Giant Pith Helmet Thread of Doom

[KingAndrew]

Tommy: That might be one of the Bombay Bowlers they sold at Banana Republic back in the 1980s. There are some other pics earlier in the thread that you could use for comparison.

Itsbruce: Sun protection or no, the look is FABulous!

 

[Vintage lover]

Me stopping traffic:

Were I to buy a pith helmet, you are wearing the same style I would go after. I'm sure traffic didn't just stop, but come to a screeching halt.

 

[Warden]

Personally I find them the perfect summer wear

http://twitpic.com/adeoof

 

[Oldsarge]

I don't know about organized Golden Era hunts but the last time I went to Mozambique I took my pith, my .318 Westley Richards and my .404 Jeffery . . . and almost got killed! Thank heaven for a skilled Professional Hunter. However, the outfit had nothing to do with my misadventures so I would certainly do it again. And I've thought about trying to book a moose hunt where I could carry some appropriate vintage or vintage style rifle and get some Bean boots, the kind that lace up to the knee. The guide would probably laugh himself sick if I didn't give him fair warning but it would be fun.

 

[Renault]

Walter, all I own is "vintage" firearms (some say wore out firearms). But I hunt "vintage" everytime I go out! Piths rule!!!!

 

[Blackthorn]

I don't know about organized Golden Era hunts but the last time I went to Mozambique I took my pith, my .318 Westley Richards and my .404 Jeffery . . . and almost got killed! Thank heaven for a skilled Professional Hunter. However, the outfit had nothing to do with my misadventures so I would certainly do it again. And I've thought about trying to book a moose hunt where I could carry some appropriate vintage or vintage style rifle and get some Bean boots, the kind that lace up to the knee. The guide would probably laugh himself sick if I didn't give him fair warning but it would be fun.

Great story, Oldsarge, about the zombie buff!

 

[Mr. Godfrey]

My new pith helmet following my family vacation to Florida, OK so it's my cars pith helmet I meant to get one years ago when we stayed there but I got this and an Indian Jones fedora for my car last month!!!!. Pleases my little mind anyway [huh]

 

[Matt Crunk]

Just ran across this video on youtube and thought i'd share. Lots of piths in attendance.

[video=youtube_share;KkJFX6XAGmw]http://youtu.be/KkJFX6XAGmw[/video]

 

[Lotsahats]

Theodor Herzl's helmet from his trip to Israel in 1898.

A

 

[Blackthorn]

Theodor Herzl's helmet from his trip to Israel in 1898.

A

Very interesting. Herzl was a great man.

I never thought of pith helmets and Israel as being connected. I guess back in his day, pith helmets were the hot weather hats worldwide.

 

[Lotsahats]

Very interesting. Herzl was a great man.

I never thought of pith helmets and Israel as being connected. I guess back in his day, pith helmets were the hot weather hats worldwide.

Absolutely! And Israel at the time was only deserts and swamps, so a pith helmet was a good idea.

Herzl was incredible and amazing,

A

 

[Mr. Godfrey]

Found this model website that has a great selection of Pith helmets, boy I wish my toys had been like this! http://www.wargamesfoundry.com/our-ranges/darkest-africa/british/


Solid Chaps to a Man - DA093


Stouthearted Brits - DA091


A League of Exceptional Gentleman - DA012

 

[Shangas]

Hey folks.

Here in Australia, where the weather is backwards and the land is upside down...it's now solidly spring.

It's also solidly rising in temperature. And very soon we'll be in the grips of deepest summer.

With this in mind, I've stopped wearing most of my thicker/heavier felt hats. I've switched to flat caps and newsboys, and my Panama and Boater (wore my boater for the first time since before winter, today, and got quite a few compliments by folks in the streets!).

Aaaaanyhoo.

Some of the local shops (military surplus and local hat-shops) have started stocking pith helmets. The local hat shop has some, but they're the really cheap paper-straw 'Made in China' type. I'm not about to buy something that's going to turn into papier mache in the rain.

So I went to a military surplus shop a few blocks away, and they had a wider selection of pith helmets for sale. In the same price-range, and by the looks of it, much better quality. So, I want to buy one.

They had them in white, and khaki. Both the more helmet-y 'military' style with the peaked front and sloped rear brims, and the more civilian-style with a more uniform, all-around shape. I think that's the type I want.

The hats were marked "MADE IN VIETNAM".

What I want to know is (and the guy at the shop wasn't sure, which is why I'm here)...

What would these hats be made of? Cork? Pith? What is the material (fabric) which covers these hats on top? Would you consider these modern ones to be decent quality? Will they stand up to regular use and survive a deluge, should it happen to rain?

The prices ranged from about $40-$70. The type I wanted is $40 (not just based in price, I actually DO like the shape more than the other type).

Are these hats made of PITH or CORK? Is cork as good as pith? Will they both have the same properties and qualities? Will they both do the same thing? By that, I mean that I read you can dunk/soak/wet a pith-helmet (exterior only), dump it on your head and it'll keep you cool through evaporative cooling. Is it safe to do this with both types of helmet (pith & cork)? Or only one and not the other?

For that kind of money, what sort of materials would these Viet-made hats be made of?

(The 'Made in China' straw-paper ones were $45! I'm not spending MORE for lesser quality!!).

And one last question - Does anyone here who actually owns a pith (I assume so since this thread is 70+ pages long), wear them in public during the summer? What sorts of reactions do you get?

Other shops in the area selling these helmets are made of cork and are about $20. The military surplus store I went to is selling them starting at $40. The hat shop I visited have just the cheap MiC ones ($45, which I'm certainly NOT buying).

If there's no difference between Cork and Pith, then I'm tempted to buy the cheaper $20 one at one of our more popular military surplus stores.

If pith is significantly better than cork, then I don't mind spending a bit more to buy the $40 one in town.

Sorry for such a long, rambling post!!

 

[splintercellsz]

 

[Levallois]

Delete

 

[GregNYC]

This is my favorite thread title, like, ever!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[fedoracentric]

 

[Bugguy]

I just picked up a vintage pith helmet - aden pattern/cawnpore sola style - for a very reasonable price at a local auction. It's perfect on my 7 3/8 noggin and a hoot to wear.







My only problem is that the chin strap has disintegrated over time and I'm wondering about replacing the leather strap. The helmet is a classic and I wouldn't want to hurt its historic value just to satisfy my aesthetic.

Am I better advised to leave it, remove the remaining short pieces, or replace it?

Thanks to Dan Jones (6/12 post) for sharing the picture of Lowel Thomas (1918) wearing this style when he chased TE Lawrence around Jerusalem and Palestine.

 

[Mr. Godfrey]

I watched the Artist on DVD last night and I would love to watch the internal film he produced , 'the tears of love' just for the pith helmets!

 

[Redshoes51]

HAHA!!!

What a sudden return of a memory!!!

We wore those things at Air Force Basic Training at Lackland AFB... September, 1970...

~shoes~