Club Obi Wan

I love my fur felt Indy hats and the others I own. Some folks will wear them year-round and that is great. I don't when it is really hot and especially if moving around a good bit.

Was wondering if any members have purchased an Indy looking straw fedora for the really hot days? If so, what did you buy?

I wear a regular felt hat most of the year even when the temperature exceeds 100, but where I live it's a "dry heat" so I can get away with it. Otherwise, if it's too hot or humid I wear a Classic Fedora or a Gatsby from Brent Black.

I often walk to and from work which is about 1.5 miles each way. Sometimes even in the Winter, the noggin is sweating with a fur felt fedora.

I am thinking of a quality but not outrageous costing straw fedora for this next Summer on hot days.

If just walking to the truck and then from the truck to my office, I can do the Indy hats with no problem. It is just the times I am getting my exercise walking that even my lightweight fur fedoras are too hot.

Brent Black gets my nod. Simply the best.

Nice to see you here Oak.

I think Peters Brothers sells a Milan straw fedora that's not too expensive.

Even Brent's "Safari Edition" hats, which are his less expensive line, aren't cheap.

I've been very happy with my Indy straw from Peters Brothers. I'll see if I can find the thread on here.:

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Ridgerunner58 wrote:I think Peters Brothers sells a Milan straw fedora that's not too expensive.

Even Brent's "Safari Edition" hats, which are his less expensive line, aren't cheap.

Worth every penny

hahahaha, Annual straw hat thread is just about on time for this year

I have one of Dusty's wonderful hats, though I don't think he's making them anymore.

+1 to the Peter's Bros. Indy straw! It's milan straw, so it's considerably floppy, but it breathes wonderfully. Got it soaked in a rain storm in the Yucatan last year and it looks even better! In fact, I had a hard time getting a good crease in it until it got soaked. Definitely recommended

How much does one of their straw hats go for?

Jeremiah wrote:How much does one of their straw hats go for?

I bought my PB straw indy years ago and it was only $100. I'm not sure what they go for now... They're website is still in development it seems. I'd email them.

http://www.pbhats.com/index.html


This won't help much since I don't think Dusty makes them anymore... but I lucked out on grabbing one of these babies last year.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=55640

My PB straw is my go to hat for the summer.

Best bet is to call PB if you have questions or want to order. They make excellent hats, but their online presence is not great.

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

Thanks.
I may just weave my own.

PB has had these from time to time, they work quite well.

+1 for Panama Bob. Not the nicest Panama you can buy, but a better purchase than similarly priced straws.

Indiana Greg wrote:PB has had these from time to time, they work quite well.

Yeah, I'm guessing 'PB' you're referring to is Panama Bob, as we use PB around here to mean 'Peters Brothers', so I was a bit confused as I had never seen them offer one quite like this.

Regards! Michaelson

I recommend checking out Sunbody Straw hats. They specialize in western hats but also have several fedora models and even offer open crowns. Their hats are made from palm straw and can be shaped with water. They are also rugged and not as fragile as a panama.

Do you have a link you could share?

Regards! Michaelson

sunbody.com should work.

Soaking the hat then shaping it is actually the best way to get it how you want it, IMO.

Now I gotta see if they have any taller crowns available now!

Michaelson wrote:

Indiana Greg wrote:PB has had these from time to time, they work quite well.

Yeah, I'm guessing 'PB' you're referring to is Panama Bob, as we use PB around here to mean 'Peters Brothers', so I was a bit confused as I had never seen them offer one quite like this.

Regards! Michaelson

Quite so, Panama Bob is who I meant.


Appy-polly loggies

Only thing I did NOT like about Sunbody's palm straw, is that is was HEAVY! IMHO It was not much cooler than felt.

Awesome hat though. Tough as nails too!

Got a response via e-mail:

we can do one that turns out very nice.
we make our indy straw out of a milan hemp body.
we have the correct color to match.
they run $150.00

Thanks,

Peters Brothers

I have spent untold amounts of money trying to find straws that work for me. I feel the heat something fierce, and I have experimented up and down the spectrum. Well, I haven't gone for a $500 straw hat, but... I've seen one.

I tried a Peters, and it's not bad, but too limp for me. I find the crown just wants to be a cone unless it's a c-crown. On the up side, it deals with water very well, and reshapes easy. I tried on a sunbody. MUCH too heavy.

I try to keep my straws under $100 these days. My best luck has been with the cheaper straws. I might go higher for something special. My Crease n' Corral I think cost a little more. But it's looks very Indy, and it's waterproofed.


I have found that cheaper straws can look good and be comfortable. I have a Capas that has been worn more than any of my others, and it's just stained enough to get demoted after about 5 years. I replaced it with an Akubra poly-straw. I wish I had bought that thing years ago!

So, Akubra, Capas, Tesi, Dobbs, Maybe a second-hand or bargain Stetson. They look good, they are comfortable, and it won't sting when they die.