Club Obi Wan

Hello all!

I currently have an Akubra Fed IV deluxe. I love wearing it and I get compliments often when I’m out. However as many have noted it’s a bit warm during the summer months.

Down the road I’m considering upgrading to a 2nd hat on the higher end and I’m curious from the community of fedora experts which of the other hats tend to be lighter/better suited for warmer weather.

Thanks!

For truly warm weather, I hang up the felts. My go to for the summer months is the Peters Bros Indy straw. https://www.pbhats.com/INDY_CUSTOM/Default.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

I wear mine year round. And they are beaver. Honestly I don’t feel any hotter with it on and it’s great shade allowing me to skip the sunglasses.

Ditto to what Jeremiah said, I wear my Penman ABL rabbit and it's light enough that it does't really bother me, I wear mine in the most humid weather, which I love.

Croft

Indiana Jeff wrote:For truly warm weather, I hang up the felts. My go to for the summer months is the Peters Bros Indy straw. https://www.pbhats.com/INDY_CUSTOM/Default.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

PB seems to have experienced a drop in quality as of late. Some TFL members have had some unfortunate experiences, including some really poor ribbon work. Whomever was doing all the work (edit: Shane is the person who left a year or two ago) is no longer there.

A natural Panama is absolutely more breathable and cooler to wear than a felt hat. Not a whole lot of options in the Indy realm unless you are willing to go custom. Stetson makes a hemp version of the Temple.

If you are going to wear felt in warm weather, I suggest removing the liner, or replacing it with just patch inside the crown top. But you should consider straw. There are plenty of inexpensive straw hats out there that are decent, if you don't want to start off high-end. They won't look like an Indy hat, but they will do the trick. I recommend choosing a C crown, as they tend to have less taper.

Akubra makes some polystraw hats, which are well ventilated and will survive the rain. I have an Akubra Rink which is has been extremely useful.

jlee562 wrote: A natural Panama is absolutely more breathable and cooler to wear than a felt hat. Not a whole lot of options in the Indy realm unless you are willing to go custom. Stetson makes a hemp version of the Temple.

If you don't mind looking like an actual archaeologist (and/or the villain, who's always better-dressed), go with the panama. Here's my personal hero, Ian Hodder, at Catal Hoyuk in Turkey:

Full story: https://alumni.stanford.edu/get/page/ma ... e_id=68851
My original cheap, beat-up panama that I picked up in Yucatan in '79 has been retired to a place of honor in the Bat Cave. Its replacement is equally cheap and far more disposable.

Thanks for all the suggestions! I’m looking to retain the Indy felt look as I’m not a fan of the straw style on me. I was curious if some hatters might have slightly different thicknesses in felt and of course rabbit vs rabbit/beaver combos which might impact warmth on the head.

If you are looking for more discussion on felt choices for hot weather, search for previous threads on this topic, there are a number of good suggestions out there.

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

I was curious if some hatters might have slightly different thicknesses in felt and of course rabbit vs rabbit/beaver combos which might impact warmth on the head.

In that case, I know that Optimo has a light weight felt, as well as Vintage Silhouettes. Not sure, but Penman and Tumwater might have light options at this point. Also, you could have vent holes stamped into the felt for air flow. Obvious, since these hatters are custom, the price might be an issue.

I have personally punched vent holes with leather punches in the side of the crown of two of my fedoras, one rabbit and the other beaver, then sprayed lacquer (specifically, woman's hair spray ) around the holes inside the crown.

They ventilate the felt fine, after you remove the lining as that holds heat no matter WHAT felt you prefer, and so far have survived several reblocks.

I'm not suggesting/recommending you do this....but it IS an option you can consider if you have a felt hat that you feel you can 'sacrifice' to make the experiment.

After doing so to one of my AB beaver felts, it's been my 'go-to' felt hat when I'm not wearing a straw!

Regard! Michaelson

If you are going the felt route in hot weather, I would recommend rabbit over beaver. In my experience, my rabbit felt AB “breathes” better than my AB beaver (the latter which I wore on touring weekends when excavating in Israel). Perhaps this difference in air flow is similar to beaver holding out water longer than rabbit. Next summer I plan on bringing my rabbit AB instead of my beaver AB for weekend trips in Israel (and I’ll either wear my Peters Bros Indy straw or my Henshel Hat breezer on the dig site).

Best wishes,
Dr. Nebraska S.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The VS lightweight felt is fantastic and well worth ever penny for the entire experience of getting a conformed hat made by a master hatter.

Art and Bob at Black Sheep Hat Works both have die punches for ventilated felts as well. They might be able to help you out with some modifications if you go that route. In fact, Bob built a custom hat with hidden vent holes under the ribbon, and recently showed off a custom with vintage-Borsalino styled corrugated vents under the sweatband.

jlee562 wrote:The VS lightweight felt is fantastic and well worth ever penny for the entire experience of getting a conformed hat made by a master hatter.

Art and Bob at Black Sheep Hat Works both have die punches for ventilated felts as well. They might be able to help you out with some modifications if you go that route. In fact, Bob built a custom hat with hidden vent holes under the ribbon, and recently showed off a custom with vintage-Borsalino styled corrugated vents under the sweatband.

Here's their website:

http://www.blacksheephatworks.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Regard! Michaelson

Ark101 wrote:Thanks for all the suggestions! I’m looking to retain the Indy felt look as I’m not a fan of the straw style on me. I was curious if some hatters might have slightly different thicknesses in felt and of course rabbit vs rabbit/beaver combos which might impact warmth on the head.

Here's a straw choice at a reasonable price (about $75 from Hats Direct) which can be made Indy-ish. It's the Akubra Balmoral, made of lightweight, close-weave hemp braid with an inside leather sweatband and outside leather band. Like all Akubras, it's well made and affordable.

I removed the leather band and replaced it with Indy ribbon. I also carefully wet and steamed the crown to change the shape from teardrop to center-dent. Though not dimensional, the brim is 2.75". What I came out with is probably more Young Indy than Indy, but it's in the family. And I gotta say, it's MUCH more comfortable on a hot muggy day than even my lightest Garrison felt fedora. Before and after pics --

Nice work there Howard Weinstein, to bad they don't offer it with the Indt ribbon.
I've tried in the past to put my own ribbon on with dismal out come.

But I like the hat and will have to look into it.

Up in NH with the humid weather, I wear my ABL rabbit. Beaver only if were to get a down pour.

Croft

Indiana Croft wrote:Nice work there Howard Weinstein, to bad they don't offer it with the Indt ribbon.
I've tried in the past to put my own ribbon on with dismal out come.

But I like the hat and will have to look into it.

Up in NH with the humid weather, I wear my ABL rabbit. Beaver only if were to get a down pour.

Croft

Thanks! I was surprised at how well the hat mods came out.
The ribbon isn't that hard to do. In case you haven't seen it, try this tutorial from Indy Gear maven Dalexs:
http://www.dalexs.whitvani.net/hat/hatpage.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

That's how I learned to do it. And there are several sources for accurate Indy ribbon, if you want some.

I have a PB straw that I have worn once...….I usually end up wearing an Advintage beaver one which is pretty thin in make. I can wear felts if building hopping. Truck to work and such. If I had to be outside for extended periods in the heat, not sure. If you look at all those old pictures of workers outside in the Summer, most were wearing felt hats...

That’s right. And let’s not forget all the cowboys. Bottom line is try it out. You will know if you can handle it or not. If not, no sweat, (Pun intended) get your self a straw hat.

Jeremiah wrote:get your self a straw hat.

If it's good enough for him...

So far, I tried rabbit-, sheepwool- and beaver felt aswell as cotton and straw hats. Of these for the hot weather straw (if not to densly woven) is unbeatable in hot weather. Unfortunately, it tends to break quickly and can not be easyly stored away.
I got used to wear felt hats also in very hot seasons, but I never really entered the comfy zone while doing so.

Since 2 years, I am wearing a tilley hemp hat, in partucular for traveling and as sun and heat protector on excavations. I have to say when it comes to these aspects, for me there is no way I will ever wear anything but a hemp hat any more in hot climate! The hotter it gets, the more hemp I want to wear. Easly to wash, perfect to stuff away when not needed and best climate in it. Also, when it gets unbearably hot, hemp takes a while to dry. So pouring some water on your hats keeps your head cooled a little longer than some other hats.

here is the version I am wearing at the moment:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjzdSmmu-JQ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I know, not really an Indy and the eyelits look a bit silly, but to me its the best practical summer close-enough