# Need advice on a hat, material..



## MuGGzy

I couldn't find a better forum for this so if there is please tell me and feel free to move this thread.

I am wanting to get my first western style hat. I have always just worn a baseball cap but I want something to cover my ears and give me some shade and coverage for rain if that happens. 

The problem is that I don't want my head to cook in the sun in a wool or leather hat, and I am afraid that one of the straw types will let water through if it rains or get crushed the first time it gets stepped/sat on.
I don't know anything about the "Aussie" Oilskin stuff so I don't know if that is hotter or cooler than felt or wool.

I live in the NW so the riding conditions can range anywhere from almost freezing and pouring down rain (not that we would be out riding in that unless by accident) to 90+ direct sun.

So I am just really looking for suggestions on what kind of material I should look at. Thanks for reading.


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## smrobs

Truthfully, I've been wearing a black felt hat almost exclusively for several years now. Once I kind of got used to it, the heat doesn't bother me much anymore, even in the triple digit temps here in TX.

If you want something that is lightweight, light colored, and will stand up to being rained on, I suggest a palm leaf hat. They are similar to straw except you shape them with water instead of steam. I wore one for several years before I got my felt and my only complaint with it was that it was just too dang hard to keep it on my head in the wind we have down here. They are a bit heavier weight than your typical straw, but some of them look similar.
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## Dreamcatcher Arabians

I have an Aussie oilskin hat that I LOVE. It's oilskin on the top and brim and mesh around the middle to let the air flow. I'd actually like it to be a little larger on top so I could fit a larger ice pak in it! But it's good for keeping most rain off your head, unless it's sideways rain, and the brim is shapable so you can adjust how low it is. 

Cool as a Breeze Leather Australian Hat with Scarf

This is similar to the one I have.


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## Saddlebag

There are various qualities in the straws. A good one which may run you $40 or more is waterproof and it can be soaked and reshaped without doing any harm. The straw hats that were a trend for a while were actually paper. Stetson is a good hay. It's 20 years old and still like new. As styles changed I changed the style of the hat.


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## Palomine

Straw for summer/felt for winter.

Palm is very nice, easy to shape and not so expensive as to make you clutch your throat and scream "it's the big one."


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## cowboy bowhunter

Palomine said:


> Straw for summer/felt for winter.
> 
> Palm is very nice, easy to shape and not so expensive as to make you clutch your throat and scream "it's the big one."


I like the staw for summer. But it is harder to get my bend on it. But if your not fussy about the bend there great and cool.


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## Rawhide

Good advice given above IMO but if you found hat locally I think it would be wise to try on. For instance in Resistol I wear 7 3/8 but in Stetson I wear 7 1/2. Like lots of other appearal, saddles etc what have I have found different companys sizes varie. Once you find a brand you like then you could order with more confidence and have them deliver.

Rawhide


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## COWCHICK77

I really like the palm leaf straws. I like Sunbody Hats. They come unshaped and in different brim sizes. I just bought a 6'', lol! But they are cheap, I payed $30 it. You just get it wet and shape it anyway you like.

For winter or cooler weather I wear a felt hat, I bought a cheap Seratelli 5X and for some reason it has managed to survive rain, snow, hail, mud...


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## Saddlebag

I just read my post. Stetson's are not made of hay. It's a good hat. I swear I'm going to ditch this keyboard first chance I get for a new one. Some keys have to be touched a few times to get them to work. Capitalizing is a pain as it seldom works. Arrrrrrrrgh. I am tired of having to constantly edit and correct. Junk is what it is.


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## Celeste

Links anyone?
I would love to see the hats you are talking about.


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## trailhorserider

I had a leather Aussie type hat that I wore for 2-3 years and love it. Eventually it got kind of stiff and smelly and shrunk from being caught out in the rain. I am actually wearing a helmet now and find it cooler than the Aussie hat. Who'd have thunk!? But that doesn't give good shade.

I guess I saying that some of them can be hotter than wearing a helmet, which actually protects your head.

If I were going for a hat, I would try to find a light color and a breathable material. The palm type sounds interesting.


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## Darrin

Oiled, cotton hats are what I like to use. They do a wonderful job of keeping your head dry in the wet but breath nicely during warmer weather. All the maintenance you need to do is reapply the oil once in a while, generally while sitting in front of the TV to give my hands something to do.


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## COWCHICK77

This similar to the Seratelli I have, but I reshape them the way I like it....

Serratelli 5X Ranch Flex Black Premium Felt Hat | Cavender's Boot City


And these are the SunBody Palm leaf hats you shape yourself, I love them...
Western SunBody Open Crown Palm Leaf Hat In 6' Brim Cowboy Hat: Westernhats.com


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## smrobs

:rofl: Chick, I see that second one and I automatically think "Amish farmer" :rofl:

This is the hat that I bought several years ago as nothing more than part of a Halloween costume. It has now withstood about 6 years of use; getting rained on, drenched with sweat, even being stomped by a horse a time or two, and being crushed between my head and a pipe fence once :lol:. It's still kicking, though it's starting to get a bit mushy and doesn't hold as shape as well as it once did.

Did I mention that it pretty much has a perpetual cow-sh*t smell and has at least 3 species of blood on it somewhere? :wink::lol:
Larry Mahan 3X Oplin Black Felt Cowboy Hat | Cavender's Boot City


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## COWCHICK77

^^^ I have actually got that question- if I was Amish...LOL
That is after I shaped it, I put the stove pipe top in it like the Amish do but at still put some bend on the brim..sheesh.


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## Painted Horse

I buy a new straw hat each summer and usually throw it away by winter. They get blown off my head, stepped on by the horses, dirty & sweaty. If I need them to be waterproof in the summer, I can slip a plastic hat cover over them if I know I will be in the rain for an extended ride.

Colder months, I use a black flet hat. Current one has lasted 3 years, But it is about done for. It has shrunk enough to not fit well on my head. Got wet to many times I guess.


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## Jolly Badger

I have a nice leather hat - love the hat - problem is, it got wet (soaking wet) and shrunk. But it still looks pretty hanging on my hat rack.:?

My oilskin hat from Outback is the cotton style, and it ages beautifully. I actually don't wear it while riding (I usually wear a helmet - not because I'm prone to falling, but because I'd rather have ultra-low twigs and branches scrape a helmet than my skull).

I still love that hat and wear it around the camp just because I like it.


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## bsms

These are useful, IMHO:










Put it in while your hat is still wet with sweat, rain, whatever, and let it dry. Your hat will fit when you put it on next...


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## FlyGap

I have a real vintage Shady Brady straw hat with a buffalo nickel that I wear all the time, the thing has been beat to heck and it still hasn't cracked or come undone.
Shady Brady Hat Company - Homepage

Then I have a kangaroo leather hat with a smaller brim and it's AWESOME and heavy duty. It's my winter hat but I wear it when I go out. It's a little tight, I need that hat stretcher Bsms!!


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## BigSkyChef

*Aussie oilcloth is good, but I prefer Palm leaf.*

I live and work in montana, and have used an aussie oilcloth hat for over 8 years. I always had to get used to the heat and at times the smell that came with it. For my b-day last year a friend bought me a palm leaf straw woven hat from an online store called Texas Outfitters. I love this hat. It's cool, and light, very durable, and has a 4 inch lip that creates great shade. It has been rained on, and stomped on by a 1000 longhorn bull. It just bounced back with a little water it was easy to reshape and keeps on going. As long as it doesn't get cut by a hoof, the palm hats are a good, and economical bet.
check out their palm leaf hats here:

Texas Hat Co Palm Leaf Hats


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## BoldComic

hubby and I prefer palm hats. We usually look for one with a lattice pattern in the middle of the hat body so it gets plenty of air flow.

straw hats Cowboy Hats at Westernhats.com


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