Summer fedora

[Griff]

Was wondering - I want to get a fedora for summer wear. I live in Oklahoma and it can get freak'n hot here. Was thinking of getting a straw but really like the felt. Are there any thin felts good for summer wear or should I get a straw and save the felts for cooler weather?
Would appreciate makes and models.

 

[carldelo]

Well you seem to like your new Whippet, so you could pick up the straw version to have a matched set - there's an active thread about it now. I don't think it's been released yet, however. I don't think I could wear a felt in the summer, no matter how lightweight it might be, but I'm notoriously intolerant of the heat.

PS - forgot to mention, the Akubra Capricorn is a nice, relatively inexpensive polystraw fedora that has good venting qualities. There's a ton of nice Milan straws out there, but they can be a little warm in my opinion.

 

[Lloyd]

There are light weight felts out there. I've got a Borsalino Allesandria that's really light weight. I know that Optimo and Art Fawcett both have light weight felts they use too.

 

[Not-Bogart13]

The lightest weight felt I have encountered is Art's. Also, he might consider punching vent holes in the felt.

I have, on rare occasion, worn felt in summer. The most comfortable (best first) are;
Art Fawcett's, Optimo lightweight, and Herbert Johnson. Now, the HJ's can be very expensive for what you get, but I'm told that Christy's of London uses the same sort of felt and it costs a lot less. I hope to confirm that soon, as I have a Christy's on the way.

However, as a man who heats up easily, I recommend avoiding felt in summer if you can. Especially if you sweat a lot. But it all depends on how well you handle heat, and how humid it tends to get where you are. Low humidity will make things a bit more comfortable with felt.

 

[Mahagonny Bill]

I made it through last summer (80 to 90+ degrees, low humidity) with a Akubra Fed IV standard. I took the satin lining out and was surprised by how breathable it was. I plan on getting a Squatter this summer for the larger brim.

BTW-
That's a great new avatar Not-Bogie :eusa_clap

 

[Griff]

Never thought about humidity. I live in an area that has high humidity with the heat. I guess I'll consider a straw.
Now I have to decide what kind of straw to get.

 

[Cracker]

I took the satin lining out and was surprised by how breathable it was.

Are you able to put the lining back in, or once removed is it permanent?

 

[ScottF]

Was wondering - I want to get a fedora for summer wear. I live in Oklahoma and it can get freak'n hot here. Was thinking of getting a straw but really like the felt. Are there any thin felts good for summer wear or should I get a straw and save the felts for cooler weather?
Would appreciate makes and models.

I wore a '40s Playboy and a 3X Open Road last summer. The key is to not be worried about staining your ribbon with sweat, or ruining the sweatband. My Playboy had a new Optimo sweatband, so it was an ideal hat. My '30s Playboy, on the other hand, has a super-thin sweatband that is NOT up for Summer sweat - sure it's light, but you can't replace those unreeded sweats. I also wore a Borsalino O.R. clone some, and it was probably more fitted for Summer wear than the real O.R.

P.S.: Griff - get a Montecristi.

 

[Mahagonny Bill]

Are you able to put the lining back in, or once removed is it permanent?

With the Fed IV I got from Hats Direct the lining was tacked down with glue in a couple of places under the sweat. I gently pulled the lining away from the felt with no perceptible damage to the hat or the lining. When the weather go cooler, I put the liner back in and tucked the edges back under the sweat. So far it has stayed in place with out needing to be pinned or glued down.

 

[elvisroe]

I've been wearing my Akubra Hampton a lot this summer and have found it quite comfortable. It's a much lighter weight felt than my other hats (certainly than my Federation iv), is light in colour (cruiser grey) and has a very thin supple leather sweatband that I think helped.

I agree with Mahagonny Bill that losing the liner helps and high humidity could be the clincher.

Looking at the Akubra Fedora recently I'd say it's a similar weight felt and a very soft old-style hat.

And I see on the stetson site that they offer a range of perforated hats for summer. A sort of a fedora-shaped colander for your head!

 

[Edward]

Removing the liner from a felt does seem to help.... White liners do tend to show sweat stains terribly - I do so wish they weren't pretty much the standard, I'd much rather black for this simple reason. I tend to wear felt until it makes my head sweat; for most of July and August, parts of June too, I vary between straws and cotton newsboys. I do miss the felts when it's too hot: much prefer a furfelt fedora over straw, all other things being equal.

One furfelt I wear quite a bit in the Summer is my Akubra Riverina which I "safariised", as many of us did on here, following Mike's lead. I had actually been looking for an early twentieth century Big Game Hunter type hat when I chanced across this. I hand-wrapped my own pugaree (I think there are photos on the thread somewhere...), to give it the look I was after. See thread:

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=26255

Cosmetic modifications aside, these are basically a standard rabbit fur felt, but with vents. Some folks have removed the lining too, though I chose to keep mine in (badly sweat stained now - again, the dratted white). This is the hat that has gone with me on various Summer work-trip to China, and it's great for travel. Obviously, you have to be careful on the flight (though careful, I've never had a problem putting mine in the overhead locker...), but once there, it's ideal for both hot and wet. Over a certain temperature, you're still better off with cotton or straw, but this is an excellent all-rounder: rain and panamas do not mix! Mine has been worn in extremities of both heat and rain (including in Hong Kong in 2008, during the worst few days of rain in the history of the territory). Superb hat.

Only snag: they're no longer available at the serious cut down price a lot of us got them for.... I wish I'd bought two! I'd still be tempted at the right price....

http://www.australian-shop.ca/hats_akubra.htm
http://www.walkabout.com/shop/hat-ak-riverina.asp
http://www.hatsontop.com/akubra_riverina.htm

Course, there are several different Akubra models which are similar, could be equally useable as a Summer hat.

 

[Not-Bogart13]

BTW-That's a great new avatar Not-Bogie :eusa_clap

Thank you Bill.

Now I have to decide what kind of straw to get.

I have experimented with quite a few. Lower grade panamas breathe better, I find. I also like milan weaves because it's not as tight as most panama weaves. In the end, my favorites have been Dobbs milans (which I usually get from http://www.hats-plus.com/c-194-straw-hats.aspx ), and the "specials" from http://www.panamabob.com/

I gently pulled the lining away from the felt with no perceptible damage to the hat or the lining. When the weather go cooler, I put the liner back in and tucked the edges back under the sweat. So far it has stayed in place with out needing to be pinned or glued down.

Same here. I've done it with a Federation, and Adventurebilt, and one of Art's.

 

[Not-Bogart13]

Update on the Christy's: Not the same felt as the HJ! Feels like a slightly thinner modern Stetson. Not particularly summery.

 

[fenris]

So the Christy's is thicker than the HJ felt? All this time I thought they used the same felt.

 

[Not-Bogart13]

I'm not sure sure if it's thicker (don't have my HJ anymore for a real measure-up), but it feels heavier, more substantial. Maybe it's denser. [huh]

 

[jkingrph]

Never thought about humidity. I live in an area that has high humidity with the heat. I guess I'll consider a straw.
Now I have to decide what kind of straw to get.

As one who lives a bit south of you in an area of Texas(east) where it is extemely humid, I will have to say a straw, preferably with vents is the only way to go for summer.

 

[Mr E Train]

As one who lives a bit south of you in an area of Texas(east) where it is extemely humid, I will have to say a straw, preferably with vents is the only way to go for summer.

Second that.

 

[Tone]

Second to the vented Akubras, have a look at the Lightweights offered by Art Fawcett - Vintage Silouhettes; and with a few more examples, maybe, Buckaroo hatters, Lightweight felt customizable fedoras. They seem like the ideal Summertime fedoras, primarily if one is considering a quality fedora in a felt that is tolerable for hotter weather - minus the ventilation holes.

If you can't style a Christy's correctly, these are the guys to go to for comfortable wear, lighter, custom fedoras.

 

[Tone]

So the Christy's is thicker than the HJ felt? All this time I thought they used the same felt.

The Christys is a great, summer felt. Much more tolerable to conditions than an HJ. Where'd you hear they were the same felt, though? Same finish on the ribbon stitching, but...how misleading to say it's the same hat as the HJ felt. Christys FTW in terms of longevity.

 

[Not-Bogart13]

The Christys is a great, summer felt. Much more tolerable to conditions than an HJ. Where'd you hear they were the same felt, though? Same finish on the ribbon stitching, but...how misleading to say it's the same hat as the HJ felt. Christys FTW in terms of longevity.

Well, Tone, you're experience wearing Christy's trumps my "first impressions" any day. Maybe it wears cooler than it feels. I'll find out soon enough. lol

As for the same-felt thing, it's the word that's going around. Now that I have held both in my hands... My guess is that an unfounded supposition was made about HJ's being made by the same people as Christy's (that was just under a year ago, I think), and it all snow-balled from there. Nothing like the ol' grapevine. :eusa_doh: