A good wide-brimmed hat?

[Draven]

Howdy folks!
I'm in the market for a hat. Leather preferably, I don't see felt being great in the rain, and I like the look and toughness of it. Most of all I need something cheap, and cheapest I've found is about £50. What's more, I know nothing about hat sizing! What is large or x large in head circumferance terms? I always get told I have a big head...

Can anyone make any suggestions?

Cheers!
Pete

 

[sandbender]

Have you thought about making your own?

If not there are traders on ebay selling Barmah hats for £40.

I also have a big hat size at 7 5/8” which usually translates to an x-large, here is a sizing guide

 

[Draven]

Have you thought about making your own?

If not there are traders on ebay selling Barmah hats for £40.

I also have a big hat size at 7 5/8” which usually translates to an x-large.

Is that measured from back to front? Do they not work in circumferances at all? EDIT: Sorry! Missed the guide!

Cheers mate I'll have a look! If I can't find one online cheap enough, I'll have a look around locally, there used to be a fella at the flea market who sold them for about £30, and given that he also sold air rifles, fishing gear, archery supplies etc I assumed he had a shop somewhere nearby.

As for making one.... could be entertaining

Pete

 

[Shewie]

I tried a Kakadu leather one on in The Range, didn't suit me though so I put it back.

Might be seasonal though and they might not have them back in just yet.

If you've got The Range near you it's worth popping in sometime

 

[Draven]

I tried a Kakadu leather one on in The Range, didn't suit me though so I put it back.

Might be seasonal though and they might not have them back in just yet.

If you've got The Range near you it's worth popping in sometime

I don't, but I did a google on the name and found Kakadu hats for £30 Thanks very much!

Pete

 

[Gill]

dont write of fur felt hats ,i,ve got a couple of akubras and they put up with a lot. give them another look great quality .

 

[drewdunnrespect]

kangaroo leather hats from austrailia 25 pound in most decent hat stores and i baught mine from toms hat stand at the pickering steam fair but that was 4 years ago so maybe gone up cheers drew

 

[j.dee69]

Hi, have a look at the tilley hats not leather but very good hats they will even replace it free of charge if you lose it. tamarack Stock them

 

[Prawnster]

I love my Tilley T3. It's good in the rain, the querky write up that came with it says that it lets in just enough rain to refresh you! Good in the wind too as it has a chinstrap that can be tucked away when not needed.

 

[Melonfish]

you know i've got a russian made US woodland boonie hat. its ripstop, breathable and keeps the worst of the weather off and you know i'd never go out without it.
go figure?
doesn't have to be waterproof but if it keeps most of the rain off no worries

 

[Draven]

To be honest, my concern about felt isn't so much about whether it can keep the rain out (after all, years of never wearing hats or hoods in scotland and my head's fairly used to getting wet!) or even its ability to shed the rain (since I'm sure even if it was soaked through, it would stop most of it getting down the back of my jacket!) but rather it staying wet. Hereabouts if something gets wet, it stays wet for quite a while... and it just seems like a hassle, having to dry off my hat by the campfire...

drewdunnrespect - a roo leather hat would be nice, and that price seems great, do you know the brand?

Cheers folks!
pete

 

[Quarryman]

I can vouch for Barmah hats, having owned a "squashy buffalo" for some years now. It'll take what you can throw at it and some, with regard to waterproof a regular treatment of Renapur or similar does the trick. I paid £45 for it but am a firm believer of you get what you pay for.

happy hat hunting,

Matt

 

[Barn Owl]

I love my Tilley,

and my Barmah

And my felt Stetson

Just use whatever takes my fancy on the day,(or day or three).

 

[Chinkapin]

Draven, most people who try leather in a wet climate, really don't care for it. Once leather is wet, it is hell to dry out and the faster you dry it out the stiffer it will be. The best water repellent hat that I know of here in the U.S. is a Filson. They make a high dollar line of outdoor clothing. They use a couple of different cloths. There hats run about 25 dollars for a baseball style hat to about 40 dollars for a hat with a brim all the way around. Get the "tin cloth" version. It is leak proof and unbelievably durable. You will never wear it out. Just Google: Filson and you can check out their catalogue. Filson "tin cloth" reminds you of the oiled finished coats made by Belstaff and Barbour some years ago, except the material in the hat is thicker and heavier. Good luck finding something you like.

 

[Draven]

Perhaps I will try a felt one first if I see one I like for a good price... they worked for Indy after all And the good folks here have never steered me wrong!

Cheers folks!
Pete

PS:
Chinkapin - I do like the look of some of those Filson hats, very nice stuff. Maybe I'll get my brother to find and mail me one!

 

[scoops_uk]

I had the bad experience of a leather bush hat staining my forehead brown when it got wet.

Tilley's are superb and they just get better with age.

Scoops

 

[myotis]

Another vote for a Tilley here. But I have never used a leather hat so can't compare.

I have a pretty loose, which works well in summer, but have a fibrepile skull cap thing with earflaps that I wear underneath it in the winter. When it rains the brim stiffens and keeps the rain out of your eyes.

My first Tilley was a white one bought from Canada as no one sold them here at the time. I used it for several years, and then bought a green one. My better half inheriting the original, which had been a bit small for me, but still too big for her.

She used it a couple of years, and then noticed some slight mildew type marks on it.

By this time they were being sold in the UK and we casually mentioned the marks to a dealer in Truro. He asked to see the hat, and instantly offered a replacement, even though the hat had originally been bought in Canada, and was years old. He was also perfectly happy for my wife to exchange it for any Tilley hat she wated. So she swapped it for a blue one that fitted her.

I hope they still give the same sort of service.

Graham

 

[Draven]

That customer service does sound stunning Unfortunately the available colours really don't do it for me and they just don't look right to me - I'm sure they work great, and it's probably quite stupid of me to turn down a product based on appearance I just can't bring myself to spend £50 on something that won't look "right" on me...

Whatever I choose, I will wear it through a shower or two before taking it out...

Cheers though!
Pete

 

[lou1661]

Hi,
You could always try something by Rogue, both Leather and canvas sorts, try here,or here

cheers
Louis

 

[Graham_S]

I like the canvas Rogue hat.