Too Small?? Too big? Just right? or How to wear a hat!

[Doctor Strange]

I'm in the process of breaking in a new Cattleman myself. I've only worn it a few times, but I have yet to give it a really good sweating-up. It's still a little loose, and I have the supplied foam under the back part of the sweatband.

But... if it works the same as my Stockman did, after three or four full-blown sweatings and dryings, the sweatband will shrink enough to remove the foam. Then it will shrink a bit more after the next couple of wearings - to perfection.

How do you like the Cattleman, apart from sizing issues? I find it to be a typically well-made Akubra, though the big brim is taking some getting used to. It's obviously a great shade hat, but I think the Stockman is a better match to my facial shape, and looks a bit more elegant.

 

[MattJH]

My yardwork hat is a Cattleman. It's perfect. It actually saved me from a bruise on the head from a piece of flying brick. Long story.

 

[wenestvedt]

Every head is shaped differently. There's really no way to wear a hat "wrong." It really depends on where on your head it feels comfortable sitting.

I feel the most comfortable when the front of the hat is just above the brow-slope above my eyebrows, the back of the hat is around the bulge at the back of my head, and the sides of the crown are about one-and-a-half fingers above my ears.

See, that sounds like me, too -- but the hat is loose that way, and only holds tight when I tilt the back up & the front down to where the brim is pretty much perfectly level. You know -- where they told me to measure it!

But (waaa!) I don't want to to wear it level, I want it tilted back a bit!!

As far as the "tightness" goes, ideally, the hat will not shift if you turn your head abruptly...

Ah, that makes me feel better. maybe I'll wear it around the house for a few nights to see whether it gives any, or whether I can get used to it. :7)

If it's loose, you've done the right thing with the foam strips, and you'll probably find that the hat will slowly shrink to conform to your head to the point where you'll be able to remove the foam strips.

I guess I'm just impatient!

Thanks!
- Will

 

[wenestvedt]

But... if it works the same as my Stockman did, after three or four full-blown sweatings and dryings, the sweatband will shrink enough to remove the foam. Then it will shrink a bit more after the next couple of wearings - to perfection.

Thank you -- that makes me feel better about the "risk" of wearing it.

How do you like the Cattleman, apart from sizing issues? I find it to be a typically well-made Akubra, though the big brim is taking some getting used to. It's obviously a great shade hat, but I think the Stockman is a better match to my facial shape, and looks a bit more elegant.

Doc, I like it. I think my wife doesn't, but she kept her eyes un-rolled all last night since it arrived. :7) The brim is, indeed, quite broad -- but that's why I picked it: I want the thing to provide a cafe table umbrella's worth of shade when I'm outside so I don't sizzle.

Right now it still looks big on me, but that's because I've been wearing only baseball hats since my JROTC days ended some years ago. (Then again, my narrow head may just be the wrong shape. *shrug* Who cares?!)

- Will

 

[RedPop4]

I've got a modicum of pocket money just now, and I'm debating Akubra in my own mind. And going back and forth betwen a Cattleman, Territory, Colly, or Silver Spur.

Then I complicate it by looking at the Campdraft, Squatter, and the other "fedora" or "city hats." What I like about the Akubra "country" hats I mentioned is that they're more like a fedora than an American Western hat.

 

[MattJH]

I've got a modicum of pocket money just now, and I'm debating Akubra in my own mind. And going back and forth betwen a Cattleman, Territory, Colly, or Silver Spur.

Then I complicate it by looking at the Campdraft, Squatter, and the other "fedora" or "city hats." What I like about the Akubra "country" hats I mentioned is that they're more like a fedora than an American Western hat.

I like the Akubra Country hats as work hats, but not as anything else -- it's not my style when I go out or whatever. I chose the Cattleman only because I found one in my size on eBay at a reduced cost and I really wanted a yardwork / labor hat. It's stiff and tough and takes beatings, but it's not uncomfortable. I personally wouldn't go for the "city hats" for this use, though. I don't mind a hat showing wear, but I wouldn't want to directly expose a nice Akubra Sydney Fedora to dirt and wood dust and wood chips and weeds, etc. I'd rather it get the well-worn weathered look than the beat up mangled look.

 

[Joel Tunnah]

...but I wouldn't want to directly expose a nice Akubra Sydney Fedora to dirt and wood dust and wood chips and weeds, etc. I'd rather it get the well-worn weathered look than the beat up mangled look.

Mine is now so soft that the brim bends in the breeze. I love it.

(I threw the aliteration in for free)

Joel

 

[wenestvedt]

OK, I wore it around the house a while last night, and actually wore it to work today. (I can't recall wearing a hat in public ever before that wasn't a baseball hat, so this was a bit of a leap for me.)

I wore the hat while out getting lunch, and either I am getting used to it or it to me -- but either way it feels better the more I wear it. (Note to other n00bs: just put the thing on and wear it!) The hat's most comfortable -- and I like it best -- tilted back a bit. (I have a picture I will post of the angle.) So I think this size will end up being right for me when I wear it a few more times.

The best-dressed guy in the office said he has a Tilley, but that my Akubra is really nice. A lady who saw it in my cube said she imagined it looked good, and another guy noticed it, too.

One thought: the brim of this Cattleman is indeed pretty big; I may wear my fedora to work tomorrow.

Thanks for reading.
-Will

 

[RedPop4]

You go, Will.

As for using it only as a work hat.....I don't wear suit and tie much, so I could get away with wearing this to work and about town. This would be a daily beater for the most part. Again, if it's too western, I'm not considering it. I'm really torn over what to do with the next hat.

 

[wenestvedt]

You go, Will.

You're very kind, sir.

As for using it only as a work hat.....I don't wear suit and tie much, so I could get away with wearing this to work and about town. This would be a daily beater for the most part. Again, if it's too western, I'm not considering it. I'm really torn over what to do with the next hat.

I wear khakis and a dress shirt to work myself, so it's OK. Too western? Well here in downtown Providence, RI, I may as well have been leading a horse by the bridle. :7) That's really why I am considering the fedora -- but it too would be pretty outlandish here. *shrug* If you like I can try to get a snapshot of how it looks on me in my work clothes. I'm tall enough that no one can see the crown, so they think it's just The World's Largest Fedora anyway. :7)

- Will

 

[RedPop4]

The models I mentioned seem to have a pinch toward the front, with brims down, as opposed to rolled western U. S. brims. I can get away with it here in New Orleans. I see hats of this nature all the time, here. It makes a great everyday, every other day/alternate with the true fedora option.

 

[wenestvedt]

Well, the Cattleman has a flat brim that tilts down both in front and back, and a small (in my opinion) pinch at the front. Here's one view, showing the crown's shape:

Here's the side view showing how I wear it tipped back, and how the brim drops:

Sorry about looking kind of sloppy: I mowed the lawn as it was getting dark (but was still almost 80!), and had just taken a shower and gotten dressed -- to try on my new hat! -- before I took these snapshots.
- Will

 

[Mindraker]

Ah, that makes me feel better. maybe I'll wear it around the house for a few nights to see whether it gives any, or whether I can get used to it. :7)

- Will

What does the loving wife think about it? :7)

 

[wenestvedt]

What does the loving wife think about it? :7)

About my hat? Strained tolerance, I think. But my birthday is coming up so I get a bit of a pass.

Also, last summer I switched from disposables & canned goo to shaving with a DE "safety" razor and nice creams & hard soaps. By winter she was convinced enough of my seriousness that I got a swanky bespoke shaving brush for Christmas; perhaps she'll come ot accept my hats in a few weeks, too. (I laid some groundwork by explaining the dangers of skin cancer before I went shopping, but now I've scared myself and I want to wear a hat everywhere!)

Why, did you mean somehting else by "it"?

- Will

 

[Mindraker]

About my hat? Strained tolerance, I think. But my birthday is coming up so I get a bit of a pass.

Why, did you mean somehting else by "it"?

- Will

Ha, no, I've found that when it comes to fashion (especially in the realm of hats) the "significant other" often has a different idea of what should be worn. (I see you've already encountered this!) lol

 

[PastimeSteve]

O.K., I've searched the hats forum about three times but I haven't been able to find someone with a similar question/complaint. Here's my issue, if I wear my fedora for even 30 minutes I get a red mark on my forehead. The mark(s) go away within a few minutes after removing the hat, but I don't think this should be happening, right?

The hat doesn't feel too tight to me, so what I'm wondering is if my skin is just prone to red marks? Do others have this problem, or am I unusual (well, don't answer that...lol )?

Steve

 

[akaBruno]

Sounds too small. It may stretch some in time. And you could just cock it back if you're not in a wind.

BRUNO

 

[Achille]

Hello PastimeSteve,
A few monthes ago it was the same for me. When I was wearing a cap or a hat I had this same red make. It wasn't a question of size , it was a reaction of my skin. But now as I wear a hat everyday the red mark doesn't appear anymore.

I think it will be ok in a few weeks.

J.M.

 

[Dinerman]

could just be it's touching your skin, and the pressure leaves a mark. If it doesn't feel too small, it isn't.

 

[scotrace]

Or your head is a long oval, and though it fits, there is greater pressure on the front, bare skin. In any case, wearing it more often should clear things up.
One thing you might want to do (if this is not a new hat) is to be sure and wipe the sweatband with a little alcohol on a pad, then follow up with some leather conditioner. It may be that the sweatband has some old soiling from a previous owner.

We don't want the funk.