Wool Felt and Fur Felt in the Rain

[Detective_Noir]

I Have a wool felt fedora and fur felt crush fedora and they say they are water repellent, but is it durable in heavy rain? as in if i happen to bring it with me and all of a sudden the weather turns and im stuck with no umbrella? they must be scotch guarded in some way but will thye get soaked and ruined? any tips on how to take care of a fedora in the rain....

 

[masiaka]

If it's fur felt then it can handle any amount rain, no scotch guard needed, with only a slight amount of shrinkage if any. Just make sure it dries in the shape it was before the rain and you're good to go. Wool is a little harder to predict. Sometimes it will shrink down a size or two, sometimes it will shrink only in a few places and become wonky, and sometimes you can end up with a hat the never shrinks. Heavy downpours (among other weather inconveniences) are the reason why I bought my hats.

 

[m0nk]

Actually, there's most to it than just wool vs fur. Of course, wool will absolutely shrink in the rain and I would avoid weather of any kind in a wool hat. Then, with fur, it all depends on the manufacturer. Some have anecdotal evidence of shrinkage you would think only possible with wool (like some Christy's hats), and some handle anything (such as Akubra). Most vintage hats handle quite a bit as they were all made well with fur such that they don't shrink much, and many modern custom hat makers stick with the vintage techniques, though you almost never know what you'll get with some of the modern bulk manufacturers. I have heard that certain modern Stetsons bleed color when they get wet, and I can say for sure that Akubra hats will handle anything you throw at them.

I'm not sure that helps, but what I would recommend is that you narrow down your preferred style and ask these questions about makers that carry a similar style.

 

[jlee562]

If it's fur felt then it can handle any amount rain, no scotch guard needed, with only a slight amount of shrinkage if any. Just make sure it dries in the shape it was before the rain and you're good to go. Wool is a little harder to predict. Sometimes it will shrink down a size or two, sometimes it will shrink only in a few places and become wonky, and sometimes you can end up with a hat the never shrinks. Heavy downpours (among other weather inconveniences) are the reason why I bought my hats.

I don't know that I would go that far. Some modern Stetsons have been known to bleed powder dye, and many on Club Obi Wan report that the Christy's felt will taper even under light rain.

 

[Detective_Noir]

i heard even if its wool you need to dry it in a room temp swetting to make sure no shrinkage will happen is that true?

 

[Yeps]

i heard even if its wool you need to dry it in a room temp swetting to make sure no shrinkage will happen is that true?

There is pretty much nothing you can do to keep wool from shrinking. If you don't do that, it will be worse faster. Stick with the fur and you should be better off.

 

[Detective_Noir]

hmm i suppose i could wear my fur on rainy days and my wool on a normal day i use it mostly as a beater hat for most days because my fur one is not worn as much as the wool was

 

[tonyb]

I regret to inform you that even some higher-end all-beaver hats just may shrink and taper. While the source fiber (rabbit, beaver, sheep, whatever) has perhaps the greatest influence on how well a felt hat holds up to weather, it certainly isn't the only factor.

It's the nature of felt to want to keep on felting, getting thicker but smaller in other dimensions as it does so, hence the shrinking and tapering. Historically there were discussions around here (going back a few years now) debating "dead" vs. "live" felt. The gist of the argument is that older hats have been around so long they are likely to have done as much felting as they ever will. The felt has "died," the proposition goes, whereas with newer hats the factors that cause felting -- water, heat, friction -- are likelier to have a more pronounced effect, hence the felt is still "live."

I don't buy that argument entirely, nor do I dispute it entirely. I assure you that if you were to thoroughly soak almost any 70-year-old felt hat and then toss it in a clothes dryer set on high, you'd have a much smaller hat than you started with. I don't have to be told that such a scenario in no way mimics real world conditions. But the point is that felt is prone to shrinking, even the best felt, if it is subjected to sufficiently harsh conditions.

How a hat body is blocked and ironed plays a significant role. A hat body that is overly stretched onto the block may well revert to its former dimensions once it's off the block and worn in the rain. I'm partial to wet blocking (not everyone is), meaning that the hat bodies are soaked through with water when they go on the blocks and stay on the blocks until they are thoroughly air dried. This may take days. Then they are ironed (which further tightens up the felt) and pounced. But even then, the hat may taper if gets repeatedly soaked and then left to dry in, say, a hot car interior.

 

[Shangas]

I've been caught in heavy downpours with felt fedoras before with little or no consequences. They might get a bit soggy, but once they're dried out, everything should be fine.

Wool hats on the other hand, I'm told, cannot handle the same amount of heavy rain that a felt hat can. It shrinks and doesn't hold its shape in the same way.

 

[1961MJS]

Hi

I HAD a pretty cool British Bush hat reproduction from WW2 (What Price Glory), and I suppose I got my $65 out of it. I wore it in the rain one afternoon and now it's too small to wear. I've haven't gotten my newer Fedora's that wet, but it will eventually happen, especially the one Tony made. I've purchased my last wool hat, it's not worth the time and money.

Later

 

[Hercule]

Oh no, here we go again. The same old tripe about wool versus fur. I have to go with Tonyb on this one. Some felts, wool or fur are just going to hold up better or worse than others when subjected to the elements. If your hat holds up and doesn't shrink or taper, good for you, you got lucky. I've been wearing the same wool fedora, day in and day out for the last year and a half, rain, shine or snow. Hasn't tapered or shrunk one bit. Sure I sprayed it when I got it, just to be sure, but I haven't touched it since and it's still doing fine, looks great too (in spite of some rough handling by my 6 year old). I get a lot of compliments. And if it ever starts to have issues, damaged or lost, I can readily afford (relatively speaking) to get a a new one.

I think many people around here give short shrift to wool hats and the complaints about them are simply hippocritical - they're too stiff, they're too soft. Treat them as a beater hat and that's what they'll be. Take care with them and they'll look nice and perform well. (as if the same weren't true of fur) And to give fuel to those who are going to flame me, no I've never worn fur felt. I'd like to sure, and yes I'm saving up for a nice custom one - more to get certain features than to necessarily get fur felt. In a similare vein, I drive an Accord. Would I like to drive a Mercedes? Of course. Are they better than Hondas? I don't necessarily think so. In the end, to each his own.

Flame away!

 

[m0nk]

Oh no, here we go again. The same old tripe about wool versus fur. I have to go with Tonyb on this one. Some felts, wool or fur are just going to hold up better or worse than others when subjected to the elements. If your hat holds up and doesn't shrink or taper, good for you, you got lucky. I've been wearing the same wool fedora, day in and day out for the last year and a half, rain, shine or snow. Hasn't tapered or shrunk one bit. Sure I sprayed it when I got it, just to be sure, but I haven't touched it since and it's still doing fine, looks great too (in spite of some rough handling by my 6 year old). I get a lot of compliments. And if it ever starts to have issues, damaged or lost, I can readily afford (relatively speaking) to get a a new one.

I think many people around here give short shrift to wool hats and the complaints about them are simply hippocritical - they're too stiff, they're too soft. Treat them as a beater hat and that's what they'll be. Take care with them and they'll look nice and perform well. (as if the same weren't true of fur) And to give fuel to those who are going to flame me, no I've never worn fur felt. I'd like to sure, and yes I'm saving up for a nice custom one - more to get certain features than to necessarily get fur felt. In a similare vein, I drive an Accord. Would I like to drive a Mercedes? Of course. Are they better than Hondas? I don't necessarily think so. In the end, to each his own.

Flame away!

There are definitely some good points here, and while many fur felt hats show a greater resiliance to weather, if you treat a wool hat a certain way, it'll act a certain way. Of course, you can't buy a wool hat expecting it to consistently perform like a fur one, but since some fur hats react similarly to wool, research is your best friend when making a purchase. If you want something that will undoubtedly hold up in rain, you can find it. As Tonyb stated, it depends on how it's made and blocked.

As an addendum to my previous post, Akubra is well know as an inexpensive all-weather hat brand. Of course, they may shrink slightly if left in a hot car (I did this on purpose to get one to conform better to my head), but ultimately my 3 Akubras have been through everything and made it out without shrinkage or tapering.

 

[alanfgag]

The nicest thing about sheep fur felt hats is that you get to keep the sheep. Spun and woven, it does make an excellent cap!

 

[Sam Craig]

Oh no, here we go again.
I think many people around here give short shrift to wool hats and the complaints about them are simply hippocritical - they're too stiff, they're too soft. Treat them as a beater hat and that's what they'll be. Take care with them and they'll look nice and perform well. (as if the same weren't true of fur)

Good points, Hercule!

I gave a couple of nice, c-crown wool fedoras to a buddy of mine some time ago ... I used to wear the dickens out of them ...
They are a moderate width brim with a springy edge ... maybe 2 1/4 inch and I suppose a 4 1/2 inch crown
One is brown the other black

He wears them a lot, especially the brown one, and cosistently gets complimented on it, because it goes so well with his usual brown winter coat.

Of course rain is not a major threat around here, but they have both been through some rain and snow and I don't see them turning to mush.

I think sometimes we get to be snobs in all sorts of ways.

These hats look really nice on this guy and he's another fedora wearer now.

Sam

 

[Grizzly Adams]

Depends on the fur.

I am new around here, but let me add my thoughts on this subject. Hats I am new too, but fur is a subject I know pretty well. I spent 25 years in Western Alaska, living and working in remote Eskimo villages. When I first went North, many of the folks were still skilled in the art of "skin sewing." One fact I picked up was that the individual attributes of fur differs depending on the animal, and the environment that it lives in. When an item needed to provide long and proper service in wet and cold, beaver or muskrat was chosen. For dry, cold conditions, as in a ruff around the face, wolf or wolverine was the fur of choice, because the fur would shed the frost from the breath better. The rule of thumb is, the fur of water dwelling mammals will provide long and durable service in wet, cold conditions. While all fur felts may continue to shrink to varying degrees, I suspect beaver is going to hold up better for the long haul. Sorry if I am stating the obvious! As I said, I am new here....

As for wool, well, I have not had very good luck with wool cowboy hats in the monsoon rains here in the Southwest! :eeek:

By the way, I really enjoy this community - but I thinks it is going to cost me a bunch of money!:eeek:

 

[Lt.Tom]

Flame away!

I've got your back, Hercule. Hi. I'm Tom, and I wear wool hats........

Now don't get me wrong, I love it here, and I've learned a lot........but I've been keeping my head down, and my mouth shut around here, because as we all know, wool hats aren't real hats. On a pastor's salary, with a wife and kids, I can't afford to spend 6 or 800 dollars trying different styles to see what looks good on me. (Can't just try them on, no hatteries for many miles around here.) So I've been buying $40 and $50 hats, and wearing them every day. When I've saved up to get an Akubra or a Falcon Park, I'll know from experience exactly what I want. (been wading through umpteen pages on e-bay every day. Prior to my birth in 1960, did hats come in anything but a 6 7/8ths? )

It would be nice if there were a little corner around here for a storehouse of wool hat knowlege, but previous searches have shown that even when such a thread is started, it quickly dies from a lack of interest. I undersand that. I guess I'm just posting in this thread so that if anyone else shows up with a question, their forum searches will indicate "signs of life" of wool felt wearers, and they will feel free to ask away. I've already started slowly saving, and within the year, I'll begin buying nice new fur felt hats. Eventually I'll even find some nice vintage ones in 7 3/8ths. But until then, I'll baby, and proudly wear my wool hats. They really are nice enough that I'll have to aquire quite a few fur hats before I'll completely stop wearing these.

 

[Sam Craig]

Tom,

I was shopping in a Dillards recently looking for winter vests and I spotted a black dress hat ... half price sale after Christmas ... and I almost bought it, but I'd already exceeded the monthly budget.
I'm going to check back, though, because though it was wool felt, it was a really nice looking hat that would be great for the rest of the winter.
I wouldn't want to wear it every day, but it would be well worth an occasional wear.

As I posted above, I had a pair of wool c-crowns that I wore the dickens out of ... brown and black ... and they are still in daily wear by the guy I passed them on to.

Neither of them shows much sign of wear and I'm sure he'll get years of use out of them.

I have had plenty of disappointing fur felt hats over the years.
We just don't want to admit it when we waste $150 or much more on hats that don't last any better than these do.

Sam

 

[DesertDan]

I've been wearing a hat daily for over 20 years and just got my first fur felt hat last year. Wool felts will hold up well if one gets a good quality one to begin with and then takes care of it, just like fur felts. The only wool felt I have had shrink is a beater that would spend a lot of time in my car (here in the SW desert that is real abuse!) it is still wearable but not pretty.

I still have wool felts that are my daily wear and see nothing wrong with them.

Cheers!
DD

 

[1961MJS]

Hi Lt Tom

I understand the problem. Check here:
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?31181-Hat-Stores-a-list

There is a list here also:
http://www.merrillguice.com/hats

Showing the list of America's hat shops. Hopefully there will be one near the house. Another option is to take a nice weekend road trip, even all the way to Memphis TN (Covington TN actually) and see Mike Moore. He would be a good one to work out what crown and brim size fits you. You need to find someone will give you and honest opinion on what sized hat looks good on you. Some hat shops will tell you that you look wonderful in whatever hat you're held on to the longest just to get the money. The wife may or may not be a good person to ask about how things look on you...

Instead of a wool hat, you could also try a Panama hat, or a Sunbody hat (Woven grass or something)
http://www.panamas.biz/

http://www.sunbody.com/index.cfm/category/6/fedoras-dress-amp-sporty.cfm
The reason for suggesting these is that the Sunbody's are inexpensive, and is you went them down every few months, they last pretty well. The Sunbody's take the rain pretty well too. I haven't worn my Panama in the rain so I don't know about that one.

Later, and have fun with this.

 

[1961MJS]

... I think sometimes we get to be snobs in all sorts of ways.
Sam

Hi Sam

It's not so much the snob thing as it is that my FAVORITE hat shrunk so much I can't wear it anymore. It was a nice looking outdoor hat, great for yard mowing, tree cutting, cooking out, and hiking. Now it looks like Crap. I know, "You want some cheese with the wine???"

Later