Club Obi Wan

Plenty of topics on how a hat reacts to hot and humid weather but can't find anything on cold weather. What happens (if anything) to having a fedora in -40 to -50 degrees for extended periods of time? Like say 9 or 10 hours at a time.

Heat and humidity are the real killers of leather and felt that'll cause the fibers and/or the sweatband to shrink.

Cold, in and of itself, shouldn't be an issue to my knowledge. If the fedora gets alot of snow on it, it's important to let it dry thoroughly and naturally without direct heat being applied.

I'd be more worried about the wearer under the hat being exposed to -40 to -50 degrees for extended periods of time!

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

I've never heard of cold harming a fedora. However, at -40, you really should be wearing something else, even for a few minutes. Consider this an unofficial public safety announcement.

Cold I wouldn't worry about. If its a well made hat I wouldn't worry about heat or humidity. Its when you combine Heat and Humidity while the hat is wet that you have the danger of shrinking. If the hat saw very little water in the production of the hat being built, then heat and humidity is going to cause shrinkage. This is what I have come across but there are exceptions.

The only thing you could wear at -50f would be a parka and layers. It would not be a fedora, with face and ears exposed, etc., right?

More of a hanging in the garage/car/warehouse type thing. Wear it from one place to the next and sometimes forget it there overnight when i have to put on the touque and scarf and whatnot. I was just concerned about the sweatband cracking or the felt cracking if pinched or whatever. Its an AB so its good quality beaver. A plastic sweat from a lower quality fedora might though ya?


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It only makes sense that if you are spending money on a great quality hat like the AB, that a little hat care should be expected. Not a lot but a little TLC will go a long way. Buying a decent brush and brushing it will help keep the nap tighten and clean. whipping the sweatband clean once in a while is a good a deal followed by a small amount of petards will keep your sweatband in good condition. When the hat gets wet, let it dry in room temp. one a coat rack or hat stand. If not in regular rotation. store in a good hat box. Not a lot but a little TLC.

Yeah. If all you have on your head at -40F is a fedora you're going to have bigger worries than whether it hurts your hat.

Still, as long as it's not wet when it gets frozen it would probably be fine. It might even survive if it was damp before it froze - unless you dropped it . . .

On the Great Wall about six winters ago. Every bit of -40 w/ up to 50 kph wind gusts coming off the Mongolian steppes. No damage to the Lagomarsino on my bean. There is NO such thing as warm in such conditions. I had hunters hand & feet warmers, a thermacare belt and..BRRrrrr. A perfect Saskatoon summer day, my wife said.

Im from Regina. Thats exactly what im talking about. Brrr is right


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