Club Obi Wan

well its Summer, and its hot as heck... too hot for Felt...
so what are the options on Straw indy hats?

I just saw a Dorfman Pacific straw on the US Wings website and it is currently on sale.
http://www.uswings.com/aviatn.asp#IJ203

Peters Bros. makes a fine straw Indy hat. That is probably your best bet if you want a great straw Indy hat.

Dave

I'm interested in this as well? Does anyone know about the durability of either of the hats? I would be looking to get one mainly for working around the yard i.e. digging, mowing, etc. so it would have to be able to get dirty and banged around from time to time and still hold up - a duty my AB has no problem with but when the temps are pushing 90 and above it starts to get dang hot!

I wore my PB straw just about all summer last year during our drought, and it served me well. No problems at all.
VERY durable.

Regards! Michaelson

PB is a wonderful hat. It's strong and will take the abuse.

The Dorfman Straw Indy, from US Wings, is a pretty durable hat itself. I actually like it more than my PB, and it's much cheaper.

Tycoonman

Tycoonman, do you have pics of your DP straw? It looks like it may not be such a bad hat. I know DP has a bad reputation for their fur hats, but if you're going for straw, you can't possibly be too concerned about SA, and shrinkage is not an issue.

I have a dp straw (not indy) and they are @#$%.
Very comfortable though, and I wear it every day.
Suspect it'll last one season maybe 2.
Ron

I don't, and I don't have a camera anymore. It's not what I'd call a high end hat at all, but it's comfortable, and breathes really well. They'll last you more than a season if you take care of it. I'm not encouraging you to baby it, but as long as it stays on your head, and not in the lawn mower, it should last you quite a while. It's a nice work hat, and that's exactly what I use mine for. For work hats, I found the cheaper you go with the straw the better. To be honest my favorite work hat up till last year, when our puppy had it for lunch, was a Panama Jack from Wal-Mart. It was just a comfy, cheap hat that did it's job.

Just my 2 cents, take it for what you will.

Tycoonman

If the idea that Ken over at Camptown Hats has for a variety of straws he may be offering them soon. And, if there is enough interest he may be coaxed into making an Indy Straw. Maybe a straw Fieldmaster or Legend. He was wondering if something like this would do well, I think so. Take a gander in the Vendor's Section and give him a jingle or send off a PM or e-mail. Offer up your input, ideas & suggestions, as this is how we can see some of these hats come to light.

Cheers!

Dan

Are all straw hats supposed to have a limited lifespan? I remember a discussion here a few months ago where people were saying you used to buy a straw at the beginning of the summer, and sometime around labor day, you'd toss it. Are there any straw hats that are made to last beyond a yera or two?

That's the old 'Memorial Day to Labor Day' practice that hat makers used to push to keep people from keeping their hats from year to year, buying a new one every spring. It was sort of a practice of the season....like not wearing white after Labor Day.

I've had my PB straw for several years now (got mine the same year it was introduced), and it's a solid as the day I got it.

Just try not wearing a straw in the rain. NO straw holds up after that very well.

Regards! Michaelson