fur felt in hot weather?

[LoveMyHats2]

I tend to wear Straw when it is warm, have a few Straw hats or Milan hats for the warmer weather. However, when it is really hot and humid out, having any hat on has it's ups and downs. The hat being on your head does keep the sun off of you, but the heat is going to be retained a bit from the hat itself. I do see how a hat with vents such as the ArtLite would help allow trapped heat escape from the crown of the hat.

I carry a few hankies during the summer or some kleenex to wipe my forehead off to help keep too much "wet" from getting spread into my hats. It seems to help a great deal. A friend of mine places some over lapping strips of plastic wrap behind his sweatband to hinder any sweat transfer to the hat itself. I may try that myself this summer.

 

[LoveMyHats2]

I wore my Artlite yesterday. It was 92F and the hat was nearly as comfortable as any of my panama hats.


I have to admit that I was surprised at the comfort. I'll have to order additional Artlite hats for next year, once Art gets the new batch of bodies.

So far, the hats from Art Fawcett are really a work of "art". Beautiful hat!

 

[LoveMyHats2]

It has been warming up nicely here in New Hampshire and I've been enjoying my lightweight felt hats from Art Fawcett an awful lot.

Very light felt body, no liner and ventilation holes makes for a great warm weather hat.

Today was about 80F and I was comfortable out and about in my Silvermist ArtLite

I was wearing my Garrison Indy hat earlier in the day out with the dogs - I don't mind if this one gets messed up with sweat stains - I bought it to be my go to outdoor fun hat.

I'll still be wearing my straw hats when the days get warmer as the year progresses.

Such a beauty!

 

[gtdean48]

.... I'll have to order additional Artlite hats for next year, once Art gets the new batch of bodies.

I didn't think Winchester was doing runs of the lightweights anymore????

 

[tealseal]

Final Result

My experiment wearing fur felts in the Arizona summer is complete. The following hats were in my rotation:
Silverbelly modern Open Road
Tawny Fawn Federation IV
Dark gray Stetson Homburg (modern)
Stetson Lamont

My conclusion is, that when the temperature is 95-118 degrees, you're going to sweat in a hat whether it's felt or straw. I also found that it didn't matter if the liner was in or out, but the liner does serve to protect the felt from your perspiration.
I took my Federation out for a hike, and actually managed to sweat through the darn thing, leaving some stains on the felt. However, it was an excellent hat to be wearing!

I know that straw hats are "traditionally worn" in the summer, but I have no experience to support that they're actually more comfortable hats. I say eschew tradition in favor of whatever is comfortable for you!

 

[danofarlington]

her

I know that straw hats are "traditionally worn" in the summer, but I have no experience to support that they're actually more comfortable hats. I say eschew tradition in favor of whatever is comfortable for you!

I don't know that Panamas or other straw hats are really any cooler than felts in hot weather. But they sure look better and more natural in it.

 

[Yeps]

Maybe this is just because I have low grade/loose weave panamas, but I notice a huge difference. I have, on numerous occasions, actually felt a breeze through my straw.

 

[winter_joe]

Ive never had any problems with felt in the summer it keeps the sun of my face and the rain too.

 

[Landman]

My experiment wearing fur felts in the Arizona summer is complete. The following hats were in my rotation:
Silverbelly modern Open Road
Tawny Fawn Federation IV
Dark gray Stetson Homburg (modern)
Stetson Lamont

My conclusion is, that when the temperature is 95-118 degrees, you're going to sweat in a hat whether it's felt or straw. I also found that it didn't matter if the liner was in or out, but the liner does serve to protect the felt from your perspiration.
I took my Federation out for a hike, and actually managed to sweat through the darn thing, leaving some stains on the felt. However, it was an excellent hat to be wearing!

I know that straw hats are "traditionally worn" in the summer, but I have no experience to support that they're actually more comfortable hats. I say eschew tradition in favor of whatever is comfortable for you!

I came to the same conclusion this summer myself. In the 100+ Texas heat I sweated just as bad in a straw as a felt. I actually think the felt when wet with sweat was cooler when the breeze picked up. A couple of times I even purposely dunked my Akubra Cattleman in cool water to get some relief. You can't do that with a straw! Also, any straw that the weave was open enough to get any benefit from the breeze didn't provide any protection from the UV rays. I have had a couple of skin cancers removed from the top of my head before and a dermatologist has warned me not to wear straw because of that. I guess I'm a year around felt guy now.

 

[Landman]

I forgot to mention that I didn't find any noticeable difference with a liner in or out of a felt hat with the exception of the liners in an Akubra Campdraft. Those liners have a heavy plastic protector in the top that made the hat very hot. I removed the factory liner and replaced it with a plain white satin liner with no protector and there was a noticeable difference. The Akubra Cattleman actually comes without a liner and has vent holes with grommets. I don't like the look of grommet vent holes on a felt but it is definitely a lot cooler.

 

[Nathaniel Finley]

http://www.davidmorgan.com/product_info.php?products_id=1422

Pro30X Beaver Akubra. It's more of a western hat but I just reshaped mine and it has a nice big brim for the sun. The furfelt feels lighter to me than their other hats but more substantial, which is saying a lot since I put Akubra's rabbit fur felt over many production line beaver mixes.

How has that Akubra Beaver worked out for you, Lando? Do you happen to have any photos? Seems like a tempting offer right now at 220 USD!