Northwest Hats, Eugene, Ore.

[The Shoe]

Just received this from Mike Miller (Northwest Hats). I acquired the semi-calado Montecristi from Brent aka @deadlyhandsome last year. I had Brent ship it directly to Mike with a duplex in mind. Have to admit my wife picked the ribbon. She grabbed a half dozen shirts (mostly Hawaiian) from the closet and requested a lighter blue ribbon. Her idea is a more casual hat with Hawaiian shirts. That's all good but I plan on wearing it this Sunday morning for worship services.

Specs:
Felt: bone color
Ribbon: 1" light blue with mauve stripes
Crown: 4 1/4" front, 4" back, telescope
Brim: 3" with a pencil curl

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Yep, that appeals big time.

 

[Woodtroll]

Mike finished up another Montescristi Semi-Calado for me today. More pictures when it arrives.

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Congratulations! That’s another really nice one you have there! I like the brim shape, in particular. I hope it gives you many years of pleasure.

 

[Bill Hughes]

Arrived today.

 

[Who?]

Wow!

 

[Rmccamey]

A smashing hat and a very cool ribbon, Bill.

Arrived today.

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[deadlyhandsome]

Arrived today.

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That’s a looker, Bill!

 

[Mm25]

Arrived today.

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Love your posts. You have one of the nicest collections I’ve seen.

 

[The Shoe]

Arrived today.

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Love it!

 

[The Lost Cowboy]

Some 8 or 9 months ago I contacted Mike at Northwest Hats about a custom fedora. Due to life’s little intricacies (on my side, Mike was absolutely wonderful dealing with all my delays) I didn’t receive the hat until yesterday. But wow was it worth the wait!

This is navy blue, 5 3/4 crown, dimensional brim with yin-yang design ventilation holes. I LOVE it!

It is very, very stiff felt. I ordered it open crown and the felt barely gave even under copious steaming. I’m thinking it’s going to soften up over time but if it doesn’t that’s okay, too - this hat is dynamite just the way it is!

Cheers,
Nathan

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Almost five years ago, I posted this initial review of my Northwest Hats order.

Five years later, this hat has traveled with me all the way around the world at least once and been on many, many adventures and I feel it worthwhile to add some observations.

To begin with the good: structurally the hat has held up to the worst I could throw at it. It has shrugged off extreme heat and humidity as well as cold and ice. The beaver felt is incredibly soft in the hand and even more so when it gets wet. This hat is truly the most fun in the rain! And the sweat band is as supple and comfortable today as it ever was.

I have two complaints, however. The first is that the crown has never softened up. It remains super stiff to this day, despite thousands of miles of wear. I don’t mind that so much, but I know others who don’t like that quality.

But a bigger complaint is how much the color has faded. Here is a recent shot from a few months back and it is very noticeable how much the blue color has whited out.

In short, I like this hat very much and structurally and felt-wise I believe it is worth the money. But if I order another bespoke I will go for a bit more expensive one in order to get a soft crown and better color-retention.

I would, however, love to hear others’ experiences with Northwest hats in these regards over time - particularly the color fading issue is a major concern for me.

Best,
Nathan

Edit: just to be very clear, I have worn this hat A LOT, even with the color fade. The stiff crown does not in the slightest detract from the comfort or quality of it. It is also my hat that gets the most compliments by far. I have hiked in it, biked in it, planed in it, boated in it, and semi-d literally hundreds of thousands of miles (literally). This hat is a true winner and I don't think you can beat it for the price.

 

[belfastboy]

Almost five years ago, I posted this initial review of my Northwest Hats order.

Five years later, this hat has traveled with me all the way around the world at least once and been on many, many adventures and I feel it worthwhile to add some observations.

To begin with the good: structurally the hat has held up to the worst I could throw at it. It has shrugged off extreme heat and humidity as well as cold and ice. The beaver felt is incredibly soft in the hand and even more so when it gets wet. This hat is truly the most fun in the rain! And the sweat band is as supple and comfortable today as it ever was.

I have two complaints, however. The first is that the crown has never softened up. It remains super stiff to this day, despite thousands of miles of wear. I don’t mind that so much, but I know others who don’t like that quality.

But a bigger complaint is how much the color has faded. Here is a recent shot from a few months back and it is very noticeable how much the blue color has whited out.

View attachment 527548

In short, I like this hat very much and structurally and felt-wise I believe it is worth the money. But if I order another bespoke I will go for a bit more expensive one in order to get a soft crown and better color-retention.

I would, however, love to hear others’ experiences with Northwest hats in these regards over time - particularly the color fading issue is a major concern for me.

Best,
Nathan

The reality is that ALL custom hatters buy beaver felts from just 3 factories. That to my knowledge is the sum total of all factories making felted beaver in the world. Mike uses Winchester felts, made in Tennessee and they are top quality so I don't think buying from one of the other two factories is a sure solution. UV rays are tough on all things and hats being at the top of the head suffer greatly.

On most hat restorations I do there is always some fading.....the degree is proportional to age but even in 10 year old hats the fading can be marked.

In terms of the stiffness; each custom hatter has their own way of working the felt and in a sense they bring their signature look/feel to the hat. Mike's hats (I own 9 of his creations) tend to be on the stiffer side. If I want a hat with a softer more vintage feel I will either make it myself or order one from a hatter that offers that vintage feel.

Winchester beaver felts are about in the middle in terms of stiffness and density. On the softer/vintage end of the spectrum is the FEPSA 95gr beaver, twice as expensive as Winchester they offer excellent quality with a softer/true vintage feel to the felt.

On the other side are the Ukraine beaver felts...thicker at 160grams and somewhat stiffer than Winchester but they can be worked into a soft feel,, not vintage soft but certainly much less stiff. These are in the middle price wise between the other two.

So before you purchase another custom....come to terms with what it is you want in a hat and then shop to find a custom maker and a felt that will fit for you.

 

[belfastboy]

The reality is that ALL custom hatters buy beaver felts from just 3 factories. That to my knowledge is the sum total of all factories making felted beaver in the world. Mike uses Winchester felts, made in Tennessee and they are top quality so I don't think buying from one of the other two factories is a sure solution. UV rays are tough on all things and hats being at the top of the head suffer greatly.

On most hat restorations I do there is always some fading.....the degree is proportional to age but even in 10 year old hats the fading can be marked.

In terms of the stiffness; each custom hatter has their own way of working the felt and in a sense they bring their signature look/feel to the hat. Mike's hats (I own 9 of his creations) tend to be on the stiffer side. If I want a hat with a softer more vintage feel I will either make it myself or order one from a hatter that offers that vintage feel.

Winchester beaver felts are about in the middle in terms of stiffness and density. On the softer/vintage end of the spectrum is the FEPSA 95gr beaver, twice as expensive as Winchester they offer excellent quality with a softer/true vintage feel to the felt.

On the other side are the Ukraine beaver felts...thicker at 160grams and somewhat stiffer than Winchester but they can be worked into a soft feel,, not vintage soft but certainly much less stiff. These are in the middle price wise between the other two.

So before you purchase another custom....come to terms with what it is you want in a hat and then shop to find a custom maker and a felt that will fit for you.

Full disclosure: there is a 4th factory in Czech Republic (Tonak) that produces some beaver felts. I and most hatters in NA don't have have ready access to them. I have worked with but a few and they are OK but I would rate them lower down on the desirability scale.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

The reality is that ALL custom hatters buy beaver felts from just 3 factories. That to my knowledge is the sum total of all factories making felted beaver in the world. Mike uses Winchester felts, made in Tennessee and they are top quality so I don't think buying from one of the other two factories is a sure solution. UV rays are tough on all things and hats being at the top of the head suffer greatly.

On most hat restorations I do there is always some fading.....the degree is proportional to age but even in 10 year old hats the fading can be marked.

In terms of the stiffness; each custom hatter has their own way of working the felt and in a sense they bring their signature look/feel to the hat. Mike's hats (I own 9 of his creations) tend to be on the stiffer side. If I want a hat with a softer more vintage feel I will either make it myself or order one from a hatter that offers that vintage feel.

Winchester beaver felts are about in the middle in terms of stiffness and density. On the softer/vintage end of the spectrum is the FEPSA 95gr beaver, twice as expensive as Winchester they offer excellent quality with a softer/true vintage feel to the felt.

On the other side are the Ukraine beaver felts...thicker at 160grams and somewhat stiffer than Winchester but they can be worked into a soft feel,, not vintage soft but certainly much less stiff. These are in the middle price wise between the other two.

So before you purchase another custom....come to terms with what it is you want in a hat and then shop to find a custom maker and a felt that will fit for you.

I agree with all of this. The most you can hope for is that the felt all fades uniformly. I can’t recall any vintage hat that actually saw use where the protected felt under the ribbon wasn’t a different hue than the exposed felt.

The Fedora Lounge solution is to own many hats and rotate through them.

I’ve had less than perfect results from having felt re-dyed, but it’s an option as long as you’re going to a darker color and can accept that you won’t know the exact color until after it’s done.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Some 8 or 9 months ago I contacted Mike at Northwest Hats about a custom fedora. Due to life’s little intricacies (on my side, Mike was absolutely wonderful dealing with all my delays) I didn’t receive the hat until yesterday. But wow was it worth the wait!

This is navy blue, 5 3/4 crown, dimensional brim with yin-yang design ventilation holes. I LOVE it!

It is very, very stiff felt. I ordered it open crown and the felt barely gave even under copious steaming. I’m thinking it’s going to soften up over time but if it doesn’t that’s okay, too - this hat is dynamite just the way it is!

Cheers,
Nathan

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Love the yin and yang vent pattern.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Almost five years ago, I posted this initial review of my Northwest Hats order.

Five years later, this hat has traveled with me all the way around the world at least once and been on many, many adventures and I feel it worthwhile to add some observations.

To begin with the good: structurally the hat has held up to the worst I could throw at it. It has shrugged off extreme heat and humidity as well as cold and ice. The beaver felt is incredibly soft in the hand and even more so when it gets wet. This hat is truly the most fun in the rain! And the sweat band is as supple and comfortable today as it ever was.

I have two complaints, however. The first is that the crown has never softened up. It remains super stiff to this day, despite thousands of miles of wear. I don’t mind that so much, but I know others who don’t like that quality.

But a bigger complaint is how much the color has faded. Here is a recent shot from a few months back and it is very noticeable how much the blue color has whited out.

View attachment 527548

In short, I like this hat very much and structurally and felt-wise I believe it is worth the money. But if I order another bespoke I will go for a bit more expensive one in order to get a soft crown and better color-retention.

I would, however, love to hear others’ experiences with Northwest hats in these regards over time - particularly the color fading issue is a major concern for me.

Best,
Nathan

Mike’s stiff/firm felt is the reason I use him for certain westerns but not fedoras. Many like the firm felt but it’s not what I personally want in a fedora. No denying that the shape has held up after years of good use.

 

[belfastboy]

Mike’s stiff/firm felt is the reason I use him for certain westerns but not fedoras. Many like the firm felt but it’s not what I personally want in a fedora. No denying that the shape has held up after years of good use.

My first two customs from Mike were one rabbit and one beaver....about a decade ago. The rabbit felt was very stiff to begin but has softened up really nicely. I have not worn the beaver enough to have made any difference and it is still stiff. I should pull it out and put it through its paces this fall.

 

[Bill Hughes]

Almost five years ago, I posted this initial review of my Northwest Hats order.

Five years later, this hat has traveled with me all the way around the world at least once and been on many, many adventures and I feel it worthwhile to add some observations.

To begin with the good: structurally the hat has held up to the worst I could throw at it. It has shrugged off extreme heat and humidity as well as cold and ice. The beaver felt is incredibly soft in the hand and even more so when it gets wet. This hat is truly the most fun in the rain! And the sweat band is as supple and comfortable today as it ever was.

I have two complaints, however. The first is that the crown has never softened up. It remains super stiff to this day, despite thousands of miles of wear. I don’t mind that so much, but I know others who don’t like that quality.

But a bigger complaint is how much the color has faded. Here is a recent shot from a few months back and it is very noticeable how much the blue color has whited out.

View attachment 527548

In short, I like this hat very much and structurally and felt-wise I believe it is worth the money. But if I order another bespoke I will go for a bit more expensive one in order to get a soft crown and better color-retention.

I would, however, love to hear others’ experiences with Northwest hats in these regards over time - particularly the color fading issue is a major concern for me.

Best,
Nathan

I have 12 felts from Northwest Hats. A couple are rabbit and the rest are beaver. I personally like the stiffer crown. I have never asked for anything different but feel like if I did he would make it however I wanted. At least I think he would. The 14 felts I have from other custom hatters (Art Fawcett, Mike Gannon, Mike Penman, Black Sheep, and Peters Bros) are pretty much the same. But I never asked for a "vintage" feel from any of them. I don't think any of my customs have faded. But I don't wear them anywhere near as often as I do my vintage hats.

I too have noticed that my vintage hats have faded over the years. One of things I have done in the past when a full restoration was performed was to have the hat turned inside out to get the original color on the top of the brim and outside of the crown. BTW the ribbons also fade. To the point of looking vastly different.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I have 12 felts from Northwest Hats. A couple are rabbit and the rest are beaver. I personally like the stiffer crown. I have never asked for anything different but feel like if I did he would make it however I wanted. At least I think he would. The 14 felts I have from other custom hatters (Art Fawcett, Mike Gannon, Mike Penman, Black Sheep, and Peters Bros) are pretty much the same. But I never asked for a "vintage" feel from any of them. I don't think any of my customs have faded. But I don't wear them anywhere near as often as I do my vintage hats.

I too have noticed that my vintage hats have faded over the years. One of things I have done in the past when a full restoration was performed was to have the hat turned inside out to get the original color on the top of the brim and outside of the crown. BTW the ribbons also fade. To the point of looking vastly different.

I agree that my VS custom fedoras have been on the stiff side too. In fact, that’s the reason I stopped ordering from Art before he retired. Good hat, but not what I was after.

I have asked Mike at NW to make me a thinner, softer, and more vintage-like moldable felt; however, he told me he could get it a bit closer, but not what I was after or what I’ve received from Gannon. The hat Mike delivered was nice, but it’s not at all like the hat Gannon can make. NW just makes a different style of hat. Not better or worse, but different. My latest NW should ship any day!

 

[belfastboy]

I have 12 felts from Northwest Hats. A couple are rabbit and the rest are beaver. I personally like the stiffer crown. I have never asked for anything different but feel like if I did he would make it however I wanted. At least I think he would. The 14 felts I have from other custom hatters (Art Fawcett, Mike Gannon, Mike Penman, Black Sheep, and Peters Bros) are pretty much the same. But I never asked for a "vintage" feel from any of them. I don't think any of my customs have faded. But I don't wear them anywhere near as often as I do my vintage hats.

I too have noticed that my vintage hats have faded over the years. One of things I have done in the past when a full restoration was performed was to have the hat turned inside out to get the original color on the top of the brim and outside of the crown. BTW the ribbons also fade. To the point of looking vastly different.

I have been greatly surprised to discover how much the ribbon fades on vintage hats. I have been lucky with vintage where the ribbon on both the crown and brim binding have faded from dark brown to light brown but it faded so evenly I just kept the original ribbon. But there have been some so damaged from the UV that the ribbon disintegrated on handling.

I have customs from all the same hatters as you except for Penman and did not order the felt any different as I did not know it was an option until I discovered it was something that Gannon offered. It is nice to have a choice. Now with the 95gram FEPSA beaver readily available that soft vintage feel is a ready option should one prefer that 'feel'.

 

[The Lost Cowboy]

The reality is that ALL custom hatters buy beaver felts from just 3 factories. That to my knowledge is the sum total of all factories making felted beaver in the world. Mike uses Winchester felts, made in Tennessee and they are top quality so I don't think buying from one of the other two factories is a sure solution. UV rays are tough on all things and hats being at the top of the head suffer greatly.

On most hat restorations I do there is always some fading.....the degree is proportional to age but even in 10 year old hats the fading can be marked.

In terms of the stiffness; each custom hatter has their own way of working the felt and in a sense they bring their signature look/feel to the hat. Mike's hats (I own 9 of his creations) tend to be on the stiffer side. If I want a hat with a softer more vintage feel I will either make it myself or order one from a hatter that offers that vintage feel.

Winchester beaver felts are about in the middle in terms of stiffness and density. On the softer/vintage end of the spectrum is the FEPSA 95gr beaver, twice as expensive as Winchester they offer excellent quality with a softer/true vintage feel to the felt.

On the other side are the Ukraine beaver felts...thicker at 160grams and somewhat stiffer than Winchester but they can be worked into a soft feel,, not vintage soft but certainly much less stiff. These are in the middle price wise between the other two.

So before you purchase another custom....come to terms with what it is you want in a hat and then shop to find a custom maker and a felt that will fit for you.

Excellent information about the factories, thank you.

My true complaint about the stiff crown is not actually the stiffness - it is that NOWHERE on the website, Facebook page or personal emails was it ever stated that he makes stiff felt hats. Nor was I the only customer to be surprised by this detail when the hat arrived.

It's not a small complaint. I truly expected to get a soft felt, I never even imagined getting a stiff felt. Color me inexperienced but I still believe that is a detail that should be clearly explicated and to this day I don't see it on the website (meaning, I still don't know from his website if Mike is exclusively producing stiff felted hats).

I can imagine ordering an Indy hat and getting a stiff crown: I would be truly disappointed. And as you say, that is one detail about the felt that the hat maker has control over, so it should be transparent from the get go (in my opinion).

When this issue was first raised on this forum, I believe it was Redfokker who commented that the felt should soften up over time. My purpose with this post is partially to dispel that notion since the hat is just as stiff today as it ever was.

Having said all of that, this is still my most-worn hat and my best quality hat from a structural standpoint. It is a true work horse and a bosom traveling companion. I have updated my original critique to highlight those qualities more. It was absolutely worth the money I invested in it, to be sure.

 

[The Lost Cowboy]

I can’t recall any vintage hat that actually saw use where the protected felt under the ribbon wasn’t a different hue than the exposed felt.

This is a valid point, for sure. It also helps me highlight my concern more clearly.

It is not that the deep navy blue color has simply lightened over time. Of course I see that on vintage hats, as you point out. Dark browns become lighter browns, dark tans, lighter tans, etc.

The concern is that this color is washing out: the hat is actually becoming white.

I don't know if it is this particular color or just my hat or the fact that I have worn it so hard, but no other hat I own - vintage or modern - is showing an effect like this, no matter how hard they've been worn.

This is why I asked after other Northwest owners' experiences: is it just the navy blue that is having this effect or maybe it was just the batch of navy blue that went into this hat or maybe it is to be expected from bespoke hats in general?

It's challenging to convey the white-out in photos because it looks like light reflection, but it is not. It is where the hat is literally turning white.

Here is a photo of that effect:

Whereas here is the hat's original dye:

To my experience, this is an extraordinary color loss, but this is my ONLY bespoke so I can only compare it to vintage felts (mainly, because I have not worn my modern hats very much except Akubras - but none of them have whited out either despite being worn VERY hard).