Club Obi Wan

Anyone have any suggestions on how to protect your fedora in the rain? (e.g. plastic hat cover, etc.).

I just returned from Alaska and was not able to take my Fedora with me on several outdoor fishing excursions due to the weather (or more specifically, my fear of heavy rain damaging my AB).

If you have a vendor/supplier suggestion, please include it in your reply(s).

Thanks !

Well you can use somekind of plastic bag (That you can get in any store).

I have a hat cover like you see the state troopers wear over their hats.
I've yet to use it though. I keep my hat well treated with Scout Rain and
Stain protector and it seems to handle the wet just fine.

I think I found the hat cover near the umbrellas at either WalMart or
Fred Meyer.

Regards,
Indybill

You could just carry backup headgear, like one of these:



or if you're in a particularly Johnny Depp-ish mood (eyepatch optional):



I think the second one would go better with a Wested.

Good question, I'm also interested in something like this - short of a plastic bag with a few elastic bands.

From what I've been told the plastic cover are about as bad for a hat as the rain. Personally, I'd rather get my hat wet or not wear it as opposed to wearing one of those goofy rain covers.

Its a hat,
not a 20,000,000 year old mummy. Wear it like one.
Thoes rain covers just look hokey. If your going to buy
a hat, you shouldent have to care about
wearing it in the rain. Besides, just
look at how odd the state troopers look
with them on.
-Adam

J_Weaver wrote:From what I've been told the plastic cover are about as bad for a hat as the rain. Personally, I'd rather get my hat wet or not wear it as opposed to wearing one of those goofy rain covers.

Darn good point there, and since my hat is (well it's on it's way to me) a pure beaver felt AB, it'll take some precipitation and keep on going.

OK, OK, so that joke went over like a lead balloon.

It seems to come down to two choices: plastic rain cover, which don't really seem to be fit for a fedora (more for a state trooper's campaign hat), or waterproofing. Fedora recommends a B and L Products water proofing made specifically for hats over using Scotchguard.

Hat protection.


ScotchGuard... how often?

My advice, Spooky: Skip the bag altogether. Wearing a hat in the rain was good enough for Indiana Jones and every one of Humphry Bogart's characters. There's just 3 things you have to put on it: Scotchgard, Scotchgard, and more Scotchgard. Personally I think those plastic hat covers look dumb, and aren't really even necessary if you just apply water-retardants to the hat. Talk to Fedora, I believe he uses a water protection that's especially designed for hats. :junior: -IJ

Watch "The Road to Perdition" again to see a very nice hat in the rain. Hats look cool in the rain, dripping down like leaky gutters. But, waterproof appropriately and be prepared for a reblock. In the 30s, men reblocked their hats fairly regularly.

There was a department store in Philadelphia that would reblock and trim your hat (And I think by "trim" they meant ribbons and feathers) while you shopped. The sign is still up, I believe, at the old Litman's on Market Street, now part of The Gallery.

MJ STRIKES AGAIN

Gee, I wonder what kinds of reactions COW members would receive if they wore these instead of their fedoras ...

Just as a general thing to keep in mind, when a hat gets reblocked, it gets soaked in a solution before it is stretched over the block. That won't damage the hat, and neither will getting it wet. I refer you to Snakewhip Sable's post, where he shared pics with us of his Adventurebilt taking a little water and being no worse for the wear:

viewtopic.php?t=12649&postdays=0&postor ... &start=100

Again, it's an Adventurebilt, not a china doll. It can take it.

Regards,

Thanks Guys.
Any other tips / anything you'd like to add, Fedora?

Sounds like I will be scotch-guarding it.