I picked up at Byrie Utz which looks surprisingly good and is very comfortable and uber cheap, and a fairly lousy Panama which IIRC is a Bailey. I can't stand that Panama, but I'm not crazy about straws and can't make myself spend money on a good one.

 

[TopGumby]

I'm a long time Puget Sound resident, and while I know that we do get long strings of sunny Summer days (Don't tell anyone from out of state!) I'm also thinking of late Spring/early Fall.

I quess I've read enough about rain destroying straw hats that I'm paranoid. Perhaps it isn't such a big deal?

 

[JohnnyB53]

I'm a long time Puget Sound resident, and while I know that we do get long strings of sunny Summer days (Don't tell anyone from out of state!) I'm also thinking of late Spring/early Fall.

I quess I've read enough about rain destroying straw hats that I'm paranoid. Perhaps it isn't such a big deal?

Bailey makes an extensive line of straw hats at reasonable prices, and all have been treated to repel water. I think you'd find something in your budget here. At $40, the Bailey Barnett is my favorite from the bunch:

Speaking to Seattle's short summer and long transitional seasons, maybe you should consider an Akubra Safari, which is like a CEO (fur felt) but with vent holes, a different color selection, and a dimensional brim:

You could get it from Everything Australian for about $70 shipped.

Nungar Trading Co. carries some Akubra hats made of hemp braid. Check out the Planter, Range, and Reef.

 

[Lamont Cranston]

Seattle Summer Hat

What about a vintage Stetson open road?
I have several and wear them in the summer and on most days it is not too hot in Seattle, and you can find them around. Just be sure to find an old one that is not stiff. Stetson still makes them, but the new ones are cardboard.

I have some Stratoliners too and they are perfect for Seattle, but they have become very expensive.



However, If you do go with an open road you would still need a panama for the really hot days.

 

[JohnnyB53]

What about a vintage Stetson open road?
I have several and wear them in the summer and on most days it is not too hot in Seattle, and you can find them around. Just be sure to find an old one that is not stiff. Stetson still makes them, but the new ones are cardboard.

I have some Stratoliners too and they are perfect for Seattle, but they have become very expensive.

However, If you do go with an open road you would still need a panama for the really hot days.

A vintage OR makes some sense. If you have trouble finding a vintage soft, open crown Open Road style hat in light summer colors, there's always the Akubra Campdraft.

I have an Akubra David Morgan Bushman, which is pretty much a Campdraft with chinstrap hooks and a 3-1/4" brim. I anticipate that this hat will work well through most of the summer as the crown is large with an airy feel and the felt is on the light side.

 

[Lefty]

Two Suggestions

For doing whatever it is that you Seattle people do, here are a some options.

 

[Mahagonny Bill]

As one of the rare Seattle Natives, I use the following:

The hat I'm wearing in my current avatar is a cheap palm panama I picked up at Bernie Utz for around $60.00. It is a Fedora style with a C-crown. I think it looks good enough for everyday wear and it is cheap enough that I don't care if it gets ruined in a sudden downpour. I have worn it through light rains with no troubles. I think it was made by Pacific Crest.

When it gets stormy, I wear a Tilley TH4 Hemp. Not the most fashionable hat but it looks better than a Gortex rain hat, is as breathable as the Panama, and sheds rain like a duck. The price is approx. $80.00 US.