The International Wool Felt Consortium

[Zombie_61]

I'd drive a Mustang before I'd wear a wool fedora.

I'd drive a Mustang before I'd drive a Ferrari.

Veering back towards the topic, the only real issue I have with wool felt hats is that I've never had good luck with them. I'd wear them for a while, they'd get uncomfortable or misshapen so I'd set them aside, and by the time I got back to them (usually a few months to a couple of years later) they had all shrunk so much that they no longer fit. That being said, I've never had a "quality" wool felt hat so that might be the problem.

 

[Monavillecowboy]

Hard to say, but they appear to have quite a bit of taper and a rather low crown....and it looks great and I wouldn't hesitate to wear it. No one is saying wool is as good as fur, but you'll miss out on some gems if you won't even consider wool.

From what I can tell, the suede finish looks to have more of a fur appearance. Very nice.

That's what impressed me. It looks and feels a lot like fur.

 

[FedOregon]

I'd drive a Mustang before I'd wear a wool fedora.

LOL! Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd.... Bob's BACK!

 

[FedOregon]

All of my brimmed hats (non-caps) are of the wool felt variety. I have never owned a "fur felt" hat and probably never will, due to price.

I hear you, but this hat was $40. The 2nd hat was $60. My wife's wool Stetson cost $72. It's harder these days, but sometimes bargains pop up.

.

 

[Bob Roberts]

LOL! Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd.... Bob's BACK!

And the Ford guys are like, "What? Huh...?"

 

[Krash1974]

Walrus has some decent looking hats. The Compass, Layover and Pinnacles look good. Anyone have any experience with them?

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Walrus has some decent looking hats. The Compass, Layover and Pinnacles look good. Anyone have any experience with them?

This is new to me. I can tell you that there aren't that many manufacturers and the same hat get branded by lots of different companies.

 

[Krash1974]

This is new to me. I can tell you that there aren't that many manufacturers and the same hat get branded by lots of different companies.

I noticed Christy's has some open crowned wool Poets in about 4 or 5 colors. To me they all look alright but the grey. The Ealing Poet, it's called.

 

[OldStrummer]

Elitism, much?

I have several wool felt fedoras as well as a rabbit fur felt fedora. And you know, I wear whichever hat suits my fancy and my attire for the day. I don't wear hats to impress others. I wear them for myself.

 

[Krash1974]

Elitism, much?

I have several wool felt fedoras as well as a rabbit fur felt fedora. And you know, I wear whichever hat suits my fancy and my attire for the day. I don't wear hats to impress others. I wear them for myself.

Not from me! To start with, I don’t have enough money to even think of being an elitist, haha.
My deal is that I like the straight sided crowns on me and it’s difficult to find open crowned wool hats made for shaping. I’d buy wool hats all the time, just most of them seem to have a taper. I don’t think I “pull off” a tapered hat.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Is it elitism if you buy a used 70 year old hat from goodwill for $20?

My issues with wool mostly pertain to their functional limitations and not some sense of snobbery. The wool hats readily available today just don't give a nice finished look that I want for a dress hat. Wool has its place, but for me it isn't interchangeable with fur felt.


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[Nathaniel Finley]

Elitism, much?

I have several wool felt fedoras as well as a rabbit fur felt fedora. And you know, I wear whichever hat suits my fancy and my attire for the day. I don't wear hats to impress others. I wear them for myself.

Huh? Did something get erased on this thread? This comment just seems to come out of thin air...

 

[OldStrummer]

Huh? Did something get erased on this thread? This comment just seems to come out of thin air...

No. I read through the thread and then, as most threads seem to do, as the topic strayed from the original, I simply went back to the original and posted my response.

And I'm not meaning to poke the bear; I bear no ill will toward the OP or any of the other respondents. I simply don't get too wrapped up in bespoke/vintage/labeled gear. I like quality and am willing to pay for it. By the same measure, I have plenty of "everyday" jeans, shirts, jackets and what-have-you that I'm perfectly comfortable in. This goes for hats, too.

 

[Krash1974]

Is it elitism if you buy a used 70 year old hat from goodwill for $20?

My issues with wool mostly pertain to their functional limitations and not some sense of snobbery. The wool hats readily available today just don't give a nice finished look that I want for a dress hat. Wool has its place, but for me it isn't interchangeable with fur felt.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I agree completely. Some wool hats look like someone took a coat, cut it up and made a hat. The color's uneven, strands of hair everywhere - it's mass chaos!

 

[Krash1974]

No. I read through the thread and then, as most threads seem to do, as the topic strayed from the original, I simply went back to the original and posted my response.

And I'm not meaning to poke the bear; I bear no ill will toward the OP or any of the other respondents. I simply don't get too wrapped up in bespoke/vintage/labeled gear. I like quality and am willing to pay for it. By the same measure, I have plenty of "everyday" jeans, shirts, jackets and what-have-you that I'm perfectly comfortable in. This goes for hats, too.

Absolutely. If I like it (and it doesn't embarrass my wife) I'm wearing it.
And, by George, other folks should, too. Life's too short to worry about silly stuff!

 

[deadlyhandsome]

No. I read through the thread and then, as most threads seem to do, as the topic strayed from the original, I simply went back to the original and posted my response.

And I'm not meaning to poke the bear; I bear no ill will toward the OP or any of the other respondents. I simply don't get too wrapped up in bespoke/vintage/labeled gear. I like quality and am willing to pay for it. By the same measure, I have plenty of "everyday" jeans, shirts, jackets and what-have-you that I'm perfectly comfortable in. This goes for hats, too.

I think we are all saying the same things and yet still coming across as being on the defensive. Most everyone who has posted to this thread sees a place for wool fedoras. Most all of us are independent enough and comfortable in our own skins that we don't seek the approval of others in choosing hats (or anything else). I think we all reject the snobbery that can sometimes come through when talking about "average" hats.

I like my wool fedoras and I'll continue to wear them. However, in my experiences wool does not make for a good dress hat. Conversely, worsted wool makes outstanding suits. I wouldn't look at a polyester dinner jacket for the same reason that I wouldn't look at a wool dress hat. The materials are fine, but he applications don't play to their strong points. That said, I would never look down at, or feel superior to, another because they were wearing some garb that I personally would not. Ultimately, there are no rights and wrongs in styles and personal preferences are just that, personal.

For me: Wool fedoras (non-western brimmed hats of any description) are reserved for outdoorsy pursuits, outside work, and when Tweed might also be worn... a county type of hat. Fur felt can fill the bill anywhere on the spectrum depending on style, shape, and features.

One of my intents in starting this thread was to counter all of the posts I've read where new guys become "educated" and move on to better/more expensive fur felt hats and purge their wool hats in the process. I'm saying to keep your wools and wear them as you see fit.

To me, it's like saying I used to drive pickups until I found that sports cars handle better. The statement is true, but pickups are still the better choice when you need to make a hardware store run and bring home a couple sheets of plywood. And even if you don't need to haul a load, sometimes it's nice to just drive the truck.

 

[glider]

Stetson has some hats that are only available in wool felt, I would assume that the quality is fine. There is good and not so good in anything. With Stetson, the wool felt is half the price as fur felt if not even less than that, is the fur twice as good ? I don't know, it may very well be that they can get twice as much for fur and that's the main difference. Perception. I recently got a cap from Sterkowski, nice motto cap, anyway they also have hats, fur and wool felt. There rabbit fur felt isn't very much more than there wool felt, 15 bucks or so. So, my not so educated opinion is that if I saw a hat I really liked that was wool felt for half the price as fur I wouldn't hesitate a second. It's just that most hats I really like happen to be fur felt.

 

[Lean'n'mean]

Life's too short to worry about silly stuff!

If that was the case then forums & other (anti) social media wouldn't exist.

 

[Krash1974]

I think we are all saying the same things and yet still coming across as being on the defensive. Most everyone who has posted to this thread sees a place for wool fedoras. Most all of us are independent enough and comfortable in our own skins that we don't seek the approval of others in choosing hats (or anything else). I think we all reject the snobbery that can sometimes come through when talking about "average" hats.

I like my wool fedoras and I'll continue to wear them. However, in my experiences wool does not make for a good dress hat. Conversely, worsted wool makes outstanding suits. I wouldn't look at a polyester dinner jacket for the same reason that I wouldn't look at a wool dress hat. The materials are fine, but he applications don't play to their strong points. That said, I would never look down at, or feel superior to, another because they were wearing some garb that I personally would not. Ultimately, there are no rights and wrongs in styles and personal preferences are just that, personal.

For me: Wool fedoras (non-western brimmed hats of any description) are reserved for outdoorsy pursuits, outside work, and when Tweed might also be worn... a county type of hat. Fur felt can fill the bill anywhere on the spectrum depending on style, shape, and features.

One of my intents in starting this thread was to counter all of the posts I've read where new guys become "educated" and move on to better/more expensive fur felt hats and purge their wool hats in the process. I'm saying to keep your wools and wear them as you see fit.

To me, it's like saying I used to drive pickups until I found that sports cars handle better. The statement is true, but pickups are still the better choice when you need to make a hardware store run and bring home a couple sheets of plywood. And even if you don't need to haul a load, sometimes it's nice to just drive the truck.

If that was the case then forums & other (anti) social media wouldn't exist.

If that was the case then forums & other (anti) social media wouldn't exist.

Touché!

 

[scottyrocks]

I had one wool fedora that I was able to put some crisp lines into. But when it got wet the brim got really wonky and then the whole thing shrunk up. It started out real nice, though, and I wore it a lot.

I've never had much luck shaping wool hats (and they don't take changes dry). They just shrink. That's really the main reason I stopped buying them.