Felt hats in summer..

[Unca Dusty]

I have hats similar to if not just like most of the ones that have been mentioned so far on this thread, so I decided to do a hot weather test on each of them.

I defer to you, Sir. You, at least, did some systematic comparison, which I did not (I just wore my pith for about 10 days in the desert and decided it sucked).

However, as you rightly pointed out, we must balance form with function, no? Or else I would wear my "yardwork" hat everywhere all summer: a peasant style, conical woven Korean bamboo fiber hat. A timeless classic in much of Asia because it works so well. Lightly varnished it makes a great rain hat, too.
However, it is strictly for gardening duties only. (Village Hat used to sell an rather inferior example of this hat which has since been discontinued).

Thanks for the test comparisons!
Unca

 

[Woodfluter]

Jumping in here late, not having read every post in detail (contrary to my inclination...)

1. I don't find felts to be hotter than straws. It's more a matter of ventilation. A nice, open-weave cuenca is really cool! Lightweight felt is more versatile and less fragile.

2. On a very humid day, when not exposed to direct sunlight (radiation), I'm happier without any hat. Facts is facts.

3. If the sun is out, hats make me cooler unless the humidity is oppressive. In drier climates like out west, where I often go, hats are welcome on my head at any time.

4. Esp. when wearing felts...tipping the hat back, taking it off periodically all contribute to comfort in more humid weather. Keep moving it around.

5. Not sure how to explain this, but somehow my body gets acclimated to things I wear. I might be uncomfortable wearing a felt hat in some conditions at first, then after a day or two it's all different. Can't explain that. But suggest that you all not decide after a few hours - give it a few days before you decide what's more or less comfortable. YMMV.

6. Tilley hemp hats are very cool and versatile. Modern and high-tech. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea. Past month it's been Tilleys for me, plus Akubra Riverina with a lot of extra eyelets, and Banjo Paterson.

7. Hat comments...my experience echoes what was written. Used to get lots of comments, then the occasional "hey Indy!". But lately either nothing or a compliment. Yep, tide had turned. I see more folks wearing interesting hats.

- Bill

 

[Mario]

Ah, but we have them in Fort Worth! Saw two in Central Market yesterday.

Sue

Sue! Now that's what I call a surprise! Nice to see you again!

 

[John in Covina]

Here in LA the low temps for the season have been replaced with much hotter temps and in the valleys it's hitting at a little above 100F but the humidity has been a it higher than normal too. so it 's "sticky" for Southern California. I have been doing a variety of clean up and yard work, and the perspirations is just pouring out of me.

Got my old brown JC Pennys Marathon beater without liner on. At a certain point I realize my head is too hot and pop it off, snag my bandana and give my face and head a swipe. Let the evaporation do it's work for a bit and back on with the hat.

I need the sun protection as a pastey white Scandinavian descent white guy i get flash fried sunburn out this way really quickly. I did some yard work over by church and had a sunburn in under an hour, actually according to the tv there are days where i will get burned in about 5-10 minutes.

I had a tube of sun block in the truck but now it has vanished, doh!

Anyway at a certain point with the heat it doesn't seem to matter what type of hat, my straw or my felt, it's gonna be too warm.

 

[danofarlington]

Jumping in here late, not having read every post in detail (contrary to my inclination...)
7. Hat comments...my experience echoes what was written. Used to get lots of comments, then the occasional "hey Indy!". But lately either nothing or a compliment. Yep, tide had turned. I see more folks wearing interesting hats.

I am seeing a few more hats too. Good hats by the pioneers will no doubt cause copying. The better the hat, the more the copying, the bigger the compliment. A really good hat should induce jealousy, lighting a fire under the arse of the observer, almost but not quite forcing him to approach you and blurt out "where did you get that hat?"

 

[hatophile]

After wearing hats on a regular basis for about 4-5 years now, I am happy to say I have only gotten nice comments about them, and unbelievably no Indy comments. I do have a Chinese friend who calls me cowboy no matter what hat I wear (brimmed hat), but that's OK. I've had quite a few people ask where I've gotten my hats, and been happy to refer them to Akubra sites, Ebay, or custom hatters as they prefer.

Here in Northeast Ohio, it's been pretty hot the last few weeks, so I've been wearing more straws than fur. If it's a 70-75 degree day, or rainy, I'll pull out the fur felt. With less hair on the top, any cover would be appreciated!

 

[Chasseur]

Aside from that, I think there's a couple of reasons... one, his nemesis was Belloq, who represented corrupt continental elitism and ironic decadence with his sparkling white lid, a reversal of the white hat/black hat roles of the classic westerns.
His hat is suited to drinking punch in the sun while others work for you.
Belloq can wear delicate, easily stained materials (and keep them as clean as he does) because he's protected at every turn by guys with machine guns, and never has to lift a shovel himself or break a sweat.

Indy's hat, on the other hand, is supposed to look more ovbiously like working hat, designed to take abuse. It's the hat of a man who makes his own way in the world, by his own means, and isn't afraid to get his hands dirty in the process.

Indy is an American icon like the Cowboys. Cowboys loved their beaver boss-of-the-plains hats in brutal heat and punishing storms, and paid top dollar for them. They were built to take a beating, keep the sun off the head, and withstand being rolled into a pillow, trampled by hooves, filled with water in a pinch, and being used as a campfire fan on prairie nights.
Can't ask the same of a panama straw, at least not for the same length of time...

Not saying there's anything wrong with panamas (i love em!)
But I can see why Spielberg and Lucas chose a dark felt for indy.

Bustercat, excellent analysis! :eusa_clap

 

[AlterEgo]

I defer to you, Sir. You, at least, did some systematic comparison, which I did not (I just wore my pith for about 10 days in the desert and decided it sucked).

However, as you rightly pointed out, we must balance form with function, no? Or else I would wear my "yardwork" hat everywhere all summer: a peasant style, conical woven Korean bamboo fiber hat. A timeless classic in much of Asia because it works so well. Lightly varnished it makes a great rain hat, too.
However, it is strictly for gardening duties only. (Village Hat used to sell an rather inferior example of this hat which has since been discontinued).

Thanks for the test comparisons!
Unca

With a bit of achiness in my knee this morning, I decided to bike instead of power-walk, so off to the park I peddled. As soon as I got there I spotted a gal wearing one of those Asian cone hats like you describe. I veered over towards her to check out the hat more closely.

She was alone and really good-looking, so that gave me yet another reason to stop and introduce myself. Taking the hat off to let me inspect it more closely, I, in turn, handed my Akubra Hemp Range to her. Interestingly, our respective hats fit one another perfectly.

She said she got hers in China last year--some part of the country I'd never heard of well off the beaten tourist path. Woven of light-colored bamboo, it was really quite well made, obviously by hand with great care. Hard, lightly coated with some sort of shellac, and with a chin strap, it gleamed like a beetle and was very light in weight.

Getting along swimmingly, we took a walk together, wearing the others' hat. Now this was one time I did not walk at my usual break-neck speed, for obvious reasons. Even so, despite the 90-degree temps and stifling humidity, I'd rate it nearly as cool as my real cork pith helmet descibed above.

Better yet, I have a date with this smoking hot young babe tonight, and I wouldn't mind at all it she leaves the hat on!

 

[danofarlington]

With a bit of achiness in my knee this morning, I decided to bike instead of power-walk, so off to the park I peddled. As soon as I got there I spotted a gal wearing one of those Asian cone hats like you describe. I veered over towards her to check out the hat more closely.

She was alone and really good-looking, so that gave me yet another reason to stop and introduce myself. Taking the hat off to let me inspect it more closely, I, in turn, handed my Akubra Hemp Range to her. Interestingly, our respective hats fit one another perfectly.

She said she got hers in China last year--some part of the country I'd never heard of well off the beaten tourist path. Woven of light-colored bamboo, it was really quite well made, obviously by hand with great care. Hard, lightly coated with some sort of shellac, and with a chin strap, it gleamed like a beetle and was very light in weight.

Getting along swimmingly, we took a walk together, wearing the others' hat. Now this was one time I did not walk at my usual break-neck speed, for obvious reasons. Even so, despite the 90-degree temps and stifling humidity, I'd rate it nearly as cool as my real cork pith helmet descibed above.

Better yet, I have a date with this smoking hot young babe tonight, and I wouldn't mind at all it she leaves the hat on!

Now, at some level, isn't that the real point of all this hat business? I say yes.

 

[hatophile]

Alterego,

Now that's what I call cultural exchange!:eusa_clap

 

[David Conwill]

one of those Asian cone hats like you describe.

Are we not allowed to refer to those as "Coolie hats" anymore?

Those hats, whatever they're called, are very popular in this area with migrant workers. Seems like every crew I see is outfitted with them - that or I only ever see the same crew in different fields.

-Dave

 

[Neophyte]

AlterEgo, you're my hero!

 

[Unca Dusty]

Are we not allowed to refer to those as "Coolie hats" anymore?

I would never tell you what you are "allowed" to say. I will say that "coolie" originally meant a manual laborer in Asia (usually the Far East). Like in a lot of places around the world, manual labor had a certain stigma attached to it, but it was still acceptable to refer to someone as a coolie (if they did that kind of work). The word itself, as currently used, has changed somewhat in connotation, though. "Coolie" is used now more as a racial slur. Places that sell these hats usually refer to them as "conical peasant hats."

 

[Unca Dusty]

Zorro!

I tend to have the sweating problem in Summer and perspire equally whether I wear felt or straw. Since I began wearing my hair very very short I`ve discovered that urban invention called the "do rag" (or "wave rag"). Don`t laugh...yet. I find a plain colored one in a breathable material like cotton and affix the "rag" to my dome before doffing my lid and....ta-DAA! It works for me but I get some looks or rolling eyes sometimes. That`s ok because I like keeping my hats from getting sweat stains on them and....




...ok...it does make you feel just a bit gangsta,dawg! :eusa_doh:

HMH

Just like the classic way to wear a flat crowned sombrero cordobes (like what Zorro wears)! Only they used silk, I think. And don't make a mask out of the do-rag part.

 

[Dewhurst]

5. Not sure how to explain this, but somehow my body gets acclimated to things I wear. I might be uncomfortable wearing a felt hat in some conditions at first, then after a day or two it's all different. Can't explain that. But suggest that you all not decide after a few hours - give it a few days before you decide what's more or less comfortable. YMMV.

Excellent point and exactly my experience as well. Never decide on limited experience or one off events. Always give things time, like wine, before deciding. This happens to me when listening to music. I may initially dislike or feel indifferent to something. Repeated listenings or future listenings and all of a sudden I like it.

 

[Chasseur]

I actually wear a felt hat a fair bit in warm weather here in Hawaii and also other places when hiking in the summer. I use a felt hat almost exclusively when doing hunting here in Hawaii in 80+ degree weather. Also, if rain is expected I generally wear a felt hat.

I find, as some of the other posters have mentioned, that you do get used to it and I can wear felt pretty comfortablly into the 80s with mild humidity. I do find that if it gets above 90 and the humidity is high most of my felts do become much warmer than a straw hat.

 

[David Conwill]

"Coolie" is used now more as a racial slur.

See that's what I was afraid of. English changed and left me behind. The Wikipedia article for "Conical Asian hat" indicates several names for this hat, including the Chinese "dǒu lì" (bamboo hat) which I'm willing to bet was anglicized into "Coolie" and the widespread use of the dǒu lì hat amongst Asian (particularly Chinese) laborers on U.S. railroads no doubt led to the workers themselves being labeled as Coolies.

The easiest term for me in the article may be "sedge hat", as it's more succinct and seems to have no cultural connotations.

Places that sell these hats usually refer to them as "conical peasant hats."

I love that "peasant" somehow isn't insulting.

-Dave

 

[danofarlington]

I Also, if rain is expected I generally wear a felt hat.

OK, that gives me ammunition to wear a felt hat in summer.

 

[Unca Dusty]

I love that "peasant" somehow isn't insulting.

Yeah, no kidding.

 

[Blackthorn]

It finally got too hot for fur in the bay area. Ah well, it's only for a couple of months.