I need a hat.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Wed Oct 19, 2011 12:51 pm

I don't wear ball caps, and wouldn't touch a cowboy hat with a ten foot pole.

I wear a tan boonie hat when I go stomping around in the woods or spend time in the bright sun. Unfortunately, it looks silly with anything I wear the rest of the year.

So, I need a hat. I want something with a brim so I can keep the rain out of my eyes when I walk down to the store or have to stand outside the school picking my kids up.

I have absolutely zero fashion sense. I am, therefore, here, asking the more sensible multitudes what I can get away with wearing that is neither overly mockable nor presumptuous.

dbt1949 · Post by **dbt1949** » Wed Oct 19, 2011 1:02 pm

I have a Greek fisherman's hat that is black. Looks kool and I get lots of compliments on it.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Wed Oct 19, 2011 1:06 pm

Jungle hunters hat (not the pith kind)? Scottsman/Paperboy hat? Revolutionary War hat? Bowlers hat? Boater's Hat? Civil War hat? And of course the sombrero?

I'd love to be hat wearer but I look ridiculous in anything other than a baseball cap turned around backwards. Then I just look like someone stuck in the late 80s/early 90s, which is an acceptable look for me and fits with my usual creepy-old-out-of-touch-old-dude-trying-to-be-hip-but-isn't vibe.

How many years before I'm old enough to get to wear nylon plaid pants and bright colored blazer?

AWS260 · Post by **AWS260** » Wed Oct 19, 2011 1:08 pm

Maybe a pork pie hat?

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Wed Oct 19, 2011 1:23 pm

LordMortis wrote:Jungle hunters hat (not the pith kind)? Scottsman/Paperboy hat? Revolutionary War hat? Bowlers hat? Boater's Hat? Civil War hat? And of course the sombrero?

I do believe I still have a tricorn in a box somewhere from my buckskinning days.

How are wide brimmed gray fedoras these days?

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Wed Oct 19, 2011 1:27 pm

Blackhawk wrote:I am, therefore, here, asking the more sensible multitudes what I can get away with wearing that is neither overly mockable nor presumptuous.

Pretty hard to do with a hat that isn't a ball cap. Pretty much you just have to just find one that you're comfortable wearing and everyone else be damned.

If it's rain you're worried about, maybe a nice umbrella?

rshetts2 · Post by **rshetts2** » Wed Oct 19, 2011 1:27 pm

Only the really cool people wear a Deerslayer

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Wed Oct 19, 2011 1:28 pm

Alpine.

tru1cy · Post by **tru1cy** » Wed Oct 19, 2011 1:40 pm

Kangol.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Wed Oct 19, 2011 1:41 pm

LawBeefaroni wrote:
Blackhawk wrote:I am, therefore, here, asking the more sensible multitudes what I can get away with wearing that is neither overly mockable nor presumptuous.
Pretty hard to do with a hat that isn't a ball cap. Pretty much you just have to just find one that you're comfortable wearing and everyone else be damned.

If it's rain you're worried about, maybe a nice umbrella?

A hat IS an umbrella.

silverjon · Post by **silverjon** » Wed Oct 19, 2011 1:43 pm

A cadet cap is a slightly more palatable alternative to a ball or trucker cap. You can get a really plain one that doesn't call attention to itself at all.

What I wear most is a flat cap (more streamlined than a newsboy). I have a few of them, but my favorite for winter is a patchwork corduroy one with fold-out earflaps. These also get called a driving or ivy cap.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Wed Oct 19, 2011 1:45 pm

The reason that I prefer a full brimmed hat is that I hate having to take my glasses off when it rains. With a brim I can keep them dry. With a bill, I can't.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Wed Oct 19, 2011 1:50 pm

Blackhawk wrote: A hat IS an umbrella.

Your shoulders are like "WTF, Blackhawk?"

Odin · Post by **Odin** » Wed Oct 19, 2011 1:55 pm

I have an Indiana Jones hat (brown felt fedora) that I wear in the fall and winter and I'm pretty happy with it. I don't think I get funny looks, but as I don't really give a crap I don't pay too much attention. The rain beads right off it, and I can basically roll it up and stick it in my pocket if needed, with no harm done.

silverjon · Post by **silverjon** » Wed Oct 19, 2011 2:04 pm

Blackhawk wrote:The reason that I prefer a full brimmed hat is that I hate having to take my glasses off when it rains. With a brim I can keep them dry. With a bill, I can't.

Ok. Maybe I just don't notice my glasses getting wet.

For styles, properly, a porkpie has a very narrow brim, a fedora a very broad one, and a trilby is in-between. A lot of brimmed hats are just marketed as fedoras because it's a recognizable name.

I think nobody ought to mock your hat because you're not in junior high, even though you are in a small town. But getting a casual fabric like corduroy might work better for you than a tweed.

It is never pretentious to wear a hat to keep the rain out of your eyes.

Edit:
http://woopitydooart.blogspot.com/2009/ ... -your.html" target="_blank

funnygirl · Post by **funnygirl** » Wed Oct 19, 2011 2:13 pm

An Aussie Breezer. Not as pretentious as a snap brim or slouch. Very functional and fairly attractive. Reasonably priced ones can be found.

ChaoZ · Post by **ChaoZ** » Wed Oct 19, 2011 2:15 pm

Get yourself a Tilley
They last a very long time plus they're insured against loss (well, they give you 50% off your next hat).

Not cheap though.

funnygirl · Post by **funnygirl** » Wed Oct 19, 2011 2:19 pm

ChaoZ wrote:Get yourself a Tilley
They last a very long time plus they're insured against loss (well, they give you 50% off your next hat).

Not cheap though.

They are, indeed, very good hats.

Two Sheds · Post by **Two Sheds** » Wed Oct 19, 2011 2:20 pm

ChaoZ wrote:Get yourself a Tilley
They last a very long time plus they're insured against loss (well, they give you 50% off your next hat).

Not cheap though.

I have one for hiking/backpacking. Very good hat.

Lordnine · Post by **Lordnine** » Wed Oct 19, 2011 2:51 pm

dbt1949 · Post by **dbt1949** » Wed Oct 19, 2011 3:10 pm

Odin wrote:I have an Indiana Jones hat (brown felt fedora) that I wear in the fall and winter and I'm pretty happy with it. I don't think I get funny looks, but as I don't really give a crap I don't pay too much attention. The rain beads right off it, and I can basically roll it up and stick it in my pocket if needed, with no harm done.

+1

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Wed Oct 19, 2011 3:11 pm

Officially licensed, no less. Out of stock for Large and X Large, of course

Odin · Post by **Odin** » Wed Oct 19, 2011 3:58 pm

Isgrimnur wrote:Officially licensed, no less. Out of stock for Large and X Large, of course

That actually sounds very similar to but nicer than the one I have.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Wed Oct 19, 2011 4:03 pm

dbt1949 wrote:
Odin wrote:I have an Indiana Jones hat (brown felt fedora) that I wear in the fall and winter and I'm pretty happy with it. I don't think I get funny looks, but as I don't really give a crap I don't pay too much attention. The rain beads right off it, and I can basically roll it up and stick it in my pocket if needed, with no harm done.

+1

That sounds a lot like what I'm considering, although I'm thinking gray rather than brown.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Wed Oct 19, 2011 4:20 pm

Blackhawk wrote:
dbt1949 wrote:
Odin wrote:I have an Indiana Jones hat (brown felt fedora) that I wear in the fall and winter and I'm pretty happy with it. I don't think I get funny looks, but as I don't really give a crap I don't pay too much attention. The rain beads right off it, and I can basically roll it up and stick it in my pocket if needed, with no harm done.

+1
That sounds a lot like what I'm considering, although I'm thinking gray rather than brown.

Then you would be looking for a Fur Felt Fedora. Most places seem to exceed the ThinkGeek pricing.

silverjon · Post by **silverjon** » Wed Oct 19, 2011 4:21 pm

Indy's hat is a proper fedora, not a trilby like a lot of hats that get sold as fedoras.

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Wed Oct 19, 2011 4:30 pm

Enough · Post by **Enough** » Wed Oct 19, 2011 4:41 pm

Outdoor Research makes some nice hats that are great for outdoorsy activities. I am the proud owner of the Seattle Sombrero and LOVE it! I too wear glasses and this Gortex lid will keep you nice and dry. It is a bit too hot to wear on warm sunny days. Definitely have a look at their other hats and if you have a decent outdoor store near you, maybe pay it a visit and see what other tempting options might exist.

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Wed Oct 19, 2011 5:00 pm

This one is fashionable AND keeps the aliens from controlling your mind!

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Wed Oct 19, 2011 7:44 pm

I'm thinking about trading my fedora in for a tarp hat. Mostly because the fedora works great but once it's soaked, it takes forever to dry out. The tarp hat is slightly more water resistant but it doesn't really care if it gets wet. I always feel like I should be wearing a knee length rain coat with the fedora; it seems more dressy than functional. The tarp hat seems more useful for what I need - similar to what you're describing plus I'd use it for yard work to keep the sun off my neck.

Sectoid · Post by **Sectoid** » Thu Oct 20, 2011 7:24 am

I actually have this hat and wear it out now and again.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Thu Oct 20, 2011 7:34 am

Smoove_B wrote:I'm thinking about trading my fedora in for a tarp hat.

I think you're safe. I don't think anyone here would even think about Occupying Smoove.

A nonny mouse · Post by **A nonny mouse** » Thu Oct 20, 2011 8:16 am

Enough wrote:Outdoor Research makes some nice hats that are great for outdoorsy activities. I am the proud owner of the Seattle Sombrero and LOVE it! I too wear glasses and this Gortex lid will keep you nice and dry. It is a bit too hot to wear on warm sunny days. Definitely have a look at their other hats and if you have a decent outdoor store near you, maybe pay it a visit and see what other tempting options might exist.

+1 to the Outdoor research hats. I have used one (well, I'm on my second now) since 1994. Great hats for outdoor, and the flaps velcro up to the sides so you can look Australian (one side up) or rakish (with both sides up and tipped to an angle).

They are sized (small, med. large, I think) but the band is adjustable to get a comfy fit.

My hats have served me well during collecting in the high plains deserts, low deserts, rainforests in South America and here in the eastern U.S. I wear glasses, and they are good for keeping the rain off of your face, for the most part (e.g. if you are in a pissing rainstorm with wind - nothing will help you then). The brim is also long enough to keep the sun out of your eyes, but not so large it looks like a sombrero.

The only issue I ever had was with my old hat - red top with black brim - I kept getting dive-bombed by a large Ecuadorian hummingbird on part of a rainforest trail . The bird was cuing in on the red thinking I was something invading its territory. In a sense I was by walking that part of the trail.

Mr Bubbles · Post by **Mr Bubbles** » Thu Oct 20, 2011 8:46 am

Freezer-TPF- · Post by **Freezer-TPF-** » Thu Oct 20, 2011 11:06 am

Mr Bubbles wrote:Fez

Fezes are cool.

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Thu Oct 20, 2011 11:23 am

Sectoid wrote:I actually have this hat and wear it out now and again.

You have a nice rack.

Scuzz · Post by **Scuzz** » Thu Oct 20, 2011 12:28 pm

Odin wrote:I have an Indiana Jones hat (brown felt fedora) that I wear in the fall and winter and I'm pretty happy with it. I don't think I get funny looks, but as I don't really give a crap I don't pay too much attention. The rain beads right off it, and I can basically roll it up and stick it in my pocket if needed, with no harm done.

Do you carry a whip as well................?

DaHowie · Post by **DaHowie** » Thu Oct 20, 2011 1:22 pm

Tilley T3 here in olive. Great hat. Had it for ~10 years now. I just throw in the wash after it gets dirty/sweaty. Finally getting broken in.

DaHowie · Post by **DaHowie** » Thu Oct 20, 2011 1:25 pm

Also.

http://www.heimies.com/styleguide/style-hats" target="_blank

Enough · Post by **Enough** » Thu Oct 20, 2011 1:44 pm

This thread is making me want to go buy a hat, which I guess is a bit more fun than towels.