The Resistol Roundup

[MikeP]

Oh sure, there's no question that pre-70s felt was simply, in most cases, better quality even at the lower end. But that being said the big manufacturers still make expensive, quality hats designed for their niche purpose: Ranching. A high-end western these days will be thin, good quality felt. And at the end of the day it just demonstrates that we have different relationships to what we put on our respective heads, despite all the similarities. Part of why I usually just lurk about here, tbh, I'm not interested in getting into arguments where everyone is right because it is a subjective personal preference. And I certainly have no expectation for dress hat folks to really understand the ranching world and just how chaotic & rough it is day-in and day-out.

I suppose at the end of the day ranchers, cowboys, barrel racers, rodeo queens, etc., all know that that hat is gonna get knocked off your head eventually, and it'll likely take a tumble on the ground, could get stepped on by a horse or other animal, and at the least it'll get banged up and thrown about. Stiffness simply helps make the hat tougher to be able to match the punishment that'll be thrown at it when it is a "work hat" and not a "fashion hat".

It very well may look better or certainly be more interesting. But the point of the western hat isn't to look good. Nor is it to even demonstrate individuality as happens often with various accoutrements. It isn't something you even think about other people seeing, really, because it is a work hat. I don't like my hat being complimented, really, because that's not why I'm wearing it—where I came from that was just... how it was. You'd compliment a clearly new custom, but not the ratty Diamond Horseshoe that's seen more days of driving rain than most dress hats see in their lifetime. And in that culture no one is gonna judge someone for what work hat they wear on their head, because at the end of the day it is a tool. Heck, the ranchers and proper cowhands I have known over the years mostly wear ratty baseball caps these days, because they get the job done and they don't set you back a whole month's pay when that horse you turned away from for a second decides your hat looks like a tasty treat.

And maybe the real heart of the matter is that folks in western culture have a tendency to be pretty set in our ways. We value order and neatness when we can get it. Having stiff hats that keep shape and look sharp is part of that. We're fairly minimalistic and practical when it comes to clothing: Stiff jeans, good quality boots, shirts that handle the gallons you'll sweat out like a champ. Scarves to ward against dust and cold... and a hat on top. Heck, I won't lie... it isn't the kind of culture you really want to stand out in. There's a kind of conformity that only comes about from clutching to ideas and traditions while the rest of the world continues to fly by. So a part of it is kinda just us being... us.

Well said!