Stiff hat or soft hat?

[Bebop]

I've read thread after thread where people claim they don't like particular hats because they are stiff. I can't find anyone that prefers a stiffer hat instead of a pliable and soft one. I have some hats that are very stiff (like a cowboy hat) and some that are very soft and pliable like my Akubra Fedora. Some are in between, like my Banjo Patterson. I can't say that I prefer one over the other when it comes to comfort. As a matter of fact, sometimes I get frustrated with a hat that has a crown that is too easy to deform.

Just wondering what you prefer and why.

 

[Neophyte]

This has interested me as well. Good idea for a thread!

I suppose that, for me, I'd like a hat to have enough give to conform to my head. That said, as far as I'm concerned the stiffness of the exterior is almost a nonissue. I didn't get into hat-wearing for the fashion or the feel. I see hats as a practical accessory, like a wristwatch. As long as they do their job (entails being comfortable and providing protection from the elements), they can be as stiff or soft as they like .

 

[Jauntyone]

I think it all depends on how well the hat conforms to the shape of the head. With a top hat or bowler, it's essential that the hat be exactly the right sizeand shape or else the hat could pinch and be painful. For a soft hat (i.e. a fedora), there is a certain amount of give or conforming potential, so making a soft hat stiff would eliminate this advantage. Fedoras were originally a more casual, comfortable alternative to stiff hats.
If you have an average cranium, a modern production fedora will fit well, even if it is quite stiff. If you have an extra-long or extra-round-oval head, a stiff hat won't conform.
I remember reading somewhere that the origin of the top hat's brim shape was the fact that they were originally produced perfectly round, with a flat brim, and then stretched to fit each customer, thus deforming the brim and giving it its distinctive shape. Over time, that deformed shape became a custom and even sized top hats were produced with it. I don't know if that's true, but if you stretch a regular-oval fedora into a long-oval, you get that same curl on the sides and dip in the front and back.

 

[Mobile Vulgus]

To my mind stiff hats often "feel" heavy on the head. But usually fedoras are not that stiff while cowboy hats often are. There are two reasons for this I think. Traditionally cowboy hats were working man's hats. They are meant to be kicked around and out in the dusty, rainy, sweaty elements. So they are stiffer and heavier to withstand that environment. Additionally, cowboy hats often have much higher crowns and the higher the crown the stiffer it all has to be to maintain the shape properly. Fedoras, though as not usually meant for harsher environments nearly as much as cowboy hats.

As to preferences... I don't have a ton of preferences on stiff or not stiff. But I have to admit I get a kick out of a quality fedora that is soft as down! The Lee I just got is soft as can be and my "25" silverbelly Stetson Open road is also soft as a baby's butt. So is my gray German Bohm. I love how soft they are. It just screams quality.

 

[Nick D]

If it's a fedora, I like the felt quite soft and pliable, though I have one that's a bit stiffer, and my homburg is moderately stiff. As for bowlers, they'd better be able to deflect a falling girder.

 

[EggHead]

I don't like open crown hats. I have just one and not sure if I want another one. To me a hat is an article of clothing, like shoes for example, it needs to be comfortable and easy to use. I just want to put the hat on and go. I don't want to be fiddling and worrying about the crown shape every time I put the hat on. Currently, I prefer Leisure Time over Sydney partly because of that. BTW, LT is not stiff for me, but holds its shape well.

 

[Mulceber]

I think it's all a matter of what hat it is. If it's a fedora, I like it to have a low amount of stiffener and be pretty soft. A Homburg though should be more stiff, as it has to hold that wonderful brim. -M

 

[Neophyte]

Hey Egghead, what color is that Leisure Time? I've been interested in that hat, especially in Sand.

I think Jaunty said it best. It needs to be soft enough to conform comfortably to your head. After that, it is simply a matter of personal taste.
I may be a city boy, but I admire the outback/outdoors lifestyle. One of my favorite clothing brands is Eddie Bauer, simply because much of their clothing serves other purposes, like odor resistance, quick-drying, moisture repellant/wicking...They look good and wear tough, which is exactly what I want out of my lid. Because of this I may be personally predisposed toward the stiffer, tougher hats [huh]...it would at the very least explain my fixation on Akubras and Stetsons .

 

[Torpedo]

Egghead, I am not sure you had a good experience with that open crowned hat of yours. Once an open crown is creased, be it dry, with steam or with water, is not so fragile as you seem to imply. Yes, it is not as stiff as a factory-moulded crown, but it holds its shape, and, in my opinion, the fact it does not look so "perfect" is a bonus. Some of us do appreciate the "organic" quality of a good quality felt hat creased by hand, although of course this is a matter of taste. I would guess the hat you had was too floppy and so did not hold his shape well?

 

[Neophyte]

Egghead, I am not sure you had a good experience with that open crowned hat of yours. I would guess the hat you had was too floppy and so did not hold his shape well?

The Akubra Sydney is made out of a finer selection of the average Akubra imperial grade hats. It comes incredibly soft and with very little stiffener, and will only hold the shallowest of creases (this is partially due to the taper and lower crown of the hat as well). It is quite easy to push out the pinch on this hat just by putting it on your head (I know this from experience lol), but if feels AMAZING.

That said, Egghead, you really ought not to judge open rown hats based on the Sydney. Try the FederationIV or Campdraft, or any number of open crown lids, and I'm certain that you'd have a positive experience.

 

[Mobile Vulgus]

Once an open crown is creased, be it dry, with steam or with water, is not so fragile as you seem to imply.

I was a bit taken aback at that reply, too, Torpedo. I have about 20 fedoras and not one of them do I have to fiddle with or worry about the crown holding its shape. Once I've set 'em they stay just that a way, no matter how soft they've been.

 

[Bebop]

Yes, that Sydney, or the same hat labeled as Fedora if you buy from Hatsdirect, is far softer and more pliable than any other of my hats. Sometimes it feels like I am wearing a nice fitting piece of cloth on my head! It can have the crown distorted by just simply bumping it against something. It's not your average open crowned fedora.

 

[carldelo]

I found the Sydney to be irritating to deal with. It would only take a shallow crease, and it popped out at the merest provocation. I don't think it was that the felt was soft, but rather too springy. The Sydney was not as soft as a Sovereign grade Stetson. Apparently it holds a crease much better after a soaking, but I don't want to have to soak a hat to put a crease in it. A nice, pliable, non-springy (some call it 'dead') felt should take a crease and hold it until you change it. I imagine the Sydney will do that in time, with wear and repeated soakings, but not new out of the box.

 

[Nik Taylor]

It depends on what I am wearing and what I am doing. If I am going to around town I usually wear a softer hat like my Akubra Fedora. If I am going out in colder weather I feel like my Federation is the ticket.

 

[danofarlington]

I've read thread after thread where people claim they don't like particular hats because they are stiff. I can't find anyone that prefers a stiffer hat instead of a pliable and soft one. I have some hats that are very stiff (like a cowboy hat) and some that are very soft and pliable like my Akubra Fedora. Some are in between, like my Banjo Patterson. I can't say that I prefer one over the other when it comes to comfort. As a matter of fact, sometimes I get frustrated with a hat that has a crown that is too easy to deform.

Just wondering what you prefer and why.

I go for softer hats, but one thing to be said for a stiff hat (like a modern Stetson Open Road I bought) is that the brims don't fold back in the wind. I have some nice wide-brim Borsalinos, but when it's windy the brim folds back on my forehead which I don't like. So on windy days I go for the modern, stiff Open Road or a small-brim Borsalino I have.

 

[scottyrocks]

Okay, now I have something to go on here.

I like a hat that is soft enough for the brim to deform when its windy. That way, there is way less chance of the hat blowing off my head.

 

[EggHead]

Answering some questions:
My Sydney is charcoal, I have pics on Akubra thread.
It does hold the bash if left alone or wearing it CAREFULLY. If I bump the hat or touch it on the crown (to hold on a windy day, or for whatever reason) I risk slightly deforming the bash, so I need to run my fingers around the crown (looks silly, I know) to make sure it doesn't look wonky. Also, if I put the hat on tighter, again when windy or for some other reason, the pinch may pop out or crease may deform. Now, I may be exaggerating all this a bit, but really, I just want to put my clothes on right the first time and not worry about it. So for now, if I have a choice between open crown and stiff, I will take the stiff.

 

[scottyrocks]

Yeah, that would be too soft for me, too. None of my Feds, in either Imperial and Heritage grades, deform in the wind. When the brims are blown up they comes back down by themselves (usually), but they dont need to be put back into shape. They always resume the shape they were in.

 

[Sam Craig]

Years ago, when I first entered the workforce, I wore a lot of western wear and was quite a snob about my hats. So, having the spending power of a young worker, I spent a good amount of money on Stetsons and Resistols. And I kept a number of them in dressy condition.
As the years went by, I wore less and less cowboy clothes and more and more sportscoats and slacks.
Fedoras were my choice, and most of mine are vintage and are lighter, more "soft" felt.
A couple of years ago, I began to rebuild my western collection, converting the former cowboy hats into fedoras and most of them turned out great.
They are, heavier and stiffer, but they are also all hats I wore "all their lives" so they are conformed to my head shape.
In some ways, my vintage fedoras ARE more comfortable, but the converted westerns are great for daily wear because they are so tough. You don't have to worry about getting caught in the weather, etc.
It is important, from the start, however, that a stiffer hat be fit to your head shape for it to be comfortable ... for what it's worth,

Sam

 

[Chuck Bobuck]

Seems like Noggintops or someone offered some felt stiffener in a spray can. Maybe someone knows. I think the Sydney is indeed a unique hat in Akubras lineup. No open crown Akubra I have is so soft the bash won't hold.