Club Obi Wan

Can anyone tell me the pros and cons of the various types of felts used for fedoras. I see beaver is more exensive but what do they age like, which is better for use and the lng haul or use?

Thanks

on a side note, we should really re-do the FAQ to address these types of general questions.

If you simply browse through the forum, you can find a wealth of information from our resident hatters. But as a quick answer to your question

1) All fur felt hats will eventually need some TLC in the form of cleaning and re-blocking. The length of which a given hat can go between reblocks depends on several factors, including a hatter's individual techniques.

2) Generally speaking, beaver felt is more durable. A beaver is an animal which spends half its life in water, their fur is naturally more water repellent than a rabbit.

3) That having been said, if you're a stickler for details, the film hats were rabbit fur.

4) There's nothing wrong with a good quality rabbit fur. Though generally rabbit furs tend to be less dense. Hence the floppiness you see in the Raiders hat (however, it should also be noted that several factors can affect the floppiness of a hat, most notably how much stiffener is used).

4505marcel wrote:Can anyone tell me the pros and cons of the various types of felts used for fedoras. I see beaver is more exensive but what do they age like, which is better for use and the lng haul or use?

Thanks

Hands down beaver felt will be more tuff, better for the elements and will last longer. It's a dencer felt then rabbit. Think of the two animals. When it rains, rabbit goes and hides in a hole and the beaver goes out and plays. I could give you a large list but I think you get my piont.

Beaver felt is more dense/firm, but it is also a lot more smooth to the touch. Rabbit is more accurate to the first three films, a lot more floppier, but not as strong as beaver felt.

Rabbit works better in the summer due to it's felt being less dense, therefore it is a little bit more comfortable. But in the winter Beaver is better due to the fact that is felt is more dense, which keeps your head a bit warmer.

At the end of the day it's all about preferences, but beaver felt will outlast rabbit felt.

jlee562 wrote:on a side note, we should really re-do the FAQ to address these types of general questions.

If you simply browse through the forum, you can find a wealth of information from our resident hatters. But as a quick answer to your question

1) All fur felt hats will eventually need some TLC in the form of cleaning and re-blocking. The length of which a given hat can go between reblocks depends on several factors, including a hatter's individual techniques.

2) Generally speaking, beaver felt is more durable. A beaver is an animal which spends half its life in water, their fur is naturally more water repellent than a rabbit.

3) That having been said, if you're a stickler for details, the film hats were rabbit fur.

4) There's nothing wrong with a good quality rabbit fur. Though generally rabbit furs tend to be less dense. Hence the floppiness you see in the Raiders hat (however, it should also be noted that several factors can affect the floppiness of a hat, most notably how much stiffener is used).

The only thing to add to this excellent post is that the Indy IV fedoras were made from beaver... so if you go beaver it is screen accurate.

shade88 wrote:

jlee562 wrote:on a side note, we should really re-do the FAQ to address these types of general questions.

If you simply browse through the forum, you can find a wealth of information from our resident hatters. But as a quick answer to your question

1) All fur felt hats will eventually need some TLC in the form of cleaning and re-blocking. The length of which a given hat can go between reblocks depends on several factors, including a hatter's individual techniques.

2) Generally speaking, beaver felt is more durable. A beaver is an animal which spends half its life in water, their fur is naturally more water repellent than a rabbit.

3) That having been said, if you're a stickler for details, the film hats were rabbit fur.

4) There's nothing wrong with a good quality rabbit fur. Though generally rabbit furs tend to be less dense. Hence the floppiness you see in the Raiders hat (however, it should also be noted that several factors can affect the floppiness of a hat, most notably how much stiffener is used).

The only thing to add to this excellent post is that the Indy IV fedoras were made from beaver... so if you go beaver it is screen accurate.

touche!

Cool thanks for the info guys