Indiana Jones official 'weathered' cotton as a possible summer lid?

[Rick Blaine]

Yeah, that is the "official" IJ cotton fedora. But I was wondering if the pooled wisdom here might agree w/ me that this may be a good possibility for a summer hat.
It is 100% cotton, so it should 'breathe' a little. A 2.5" brim seems adequate for shade and it is relatively inexpensive. In addition it looks somewhat crushable/foldable.

So does anyone have one of these? Any thoughts or recommendations?

 

[gtdean48]

I'll bet that cotton is treated & won't breathe any better that a light weight felt hat without a lining...JMHO

 

[scottyrocks]

I have found that anything but a straw with a loose weave makes me too hot when the temps are up in T-shirt-only region.

I have a Bailey straw fedora that I bought 1) because it was the right shape, and b) the weave is loose enough for good ventilation.

 

[RobFedoraField]

I'll 2nd that

I'll bet that cotton is treated & won't breathe any better that a light weight felt hat without a lining...JMHO

if the new ones are the same as they were in the past, they seem as thick as 3 or 4 layers of denim (sp?) sewn together. my wife's grandfather wears something similar in the winter and a modern stetson OR in the summer if that tells you anything...

 

[Not-Bogart13]

I don't have that specific hat, but I do own a Dorfman cotton hat. Unlike the Indy hat, it has eyelet air holes for ventilation, and is probably the exact same material as the Indy. It's useless in cold weather. But in hot weather it's feels heavy and hot. And that's with air holes! Try to imagine wrapping your head with a new pair of jeans on a hot, humid day and standing in the sun for a while.

Very limited in it's usefulness. It's a warm weather rain hat, nothing more.

 

[Carlisle Blues]

Rick you're in Dixie forget itshakeshead

Try a well ventilated panama[huh]

 

[Bob Smalser]

Too hot.

Bailey's Logging Supply in California and Tennessee sells the old, while cotton flat caps favored by loggers until hard hats became mandatory. I can't think of a cooler, more comfortable cap, even among Panamas. Washable, but I buy three new ones every year so I always have a fresh one for dressup. These are excellent quality. And at $6.95, it's hard to go too far astray.

http://www.baileysonline.com/itemdetail.asp?item=75000+LG&catID=121

 

[Tomasso]

I hate to pile on, but................shakeshead

 

[Nathan Flowers]

When I'm backpacking in the summer months, I wear a Tilley LTM6.

 

[Leesensei]

I have one of those hats. My wife saw me looking at the "indy hats" at a Cracker barrel restaurant one time and she decided to buy one for me. I have to agree with everyone else here. The hat may be great for rain or snow , but it is not a good summer hat.

 

[Rick Blaine]

...ok, I am detecting a general agreement of opinions here.

 

[Goose.]

...Try to imagine wrapping your head with a new pair of jeans ....

I think that actually happened to me when I used to drink Bacardi 151 as a younger guy. It's all a haze at this old age of CRS. :eusa_doh:

Anyway, that hat looks a lot like my Duluth Trading Oil Cloth Packer made my the same kid that probably made the boxers I'm wearing...made in Sri Lanka.

Get a straw or light felt something if you're looking for summer wear.

 

[Daoud]

While they're not very stylish, if you want a good hat just for outside work and recreation, the U.S. military-spec "Hat, Sun,Hot Weather," universally known as the "boonie hat," is hard to beat. It's inexpensive, usually in the $10-$15 range. It is very well engineered- it comes in either a twill or a ripstop version, and either one is pretty lightweight- The sides of the crown are two layers of fabric, while the top is a single layer- hence, you avoid the dreaded "smothered in jeans" effect. The brim is several stitched layers- it is 2 1/4" wide.They have two screened metal ventilation holes on each side. I have found them to be very cool and comfortable.

You can find them in many colors and different camo patterns, and with or without the distinctive looped band around the outside. They all seem to have chin cords, which can be tied up or tucked under- or actually used in rare instances. They can be machine-washed and dried.

I know people who swear by the Tilley hat, but I don't think it is very much better-looking than the boonie, and it is WAY more expensive.

The civilian counterpart to the boonie- in terms of price and performance- is what used to be called a porkpie hat ( in the old L.L. Bean catalog) or fishing hat or golf hat or tennis hat....I see now they're called a bucket hat mostly. You used to be able to buy them anywhere, just about, and you probably still can find them at Wal-Mart, et al.

These hats can be quite presentable- the nicer ones are khaki, white or navy with a striped grosgrain band- or just plain. You can get the very basic ones for under $10.00.

 

[scottyrocks]

Here's a couple of my favorite summer hats.

This one's a Bailey. I wear this one almost all the time:

This one is a Barmah that my Dad brought back from Australia when my parents went to visit my brother who lives in Perth. I don't know the technical name of the part of the hat, but the sides are completely mesh. The top is solid, and its a very ventilated hat:

 

[Visigoth]

Seems odd, but...

I find a light felt fedora (light in color, light in weight), perfect for the weather here: 5000 ft. above sea level in the mountains of Oaxaca. (The days are often hot, but rarely humid.) You have to remove the liner, of course.

I've never found straw or cotton to be appreciably better in the heat, believe it or not. There's a reason why all those cowpokes wear silver-belly Open Roads in the sun.

 

[scottyrocks]

I find a light felt fedora (light in color, light in weight), perfect for the weather here: 5000 ft. above sea level in the mountains of Oaxaca. (The days are often hot, but rarely humid.) You have to remove the liner, of course.

I've never found straw or cotton to be appreciably better in the heat, believe it or not. There's a reason why all those cowpokes wear silver-belly Open Roads in the sun.

Yes, I had a traditional panama and found it pretty hot when the temps climb into the 90s. The Bailey shown above has a pretty open weave. Between that, the shape and look, the comfort of the sweatband, and the price, its pretty much a perfect hot-to-warm weather hat (for me).