Hat sizes : Akubra vs. Borsalino vs. Stetson

[Hurricane Jack]

I'm exactly 24" and a 61 shrinks to fit nicely.

^^What he said.

 

[Michael R.]

Absolutely, and that one seems quite a bit off!

The "(length + width) / 2" method is actually a hack, but it's usually very accurate. The definition of the US-size is: The diameter of a circle with the said circumference. If your head measures 23", the exact corresponding US-size is: 23/PI = 7.321 ... somewhere between 7-1/4 (7.250) and 7-3/8 (7.375).

A 7-1/4 hat should in theory have an inner circumference of 22.777" or 57.85 cm. For a 7-3/8 the numbers are: 23.169" or 58.85 cm.

There is no difference in circumference between a wide (round), regular and long oval with the same size-designation.

In theory, there's no difference between theory and practice. In practice, this seems quite different

Thanks Ole , I knew a genius would know the precise way they supposedly figure it . And yeah I saw that chart , and thought that would be an example of a different chart . The Best I've seen give everything English , US , EUR , FR , and exact inches , cm , and everything in detail .
No Way a 7 1/4 fits or even looks right on me , unless the size is off on the Hat and larger . I think I'll copy this info .

 

[TheDane]

Thanks Ole , I knew a genius would know the precise way they supposedly figure it

Thanks Michael, but I'm nowhere close! Math has just always been part of what I happen to do

 

[RJR]

Thanks Michael, but I'm nowhere close! Math has just always been part of what I happen to do

 

[One Drop]

I'm curious as to you various experiences with comparative sizing between these companies, taking int0 account of course the variations between vintage and new etc.

The reason I ask is that I don't have much access to try on different brands here, and have had some varying results after trying on a few and buying a few new and vintage hats online.

I'm interested in a Stetson Dune for the winter, I need a weatherproof hat with a large brim and none of the Akubras I've seen really fit the style I'm looking for save the Bushman, and that's only available from Davis Morgan with prohibitive shipping costs to Switzerland. I really like my Bran Cattleman but I want either a Silverbelly or brownish and higher crowned hat for the winter. I love the Campdraft but the brim os too small for the Alpine sun here, and I hate wearing sunglasses with a brimmed hat.

Here are the data points I can give :

- I measure between 56 - 57 cm with a cloth tape measure. I suspect I fit a long oval best.
- The Akubra Cattleman in 57 fits me perfectly with a very thin shim (two very small plastic bags for emergency poop scoop duty), after having shrunk after repeated soakings and an hour or so left on purpose in the sun in a hot car.
- A vintage 7 1/8" Dunlap Open Road style fedora fits a bit big even with a bit of padding fore and aft, and it's still a bit too round after wearing quite a few times.
- My favorite hat by far is a vintage 7 1/8" Borsalino Alessandria in light tan, it fits just a bit big with a folded paper towel in back, conforming to my head shape better than the Dunlap as the form is quite a bit less rigid then the Dunlap. I'm pretty sure a Borsa in 7 or 56 would be perfect.
- The few Stetsons I was able to try on in a shop all seemed really big even in size 56, most were cheaper wool or fur felt but one was a nice moderate Silverbelly Western style hat with what seemed like pretty high quality fur felt. Circumstances didn't permit me to keep trying to find the right Stetson size, unfortunately, but I can eventually get to a shop that stocks them to find out what my real size is in that brand.

I'm very appreciative in advance of any help or suggestions - I have my eye on a used Acorn Dune in 6 7/8 that I was thinking of taking a chance on, perhaps foolishly!

 

[Rmccamey]

Hat size is an imperfect measure, at best. Some of my hats will be tighter or looser depending on the length of my hair. Felt and leather in hats will change over time depending on their use, abuse and how they were stored. For vintage hats, go into the buying process knowing they may be a size large or small and be ready to use shims or a hat stretcher to make small adjustments in order to fit your head. Dunking felt hats in water and then leaving them in hot sun is not the ideal way to adjust the size of a hat. Small garment steamers for home use work well and are very inexpensive.

 

[One Drop]

Hat size is an imperfect measure, at best. Some of my hats will be tighter or looser depending on the length of my hair. Felt and leather in hats will change over time depending on their use, abuse and how they were stored. For vintage hats, go into the buying process knowing they may be a size large or small and be ready to use shims or a hat stretcher to make small adjustments in order to fit your head. Dunking felt hats in water and then leaving them in hot sun is not the ideal way to adjust the size of a hat. Small garment steamers for home use work well and are very inexpensive.

Thanks, I'm aware of the possible variations and do not expect a perfect fit when buying a vintage hat, I'm happy to take a chance and flip one of it doesn't work out.

I've edited my first post to add a short introduction, and to make it a bit clearer - my Akubra was soaked repeatedly doing what it was designed to, keeping me dry in downpours. I always took care to let it dry slowly and the sweatband has only been exposed to sweat and never gotten wet by any other means.

I made the choice to let the sweatband shrink that way after a few months wear, it was a good decision as it hasn't budged since and I don't have to worry about padding it out anymore or stretching it after being left in the heat for a bit, it basically has shrunk to its maximum that it probably would have with a few more month's wear. It's not my first Akubra, having bought my first one one OZ in the '80s, and I knew what to expect.

I guess my questions are basically if Stetsons in general run large for their stated size compared to Akubras and Borsalinos, which I find in general fit the same once the Akubras have shrunk to their stated size, if most Stetsons are fairly consistent or not compared to one another and model to model, and if not, if the Dune in particular fits like most other Stetsons of a particular model, because I can then go and try them on for comparison.

 

[belfastboy]

Thanks, I'm aware of the possible variations and do not expect a perfect fit when buying a vintage hat, I'm happy to take a chance and flip one of it doesn't work out.

I've edited my first post to add a short introduction, and to make it a bit clearer - my Akubra was soaked repeatedly doing what it was designed to, keeping me dry in downpours. I always took care to let it dry slowly and the sweatband has only been exposed to sweat and never gotten wet by any other means.

I made the choice to let the sweatband shrink that way after a few months wear, it was a good decision as it hasn't budged since and I don't have to worry about padding it out anymore or stretching it after being left in the heat for a bit, it basically has shrunk to its maximum that it probably would have with a few more month's wear. It's not my first Akubra, having bought my first one one OZ in the '80s, and I knew what to expect.

I guess my questions are basically if Stetsons in general run large for their stated size compared to Akubras and Borsalinos, which I find in general fit the same once the Akubras have shrunk to their stated size, if most Stetsons are fairly consistent or not compared to one another and model to model, and if not, if the Dune in particular fits like most other Stetsons of a particular model, because I can then go and try them on for comparison.

I am an exact 59cm head measure with numerous hats from all 3 companies.
My experience is they all fit close to 'true to size'. I live in a mild climate and don't sweat very much and have not had the issue of Akubra shrinkage that others have experienced. I have purchased Akubras on line and in person and have picked up size 60 when the store was out of 59.....but went through the stack to find the 'smallest' of the 60's. It is a very inexact science but I have not found any great size variance between these manufacturers.

 

[One Drop]

I am an exact 59cm head measure with numerous hats from all 3 companies.
My experience is they all fit close to 'true to size'. I live in a mild climate and don't sweat very much and have not had the issue of Akubra shrinkage that others have experienced. I have purchased Akubras on line and in person and have picked up size 60 when the store was out of 59.....but went through the stack to find the 'smallest' of the 60's. It is a very inexact science but I have not found any great size variance between these manufacturers.

Thanks for your input!

The funny thing is that I've been wearing hats on and off for decades, but never paid any attention to sizes as as a rule I'd buy vintage hats from thrift and vintage shops when I saw something I liked that fit; it was mostly for fashion except for Panamas that I wore for practical reasons as well as looks. I never actually took note of the size of any of them.

It's only recently that I've wanted felt hats for a specific practical function and at the same time don't have easy access to those kind of shops (I live in the mountains and for obvious reasons have not been travelling to big cities at all in the last year or so.

 

[belfastboy]

Thanks for your input!

The funny thing is that I've been wearing hats on and off for decades, but never paid any attention to sizes as as a rule I'd buy vintage hats from thrift and vintage shops when I saw something I liked that fit; it was mostly for fashion except for Panamas that I wore for practical reasons as well as looks. I never actually took note of the size of any of them.

It's only recently that I've wanted felt hats for a specific practical function and at the same time don't have easy access to those kind of shops (I live in the mountains and for obvious reasons have not been travelling to big cities at all in the last year or so.

My default is: when in doubt size up. I can always shim the hat if slightly too big. Hats that are the least bit snug give me headaches and have never had much success stretching them.

 

[One Drop]

My default is: when in doubt size up. I can always shim the hat if slightly too big. Hats that are the least bit snug give me headaches and have never had much success stretching them.

Likewise, they give me an instant headache and always shrink back down eventually, in my limited experience.

I do find that the a nice soft leather sweatband tends to bunch up a bit and crease if the shim is too big, I don't feel it but it bugs me to see it on a quality hat.

 

[belfastboy]

Likewise, they give me an instant headache and always shrink back down eventually, in my limited experience.

I do find that the a nice soft leather sweatband tends to bunch up a bit and crease if the shim is too big, I don't feel it but it bugs me to see it on a quality hat.

Yes, in mine the sweats tend to pucker if the shim is at all thick.