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Felt hats in summer..

Brian Niebuhr

One of the Regulars
Messages
150
Location
Iowa
Frussell, that might be a little too hot even for me, I have to say. I'm comfy up to about 105 degrees with high humidity. That said, I'd much rather have the +125 than the -20's we had for daytime highs last winter! I don't mind heat but I can't stand the cold. Summer in Florida is just right. I plan to move there someday!
 

Preacher Man

A-List Customer
Messages
327
Location
South Central Kentucky, USA
Hat. Sweat can be washed away; to get rid of skin cancer you need doctors with sharp metal objects. ;)

Alex you're exactly right my friend! I sat in a Dr's chair getting shots in my nose, then watching him whittle a basal cell carcinoma off the end of it, followed by more shots, then sitting there while he sewed it up. Yessir I'll wipe the sweat! Hat all the time, in any weather. That's my story and I'm stickin to it! Please don't play with UV! Having your nose whittled on isn't fun at all........
 
Last edited:
Messages
12,030
Location
East of Los Angeles
Alex you're exactly right my friend! I sat in a Dr's chair getting shots in my nose, then watching him whittle a basal cell carcinoma off the end of it, followed by more shots, then sitting there while he sewed it up. Yessir I'll wipe the sweat! Hat all the time, in any weather. That's my story and I'm stickin to it! Please don't play with UV! Having your nose whittled on isn't fun at all........
I've "been there, done that" as well--in January of 2013 they cut some off of the left side of my nose. I didn't mind the whittling so much, but the aftercare was a little troublesome because the stitches that were supposed to "dissolve" didn't, and it took my body about a month to push them close enough to the surface for me to yank them out. In my case the doctor had to remove such a ridiculously small amount that it barely left a scar; I'm convinced they actually removed it all when they took the biopsy sample. lol

My wife had some removed from her right cheek last month, but her scar is a little more noticeable because the doctor found more to remove. Her father had several procedures to remove skin cancer in his later years. He worked outdoors a lot and rarely considered sun protection, and his doctors eventually had to remove his left ear. So, yeah, sun damage and skin cancer should not be taken lightly.
 

Joe Rotax

Familiar Face
Messages
98
Location
South Ontario
I've been wearing a fur felt western all this summer. If it gets above 90 and humid I will wear straw but it has been cold in Toronto this summer so straw hat season was cancelled.
 

CaramelSmoothie

Practically Family
Messages
892
Location
With my Hats
I realized this summer that an umbrella beats out any hat that I could wear to deal with this miserable heat. I have a Coolibar umbrella that is made for the sun and provides broad spectrum protection. I'm very happy with it.
 

APP Adrian

A-List Customer
Messages
364
Location
Toronto
I realized this summer that an umbrella beats out any hat that I could wear to deal with this miserable heat. I have a Coolibar umbrella that is made for the sun and provides broad spectrum protection. I'm very happy with it.

Hmmm, I should carry an umbrella with me everyday =D.
 

PistolPete1969

One of the Regulars
Messages
185
Location
Wilds of Southern Ohio
personally, I would choose a fur-felt any chance I can get. However, lately I have been going with my vintage ballcap. It is a reproduction 1960's Houston Colt .45's baseball hat. it is distinctly different, but still offers a good deal of protection. I live in SW Ohio, where it gets rather humid in the summer.
 

Mr Oldschool

One of the Regulars
Messages
108
Location
Southern Oregon
I've alternated between fur felt and straw as year round lids depending on what I had at my disposal, and I really don't find a lot of difference between the comfort. I hate the heat either way, so I'd rather have the UV protection, plus wearing a hat just plain looks better IMO. This year, having a few hats available to me, I've still been keeping my Stetson Sovereign in the rotation, and it isn't the least bit the worse for wear. Sure I sweat wearing it, but I do with my panama and my new to me vintage Milan as well, so there isn't really an advantage of one over the other there. Furthermore, my felt hats (the Sovereign and a Stetson 4X western) are the ones with the wider brims, so they give the better coverage. I do find that the thinner felt of the Sovereign is more comfortable than the heavy felt of the western, for what it's worth.
 

fedoracentric

Banned
Messages
1,362
Location
Streamwood, IL
In the summer, the only time I wear a straw is when I know I am going to be outside and doing something that'll make me sweat pretty good (Walking, working, etc). But if I am out and about in the sumer and know I am not going to do anything strenuous in the heat I wear a fur felt (shopping, visiting, driving). And I don't wear stingies, so brim is not an issue--mine are always wide.
 

Mr Oldschool

One of the Regulars
Messages
108
Location
Southern Oregon
I wouldn't wear stingies either except that someone gave me one, so I feel obliged to give it a try. I still prefer my fedoras with big brims, but my aversion to stingies is loosening.
 

ingineer

One Too Many
Messages
1,088
Location
Clifton NJ
In the summer, the only time I wear a straw is when I know I am going to be outside and doing something that'll make me sweat pretty good (Walking, working, etc). But if I am out and about in the sumer and know I am not going to do anything strenuous in the heat I wear a fur felt (shopping, visiting, driving). And I don't wear stingies, so brim is not an issue--mine are always wide.
Here we are in total concurrence, plus along with your new signature.
If you have only one hat, the felt will last and can be reblocked.
Richard
 

Joao Encarnado

I'll Lock Up
Messages
7,776
Location
Portugal
In the summer, the only time I wear a straw is when I know I am going to be outside and doing something that'll make me sweat pretty good (Walking, working, etc). But if I am out and about in the sumer and know I am not going to do anything strenuous in the heat I wear a fur felt (shopping, visiting, driving). And I don't wear stingies, so brim is not an issue--mine are always wide.
I only wear a straw when I go to the beach. Don't want my fur felts in salt water nor stollen.
The brim is as wide as possible :D

I wouldn't wear stingies either except that someone gave me one, so I feel obliged to give it a try. I still prefer my fedoras with big brims, but my aversion to stingies is loosening.
3" brim is stingy to me...
 

Landman

One Too Many
Messages
1,751
Location
San Antonio, TX
...In my case the doctor had to remove such a ridiculously small amount that it barely left a scar; I'm convinced they actually removed it all when they took the biopsy sample...

Alex, the first one I had was on the top of my bald head. The doctor wanted to biopsy it first and then have me come back if it was cancer. It was so small to begin with I told the doctor to just go ahead and remove whatever it is now. I think I cost the doctor a second visit but I couldn't see the point in two visits when the biopsy was going to be almost as large as the spot. It was a basal cell carcinoma but I didn't need to do anything else because it had all been removed. I have done two more the same way.
 

KingAndrew

A-List Customer
Messages
312
Location
Shanghai
I always wear a hat when I'm outside. In summer I favor straws, although I wear fur felt when it's rainy and I have a Tilley boonie-style hat that I sometimes wear traveling. However, a vented, lightweight felt "safari hat" should be fine in the summer. In especially warm climates, it would be worth looking into a pith helmet.

And big brims are best in the sun.

Caramel Smoothie suggests that umbrellas (or should we say parasols) also work well. This is very true. Here in China, you see more umbrellas on sunny summer days than on rainy ones, because no woman wants to lose her light complexion by being exposed to the sun. Tanning is definitely NOT in style here. Men here favor straw hats in summer, many with the brand name "Ronaldino" emblazoned on them.

I don't know much about Ronalidino. My straw hats have "Optimo" stamped on the sweatband.
 

Lotsahats

One Too Many
Messages
1,370
Ok, I caved today. First this evening: overcast but super hot and humid here in KC, so since I didn't need the sun protection, I went without a fedora--it was just too too hot. Then later this evening, we broke down on our way to Des Moines; I had a straw in the front seat and a felt in a box in the trunk, so I wore the straw as we were figuring out what to do about the car. Within 15 minutes, the heat and humidity were such that I stood around bare-headed. Well, not entirely bare-headed, but with neither straw nor felt.

Maybe the temps are getting to me as I age!

A
 

tommyK

One Too Many
Messages
1,789
Location
Berwick, PA
In the summer, the only time I wear a straw is when I know I am going to be outside and doing something that'll make me sweat pretty good (Walking, working, etc). But if I am out and about in the sumer and know I am not going to do anything strenuous in the heat I wear a fur felt (shopping, visiting, driving). And I don't wear stingies, so brim is not an issue--mine are always wide.

+1. Or is that +2?
 

John Galt

Vendor
Messages
2,080
Location
Chico
I live in a pretty warm region of the north Central Valley in California, and alternate between straws and lightweight vintage felts like the Champ featherweight and analogs by other hat makers in the summer with pretty good results.
 

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