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Cloth/ twill/cotton/linen summer brimed lids

Rick Blaine

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3,958
Location
Saskatoon, SK CANADA
In my further attempt to find a viable alternative for a straw hat I have located these three, I think they are all Dorfman products made in Sri Lanka.

Does anyone have one or all & would it make a good summer lid?

Thanks



dpc2.jpg


DPC_Cloth.jpg


cottonlinenfed.jpg
 

Blackthorn

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,567
Location
Oroville
I have the one in the middle, Rick, and I like it a lot. It's not a fedora, though, it's a safari style hat. But it's well made and I like it. I have traveled with it a few times, rolling it up and sticking it into my backpack and that has majorly warped the brim. But no holes or stitches coming loose, etc.

I like the looks of the other two...where can I find them, Rick?
 

Rick Blaine

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3,958
Location
Saskatoon, SK CANADA
Tillys

Mahagonny Bill said:
Just out of curiosity, why not a Tilley?



...How do I put this delicately? The Tilly is a fine hat but the meme it carries with it is that of a bourgeois tourist... not that there is anything wrong with that. But I am striving for more of a 3o's working stiff Je ne sais quoi and the tilly is 180° from what I am attempting. Besides that, the The LTM3 AIRFLO® Nylamtium® Hat Tilly I do have grips my head like a python despite the claim that "gravity holds it on" as well as the dubious claim that: " ... Tilley’s fit lower than other hats. This also tends to give one a rather dashing appearance!"
Nuts to that. They look über goofy unless you are a J. Crew model, IMHO. I guess the bottom line for me is that they lack a certain... authenticity I desire. Maybe I am fooling myself, I dunno...
 

Woodfluter

Practically Family
Messages
784
Location
Georgia
Rick Blaine said:
...How do I put this delicately? The Tilly is a fine hat but the meme it carries with it is that of a bourgeois tourist... not that there is anything wrong with that. But I am striving for more of a 3o's working stiff Je ne sais quoi and the tilly is 180° from what I am attempting. Besides that, the The LTM3 AIRFLO® Nylamtium® Hat Tilly I do have grips my head like a python despite the claim that "gravity holds it on" as well as the dubious claim that: " ... Tilley’s fit lower than other hats. This also tends to give one a rather dashing appearance!"
Nuts to that. They look über goofy unless you are a J. Crew model, IMHO. I guess the bottom line for me is that they lack a certain... authenticity I desire. Maybe I am fooling myself, I dunno...

Hey Rick -

I understand, really I do. I've seen a lot of guys in airports wearing immaculate Tilley T3s, the ones with the snap-up on the side brim. Had the same reaction. But let me say a bit in defense of my favorite warm weather field hat.

I'm a for-real geologist, not somebody trying to look like a movie archaeologist or geologist. When I'm out in the field, I don't give a hoot about appearance or impression. Well OK, actually I do a bit, especially around clients, but all that evaporates when I'm hot and sweaty and dirty. Ditto for backpacking or hiking.

I have eight Tilleys, mostly canvas and nylantium, but now I almost exclusively wear the TH4 and TH5 for hot weather. Brown hemp. Doesn't shrink at all. Sheds rain exceptionally well and the fiber soaks up water very slowly - less than fur felt. If too hot, dunk it in water and the pores fill up and release via evaporation and that cools you. High-tech sweatband actually absorbs sweat and releases that too. Cleans up easily. Breathes well.

They really should have stiffened the sides of the crown more for appearance, but I've sprayed that with water repellent and it helped. Apart from quibbles, best practical hat for tough conditions I've found. No conventional glamour here but does the job. Have used chinstrap system in extremely adverse conditions, e.g. aboard a sailboat in heavy weather, or in a motorboat, and it works.

Anyway, just a suggestion that "authenticity" may be defined as what's really practical - at a given time. These are modern hats and don't have the vintage cachet, which I appreciate also! I think RBH's illustration captures that vintage impression best.

- Bill

P.S. I actually think the different materials (canvas, nylantium and hemp) fit slightly differently. I'm a 59.5 and the sz 59 canvas (with stretching) fits best, but take sz 60 for nylantium and sz 59 for hemp (perfect fit without stretching).
 

Blackthorn

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,567
Location
Oroville
Rick Blaine said:
In my further attempt to find a viable alternative for a straw hat I have located these three, I think they are all Dorfman products made in Sri Lanka.

Does anyone have one or all & would it make a good summer lid?

Thanks



dpc2.jpg
When I go to the web site where they are selling this one, they make it look like a cowboy hat with what they are doing to the brim. Does anyone have one? I'd be interested in getting one if it looks like the above pic, but not if it looks like the web site shows.
 

Rick Blaine

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3,958
Location
Saskatoon, SK CANADA
Blackthorn said:
When I go to the web site where they are selling this one, they make it look like a cowboy hat with what they are doing to the brim. Does anyone have one? I'd be interested in getting one if it looks like the above pic, but not if it looks like the web site shows.


Ask Mr. Not-Bogart13, he has one. With a wire in the brim is suspect it'll hold the shape you give.
 

Blackthorn

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,567
Location
Oroville
Rick Blaine said:


Ask Mr. Not-Bogart13, he has one. With a wire in the brim is suspect it'll hold the shape you give.
Does it have a wire in the brim? That'd be cool. I see it says "shapable brim," so maybe that's what it means.

OK, Mr Not-Bogart, does the brim hold a fedora shape? Inquiring minds want to know! :)
 

Wolfmanjack

Practically Family
Messages
547
Rick, Sierra Trading Post has had the Stetson Andes on sale for $15.00 for quite some time:

I bought one about six months ago, but it sits in the closet and I never wear it. I don't know exactly why; I just prefer my other hats.

Be forewarned, the workmanship on this hat is the poorest I have ever seen. When it first arrived from STP, I spent several hours clipping loose threads, reshaping, etc. to put it into wearable condition. But then, for fifteen bucks....
 

Rick Blaine

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Messages
3,958
Location
Saskatoon, SK CANADA
Wolfmanjack said:
Rick, Sierra Trading Post has had the Stetson Andes on sale for $15.00 for quite some time:

I bought one about six months ago, but it sits in the closet and I never wear it. I don't know exactly why; I just prefer my other hats.

Be forewarned, the workmanship on this hat is the poorest I have ever seen. When it first arrived from STP, I spent several hours clipping loose threads, reshaping, etc. to put it into wearable condition. But then, for fifteen bucks....


Thanks wolfie but I need at least a 2 3/8" brim or I look quite odd, 'sides they have no more in my size anyway, thanks tho'... the quest carries on.
 

Not-Bogart13

Call Me a Cab
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2,501
Location
NE Pennsylvania
Blackthorn said:
Does it have a wire in the brim? That'd be cool. I see it says "shapable brim," so maybe that's what it means.

OK, Mr Not-Bogart, does the brim hold a fedora shape? Inquiring minds want to know! :)


It does have a wired brim, and can worn with as little or as much curl as you want.
 

Slouch-Hat

Familiar Face
Messages
94
Location
Southern California
I just picked up the top one (Dorfman 'Sydney') and I love it. The shapeable brim allows for a good Outback look. I too have a little trouble with what they do to it on their site. The cowboy brim makes it look less appealing to me. But I got mine at the local Wild Animal Park, and it was shaped in a cool, Safari style that I liked. Good, heavyweight hat that should stand up to rain, but has a nice breathable quality that doesn't make my head too hot.

I hope I helped.

Slouch...
 

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