Oilcloth Safari hat. Have I picked the right hat?

[jlw]

Here's an inexpensive cotton one that'll take care of you. I have one and I just wore it to Central Africa:

http://www.villagehatshop.com/produ...-pacific-cotton-twill-outback-fedora-hat.html

That's the hat I recently bought.

 

[Blackthorn]

That's the hat I recently bought.

Since it's made of cotton, it's cooler than fur felt or oil cloth. Mine is 6 years old and I've worn it many places in the world, with no regrets.

 

[diabolicaldog]

I really like the look of the Akubra Safari in the Akubra Overload thread for all the uses you have described. Don't worry about good felt hats being able to handle wet weather, Akubras are renowned for it.

 

[Blackthorn]

I really like the look of the Akubra Safari in the Akubra Overload thread for all the uses you have described. Don't worry about good felt hats being able to handle wet weather, Akubras are renowned for it.

Yeah, that would be the one to get, but it's a 3 month wait.

 

[Mantis]

I just purchased the Akubra Tablelands hat because I found one for 100 bucks on Australliangear.com I think this will do just fine. As for my recently purchased Oilcloth hat, I think I will save it for the fall. It will look great with my olive green waxed Barbour jacket. Thanks for all of the info guys I appreciate it. And thank you for introducing me to Akubras, they seem great.

 

[johnnycanuck]

First of all there is nothing wrong with a waxed cotton hat. Back in my Scouting days when the rest of us bought Tilley T3 hats one of the group bought a waxed cotton hat. Wore it for many years and swore by it. Spring summer fall and yes sometimes winter.
On your purchase of the Akubra congratulations. Post some pictures when you get it in and wear it in good health
Johnny

 

[tuco1963]

oil cloth hats are super hot in the summer
i really like my akubra slouch hat it was made with rough treatment in mind
but your hat looks great if its what you want wear it and adapt it to your situation

 

[Mantis]

First of all there is nothing wrong with a waxed cotton hat. Back in my Scouting days when the rest of us bought Tilley T3 hats one of the group bought a waxed cotton hat. Wore it for many years and swore by it. Spring summer fall and yes sometimes winter.
On your purchase of the Akubra congratulations. Post some pictures when you get it in and wear it in good health
Johnny

Awesome, I definitely will post a few pictures. What is the hat that you are wearing in your avatar ?

 

[johnnycanuck]

That’s a Akubra Federation in dark brown. My attempt at a Indiana Jones bash.
http://hatsdirect.com/cgi-bin/products.cgi?view=41&returncat=Fedora+Hats&returnpage=0
Ironically when I wear it no one makes a Indiana jones reference but when I wear my grey Joe Friday style of hat everyone makes the reference. Odd.
Johnny

 

[Blackthorn]

Another great choice would have been this one, which I also have. It's oilcloth so it'll keep the summer rain off, but it has vent holes to keep from being too hot, and also a nice wide brim to keep the sun off:

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabe...Header%3BSearch-All+Products&Ntt=oilcloth+hat

 

[Doc Glockster]

Another great choice would have been this one, which I also have. It's oilcloth so it'll keep the summer rain off, but it has vent holes to keep from being too hot, and also a nice wide brim to keep the sun off:

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabe...Header%3BSearch-All+Products&Ntt=oilcloth+hat

I love the look of that hat. How stiff is the brim and does it retain its shape after some use?

I've been wearing this one:

http://www.villagehatshop.com/product/all-fedoras/451139-88190/cotton-safari-hat.html

Pros: I've gotten it soaking wet and if you lay it flat on a table to dry the brim maintains its shape. It's lightweight and feels just right for a hot, humid summer day.

Cons: The stitching at the front of the crown came loose fairly quickly (I'm talking about the stitching that holds the liner in, not the structural stitching, which is fine). So far it's just a cosmetic thing. The glue that holds the leather hatband to the outside is fairly cheesy. After a couple of rains I removed that leather hatband and replaced it with a white puggarree. The stitching underneath the hatband is butt ugly, so you have to cover it.

So far, the hat has endured any abuse I've given it over the last couple of years. I suspect it will be thrown out due to being irreversibly dirty rather than any structural issues.

 

[Blackthorn]

I love the look of that hat. How stiff is the brim and does it retain its shape after some use?

Yes, it's stiff as a board. I have no problem at all with that, given the price of the hat and it's being water proof.

I've been wearing this one:

http://www.villagehatshop.com/product/all-fedoras/451139-88190/cotton-safari-hat.html

Pros: I've gotten it soaking wet and if you lay it flat on a table to dry the brim maintains its shape. It's lightweight and feels just right for a hot, humid summer day.

Cons: The stitching at the front of the crown came loose fairly quickly (I'm talking about the stitching that holds the liner in, not the structural stitching, which is fine). So far it's just a cosmetic thing. The glue that holds the leather hatband to the outside is fairly cheesy. After a couple of rains I removed that leather hatband and replaced it with a white puggarree. The stitching underneath the hatband is butt ugly, so you have to cover it.

So far, the hat has endured any abuse I've given it over the last couple of years. I suspect it will be thrown out due to being irreversibly dirty rather than any structural issues.

I have one of those, too, and I like it a lot. I've worn it a lot over the last 5 years for travel. The more I use it, the more beat up it gets, and the cooler it looks. I wore it on my trip to the refugee camps in Africa two months ago:

 

[JackieMatra]

Waterproof? No way. Not mine, at least.
First drop of water immediately goes right through it.

Now, there's a leather version of that same hat.
Oil that one, and it really is waterproof.

 

[Mantis]

Yes, it's stiff as a board. I have no problem at all with that, given the price of the hat and it's being water proof.




I have one of those, too, and I like it a lot. I've worn it a lot over the last 5 years for travel. The more I use it, the more beat up it gets, and the cooler it looks. I wore it on my trip to the refugee camps in Africa two months ago:

I just purchased two of these as well, I bought one for myself and one for my girlfriend. They were pretty inexpensive and they look really cool so I couldn't pass them up. Thanks Blackthorn. Cool pic ^ where you volunteering in Africa? I might be interested in doing that for a year or two after I get my degree.

 

[jlw]

Since it's made of cotton, it's cooler than fur felt or oil cloth. Mine is 6 years old and I've worn it many places in the world, with no regrets.

Did your's shrink any after getting wet? Mine is a tad too large, but the next size down was uncomfortably small.

 

[Blackthorn]

I just purchased two of these as well, I bought one for myself and one for my girlfriend. They were pretty inexpensive and they look really cool so I couldn't pass them up. Thanks Blackthorn. Cool pic ^ where you volunteering in Africa? I might be interested in doing that for a year or two after I get my degree.

Thanks, Mantis, I was in Bangui, capital city of Central African Republic. I also traveled to a small town called Boda for two days. It's really worthwhile to reach out to those who are hurting.

 

[Blackthorn]

Did your's shrink any after getting wet? Mine is a tad too large, but the next size down was uncomfortably small.

So far I've never been caught in a rainstorm with this hat, so I just don't know.

 

[Mantis]

Taking a victory swig of a 2012 Bourbon County in my new Akubra Tablelands. Thanks for all of the help. I am very happy with my purchase, I managed to get mine for 112 U.S. dollars with shipping. I am going to beat the hell out of this hat, I will let you know how it holds up.

 

[Mantis]

I really want to thank you guys for introducing me to Akubra Hats. I am eventually going to reshape this one because I have a specific shape in mind (I want the sides to curl up like a classic American cowboy hat). But I will rock it like this for a while. I can't take this damn thing off.

 

[Blackthorn]

Looks great, Mantis! Now I want one!