Club Obi Wan

I just purchased a Fed IV (Standard). It is my first fedora and I'm excited to get it. I have read many posts about these hats and am happy with the decision. It sounds like a great hat. However, one thing that concerns me a little is the plastic in the lining. I live in Arizona and don't want to toast my head!

What are others experience with this lining? Is it difficult to remove if it is too hot? I have tried to find some pics of the plastic piece removed but most are already deleted (too old).

Am I worrying about nothing? I don't want to ruin the hat by doing something that is not really necessary...

Thanks for the help!

Pete

I didn't cut the plastic lining for my Fed IV when I first got it. It's been about a year since then, and I just cut the plastic out of the hat two days ago. We'll see how it handles now, but with the plastic on, I was sweating a bit while wearing it. Haven't worn my Penman during sweltering heat yet, but I'm sure it won't happen with it.

I havent removed the plastic from my Fed IV and though it gets hot in the summer, it's not unbearably. After all the plastic is only in the crown, the sides still breath.
I did cut the plastic from a Dorfman and I can't say it made much difference.
I wouldn't recommend removing the lining altogether, not even for a dedicated summer hat. It seemed to me when I did that it got hotter - I imagine bacause the liner makes an air buffer - it insulates against the radiant heat.

I once took the liner out of my Fed IV (well actually it fell out ) and decided to try to wear it like that for a few days.
I didn´t think it was such an improvement so I put it back in, I guess a felt hat will always be a bit hot in the sun.
So I think you don´t to worry about it.

Yeah, the liner is easy to just pull out, as it has a few points of glue holding it in place.

Actually, it's removal WILL make it cooler. You can always replace the liner when the air gets cooler and just use a couple of dots of good old Elmer's glue to keep it in place.

Anything you can do to keep heat from being trapped in your hat works, especially the removal of a liner with a plastic liner cap. Akubra hats are rabbit/jack rabbit blends, so air will circulate through the felt better with the liners out and not insulating your head.

I remove the lining of all my summer wear hats. Some folks can take the heat with no problem. As I've gotten older, I'm finding I'm more of a fan for the cooler breeze on my noggin.

Regards! Michaelson

I never understood the reason for the plastic cap on the liner.

Men used to wear hair dressing (actually, there's been a resurgence of that with the kids recently, so once again what was once old is now new!) The plastic cap kept that plus hair oil from being soaked into the liner itself where it touched the top of the head.

Regards! Michaelson

I'm glad we have someone around here who knows things. I'll be taking my liner out this afternoon.

Hey Luke -

Let me know how it goes taking the liner out. I am tempted to do the same as I definitely want a little circulation on the dome in the summer months. Because I'm in Arizona, I will likely keep the liner out year round.

Also (to all), is the liner attached to the top of the hat as well or just around the sides?

Pete

That depends. I don't believe the Akubra is top glued, but I wouldn't swear to that either. It's been a long time since I pulled one out of a Fed.

You'll find a small line of glue on the sides and front under the sweat band. Just lightly pull it and it will pull loose, then put the sweat band back in place. It will do no harm to the hat...or the liner if and when you decide to put it back in.

Regards! Michaelson

That depends. I don't believe the Akubra is top glued, but I wouldn't swear to that either. It's been a long time since I pulled one out of a Fed.

You'll find a small line of glue on the sides and front under the sweat band. Just lightly pull it and it will pull loose, then put the sweat band back in place. It will do no harm to the hat...or the liner if and when you decide to put it back in.

Regards! Michaelson

Thanks, Michaelson. I appreciate the advise!

Regards,

Pete

Michaelson wrote:Men used to wear hair dressing (actually, there's been a resurgence of that with the kids recently, so once again what was once old is now new!) The plastic cap kept that plus hair oil from being soaked into the liner itself where it touched the top of the head.

Regards! Michaelson

Out of curiousity, does that mean that *most*, if not all fedoras back in the day had those plastic liners? If so, then I suppose those of us who want to be 'historically'-accurate should retrofit our fedoras with plastic liners!

The really expensive hats did have the liners....and as to your suggestion, sure, if you're talking 'form over function'.

We're discussing 'function' at the moment, and as 'historically correct' as that liner is, it's too dang hot for summer wear. Men at the time knew that too. They wore hats without liners in summer. Their winter hats had the plastic liner installed.

Regards! Michaelson

Michaelson wrote:The really expensive hats did have the liners....and as to your suggestion, sure, if you're talking 'form over function'.

We're discussing 'function' at the moment, and as 'historically correct' as that liner is, it's too dang hot for summer wear. Men at the time knew that too. They wore hats without liners in summer. Their winter hats had the plastic liner installed.

Regards! Michaelson

I have another questiong.... Why you know everything?!
Haha... Your "Knower of Things" is absolutelly correct M!

Regards,
-Alfonso

P.S.: NOW the plastic thing make sense...

MustangLoverMex wrote: I have another questiong.... Why you know everything?!

Regards,
-Alfonso

Never said I knew everything. Just said 'knower of things'....a name bestowed on me by my daughters, and described the priests of the the Egyptian God 'Khonsu' who were responsible for knowing 'important things' and tasked to attend important functions in Egyptian life like births/deaths, and the opening of new strip malls and Starbucks along the Nile during the reign of Tutmose III, the sixth Pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty. (Yeah, ok, so maybe I made the last part up )

Regards! Michaelson

Oh, how I wish I still had the "King Tut" lyrics I altered for you ages ago.

Michaelson wrote:

MustangLoverMex wrote: I have another questiong.... Why you know everything?!

Regards,
-Alfonso

Never said I knew everything. Just said 'knower of things'....a name bestowed on me by my daughters, and described the priests of the the Egyptian God 'Khonsu' who were responsible for knowing 'important things' and tasked to attend important functions in Egyptian life like births/deaths, and the opening of new strip malls and Starbucks along the Nile during the reign of Tutmose III, the sixth Pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty. (Yeah, ok, so maybe I made the last part up )

Regards! Michaelson

Strip Malls and Starbucks!

-Alfonso

Nasty work, but someone has to do it.

Regards! Michaelson

Michaelson wrote:Nasty work, but someone has to do it.

Regards! Michaelson

Sad but true
Life isn't easy my friend

Regards,
-Alfonso

Well after about a week and a half of Fed IV ownership, the liner came out today. I really hesitated as I like the look of the liner. However, as Michaelson said, it is too dang hot to have it in during the summer months. Besides, who really looks inside the hat anyway.

The liner came out without issue (piece of cake really). I am glad I didn't take the advise of others and try to cut out the plastic part of the liner. This way I can easily put it back in when needed. However, in Arizona, I doubt I will need to put it in very often.

Anyway, I can definitely tell a difference. However, I plan to wear the hat most of the upcoming weekend and that will be the true deciding factor.

Should those rare cold breezes occur in winter (my eldest daughter lives and works outside Phoenix, and says they do happen sometimes), it's easy to just stick the liner BACK in the hat, tucked under the sweatband, and you don't HAVE to reglue it in place. It will stay due to the band. When it warms up again, just pull it back out.

Regards! Michaelson