Doctor Strange
I'll Lock Up
- Messages
- 5,245
- Location
- Hudson Valley, NY
The lining makes a real difference. My Cattleman is unlined and has been my go-to warm weather hiking and yard work hat for years. The vent holes and lack of liner, and Sand color, make it no hotter than a straw hat, IMHO. I mean, you're gonna sweat with anything on your head in sun/heat/humidity, so don't kid yourself about how "cool" it will be. I only say that it's no warmer than my panama and other straws I've owned... but vastly more durable.
As far as how much brim is "too much" for you around town, etc., that's a very personal thing, and partly tied to where you reside. I don't wear my Cattleman for more vaguely formal use, I wear my other Akubras with 2-1/2" and 2-3/4" brims. In this part of New York State, anything wider reads as a "cowboy hat", and unlike other parts of the country, not only are they uncommon here, they're considered an affectation.
But of course, so is any proper fedora that isn't a stingy fabric P.O.S.!
As far as how much brim is "too much" for you around town, etc., that's a very personal thing, and partly tied to where you reside. I don't wear my Cattleman for more vaguely formal use, I wear my other Akubras with 2-1/2" and 2-3/4" brims. In this part of New York State, anything wider reads as a "cowboy hat", and unlike other parts of the country, not only are they uncommon here, they're considered an affectation.
But of course, so is any proper fedora that isn't a stingy fabric P.O.S.!