Warm Weather Hat: Holds Shape, Water Resistant, Crushable

[jfruser]

Howdy:

The short of it:
Any ideas about a warm-weather hat that resists water, is crushable / foldable, will hold its shape, and can be worn in business casual environments (or settings of similar formality)?

My Tilley T3 has given me great service this last year. I probably washed it 6-8 times. I have also taken to giving it a silicone/scotch-guarding after it has dried out.

Unfortunately, it has the dreaded canvas droop that even the thickest canvas succumbs to.

This thread http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=28408&highlight=tilley+shape showed a way to re-shape it, but it is just plain showing enough wear to render it unpresentable in say, a business casual environment. It is now a casual wear hat.

I would like something that has the Tilley features (cool in warm weather, crushable, water resistant, etc.) but in something that will hold its shape and look a little nicer, or at least nice enough for business casual. A 3" brim +/-, looks best on me. Stingy brims look goofy on me (I am larger than average.)

Peters Bros in FTW is an hour away and they have a hemp fedora with a semi-stingy brim. Aside from the semi-stingy brim, the hemp material was porous, kind of like a straw, and would not have blocked a drop. Perfect for arid climates, but I need a hat that will keep my head dry in the rain, too.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

(BTW, Peters Bros is a lesser store than it used to be. They stock very little non PB-made hats and getting a non-PB hat is all "look through the catalog & order.")

 

[Rick Blaine]

Don't want much, do ya'?

Howdy:

The short of it:
Any ideas about a warm-weather hat that resists water, is crushable / foldable, will hold its shape, and can be worn in business casual environments (or settings of similar formality)?

My Tilley T3 has given me great service this last year. I probably washed it 6-8 times. I have also taken to giving it a silicone/scotch-guarding after it has dried out.

Unfortunately, it has the dreaded canvas droop that even the thickest canvas succumbs to.

This thread http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=28408&highlight=tilley+shape showed a way to re-shape it, but it is just plain showing enough wear to render it unpresentable in say, a business casual environment. It is now a casual wear hat.

I would like something that has the Tilley features (cool in warm weather, crushable, water resistant, etc.) but in something that will hold its shape and look a little nicer, or at least nice enough for business casual. A 3" brim +/-, looks best on me. Stingy brims look goofy on me (I am larger than average.)

Peters Bros in FTW is an hour away and they have a hemp fedora with a semi-stingy brim. Aside from the semi-stingy brim, the hemp material was porous, kind of like a straw, and would not have blocked a drop. Perfect for arid climates, but I need a hat that will keep my head dry in the rain, too.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

(BTW, Peters Bros is a lesser store than it used to be. They stock very little non PB-made hats and getting a non-PB hat is all "look through the catalog & order.")

When you find a lid w/ all the above properties, I wanna know what it is 'cuz I'll buy a few!

 

[fluteplayer07]

All I can think of is a Milan Straw. Meets most of your requirements, but not all. If I come up with anything else, I'll let you know.

flute

 

[Mr E Train]

How about a good Panama?

 

[Duper]

jfruser, I'm guessing you have looked at them already but Tilley offers a number of options for styles and fabrics. I get lots of compliments on my Tilley LTM5. Tilley has also just come out with some new hats for 2010 that may suit the bill.

I also have a Kakadu Trader Soaka hat that is somewhat similar to a Tilley but with a much stiffer brim. I don't think it would be as crushable as a Tilley as it is made of polyester suede so it might look the worse for the wear if you packed it in a suitcase. It was however much less expansive than my Tilley. They claim it is Washable, Crushable, Stackable, Packable.

I also recently received a Sunbody Guatemalan straw hat but the crown on that is quite stiff so I wouldn't want to squish it either. We haven't had the weather here yet to wear it out of the house.

I'm anxious to see what other suggestions come from this inquiry.

 

[jfruser]

jfruser, I'm guessing you have looked at them already but Tilley offers a number of options for styles and fabrics...

I also have a Kakadu Trader Soaka...

I also recently received a Sunbody Guatemalan straw hat...

I'm anxious to see what other suggestions come from this inquiry.

Tilley is the first place I looked. No love, but I have resolved to buy one of their winter hats or the Montana hat for cold weather.

The only Soaka I saw that was fabric had a mesh-type crown.

The Sunbody Guatemalan looks interesting.

Which leads me to...

How about a good Panama?

I thought Panamas were no good in the rain? If they are good-to-go in the rain, they might do the trick.

I could give up on the crushable/foldable for merely "durable, will withstand some abuse," perhaps.

See, my toddlers, from whom I can keep my hats at home, are pretty quick. When I am out & about (especially at a restaurant where I have removed my hat to eat so as not to seem a barbarian) they can get their hands on it. In a split second, I hear, "Daddy look, I'm wearing your hat!" as one yanks it down on his head with full force, popping out the crown and flipping down the brim.

I haven't made too big a deal of it, since my Tilly T3 and my Dorfman Pacific / Scala "Hiker" (wool felt, crushable) can take this in stride. Might have to crack down.

I'll keep looking on my own. If I find something, I'll be sure to post.

 

[S. Beagles]

I like a good straw hat in the summer. Panama or Milan works for me. Its so easy to reshape them if they get wet and bent up. I just wet them with a spray bottle and bend and shape or add weights to warped areas.

 

[carldelo]

I highly recommend the Akubra Capricorn - very presentable, dressy polystraw with classic fedora styling (almost exactly the same dimensions as the Stylemaster). The polystraw is impervious to water, the crown is vented. Not crushable, but pretty tough. Oh, and it's inexpensive and is quite popular with many loungers. Oddly, I have no pictures of my gray Capricorn, which is really nice, but there's a big-ol' thread about it here:

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=38186

PS - I should put in the plug - Everything Australian went the extra mile and convinced Akubra to make one in size 62 for me, even though it wasn't previously offered. The Capricorn is a great lid and gets many compliments. Check out the many photos in the thread.

 

[carldelo]

OK, I guess I do have some pics of the Capricorn - click the thumbnails to see it alongside a Stylemaster:

 

[laotou]

I have been eyeballing this hat at Sunbody
There is a hat shop near me that is on their retailer list. I plan to stop by and have a look.
I want to see the difference between the standard and fine.
For $36 to $70 I'm thinking ...maybe.

 

[Woodfluter]

Hey JFRUSER -

Welcome to the Lounge!

I understand your dilemma. Milans are an alternative. There's few of the "for real" milans around as new items, and most of them are made of some synthetic. However, not so bad for all that. Here's a Dobbs Arcadia (2-1/2" brim) that I wore on and off last summer:



It has some style and is weather resistant if you get caught in a downpour! Also has leather sweatband. I'll have to say it isn't as cool as a Panama - or the hemp Tilleys.

I'm a geologist who gets afield at times and also like to do stuff outdoors, so I've been a Tilley fan for quite a few years - in warmer weather. More recently I've only worn the brown hemp Tilleys - TH4 and TH5, identical apart from brim width. They shed water every bit as well as the canvas and nylantium ones, probably a bit better, but appear more porous until damp, so breathe very well (in addition to the huge ventilation grommets!) They don't appear to shrink at all. I've never washed them or thought they needed it. The sides of the crown will wrinkle very readily if packed flat, but a bit of steam fixes that in a jiffy. Not quite what you're looking for in presentability, but putting that out there for those interested anyway. A super field hat.

- Bill

P.S. Belatedly noticed problem with ImageShack - now picture of "milan" shows. Also failed to note that you want crushable too...leaving out milan types I guess! Sorry!

 

[deenis]

Here is my answer....

I think this is working well for me and might work well for you.
Check out my post on the Borsalino Crushable/water repellant hat.
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=29646&page=218
This is the hat in black. I also have the hat in brown. I bought the second one because the first one was working so well. It kept my head dry, looked great, and was so light that I barely knew it was on. It folds nicely too.

 

[fluteplayer07]

I also own the TH4. As the other fluter said, it doesn't have a lot going for it in terms of style, but it blocks the sun well, doesn't shrink at all, and stands up to heavy downpours. Recommended if you need something that will get roughed up. But other than that, if I were in your situation, I'd be taking a good look at that Akubra Polystraw. Good brand, and looks pretty nice in my opinion. Good luck in your hunt!

flute

 

[carldelo]

Crushable polystraw

The Capricorn is a great hat, not crushable though. I also have and recommend the 'Joe Fedora,' which is a very soft poly hat that looks like Milan straw. It is fully crushable, has a coolmax fabric sweatband and a 2-3/4 brim. It has a somewhat obtrusive windcord (can be cut off); the ribbon is actually webbing with a cam buckle for sizing. I use mine for hiking and kayaking, so I left the windcord on. It's good for outdoor activities, looks presentable but is not as classy as the Capricorn.

Here's a couple of pics of it with a bona-fide Stetson Milan straw (click thumbnails for larger pictures):

 

[Not-Bogart13]

I also have and recommend the 'Joe Fedora,' which is a very soft poly hat that looks like Milan straw. It is fully crushable, has a coolmax fabric sweatband and a 2-3/4 brim.

I've been debating that one for those hot and rainy summer days. I tried the Riverina, or whatever it's called, but it was just too much hat. I looked like Juan Valdez looking for his burrow.

Do you have any shots of the Joe on your noggin, cardelo?

 

[John in Covina]

I'd say that there are a couple of traveler type hats that are crushable, I 'd start with those if you want a felt fedora-ish hat. There is a crushable fedora thru David Morgan: Traveller Hat by Akubra made with "Pliofelt."

You might want to take a gander at it on their web site.
www.davidmorgan.com

 

[carldelo]

I've been debating that one for those hot and rainy summer days. I tried the Riverina, or whatever it's called, but it was just too much hat. I looked like Juan Valdez looking for his burrow.

Do you have any shots of the Joe on your noggin, cardelo?

This is all I could find, but here you go Juan, er, Bogie:



The only knock against the Joe Fedora is that the brim is a little floppy. It does stay snapped, but a fresh breeze will move it around - I often leave the brim up. Most people think it's straw. I got some tar on it last summer and removed it with a toothbrush and dish soap with no trouble.

 

[jfruser]

Whoa, y'all have tossed some well-considered options my way! Your knowledge is much appreciated.

Lemme list them and give them all a preliminary evaluation.


Milan Straw (fluteplayer07, Woodfluter)

http://www.stetsonhat.com/products_detail.php?id=418
http://www.menshats.com/product/97/dobbs-hats

These look cool (heat-wise) & very promising. Some descriptions say it is stiff, some say it is soft or flexible. The soft, I imagine, would easily bounce back from abuse.

Doesn't look particularly water resistant.


Polypropylene / Synthetic "Straw" Hat (carldelo, fluteplayer07)

Akubra Polystraw, Akubra Capricorn, Joe Fedora

http://www.cityhatters.com.au/product.php?productid=22083
http://www.everythingaustralian.com.au/shopexd.asp?id=530
http://www.lifesatrip.com/Joe_Fedora_SFH-018.html
http://www.noggintops.com/page.cfm?p=247

OK, my first thought at a largely synthetic hat was...not positive. I grew up despising polyester and the thought of placing some on my body...

But, the more I thought about it, the more it makes sense for my application & requirements

Covers the same bases as the Milan Straws above, but likely more durable. Still likely not water resistant, but a poly material might take silicone.

The Joe Fedora intrigues me, despite not being quite as attractive as the Akubras. It seems to have gone whole-hog synthetic, what with the coolmax sweat band and & all.


Borsalino Rips Out jfruser's Hopes & Dreams (for a hat) & Stomps Them Flat. Again. (deenis)

Ah, the Borsalino Traveler. Quality. Foldable. Felt. Everything I wanted in a cold-weather hat, except the brim is not wide enough (large guy with big ol' melon ion top my shoulders). Check out the Peters Bros animation:
http://www.pbhats.com/BORSALINO_TRAVLER/index.html

I ended up running with the "hiker" by Scala/Dorfman. Decent hat, but no Borsalino.

Guess what? Borsolino mocks me not only in felt, but in milan straw:
http://www.delmonicohatter.com/Merc...n=PROD&Product_Code=IT165&Category_Code=STRAW

Fits every requirement save water resistance, but the smaller brim does not go with me & mine. I really need 2.5" minimum.

---------------

I'll have to do a little more snooping and see/feel/try on some in person.

If I go Milan Straw, I think I'll get a custom job from Peters Bros:
http://www.pbhats.com/MILAN STRAW/Default.htm

Their "milan straw" is actually hemp. I have handled these and they would do the trick, as they can get the brim out past 2.5" and the look good. They pop back into shape. But, they lack water resistance.

I think I am going to have to buy one of those polypro / synthetic straws. For educational purposes, if nothing else, to see what can be done with synthetics.

I will have to act soon, as it is warming up, here.

 

[Woodfluter]

Hey jfruser -

Loved reading your summary message! Yew rites real good.

Just wanted to add something:

The Dobbs Arcadia isn't truly milan - e.g. natural fiber. It's a synthetic also. They don't tell you that. And truth to say, from a foot or more away I doubt anyone would know. Close up, it's suspiciously uniform, and under a hand lens it's clearly a synthetic. But very well done. I liked the nearly straight-sided crown and leather sweatband. But it is semi-stiff or semi-pliable (not stiff!) and probably not really crushable. If crushed the stitching might fail. Upside is, it's entirely rain-safe.

I sort of feel the way you do about synthetics, for much the same reasons. This is the only synthetic fiber hat I have ever owned. But I do like it, and have thought of starting another thread here - "Plastic Fantastic". Devoted to something most of us might find a bit outrageous.

All the best,
- Bill

 

[Rick Blaine]

From "Travelsmith.com"

Men's Packable Panama Hat