And the top five rules are...

[Braxton36]

Having established myself as a hat virgin, before venturing into this arena, and before I make a serious faux pas, would anyone care to share their top, say, five rules of hat etiquette? I know I can go to my 1950's copy of Esquire Etiquette but I'd rather ask you guys first. There may be some modern nuances to the old rules anyway.

Your assistance is greatly appreciated!

 

[Biltmore Bob]

1. Leave it on your gourd if you don't want it wrecked.

2. People will want to try it on. So stay away from people.

3. Be careful getting in and out of vehicles. A hat adds a couple inches to your height.

4. Never place a hat where someone can sit. See rule 1.

5. Carry business cards for your favorite custom hat/capmaker, and be prepaired for complements.

 

[Siirous]

Check out this thread that was posted a while back, it was quite interesting:

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=4435

I know that a few rules I abide by are:

1) I take off my hat when I feel I'm in someones personal space, ie a house, small business or someone's office or a nice restaurant. I tend to not take off my hat in hotel lobbies, the airport, walking around the mall and large indoor places such as those.

2) I do like to touch the brim of my hat in a small tip when someone makes a nod or says good morning or the like.

3) I always take off my hat when shaking hands or meeting someone for the first time, it just seems polite.

All of these, I believe, are discussed in the above linked thread.

Sincerely,
Rob

 

[Snrbfshn]

I'll add one...

The link that Siirous offered is a good discussion. I'll add:

-- Put your business card inside the sweatband, in case you leave the hat someplace.

In 30-odd years of hat wearing, I've only done it once, way in the past barhopping with friends, after several (maybe many, I forget) drinks, but it saved my hat for me.