The wet hat

Mattdeckard · Post by **Mattdeckard** » Tue Jun 08, 2010 6:32 am

I don't know if anyone has posted a thread of images of wet hats. Anywho, here's a quick vid of the last one that got soaked in action. Pretty much a good 8 hours of rain and walking around with some fools that joined me. If you have images please post them as well.

Vintage hat with no discernible drooping or shrinking after dried.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LzotVqU ... r_embedded

Ian · Post by **Ian** » Tue Jun 08, 2010 6:52 am

Was that vid taken at the start or end of the soaking? Aside from it's superpowers against water, that's a great looking lid!

What is it?

Ian

Mattdeckard · Post by **Mattdeckard** » Tue Jun 08, 2010 8:00 am

It's a 1930s Dobbs that was sold local to me back in the day.

That's at the end of the soaking. Literally walking around for hours with big drops hitting the hat. I don't think you can tell from the video, yet it's soaked clear through, under the brim and through the crown. I was out there the whole day just walking in the rain, and as those that have worn felt in rain know, it's a sponge.

Here it is a few weeks after on a dry occasion.

I've had this hat for a long long time. It's usually my go to hat.

gwyddion · Post by **gwyddion** » Tue Jun 08, 2010 8:17 am

What I wouldn't give for a vintage fedora in my size.... Alas, with a 61.3cm head that will always be a dream

Living in the Netherlands means you have to cope with a lot of rain, so I've had my Henry soaked on some occasions and it too didn't taper at all or droop (more than the SOC brim-droop it already had after reblocking it to my size). Must have been all the stuff Marc did to it while he was reblocking it, like killing the felt some more, because you'd expect a hat that's mostly rabbit to taper after a soaking

Don't have pictures of it soaked though.

One of my two ABs also got a soaking about a month back. As expected it handled it like a champ!

Regards, Geert

Ian · Post by **Ian** » Tue Jun 08, 2010 8:19 am

Well, it looks fantastic.

Did you have to re-shape after the soaking?

I'm no expert but I've read around here that the felt is dead after an amount of time that stops the felt from shrinking. I guess that would apply to this hat.

I'll have to wait for snaps of my lids soaking wet. I've not really been caught out in the rain just yet - Strange, considering I live in the North of England.

Ian

Mattdeckard · Post by **Mattdeckard** » Tue Jun 08, 2010 8:30 am

I haven't had a vintage hat shrink on me yet... could be "dead felt" but I'd have to go back in the past to see a new hat from back then shrink after a rainfall.

When one of my fedoras gets wet I sit it on the brim with the brim turned up all the way around. If you sit it on the crown upside down like a lot of companies suggest, you'll end up with a flat spot on the top. Felt dries in the shape it is left. So since my dress hats are soft I tend to pop out the crown and turn up the brim, sit it on a towel till dry, then reshape.

If you want to keep a specific brim shape like the Indy Dynamic Curve, I suggest putting the towel on the arm of a chair of a couch and sitting the hat on the arm's curve letting the brim sit over the side.

Here I wrote this up on hat care a while back. Might be useful.
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=6981

gwyddion · Post by **gwyddion** » Tue Jun 08, 2010 8:36 am

I just wore them untill dry. Maybe not the smartest thing to do, but it hasn't caused a problem yet.

Regards, Geert

Mattdeckard · Post by **Mattdeckard** » Tue Jun 08, 2010 8:38 am

That works as well... also could end up in a better fitting hat.

Post by **Mike** » Tue Jun 08, 2010 8:39 am

I haven't gotten around to posting my story of the event, but I did post some pics somewhere else on the boards. Here's my AB Raiders getting a good "Indy" soaking…eventually twice…in the stream Ford jumped into.

If anything, the hat is more pliable and comfortable now!

Ian · Post by **Ian** » Tue Jun 08, 2010 8:44 am

Looks like you missed the plane though.

Ian

Post by **Mike** » Tue Jun 08, 2010 8:56 am

By about 29 years. But given the results of its first flight, I was happy to swim back to shore.

binkmeisterRick · Post by **binkmeisterRick** » Tue Jun 08, 2010 9:11 am

I've been caught in some torrential downpour with hats, and they always hold up well. In fact, I seldom, if ever, carry an umbrella. That's what my hat is for. I'll have to take some pics next time I soak a hat.

The Antiquarian · Post by **The Antiquarian** » Wed Jun 09, 2010 12:08 am

I wear my Federation IV in the rain at every opportunity. It's a bit floppy and slightly tapered today, as a result, but I think it's fine. From what I know, vintage felt can hold up even better than much of the best of what modern felt has to offer.

Mattdeckard · Post by **Mattdeckard** » Wed Jun 09, 2010 3:47 am

Come on... there have to be a few images of wet hats' you guys have taken. hats' that have been in the elements.

ajocampo · Post by **ajocampo** » Wed Jun 09, 2010 4:16 am

It would've been more awesome if that was the original rope/vine Ford swung on hahaha

Post by **Michaelson** » Wed Jun 09, 2010 10:58 am

I just experienced a good drenching this morning coming into work, and am using your suggested trying technique, Matt. Unfortunately, no camera....but the rain rolled off and it's drying nicely on the shelf next to my desk here.

It's my 78 gram Portugese beaver AB 'experimental' fedora that I wear religiously in summer weather.

Regards! Michaelson

kiltie · Post by **kiltie** » Wed Jun 09, 2010 11:01 am

I wore a mid-fifties Stetson in the ( heavy ) rain last night and it's right as...uh...rain.

Somewhat disappointingly, I've yet to get the Adventurebilt out into a serious rain, even though I put it on when the sky looks threatening. It's sorta the reverse of the "car wash" effect, I guess.

kiltie · Post by **kiltie** » Wed Jun 09, 2010 11:07 am

As for pictures: It'll most assuredly rain more today, and I'll have the pics to prove it!

Post by **Mike** » Wed Jun 09, 2010 1:14 pm

ajocampo wrote:It would've been more awesome if that was the original rope/vine Ford swung on hahaha

That one broke years ago, though I do have a pic of what remains in the original tree. This one is about 10 feet from the original jump point.

fedoraiders · Post by **fedoraiders** » Wed Jun 09, 2010 3:04 pm

Hello! In 2009, I jumped in the pool with my hat for the pleasure.

If you want to see the result, look this thread and the links video.

viewtopic.php?f=11&t=42602&start=0

Thanks for looking!

Jason

Mattdeckard · Post by **Mattdeckard** » Wed Jun 09, 2010 6:03 pm

Splash!

fenris · Post by **fenris** » Thu Jun 10, 2010 8:25 am

Rainy season is here already........ Wonder how my hat will hold up.

Mattdeckard · Post by **Mattdeckard** » Thu Jun 10, 2010 8:31 am

fenris wrote:Rainy season is here already........ Wonder how my hat will hold up.

However it holds up, take some pics!

rick5150 · Post by **rick5150** » Thu Jun 10, 2010 10:48 am

It seems my hat gets wet more than it is dry. Almost half of my hikes have had ...odd, or unexpected weather. The White Mountains are notorious for that, so if the forecast says "rain" - expect rain. If the forecast says "sunny" - expect rain.

08/07/2004 Mt. Eisenhower: (By the time I got to the bottom, the jacket and hat had dried. The hat did not shrink, but the jacket did.)

09/01/2004 Mt. Lafayette:

09/04/2006 Mt. Moosilauke: (windy too!)

07/07/2007 Somewhere between the junction of North and South Twin Mountain, before I hiked on to Galehead.

ajocampo · Post by **ajocampo** » Thu Jun 10, 2010 4:10 pm

Hey Rick5150, which hat is that? Is it rabbit or beaver fur?

rick5150 · Post by **rick5150** » Thu Jun 10, 2010 4:24 pm

That is an old beaver fur Adventurebilt. Only Steve would know the specifics though. It has held up well through the years!

Mattdeckard · Post by **Mattdeckard** » Mon Jun 14, 2010 5:41 pm

Have we run out of wet hats?

fenris · Post by **fenris** » Tue Jun 15, 2010 5:36 am

Mattdeckard wrote:Have we run out of wet hats?

Not yet. It's rainy season once again where I'm from and I'm sure I'll be caught in the rain with my hat. If I do, I'll post pics.

Mattdeckard · Post by **Mattdeckard** » Wed Jun 30, 2010 3:53 am

I couldn't just let her get wet.

KingHamlet · Post by **KingHamlet** » Wed Jun 30, 2010 9:59 am

I wish we had brought our camera to the Derby this year. Every year my wife and I go to the Kentucky Derby, and sit in the infield. We arrive at the gates at 5:00 and this particular year, it was the wettest derby in history, so my Adventurebilt got a good soaking from 5:00 a.m. to late afternoon before it finally let up. I was worried, but the lid held up. I owe Steve a lot of thanks.

Nick

gwyddion · Post by **gwyddion** » Mon Jul 05, 2010 8:46 am

Just when I thought: "ok, lets take some pictures of the hat next time it rains" it became the driest June in at least a century

... and July isn't much wetter so far. Never thought I'd be wanting it to rain though

Regards, Geert

fenris · Post by **fenris** » Mon Jul 05, 2010 11:09 am

Too bad I never got a chance to take a picture of the Fed IV while it was wet.

Post by **Indiana Jeff** » Mon Jul 05, 2010 1:10 pm

rick5150 wrote:09/01/2004 Mt. Lafayette:

Running off topic here, but what jacket is that?

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

Indiana Bugs · Post by **Indiana Bugs** » Tue Jul 13, 2010 5:22 pm

I had my Fed III on during today's downpour. Got pretty soaked:

gwyddion · Post by **gwyddion** » Tue Jul 13, 2010 7:17 pm

Finally got caught out in some rain yesterday. It is not the best picture ever, phone-cam and a foggy lens and all, but you can see how wet the brim and the ribbon got: pretty shiny.

Regards, Geert

beaverlid · Post by **beaverlid** » Wed Jul 14, 2010 8:22 am

Geert,

Who is the maker of your Fedora?

gwyddion · Post by **gwyddion** » Thu Jul 15, 2010 7:49 am

beaverlid wrote:Geert,

Who is the maker of your Fedora?

It started life as a plain old AB Henry that was just too big for me (my fault, but it was the first hat I didn't try on before I bought it), then Marc got to work on it (reblocking, repouncing, and refitting the sweat and liner).

So I guess it's a Henry/ABD hybrid now, and I love it to bits!

Regards, Geert

beaverlid · Post by **beaverlid** » Thu Jul 15, 2010 8:04 am

It looks like a nice hat. It sounds like it has a pretty cool history. That's what makes our hats special.

Beaverlid

yoshinori hatakeyama · Tue Sep 07, 2010 2:10 pm

This fedora is adventurebilt beaver.
Beaver is strong against snow.

binkmeisterRick · Post by **binkmeisterRick** » Tue Sep 07, 2010 2:12 pm

I see you made it out alive with the Snow Idol!

Post by **Michaelson** » Tue Sep 07, 2010 2:16 pm

GOOD heavens! When were those photos shot, my friend!

Regards! Michaelson

yoshinori hatakeyama · Tue Sep 07, 2010 2:45 pm

binkmeisterRick wrote:I see you made it out alive with the Snow Idol!

Nice to meet you , binkmeisterRick !!
Thank you for looking !

Yes, white bear from holland was very strong…I was about to be killed…

Michaelson wrote:GOOD heavens! When were those photos shot, my friend!

Regards! Michaelson

Thank you for looking , Michaelson!!
I took pictures in Sapporo.　(I live in Sapporo.)
I went to see Sapporo snow festival ,and took some pictures.
Many huge snow statues were made in the festival.
I hear that sapporo snow festival is very famous internationally.　

Post by **Michaelson** » Tue Sep 07, 2010 2:57 pm

Amazing! I've seen photos of a like festival in Canada, but those are HUGE!!!

Thank you for posting! Just fantastic locations!

HIGH regards! Michaelson

fenris · Post by **fenris** » Wed Sep 08, 2010 8:59 pm

I didn't realize that those were snow sculptures until I read what the festival was about. I thought they were actual snow-covered buildings at first glance.

Anyway, is there any difference between a hat getting rained on and a hat getting snowed on? We don't have snow here... just lots of rain. Which would penetrate the core sooner?

Kentucky Blues · Post by **Kentucky Blues** » Wed Sep 08, 2010 9:30 pm

Rain would definitely penetrate sooner. Snow is effectively very small pieces of solidified water, or water that isn't exactly "wet." It melts when it comes in contact with something whose temperature is above freezing, thus reverting back to wet water, but enough snow can build up. Thus, if you have a pile of snow on your hat, probably only the bottom layer is wet, and only the top of your lid will be wet. With that much rain, on the other hand, it'll start soaking through as soon as it can.

-KB

beaverlid · Post by **beaverlid** » Thu Sep 09, 2010 10:38 am

Kentucky Blues wrote:Rain would definitely penetrate sooner. Snow is effectively very small pieces of solidified water, or water that isn't exactly "wet." It melts when it comes in contact with something whose temperature is above freezing, thus reverting back to wet water, but enough snow can build up. Thus, if you have a pile of snow on your hat, probably only the bottom layer is wet, and only the top of your lid will be wet. With that much rain, on the other hand, it'll start soaking through as soon as it can.

-KB

"For pete's sake Jones we aren't in school"

fenris · Post by **fenris** » Thu Sep 09, 2010 11:55 am

During our rainy season (which is right now, actually) the rains can pour really hard but don't last that long - as long as there's no storm, that could last for hours. No person in their right mind would walk around outside unless you got stuck in the middle of it. Oh, wait! That happened to me!

I had to walk 5 blocks to get to the car in heavy rain. And I do mean heavy. It wasn't an easy walk, the pavement was slippery and stopping at corners waiting to cross wasn't that great an experience. Good thing only the top of the hat got wet. It didn't soak through. The bottom of my pants were soaked, though. But my head stayed dry... the hat served its purpose!

Kentucky Blues · Post by **Kentucky Blues** » Thu Sep 09, 2010 1:05 pm

fenris wrote:During our rainy season (which is right now, actually) the rains can pour really hard but don't last that long - as long as there's no storm, that could last for hours. No person in their right mind would walk around outside unless you got stuck in the middle of it. Oh, wait! That happened to me!

I had to walk 5 blocks to get to the car in heavy rain. And I do mean heavy. It wasn't an easy walk, the pavement was slippery and stopping at corners waiting to cross wasn't that great an experience. Good thing only the top of the hat got wet. It didn't soak through. The bottom of my pants were soaked, though. But my head stayed dry... the hat served its purpose!

And which hat was that? Sounds like a trooper

-KB

tekors · Post by **tekors** » Thu Sep 09, 2010 1:17 pm

Kentucky Blues wrote:
fenris wrote:During our rainy season (which is right now, actually) the rains can pour really hard but don't last that long - as long as there's no storm, that could last for hours. No person in their right mind would walk around outside unless you got stuck in the middle of it. Oh, wait! That happened to me!

I had to walk 5 blocks to get to the car in heavy rain. And I do mean heavy. It wasn't an easy walk, the pavement was slippery and stopping at corners waiting to cross wasn't that great an experience. Good thing only the top of the hat got wet. It didn't soak through. The bottom of my pants were soaked, though. But my head stayed dry... the hat served its purpose!
And which hat was that? Sounds like a trooper

-KB

fenris · Post by **fenris** » Fri Sep 10, 2010 9:36 am

Kentucky Blues wrote:
fenris wrote:During our rainy season (which is right now, actually) the rains can pour really hard but don't last that long - as long as there's no storm, that could last for hours. No person in their right mind would walk around outside unless you got stuck in the middle of it. Oh, wait! That happened to me!

I had to walk 5 blocks to get to the car in heavy rain. And I do mean heavy. It wasn't an easy walk, the pavement was slippery and stopping at corners waiting to cross wasn't that great an experience. Good thing only the top of the hat got wet. It didn't soak through. The bottom of my pants were soaked, though. But my head stayed dry... the hat served its purpose!
And which hat was that? Sounds like a trooper

-KB

It was the Fed IV Deluxe I got from Texan Scott.