Wool Felt and Fur Felt in the Rain

[Lt.Tom]

Thanks, 1961MJS. In a couple of weeks I'll be at a conference in St.Augustine, and I'm already looking forward to an afternoon at the Panama Hat Co.

Sorry, I didn't mean to de-rail the thread. I can't actually contribute to the subject at hand. Because of warnings from Loungers, when it rains I've switched to flatcaps rather than wear wool felt fedoras. My only fur felt hat is a 4X Resistol western, and it's such a pretty, light color that in the 20 years I've owned it I've always been afraid to get it wet!

 

[Sam Craig]

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.

A good Panama can take rain well, as long as you dry it correctly, preserve the shape, etc.
You have more to worry about with the sweat than the straw ... IMHO ...

It does well for the same reason the Sunbody does ... because it's made from natural fiber.

Mike is right. By far, a Sunbody is the best, least expensive and toughest of the straws, but you do have to damp it down once in a while. I think the key to a Sunbody is getting it sized right to begin with. The straw is tough enough that if you get it too tight, it will really be uncomfortable.

We are lucky here, since we can go to Wichita Hat Works to get sized and have a choice of some styles, too.

I picked up a Sunbody last season and may add another this year, depending on what the Milan choices are like.

Of course rain is rarely that big of an issue out here.

If it weren't for the wind, we could go back to wearing silk hats ... except the kids put them all on snowmen a generation ago. Thanks, Gene Autry!

Sam

 

[rocketeer]

Heavy rain and a soggy sweatband.

Ok, so i'm a bit of a know nothing about hats, I usually buy what looks good on my head, usually new rather than second hand. And so I found myself at the Mad Hatters shop this rainy Friday in Brighton(England).
I bought a trilby/fedora as my woollen Vitafelt Stetson appeared to be shrinking again. it's a nice hat with a nice 50s style shape with a sewn band on the outside, the inner sweatband is not leather but still I like it. Anyway the problem is wearing hat like this in the rain. Is it normal for rain to seep through the stitching to make the sweat band soggy, leather or otherwise?
Thanks, J

 

[job]

Try Scout felt hat protector.

 

[Banky]

Not normal for a quality hat, no. Un water treated wool hats or those whose Scotchgarding has broken down are not going to shed water like a fur hat. Wool tends to act like a sponge. Any Scotchgard should help repel that water as opposed to absorb it.

 

[rocketeer]

Thanks for that, Hard too define a quality hat these days as they are few and far between if like me you insist on try before you buy. I have seen hats range from £50 to over £400, I paid £80 for this. Not the most expensive but a lot for something I dont wear that much.
Thought about the Scotchguard treatment, is that what is normal now? I did wear my dads old hat as a roundsman years back and I dont remember that leaking.
So what was the secret from years ago? We always see in old films characters with their collar up, hat pulled down in the rain, I doubt they had wet ears.
Cheers, J

 

[ManofKent]

Rocketeer - no felt hat is completely waterproof. Generally fur-felt hats will repel water better than wool, but I've had a fur-felt hat soak through to the point that the sweat was soaked through. If the rain is heavy enough...

 

[splintercellsz]

I wonder how a hat would do when coated with "ultra ever dry"?

http://youtu.be/IfUaKXasdD4

 

[rocketeer]

Rocketeer - no felt hat is completely waterproof. Generally fur-felt hats will repel water better than wool, but I've had a fur-felt hat soak through to the point that the sweat was soaked through. If the rain is heavy enough...

Cheers, I sort of guessed but just wondered really, I was out all day just wandering. Too windy for an umbrella, well, an ordinary brolly anyway. I think that may be my next avenue to find a windproof umbrella. Back to the hat, I will just have to spray some water repellant on it I suppose.

 

[rocketeer]

I wonder how a hat would do when coated with "ultra ever dry"?

http://youtu.be/IfUaKXasdD4

WoW

 

[Loz Dawes]

I'm gonna Scotchgard mine..... better safe than sorry, eh?

 

[TheDane]

I wonder how a hat would do when coated with "ultra ever dry"?

There's a lot of debate on nano particles at the moment. They are so small, that they are able to to permeate into the blood vessels - and small enough to interfere in biological processes. Especially treatment of garments is very disputed, due to potential dusting off particles.

Please note, that I don't claim, nano technology is dangerous. I just point to the fact, it is very disputed, and much missing researched on the subject surely will be done in the coming years. At the moment I for one choose to be cautious

 

[Greyryder]

I have a wool hat, and it's been fine in what little rain it's seen, with just a little Scotchgard. It may help that the hat is heavily stiffened from the factory. If you really want full on waterproofing, Scotchgard does make a waterproofer, that they recommend for using on Goretex clothes that have lost their water resistant properties. There are other fabric waterproofers out there, as well. I know Kiwi makes one.

 

[rocketeer]

As to waterproofers, does anyone know what happened to Dryfab by Amway? It was so good, you could spray a piece of paper towel with it and run it under a tap, or even cup your hand with this paper and fill it with water and it would stay dry. All I can find is that the copyright for the name has expired and it is not on Amways website.

 

[Yesteryear]

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!

Good point Alan, it's too bad rabbits and beavers aren't just shaved like sheep without killing them.

 

[LeBois46]

Good point Alan, it's too bad rabbits and beavers aren't just shaved like sheep without killing them.

My beaver hats all come from beavers that committed suicide in the woods.

 

[WesternHatWearer]

I am going to jump in here, a few years late to the party.
I have a Resistol City Limits 6X (Very similar to Stetson's Skyline 6x), it is black in color and I purchased it in late 2014. So I am speaking about my experience with modern hats made by Stetson and Resistol.
To date the hat has been in the sun, rain, snow and sleet. I have left it on the seat of my truck in the heat of summer and cold of winter. I have worn this hat in drenching downpours and on the rare snowy days in my region.
The hat has not shrunk, not in the crown nor the brim. The color has not bled, nor has the color run on my clothes, car seat or in it's storage box.
I have not added any product to the hat, save stiffener after it has dried from being soaked.
When the hat needs to dry after being soaked, I allow the hat to dry at room temperature away from any heat source, while sitting the hat on the crown. If any re-shaping is required, I do the reshaping myself.

In my experiences I have not had a problem with Resistol/Stetson fur felt hats. I have not seen a wool hat hold up in the rain, even wool hats with chemical sprays added to the hat.

Just sharing my experience.

 

[Jedi0077]

Hey everyone my first post!
I wear a Bailey Briar all throughout fall and winter in Ohio. I used some 3M water proofing on it when it was new about a year ago. It's such a champ. Rain, snow, homie don't care. Just a shake and hung up to dry on my hall rack. The waterproofing didn't change the color at all. As I am a nerd I photographed before and after. The actual material is Bailey's Litefelt. They claim this alone would help with rain. Maybe I'll buy a gray one to test it. Mine is Indy Brown.

 

[Huntmd1]

I had a Stetson Temple that I wore in the snow once and the brim went wonky. I upgraded to a Pinnacle beaver fur. Can I wear the Pinnacle in repeated rain and snow without fear of a distorted brim.
Thank you !

 

[belfastboy]

I had a Stetson Temple that I wore in the snow once and the brim went wonky. I upgraded to a Pinnacle beaver fur. Can I wear the Pinnacle in repeated rain and snow without fear of a distorted brim.
Thank you !

The answer as in most things is: it depends. If you get it drenched/saturated the weight of the water could distort the hat. If you allow it to dry that way the distortion will be now set. A little steam will activate the felt stiffened and you may be able to fix it. If you have a hat shop nearby it is a relatively easy fix.