Club Obi Wan

Hi there,

A lot can be said about a good hat taking quality, durability and screen accuracy into account. Which is good, very good. The posts are very helpfull; As a newbie I appreciate all the replies.
As an Indyfan I try to visit all the places my hero has been to. I would like to buy a reasonable priced hat mainly for travelling/sunprotection. Of course I prefer a felt fedora, but considering the hot weather, what kind of hat should I buy.

Can anyone advice me on Indy hats for warmer climates?

Thanks,
Seb

Hi Seb, Welcome to Club Obi Wan.

Unfortunately, I cannot give you any advice about hats as such as I am still kinda new to the whole collecting gear thing, but I am sure that there is someone here who will be able to help you.

I, like you, would love to go to the same places that our hero has travelled to.

So far I'm up to England (which is where I live - so I guess that doesn't count) Egypt and Jordan.

Welcome once again!

Egypt and Jordan...Good choice!!! I've been there too and really loved it. But...since I planned my trip in the summer it was very, very hot.. Well, you probably know what I mean.

Next...Peru.

And hey, don't feel ashamed about you living in England... You've got Wested almost next door!!

Greetz, (from the Netherlands)
Seb

Don't they wear a fez in Norh Africa? That's a felt hat without a brim. Go with an Indy felt hat. Zahi Hawass wears a felt hat.

Unfortunately, wore a straw on the coast and a chullo in the mountains...cold!

Seb, I am by no means a Fedora expert, so I hesitate in my advice, but I've had a fair bit of experience in the desert of Australia with an Akubra- and believe me, that place is hot at day and freezing at night.
Any Akubra can be a good choice- built tough as well...

Gosh, check out that picture! Did Mola Ram steal Indy's hat?!

Living in California....and esp. those in LA.....you cannot wear a felt hat on a hot summer day. Straw. Nice Straw. Cuenca Straw for the everyday, inexpensive. Montecristi for the elite.


I just got a hat body from Panama Bob and had Art Fawcett block it. It has albout a 3 inch brim...very wide for a short guy.

It keeps the sun off my ears, and nose, and cools my face. Skin cancer is a deadly game. No thanks!

Neolithic wrote: ...I've had a fair bit of experience in the desert of Australia with an Akubra- and believe me, that place is hot at day and freezing at night.
Any Akubra can be a good choice- built tough as well...

Someone beat me to it... sheesh. Don't know about the Middle East... but the Akubra is perfect for harsh New England Winters and Summers.

Hey people,

Thanks for all the quick replies!!! It's highly appreciated.
Considering hot weather it might be wise to buy a straw hat, right? Others recommend the AKUBRA hats.

Sorry to bother you guys with another question...
How about the packability of an Indy style fedora? Are there hats that look like Indy's, yet packable/crushable?

Greetz,
Seb

I don't know about a packable hat, but I can squish my Optimo without hurting it much, as I do in this video.

http://zohar79.shackspace.com/gear/106_0617.AVI

As for wearing a hat out in the heat, I would only wear a straw. I nearly passed out last summer while wearing an Akubra in 100F / 80% humidity weather. Switching to my straw was like putting an air conditioner on my head.

I'd recommend a good montecristi.

Seb wrote:Hey people,

Thanks for all the quick replies!!! It's highly appreciated.
Considering hot weather it might be wise to buy a straw hat, right? Others recommend the AKUBRA hats.

Sorry to bother you guys with another question...
How about the packability of an Indy style fedora? Are there hats that look like Indy's, yet packable/crushable?

Greetz,
Seb

Seb,

While it is definitely not screen accurate, Orvis does have a packable, crushable hat that is Indy-ish. It is wool felt. I don't know how well it would work in hot temperatures. It's only $39.00. Hope this helps.

http://www.orvis.com/store/product_choi ... 1&shop_id=

It gets so hot and humid here in the South that I can only wear my thinner felt hats when I am riding in the air conditioned car, or shopping in an air conditioned building. The Akubras with the eyelets on the sides seem to be cooler for hot weather wear. You know, those early Westerners must have been tough as nails. They wore felt hats, year round. I guess it was better to have a hot head from sweat than a hot head from direct sunlight. The Montecristas seem rather hot to me too. The weave is so tight that little air can circulate, unless you have one like my old Stetson Panama. It has eyelets. My favorite summer hat is one with a very loose weave. You can see through the hat. Of course, in the sun this hat is basically worthless. My slightly balding can attest to that. Fedora

I have what is called a 'Chilean Weave' straw fedora that seems to get the job done.........somewhere between a panama and a western straw hat weave....not too shabby

Fedora wrote:It gets so hot and humid here in the South that I can only wear my thinner felt hats when I am riding in the air conditioned car, or shopping in an air conditioned building.

I second that one. I even sweat buckets when wearing ball caps. My future father-in-law (who's from Chicago) still cannot explain how folks lived in the South before air conditioning.

I do like the "breezer" hats from Cabela's personally.

Peace,
Cliffhanger

I just **** it up and drink a few gallons of water. The Akubra is perfect for all weather. I don't understand the "Crushable" concept. Just wear your darn hat!

Renderking Fisk wrote: I don't understand the "Crushable" concept. Just wear your darn hat!

Exactly! How are you supposed to shade your eyes while sleeping on a plane if you don't have your hat on?

-GCR

Yep,

I've got to admit, it might be a sin for an Indy fan: Packing a hat.
But as I said, I would like to use the hat for traveling. Which means in my case, backpacking, with an occasional jungle- or mountaintrekking...
I thought some situation are just not comfortable with a hat.
Like when you're in a taxi-van with 20 other people, other wear a helmet on the motorcycle. Or in a devastating rainstorm in a country's rainingseasoon... I thought packing the hat would be wise.

Can you guys forgive this sinner..?

Cheers,
Seb

Seb wrote:Yep,

I've got to admit, it might be a sin for an Indy fan: Packing a hat.
But as I said, I would like to use the hat for traveling. Which means in my case, backpacking, with an occasional jungle- or mountaintrekking...
I thought some situation are just not comfortable with a hat.
Like when you're in a taxi-van with 20 other people, other wear a helmet on the motorcycle. Or in a devastating rainstorm in a country's rainingseasoon... I thought packing the hat would be wise.

Can you guys forgive this sinner..?

Cheers,
Seb

In your case packing a hat does make sense. My only gripe with packable hats is the fact that they don't look all that great. That and how well I think they'd stand up to old mother nature. I've never owned a packable hat, so I don't know for sure, but it seems to me that a packable hat wouldn't stand up to the elements as well as a regular hat, based on the very idea that a packable hat is made from very thin material so you can roll it up and shove it in a suitcase. The reasons for wearing a hat while traveling (other than because Indy did and we all think he's cool) would be to shade your head from the sun (packable can do that) as well as to protect your head from other elements, like rain. Your devastating rainstorm in a country's rainy season was a perfect example. You don't want a crushable on your head for something like that. You'd want a hat that can stand up better to that kind of situation, so your head stays dry. I have taken some of my older fedoras on trips and been in different situations where I needed to remove my hat AND have both my hands free. I either stuffed it into my backpack or inside of my jacket. Sure, it got a little mis-shapen but the thing is, almost ALL felt hats can be crushed and re-shapen. But a thicker felt (with eyelets on the side, perhaps?) will serve you better in a variety of conditions, in my opinion. A crushable can work, too, but you may have some of the problems mentioned above. Either way, good luck on the hat choice and have fun on your travels!

-GCR

Seb, I know what you mean about wanting to wear a good hat in warmer temps. One of my favorite hats that I like to wear in warmer weather is indeed a felt hat, but it is a lighter felt. You can see pics of it on this page, assuming I linked it properly:

http://www.indygear.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7287

I'm planning to have it cleaned and the inner hat band replaced, as you can see, but I've worn it in the summer plenty of times and I've probably traveled with this fedora more than any other I currently own. HOWEVER, it can still be a pretty hot lid to wear on a particularly toasty day. In fact, I've sweated through the felt before! Fortunately, this hat has put up with a lot of abuse from me, so all I did was immediately run it under cold water to prevent a sweat stain, reshape the brim and let it dry. I AM NOT RECOMMENDING YOU DO THIS WITH ANY HAT, nor would I do this with my other lids, rather it worked for this particular hat. Can you tell it's not my best dress hat?

This brings me to my main point... The important thing, as Andykev said, is to keep your face out of the sun. That's one of the biggest reasons I wear a good brimmed hat in the summer. The Dobbs I just mentioned above got too hot to wear during the dog days of summer, but I still wanted a good hat (and a good looking one) to keep me covered. This is where I looked into getting a good straw hat. Those that suggest a nice panama know that they're talking about a practical, cool hat with good looks.

Now if you want a stowable hat that can take hot sun or rain, then one of those cheap canvas hats may work just fine for you, but with me, I still wanted to look good, so I went with a good straw hat. I finally found ONE store in my town which sells good hats (not just the cheap ones in your typical department store). It's a nice straw Dobbs fedora style (go figure) and I paid about 50 bucks for it. Looks just like it came out of yesteryear, which is what I wanted. If you're buget minded as I am, it's a good buy for a stylish summer hat. And even though I can't pack it when I travel, I put the best place I can imagine: my head.

Besides, you can always do what I do and lay out your waredrobe around the hat!

Hey Binkmeister,

Thanks for your understanding and clear reply. Guess I'm not the only one that is torn apart by 'wanting to look good' and a 'practical solution'.

Nice hat, by the way, that is posted in your linked topic. As you recommend a good straw hat to be 'best of both', I truly consider that now. If I can find a fairly cheap one I might see it as just traveling costs... , since I don't really expect the hat to survive the treatment.
And hey, it may be a good excuse to have more than one hat; nothing beats a felt hat when it comes to the looks. Maybe one of those indestructable Akubra's...

Thank again, all of you,
Seb

Seb wrote:But as I said, I would like to use the hat for traveling. Which means in my case, backpacking, with an occasional jungle- or mountaintrekking...
I thought some situation are just not comfortable with a hat. /quote]

This is a phenomenon that I just don't get. What possible situations are just not comfortable with a fedora? Besides sleeping, showering and church?

Like when you're in a taxi-van with 20 other people, other wear a helmet on the motorcycle. Or in a devastating rainstorm in a country's rainingseasoon... I thought packing the hat would be wise./quote]

Still not getting it... except the Motorcycle part. If you're in a Taxi-Van with 20 other people, tough. How does wearing a fedora affect other people any more then a ball cap? Don't buying it. Maybe I'm insensitive.

Can you guys forgive this sinner..?

Only if you repent.

The Akubra Federation is the only way to go. The only way you can go wrong is to go with out.

I'm with Fisk. I don't get it.

I live in ARIZONA. We don't have the humidity - but last summer it got to be about 118 degrees, and I still had to mow my lawn in it...wearing my Akubra. I also traveled to Florida with my wife late last July, and I wore either my Akubra or my Peters Brothers Borsalino. I did bring a vintage Stetson panama for the beach, but I was always relieved to put the Akubra or the Borsy back on because I kept worrying that the panama would blow away or something.

Guess I'm used to felt hats...but I wear a felt fedora every day of the year. Until recently, my choices were Akubra Fed Deluxe, PBBM, or a couple of vintage mid-weight Stetsons. I never even really thought about the heat issue, to be honest, until folks here started bringing it up!

I just got a bunch of superlightweight vinatge Cavanaghs and Borsalinos, and now that it's starting to get hot here in AZ, I'll probably appreciate them quite a bit .

As far as crushables, though there aren't any on now, I would try to find vintage Borsalino crushables on eBay. The felt is superb and VERY light, plus they come in a little box for storage. I've only handled one or two, but they were very nice. I wish I could ifns a brown one, in my size...

Allright, allright...Hold your horses gentlemen...It was only a question...



I just never owned a real hat.

Yours sincerely,
Seb

I just never owned a real hat.

Seb,

All it comes down to is what you prefer. The problem is that there a are SO many choices when it comes to finding a good hat, but the joy is that there are so many choices when it comes to finding a good hat!

I'm sure you'll find the perfect lid for your journeys. Post a pic of what you find, and good luck!

"She chose... wisely."

havershaw wrote: As far as crushables, though there aren't any on now, I would try to find vintage Borsalino crushables on eBay. The felt is superb and VERY light, plus they come in a little box for storage. I've only handled one or two, but they were very nice. I wish I could ifns a brown one, in my size...

Peters Bros. has a Borsalino called the Traveler (although not vintage). Check out the demonstration:
http://www.petersbros.com/BORSALINO_TRAVLER/index.html

That looks like a nice traveler, indeed. That may be a good option, Seb, if you can swing the $180.

Havershaw said"

I never even really thought about the heat issue, to be honest, until folks here started bringing it up!

Ah, a true cowboy!!! I love to hear stories like this. Fedora

binkmeisterRick wrote:That looks like a nice traveler, indeed. That may be a good option, Seb, if you can swing the $180.

Nice hat, but the brim is a little short. 2 1/8", crown 5". I know 'cause I was interested. I emailed Peter Bros. for the dimensions. However, if you can deal with the shorter brim, go for it!

Peace,
Cliffhanger

$180 bucks??? For that??? It is nice and all, but I really think you're paying for the name if you buy that...it's crushable so I doubt it has a leather sweatband or even a liner...you can get regular hats for far less than $180 and most will still fit in a back-pack and pop back into shape later...

Seb,

From what I have read thus far, it seems like you'll be putting whatever hat you get through a lot of wear and tear. If I were you, I'd get a hat that can stand up a bit better to all this wear and tear than a crushable...and if you do end up with a crushable, I wouldn't spend $180 bucks for one...that's out there...for that price you could get a PB Custom...they seem like they hold up well to the elements. Of course, the "bullet-proof" nature of these hats may hinder them being stuffed in a back pack. What I'd do is contact Hatsdirect, see if you can order an Akubra Federation, but see if they can modify it to have eyelets on the side (for ventilation) and then remove the liner when it arrives. That should make it cooler, it's fur-felt, so you can jam it into a backpack but it will pop back into shape and even if it ends up mishapen from spending too much time in the pack, you can have it re-blocked. And it can withstand a fair share of abuse (or so I'm told). Granted, it won't be "screen-accurate" but it'll be unique...how many other folks will have eyelets on their Federations? Just an idea...good luck!

-GCR

Regardless of whether you've owned a "real" fedora or not... the issue is of quality. I've made a part time job of endorsing the Akubra Federation Fedora's. I wear them cause they look good while taking abuse.

For me, heat isn't an issue. Like someone else said here... it wasn't an issue until someone brought it up.

My first ebay purchase was a vintage Borsalino roll up that came in its own little triangular box. It has a leather sweatband, thin, that I was told is not put in the hats anymore. 2 1/2 brim, 5 1/2 open crown. A nice travel hat. You can acutally roll in up and it pops right back into shape. And it was in mint condition, never worn. Of course, when I travel, the hat goes on my head. Fedora