Am I the only one annoyed by leather sweatbands?

[MisterGrey]

In my various hat quests, it seems there are two constants when people talk quality: Fur-felt, and a leather(ette) sweatband. The former I understand-- Do to my budget, only one of my hats is fur felt, but it is undoubtedly of higher quality than the rest of my wool-felts. However, it's the latter where I take some umbrage. In my experience, I have enjoyed the benefits of a cloth sweatband much more than a leather(ette) one.

First, and this is probably a strictly "me" complaint, the band feels "sticky" against my bare skin. This is a much bigger problem than it used to be; I never enjoyed that sensation against my forehead, and now that I'm completely bald, I have to endure it over the entire pereimeter of my head. It's simply unpleasant; the leather generates a certain friction, so rather than staying on my head via fit, it stays on do to the leather rubbing against my skin.

This segues into the issue of marking. I have never worn a leather-sweat-banded hat that didn't leave, at the very least, two parallel lines dug into my forehead when I took it off. My bowler turns me into a walking, backwards advertisement for "100% wool" whenever I remove it. If I move a size up, the hat is too loose; if I move a size down, the hat won't fit on my head. I get the proper size, and end up with marks.

Speaking of fit, it also seems much more difficult to get a good fitting hat with a leather sweatband. The leather gives the hat a certain added rigidity, which would be good were it not for the fact that neither the hat nor my skull are malleable. My cloth-banded hats allow a certain amount of natural stretching/give when I wear them, and eventually they fit like gloves. Not so for my leather-banded hats: It never so much feels like I'm wearing one, but have one strapped to my head.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Opinions? Agree? Burn me in effigy?

 

[tonyb]

I try, to varying degrees of success, not to dispute another person's experience and the opinions based thereon, even when they're at odds with my own. Could be that some people have sharper or more refined senses than mine, and are able to detect things I can't.

In this case, I gotta wonder if your head is unusually shaped. A properly fitting hat with a leather sweatband doesn't cause me the sort of grief you tell of, and I can't recall anyone else having quite the same complaint. So it seems that your problem is unusual.

Some high-quality hats do indeed have cloth sweatbands. Certain lightweight roll-up Borsalinos come to mind. But, in general, a cloth sweat is among the hallmarks of a lesser-quality lid. And some of the "leather" used in modern production hats is no great shakes. I've heard it referred to as "bonded" leather, which I take to mean some kind of reconstituted scrap material -- the particleboard of leathers. I don't know that to be true, so if someone knows otherwise, please set the record straight. But the stuff does seem at once like real leather but not real leather, if that makes sense. It's inflexible and feels and looks cheap. Sometimes I think I'd just as soon have cloth.

 

[MattJH]

I agree. Of all of the materials to use for something wrapped around your head, leather would probably be at the bottom of my list along with railroad spikes and sandpaper. The elastic sweatbands used by Borsalino for their Traveler hat, Christy's for their Foldaway, and Akubra for their pliofelt line (Casual / Traveler / International) are exponentially more comfortable than leather. It doesn't leave markings on my forehead unless I'm wearing an improperly sized hat, but it's by no means the material I'd choose.

 

[Dinerman]

I've never had any problem with leather sweatbands, because I'm wearing vintage ones with real, high quality leather sweats.

I have tried on some modern fur felts, though, where the sweatband was the deal breaker; stiff, hard, with widely spaced, uncomfortable stitching that digs into your head.

Never had issues with good quality vintage.

 

[Fletch]

Leather sweats annoy me like mad in the hot months, when they channel rivulets of perspiration right down into my eyes and shirt collar. I'd replace them with those stretch tricoty things, but those soak moisture right into the ribbon band and the straw. At least my shirts and skin won't get ruined.

 

[jpbales]

i have no problemo

the leather sweats on my hats seem to all be pretty comfy, in fact, I find the cloth on my panama hat to be a little rougher, but i suppose that all depends on the particular cloth. The leather on most of my hats is all thin, soft, smooth and about as pliable and flexible as any cloth- even on my cheaper, modern made hats (such as the "Official" indy hat made in china). I noticed with the cloth on my panama that it's lighter, so probably better in the heat, except that it lets a lot of sweat bleed through and darken the panama's color. I guess it has it's pros and cons.
I know what you mean about when being bald, it does feel different with that leather on your melon. I do have one hat with a thicker leather and it is less flexible and slightly less comfortable and conformable as my other hats. I guess that with a thicker band you get leather that will hold up longer, but with a thinner band it is softer, and more comfortable. Maybe if you had a thinner/nicer leather it would be more comfortable for you.

 

[ortega76]

I try, to varying degrees of success, not to dispute another person's experience and the opinions based thereon, even when they're at odds with my own. Could be that some people have sharper or more refined senses than mine, and are able to detect things I can't.

In this case, I gotta wonder if your head is unusually shaped. A properly fitting hat with a leather sweatband doesn't cause me the sort of grief you tell of, and I can't recall anyone else having quite the same complaint. So it seems that your problem is unusual.

Some high-quality hats do indeed have cloth sweatbands. Certain lightweight roll-up Borsalinos come to mind. But, in general, a cloth sweat is among the hallmarks of a lesser-quality lid. And some of the "leather" used in modern production hats is no great shakes. I've heard it referred to as "bonded" leather, which I take to mean some kind of reconstituted scrap material -- the particleboard of leathers. I don't know that to be true, so if someone knows otherwise, please set the record straight. But the stuff does seem at once like real leather but not real leather, if that makes sense. It's inflexible and feels and looks cheap. Sometimes I think I'd just as soon have cloth.

Wow. Can I say that THIS was a great response. Tactful, informative and conveying your own beliefs. :eusa_clap

For my part, I've seen some poorly made leather sweats that were uncomfortable. I've one that started stiff but broke in after a few months.

 

[retro50]

I too am completely bald. I have four hats of varying degrees of quality that I wear all the time: An Akubra Banjo Paterson, vintage Stetson Whippet, Camptown Fieldmaster and a VS custom, all with leather sweatbands. I like the feel of all of them on my bald head at any time. No issues. Of course in the case of warm weather, ANY hat, including a baseball cap, causes mucho sweat to run down my face.

 

[mister7]

Fellow Hot Head?

I can relate to your complaint, I can only wear hats when it is extremely cold.

I have thick, bushy hair, which exacerbates my head getting hot from a hat. And no, I'm not complaining about that! Most of my friends are follicly (sp?)challenged, so I'm glad I have it, but living in the desert, it kills my hat wearing except for a couple months out of the year.

Also, even though I know everybody loses much of their bodies heat from the head, I believe that some radiate a much greater percentage than others. I am very outdoors oriented, and for example when working hard while downhill skiing in sub-zero temperatures my hair gets soaking wet from sweat with no hat on. My companions are usually amazed at my lack of headgear. I usually cannot put one on until riding the chair back up without overheating.

I think there is a great deal of variation in peoples temperature regulatory mechanisms, for better or worse, maybe you are on the "hot head" end of the scale, like me.

 

[KY Gentleman]

I like all the leather sweatbands in my hats. The "sticky" feel you describe gives me confidence they aren't going to blow off my head in a wind gust.
I have two hats with non-leather sweats and one is okay but the other is kind of uncomfortable. So I prefer the leather kind.
Maybe you would like one size larger if it leaves lines on your forehead....?

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

Hmmmm... Interesting.

I've kinda' got the opposite problem. Hair so thick it makes hats fit tight if I don't stay on top of it. Sorry, but true. It's one of the few things I've got goin' for me.

In any event, some of my hats (mostly vintage) with leather sweatbands cause some discomfort on my forehead but most do not. Some of my hats are noticeably very comfortable with their leather sweats, and I attribute that to the vintage quality of those particular lids, as Dinerman pointed out.

I am between sizes 7 and 7-1/8, and I have a long oval shaped head so this contributes to having a tricky time getting good fitting fur felt hats.

In addition to many fur felts with leather, I have six wool fedoras, several wool westerns and several leather hats all with cloth sweatbands. I do tend to think of these as summer hats to mix in the rotation with Panamas during the hot months in Florida.

To me, the cloth is comfortable in one way; more relaxed fit, more breathable and more absorbent - where the leather sweatband hats are more comfortable in another way; snug fit (which I tend to like) that stays in place when I move, bend, ride or am in windy conditions.

I do have a Borsalino roll-up which is some of the finest fur felt imaginable and it has a cloth sweatband. That hat is so light that it almost feels like it's going to float off my head without a leather sweatband to kind of 'stick it in place'.

I love all my hats, though, each for what it is and I don't bog down on whether the cloth or the leather is 'lesser' or 'greater' in a value sense.

Anyway, I think you are entitled to have formed your preference. I'm in my forties and am still figuring out my likes and dislikes in this ol' world. It's cool when I come to one of those conclusions and can focus on what grabs me while avoiding what bugs me.

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

One more thing; you might try a hat stretcher or 'hat jack'. Snug that into your leather sweatband hat(s) and tighten it a touch now and then to relax the fit some. This will get you some room without going up to the full next size hat.

 

[Slim Portly]

I had the same problem as Mr. Grey until I discovered two things: the fact that I have a Long Oval noggin, and a reasonably priced hat stretcher. I went for a long time thinking that hats just weren't comfortable, and I felt that cloth sweat bands were my only option. Now that I know that for me it's a matter of the proper fit, I mess with all of my leather sweat banded hats until they fit like a glove.

Also, as has been mentioned, there are various qualities of leather. Just like a pair of shoes, a good leather sweat band will conform to you with time, and the better the leather, the better the eventual fit.

 

[PabloElFlamenco]

I've got long hair (good shoulder length), but my wife likes it in a ponytail, so I let her do that for me first thing in the morning. The poneytail, with a rubberized band holding it in back, is more "hat-stable" than loose long hair. With loose long hair, the hat tends to slide onto the hair mass: the sweatband may stick to some strands of hair, which hair in itself slides over the strands of hair below...if you can follow this. Haircut? Tomorrow, maybe lol
I definitely prefer leather sweatbands. Agreed, there are real good and wide ones, in supple leather, like on vintage hats and the one Optimo redid for me. Then there are the less wide and lesser quality leather ones. Still good for me, though: the hats generally "hold". Of course there is a variety of sizes, some hats hold very well onto my head, but are rather tight. In general, except when facing a full-scale windstorm, the hats stay put.
It's quite another matter with cloth sweatbands: they slip over my hair and don't hold well at all. I don't wear those hats when there is any wind: no fun at all walking down the street, holding on to your hat...no style, that is.

 

[HamletJSD]

Mister Grey,

I experienced a similar discomfort with leather sweats at first, but now I find myself not looking twice at hats w/o leather. I would definitely recommend finding an inexpensive stretcher to help that hat sit just a bit looser on your head (this should help eliminate your forehead lines). Beyond that, you may just have to hang in there until you've broken it in.

If it still feels uncomfortable after a stretch and a reasonable bit of time, hand the hat off to someone and purchase hats with cloths bands. There's no harm in that! This forum is all about encouraging people to get into hats, so if cloth makes you comfortable enough to wear one, that's great!

 

[ken100]

Leather sweats

I've always found leather sweats work best for me mainly through wearing them a lot, the leather does adapt to the noggin its on, cloth is cloth and it aint gunna change.
Ken

 

[duggap]

I kinda agree with Dinerman. The custom made hats from Art that I have don't give me any problem, nor does my modern Borsolina. However, my other newer hats and a couple of older vintage hats that I have have not been so comfortable. I believe a lot of it has to do with how stiff the brim is. In my modern Stetson and two of my Johnnyphi hats, the brim is very stiff and the whole hat experience is uncomfortable. My Adams from Johnnyphi seem to soften up with wear, but I can't say the same for the Stetsons. I do have one cloth sweat band in a rollable Borsolina but I don't like it that much. [huh]

 

[macfly]

I tend to agree with KY...I actually like that sticky feeling a bit; for the same reason...lets me know the hat isnt as likely to blow off when it gets a bit windy.
I wonder if putting a bit of baby powder into the band might help you. it will probably keep it a little drier so you dont get that tacky sensation. not sure if it will negatively affect the band or not but it might be worth a try.

 

[Mr. Paladin]

My only vintage hat (a Resistol) has a much more comfortable and form-fitting band than any of the three of my modern Stetson fedoras. They are ok mind you, but definitely not of the same feel as the vintage. I have noticed though, that the modern I wear most seems to be morphing into a nice, comfortable fit as well. Maybe with time your will as well.

 

[Subvet642]

As far as sweatbands go, I can go either way, my service cap has a leather(ette) sweatband and it's just fine. My wool felts (no firs, yet) and wool "Scally" cap (Bostonian for newsboy) all have cloth sweats, and again they're fine. Any potential issue I might have with leather bands is; if they typically are found on more expensive fir felts, then with my somewhat bigger head (7 5/8), fit is very important. I can't justify to myself the cost of a fir felt unless it is going to be absolutely comfortable. Because I work in a uniform, I can't wear a felt hat often enough to break in the sweatband, etc.. All that being the case then, I'll just have to make sure that I have the bucks for a hat stretcher when I buy my first fir felt.