Felt hats in summer..

[AtomicEraTom]

I've been looking for a nice lightweight straw for the summertime. I don't usually wear a hat in the summer, besides a ball cap when doing outdoor chores, painting, etc. But even without a hat, a Brylcreemed pomp likes to melt like a hot candle all over the place!

 

[elvisroe]

Aussie tradition!

Not too many Aussies weighing in on this one yet, but most places here are pretty much hot all year round and in the bush the Akubra is an institution.

Where I grew up in outback New South Wales the temp is regularly up over 110 in summer and if you work outdoors it's pretty much all felt. (Caps are for tractor drivers!) My father inlaw works in agriculture out west and I have never known him to be without his "Squatter" rain, hail or shine. I also had a lightweight squatter (with the pork-pie beat out of it!) when I was a teenager and never found it too hot for work...in fact a good trick on a really hot day was to wear it wet and let the evaporation cool you off.

I think the difference is that the felt works in a dry heat because you don't tend to sweat much. When living in the tropics some years later I found the leather band would irritate my forehead...so I ripped it out which is probably considered a crime on this site.

You could always invest in a pith helmet...
but my vote is "man up" and stick to your hat!

 

[metropd]

I"m always in a fur felt fedora in the summer including when I'm in Houston or really muggy places, I'm talking 105 degrees plus. I walked around town in ST Helena, CA in my VS beaver fedora and a 1930's double breasted suit in a
117 degrees. I'm just too hot to stop.

 

[stibbons]

Another Australian here, and I'm wearing felt year-round.

Sydney is fairly temperate. There was a very hot, very humid heatwave in January, but I managed to avoid it on holiday in Tasmania. Warmer climes, as elvisroe mentions, are also a lot drier. In those sorts of conditions, I don't think the felt feels any hotter than a straw.

 

[daizawaguy]

HUMIDITY

It`s all about humidity. I think our Ozzie friends wear their Akubra all year round, but its in a very dry heat. Humidity brings out the sticky sweaty feeling...and the felt just does not work in this environment...

 

[Dewhurst]

I wear felt all year long. Straw comes out during summer, but it really is like wearing a plastic bowl on my head because most of my straw hats have fairly tight weaves without any significant built-in ventilation and they simply refuse to breathe as a result.

Oddly, I don't find leather sweatbands or felt uncomfortable when I am sweating a lot.

 

[Thwack]

I've only had a few chances to wear a felt in the 90+ heat so far but I wore my dark brown fed iv both days out in the blazing sun and didn't feel too worse for it. I'd take it off to cool down once and a while but with the sun beating down on me I felt much better when I put it back on.

 

[Goose.]

I"m always in a fur felt fedora in the summer including when I'm in Houston or really muggy places, I'm talking 105 degrees plus. I walked around town in ST Helena, CA in my VS beaver fedora and a 1930's double breasted suit in a
117 degrees. I'm just too hot to stop.

"I'm just too hot to stop". That's a great line.

As I posted earlier, I wear felt all year (but never my white one after Labor Day ), if it gets too toasty like yesterday (mid 90's), it's straw or plastic (Capricorn/Hayman).

Really just wanted to chime in on Metropd's post lol

 

[Carlisle Blues]

The moment it reaches 65 degrees (give or take) it is Panama city for me.

I love my felts, but, straw is my hat of choice.

 

[avedwards]

I"m always in a fur felt fedora in the summer including when I'm in Houston or really muggy places, I'm talking 105 degrees plus. I walked around town in ST Helena, CA in my VS beaver fedora and a 1930's double breasted suit in a
117 degrees. I'm just too hot to stop.

I'm seriously glad it doesn't get that warm in the UK. How do you manage not to ruin the suit? Stuff cool packs under your shirt? I can understand the felt hat all year round, but anything over 25C and only light weight summer sport coat with no tie for me.

 

[John in Covina]

Not getting too hot in the summer has it's advantages.

Here in the US, the use of air conditioning is nearly 100% for businesses that cater to the public. In the summer when it is hot out a lot of people go from their air conditioned car to the air conditioned building to the air conditioned business and so on, spending as little time out doors and in the heat as possible.

A similar phenomanon occurs when visiting Las Vegas in the summer, the heat can be oppressive even if in shorts and sandals. You move in the shadows, staying indoors and in the A/C as much as possible. The humidity is usually very low there so if you do sweat and there is a breeze it evaporates almost instantly. The evaporation is so fast that in 110 degree plus weather if it's breezy you will get a chill hopping out of the hotel swimming pool! Being in the sun at those high temps feels a lot like standing next to a big oven with the door open and the broiler is on full blast.

We work at keeping the sweating to a minimum, I guess.

Anyway, a wide brim hat in the summer whether fur or straw or cloth is good to keep the sun off the head and neck.

 

[Mahagonny Bill]

Recommendations?

I was planning on getting a new panama this summer, but after reading this I might go with a Akbura squatter instead. Is the modern squatter light weight enough for summer? What other modern hat brand/model would you consider as light felt?

Pacific NW summers are usually 70-90 degrees F with relatively low humidity, so my real goal to to keep the sun off my giant red noggin.

 

[John in Covina]

My Squatter in Moonstone is my favorite hat to wear year round. It is fairly light weight felt thinner than some modern Stetsons, tighter felt.

 

[CRH]

My Squatter in Moonstone is my favorite hat to wear year round. It is fairly light weight felt thinner than some modern Stetsons, tighter felt.

Is this one a Super Fine Feather Weight, John? If so we're certainly looking for some educated opinions in "Akubra Overload" about it.

 

[John in Covina]

Nope, I don't think so, it doesn't say anything about being lightweight. I got it from David morgan's web site.

 

[tortswon]

A little secret

I live in downtown Philly which is located in the Delaware River Valley. July/August temperatures and humidities routinely run in the 90's. I wear my fur felt hat all summer because I have found the perfect sub-hat accessory.

If you Google insulin cooling wallet, you can find self chilling cases for two syringes, These are run under cold tap water for about two minutes after being initially activated. Dry the case and place it under your hat. There is zero condensation and the pack will keep cool for hours. You can recharge it by going to the men's room and running it under cold water for two minutes. Dry it and you are ready to go again. The chemicals in the bog cool so no ice, no muss, no fuss. I've worn mine under an Art Fawcett heavy weight felt in the 90's with no problem. DO NOT PUT THE COOLING BAG INTO THE OUTER BAG FOR THIS. For those with large crown westerns, larger packs are available. No prescription is needed. Here are some links:

http://www.diabetesandmore.com/FRIO-Mini-P979C10.aspx

http://www.diabetesandmore.com/FRIO-Individual--P153C10.aspx

http://www.medicool.com/diabetes/diabetes_travel_frio.php?gclid=CPf46s2QyJoCFQSPFQodfmei2w

This has worked well for me during the summer allowing me to wear fur felt. It's also pretty good if you are outdoors doing chores or just walking around. Hope this helps! Best, Sam

 

[daizawaguy]

Now this is novel, Sir! I may be missing something, but where do you place this bag...on your head under the hat!!?

 

[Jabos]

Tortswon-what a great idea. Thanks for sharing because I can think of a million uses for one in addition to the hat.

 

[scottyrocks]

tortswon,

Never mind under the hat, this looks like a great answer for my insulin. I've been using medicool freezer packs and case for years, but I like this idea better. Thanks for the heads-up!

 

[tortswon]

Cool pack placement

The pack can be placed on the head and then the hat placed over it (like catchers used to do with cabbage leaves). For something a tad more elegant, I have fitted some hats with a pouch fabricated from an old stocking fitted into the front of the hat as close as possible to the forehead without deforming the hat. Sometimes it is funny watching people with sweat pouring down their faces with a cap on or nothing and I'm cool as a cucumber with my refrigerated fedora.

One of the nicest things about it is the rechargability by immersing it for two minutes under cold running water and a quick towel dry. Hope this helps! Best, Sam

PS You can get these from many more places than the links from the previous posts and I am not endorsing any particular store or product.