Straw Cowboy Hat questions

[rapser]

Hi,
I am in a market for a cowboy straw hat to wear in the hot summer. I have few questions. (And yes I have done prior reading but maybe not enough )
The Color natural to yellow (no green) and the straw has to be natural not synthetic.
Usages: street, beach, office.

1. First priority are looks and comfort. For example how much this http://d5n0lf4gshqmd.cloudfront.net/img/099C67_19_p1/470/757/i.jpg cooler then this http://d5n0lf4gshqmd.cloudfront.net/img/099C20_19_p1/470/757/i.jpg
(all round vs six holes ventilation)I prefer the later because it looks more official (I guess I want it to look as close to felt hat as possible). But is the difference substantial?

2. Water. If I get into rain. Will all of them die? Because for example American Hat Company says it sprays them with something that is water proof.... But they are custom made and expensive. Worth the investment?

3. Can you add a chin string to straw like you do to felt?

Thanks

 

[tropicalbob]

Those sprays that some makers use to waterproof the hats, in my opinion, render them unusable. They look like plastic, so you might as well get a plastic hat. You might want to take a look at Sunbodys: they have a number of cowboy styles that can take the rain, and they're very reasonable price-wise and very sturdy.

 

[rapser]

Thank you. How about the ventilation type question?

 

[Hurricane Jack]

The best thing you can do for a cooler straw hat is to stay away from the plasticized hats. Most of those are made of rice paper with a plastic coating to hold their shape & keep them clean. The coating will not let the hat breathe & makes them hot to wear. Look for a style that you like in a palm leaf (Sunbody, as recommended above) or maybe a shantung straw, but some shantung's are coated. You should be able to tell by the look & feel if it is coated. The Sunbody palm leaf hats will take water & hold their shape very well. I have one I wear for protection when doing outdoor work. It's several yrs old now. When it's extremely hot out I have dunked it into a barrel of water to keep my head cool while mowing on the tractor.

Definitely stay away from black painted hats!

I don't know if Sunbody makes a style with a wind string or not. I wouldn't want to punch a hole for one without using a grommet in the hole. They have a cloth sweatband so I'm not sure about coming from behind the sweat with a wind string either. But give it a try if you like. They are not expensive hats if you have to replace one every couple of yrs.

 

[rapser]

Thank you for the advice. I looked closer. They for some reason not as smooth as stetson or charlie 1 horse....
How about the ventilation type question?

 

[Hurricane Jack]

Palm leaf is a bigger weave than Shantung's are (one of the reasons they are cooler) so no, it won't finish out as smooth. As far as the grommet vents versus open weave, I would guess the weave will vent better but I doubt you will even know the difference. Depends on how you are going to use the hat, I suppose. Are you wearing it while working outside in the sun or while inside line dancing (do they even do that anymore)? If you're concerned about the hat having a BMW finish then you're going to have to buy a plasticized hat & just put up with the fact it's not going to breathe.

 

[RJR]

I think the general consensus is that vents/grommets may release "some" heat but probably not a lot.You might look at natural hemp hats for your purposes.There are several makers but for western style I'm going to suggest you call Brad at Peters Brothers and discuss your needs.

 

[rapser]

Is there a summer hat that is not straw?

 

[RJR]

Is there a summer hat that is not straw?

There are relatively lightweight felts but they will only be suitable for moderate days in my opinion.Real hemp is open weave and therefore cooler but not really a problem in moderate rain.The Sunbody is palm leaf rather than straw and is very durable a s Jack describes above.

 

[JackieMatra]

1.Shantung is plastic covered paper pulp made in Japan which is then made into hats in China. (Toyo is plastic covered paper pulp made in China which is then made into hats in China.)
2.Sunbody hats are quite heavy compared to other "straw" hats. Sunbody "fine" hats are very heavy compared to any kind of hats.
3.Sunbody hats are not waterproof but water will not hurt them in any way. The "fine" Sunbody hats take a little while to soak through.
4.Sunbody "fine" hats are extremely durable. "Regular" Sunbody hats are quite durable.
4.Hemp hats are not waterproof but water will not hurt them in any way either.
5.Akubra hemp hats are about as durable as the "regular" Sunbody hats.
5."Straw" hats that are treated to be "water-resistant" tend to be hot to wear in hot weather. If they don't let water through then they don't let much air through either.
6.Vented hats are most certainly cooler than hats that are not vented, all else being the same.
7.Sunbody makes a few vented hats. They will also install air vent grommets for a small charge, as well as grommets to thread a chin-strap through, also for a small charge, and they sell a variety of chin straps. Alternatively, you can buy some grommets at a hardware store and install them yourself with a mallet.
8.Hats with woven venting are cooler than hats with a few grommet vents because there's more open space, obviously.
9."Is there a summer hat that is not straw?" a.It depends on what you mean by "straw" and summer. b.Pith helmets

 

[JackieMatra]

Sunbody hats aren't actually woven, per se.
The plant leaves from which they are made are split and then woven into long strands which are then sewn together to make the hats.
The Sunbody economy, regular, and fine hats are made by having progressively more woven strands sewn together. overlapping more, and making the three grades of hats progressively thicker, heavier, sturdier, and more expensive.

Sunbody recommends that their palm leaf hats should be bought a size larger than usual as they should be expected to shrink a full size. My personal experience with the half-dozen Sunbody hats that I own is that this is absolutely correct.

 

[WesternHatWearer]

I would recommend you stay away from anything with "Shantung," "Toyo", or "Bangora". I would also throw my support into viewing hats made of palm leaves.
I do not like how shantung, toyo or bangora hold up over time. I also found these type of hats to be unfavorable to being shaped. Yes, they can be reshaped but it requires some patient. Too fast and the lacquer tends to crack. If heated too much the lacquer is penetrated and the straw beneath is then exposed.
In my experience, palm leaf hats hold up better over time and are much easier to work with.

 

[gtdean48]

Palm leafs are too heavy for me & don't allow much airflow. I buy a new Bangora yearly & wear it out. It is not a dress hat to start with. I go with Atwood. He's a friend of Major Mike too. http://atwoodhats.com/

 

[suitedcboy]

I've wasted a lot of money on western straw hats and the most use and durability for a often worn (daily) straw is an Atwood palm leaf. I never found vent holes to make any difference. I do find that the bangora, etc., with the open weave area in the crown can be cooler but gain not by a great amount to my head's thermometer. The open weave style comes with the downside of being one of the plasticized versions.