# Tell me about your hats :)



## SorrelHorse (Apr 9, 2009)

I never really wear hats and don't know anything about them. The one I have for showing reining is just a black no-name hand-me-down from my father. How do you size a hat, what kind of material do you like, and what brands are your favorite and why?


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## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

you have to look at hat sizes. Go somewhere that has a selection, you are looking for numbers between 6 and 8 with usually 1/8th inch increments. I wear a 7 1/4. Some mass produced ones come in small medium large, usually medium is for 7- 7 1/4th. 
Ok some hat basics. Never where white straw after labor day or before memorial day, it is just a fashion no no. You can where lighter color felt year round, and I like aussi canvas, The well rounded western hat collection should consist of a white hard straw, good for ducking under briars and spiderwebs, a felt hat kinda medium hardness, and best for all around is an Aussi oilskin canvas type. 
Your head and face shape will determine brim and crown. Crowns are usually 3.5 to 5 inches, and brims the same. The fronts and tops have different shapes. And the hard straw hats are made for round or oblong heads.
I prefer pinch front, 3.5" brim hats. You dotn have to spend a fortune to get a decent hat that fits, Stetson and Resistol bailys and others make decent hats in the $30 price range.


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## outnabout (Jul 23, 2010)

Same here, I never wear hats but wear caps. They keep my pony tail up but hats would shade my face from the sun better. Women around here don't wear hats on a daily basis, but do more on trail rides. I own a nice straw hat and a black felt one. If I am going on a major trail ride, I wear a helmet. I do wear a hat as a fashion accessory when going as a spectator to western events such as the Ft. Worth stock show & rodeo in February.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I wear black felt year around. I wore a palm leaf hat for several years until I got sick of choking myself with the stampede string to keep it on on windy days. Mine is a Larry Mahan (sp?) of no particular style. On cowboy hats, I really like a 4" brim. Anything much smaller than that doesn't offer the shade protection or the correct look. Anything much bigger than that just looks ridiculous like those "taco-hats" you see a lot of ranch-hands wearing.

As for the size, I had to just go to the store and try on hats until I found something comfortable. I've found that they are similar to jeans, one size, even if it the same manufacturer, will fit differently if the style is different.

Other than that, there is so much that depends solely on the shape of your head. There are high crown hats, low crown hats, long oval hats, round hats, etc, etc, etc. LOL.


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## RiverRat77 (Oct 11, 2011)

I'm a big fan of ballcaps. Gonna have to get a new hat since ballcaps are a no go in the arena, lol. Back in the day I did wear a black felt everywhere but thats been fifteen years ago. I also do not like the ”taco” look.....seems it kinda defeats the purpose of a wide brim on the cowboy hat when you have it steamed and shaped so its just wadded on your head, lol. Oh well, to each their own I guess.


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## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

no no no, no black felt between Memorial day and labor day, gosh thats like your belt not matching your shoes, I gotta teach you guys everything.


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

I usually had a cheapo white straw hat or a black felt hat for the local shows that we went to. 

But I am now fortunate enough to have two 20x beaver fur hats (one black and one bone) that were custom made for my head.  And I will never go back! They do run about $450 apiece .... but I got them free of charge since I was a rodeo queen for them. :wink:

I just did a random google search and I found this custom hat maker. Their design page was nice to explain the different types of styles, materials, and options for a nice custom western hat.

Beaver Cowboy Hats - Custom Hats by K bar F Hatters

As for your original questions:

*How do you size a hat?* You measure your head in inches where the band of the hat will sit. This then can be converted to the traditional sizes found on most hats. Me personally, I'm a 6 and 7/8
Here is a size conversion chart:
Hat Size Conversion Chart

*What kind of material do you like?* I'm biased because I have beaver fur hats. But they are great quality so that's probably what I will always stick with. 

*What brands are your favorite and why?* It's a lot of money, but when the day comes that I need a new hat I will be doing a custom order. That way I know it will fit my head perfectly, it's the exact design I want, it will be shaped perfectly for my face, and the hat maker always stands by their work. But I don't expect to be needing a new hat for another 10 to 20 years at the least. You take good care of these expensive hats, and they will last.


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## Fort fireman (Mar 5, 2011)

I have several hats. In the summer I wear a resistol straw hat but pretty much end up replacing it every year so I don't spend much on those " work hats". I have a palm leaf straw that I wear for dress. I know this isn't really proper but I 've even been known to wear a straw after labor day. I don't really care much about fashion. It does stay warm here well until november and even later some times. In the winter I wear a cheape felt hat that I bought about 8 years ago pretty much all the time. Looks rough but it fits my head just right. I absolutely HATE new hats so I wear the felts till they pretty much fall down around my ears. I also have a black felt for dress. I don't show so I do't have much call for a "show hat".

Heres a pic of my felt I wear .









That is my daughter with me. I'm getting her started early and that is my shameless plug to show her off. Sorry.

back to the hats. I think next year I'm gonna get a custom hat. something alittle more buckaroo styled. Maybe like this only a dark grey with a black band and brim ribbon.


















Just something different. I gaurentee noboy in NC has a hat like that.


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## SayiWont (Mar 17, 2009)

Joe4d said:


> Never where white straw after labor day or before memorial day, it is just a fashion no no.


I, for one, don't go by that "rule". It just seems a bit silly. I also don't care about fashion. Why are there "rules" regarding the fashion of cowboy hats? Do you really think REAL cowboys/cowgirls care? I don't. If the hat fits and offers protection, wear it regardless. Why should the time of year even matter? If its warm (above 50 or so), I will wear my white straw hat over one of my felts any day. In fact, I wore my white straw yesterday.


I must just have an oddly large head. I wear a 7 1/2. :-| I like the look of the more expensive felts, but have yet to buy one. Truth be told, if I had one, it wouldn't be worn much because I don't have a reason to wear a nice expensive felt hat. I trail ride and rodeo. Expensive is not easy to replace. My felts are both 4x, which is on the lower end for that reason. As far as straw hats go, if it fits, offers protection, and will last a while, I will wear it. I currently have 4 hats and might be getting a new one soon. I would love to get a custom hat, but they must cost just short of a small fortune.

I have a Resistol white straw that is my work/rodeo hat. I wear it year round if its not too unbearably cold, which is the majority of the year. It just has the stock braided "leather" band. I had a leather band with a horsehair inlay on it until I got a felt that it looked better on. Getting stampede strings for this hat soon.

The second hat is also a Resistol. It is a mexican palm leaf with a horsehair hat band that I purchased at End of the Trail in New Mexico. It is a pretty nice hat for the price. I bought it for $30 at Sheplers in Oklahoma. I wear it mainly in the summer because its not too windy then. This hat seems to blow off of my head easier. It fits, but I still end up chasing it on a windy day. Getting stampede strings for it and my white straw.

The third is a Bailey brown felt. It was bought for about $50 at a local store that has now gone out of business. It was on sale for 75% off, I believe. This hat has a stock band on it, which it braided leather. Don't wear this hat much because it is a pain to clean. It also doesn't fit like a 7 1/2 should. Their sizes seem to run a bit smaller. Might end up giving it to my dad, who wears a 7 3/8, because he likes it and it fits him much better.

Finally, I own a no-name (that I could find- says Amarillo on the inside) black felt hat. I ended up putting the leather hat band with horsehair on this hat. The band is black leather with a white and black horsehair inlay and silver conchos. This hat is so hard to keep clean with all the cats and I dogs we have. However, I do wear this hat more than my other felt. It fits perfectly and is pretty nice for a no-name hat.


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## MHFoundation Quarters (Feb 23, 2011)

I don't go by the color rules either. I wear what matches what I am showing in. At home I live in ball caps. 

I have a few that I show in. My favorite is my 30x El Patron Black Stetson. I also have a 20x Resistol Silverbelly and 3 straws (Bailey, Stetson & Resistol) My favorite straw is the Resistol George Strait sig line, the Dallas style.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

SayiWont said:


> I, for one, don't go by that "rule". It just seems a bit silly. I also don't care about fashion. Why are there "rules" regarding the fashion of cowboy hats? Do you really think REAL cowboys/cowgirls care? I don't. If the hat fits and offers protection, wear it regardless. Why should the time of year even matter? If its warm (above 50 or so), I will wear my white straw hat over one of my felts any day. In fact, I wore my white straw yesterday.


LOL, I think the fictitious color rule in regards to hats only applies to those folks who are "all hat and no cattle". :wink: :rofl:


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## kevinshorses (Aug 15, 2009)

Fort fireman said:


> Just something different. I gaurentee noboy in NC has a hat like that.


THAT is a nice hat! I have a black flat top felt that I wear almost all the time. In the summer when it's hot I wear a palm leaf straw hat. I can get about two summers out of these unless they blow off too many times and **** me off or my horse steps on it too much. 

I have heard the same thing as Joe4d about the straw hats after labor day. Most of the time when I see someone wearing a straw hat in the winter they are a pretender and not much of a cowboy.


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

The rule did exist, but it was for wear to the office back when ALL men wore hats. They would sometimes hold a ceremony in small towns, where the men would show up with their new straw hats for pictures.


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## 7thhorsesoldier (Oct 22, 2011)

My favorite hat it the "Dirty Billy" hat.


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## .Delete. (Jan 7, 2008)

I recently bought a Shorty's 100x black felt hat. I only wear that while im in the show ring. I also have a tan resistol 40x that i wear quite abit to "horsey" events.


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## COWCHICK77 (Jun 21, 2010)

Going back to what or not to wear after Labor Day I think is more common sense than fashion as far as cowboys. I would look pretty stupid mashing cows around in a snow storm with a palm leaf on, don't you think??? And I find it too hot in the summer to wear a felt. More or less it depends on the weather for me, not so much the holiday. And winters in NE Nevada are too cold for just wearing a felt hat. I usually wear a scotch cap, layers upon layers of clothes, wool coats, gloves, socks , scarves and insulated snow pak boots for almost 6 months out of the year.

I love my palm leaf hats I can thrash horses, nasty steers and my husband with them and they hold up. :wink: I like a 5 inch brim for the shade, but I don't "taco" mine. I have a Seratelli 6X beaver for a cheap work hat and I am very surprised as how long it has held up. The number of "x"s for a quality of hat really depends on the maker. The best way to tell is just to feel them. One makers 20X may not be as high of quality as another. Also hats not only come in beaver fur, mink is the cat's meow in my opinion!

And not all custom hats are equal either. Someone mentioned Shorty's, she makes a real nice quality hat...well worth the $. My husband did some trading with a hat maker who really wanted a cheap mexican made reata. My husband set him a reata, and he built him a hat. The binding on the brim wasn't stitched properly nor was the hat blocked right. My husband wore it once and it lost it's shape...lesson learned. You get what you pay(or trade) for.
Speaking of binding, if you get a hat with a bound edge brim, be aware of how much moisture is used to shape it. Once the ribbon for the binding gets wet it shrinks considerably more so than the brim it is stitched to. This can causing rippling in the brim and ruining your hat.

As far as the shape, I think it depends on where you live and the occasion you wear hat for. Hats were meant to be functional. My palm leaf has a fairly flat brim but turned up a little on the sides for shade. I wear my felt hat in the spring and fall which can be windy in NV so I have the sides up and I cut a flap out in the back about 4 or inches long out of the sweat band. If you fold it out of the hat and pull your hat down tight with it helps keep it on the wind. I think this is why you see them west Texas boys with the tacoed hats. I imagine its probably easier it keep it on in the wind as opposed to a flat hat, which somewhat resembles a frisbee. lol


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