Leather cowboy hat?

[Poshlloyd]

Ive got this awesome leather 'Indiana jones' style hat I've just had a flash thought about taking on my Camino in September. It offers great sun protection, is taller than my head so offers ventilation and the leather will keep the rain off.
I'm just a bit apprehensive because it doesn't pack away like my Red Sox cap. I'm not sure if it will just be a pain.

Any views or experience of this type of hat greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Lloyd

 

[Sojourner47]

Ive got this awesome leather 'Indiana jones' style hat I've just had a flash thought about taking on my Camino in September. It offers great sun protection, is taller than my head so offers ventilation and the leather will keep the rain off.
I'm just a bit apprehensive because it doesn't pack away like my Red Sox cap. I'm not sure if it will just be a pain.

Any views or experience of this type of hat greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Lloyd

Thing is, have you got all the accessories to go with the look? Guns/bullwhip/leather jacket and so on.....

 

[Corwen]

I always take 'disposable' hats trekking because I have lost so many (blown off my head on top of mountains etc!) but there is nothing like a cool hat to set off an outfit! I'd maybe add a tightenable chin strap for windproofing and a few grommets in the top for ventilation.

 

[DurhamParish]

Here's the hat I wore on my Camino. Not sure what I would have done with it if I had to carry it other than on my head.

http://www.blurb.com/books/3762387-camino-portugues

I began to be known as "Mr. Hat"

 

[Poshlloyd]

Mr Hat, love the shell on the side of your hat!

 

[Kanga]

Looks like a beautiful Akubra

 

[scruffy1]

I always wear an Austrailian style cowboy hat perfect against sun and rain-plastic ponchos have a hood which steams up my glasses and I cant see-turn your head and you can't see. Perfect place to save Immaculate Mary medals, souvineer pins from places I've been, and yes, I too have a shell on my hat. One note, Take a dark colored one with a sweat band. Light colored ones develop a dark ring from presperation. The Austrrailian hats are also made to fold up to be slipped into a pocket and still retain their shape.

 

[Poshlloyd]

Thanks, I've just checked out the Barmah folding hats, they look pretty good, do the job in hand, and fold away into a bag!

 

[scruffy1]

Barmah is the right choice

 

[dougfitz]

Mr Hat's hat is not leather, but fur felt, a product made by felting rabbit fleece here in Australia for hats. I think all animal fleece can be felted, so it will depend a bit on where the had was made what animal fleece would have been used in Mr Hat's hat.

Felting produces a strong natural fabric that is largely impervious to water, so it is a good choice for hats. My experience is that fur felt hats give good protection from both sun and rain. Eventually, it is possible to soak a fur felt hat, but even then, it is still providing rain protection because the bulk of the water flows off the brim, unlike cotton hats.

I haven't used a leather hat, so don't know how well they might perform. They have always seemed much heavier than similar fur felt hats, and largely about style rather than function.

I rather suspect Indiana Jones' hat was a fur felt fedora, not a leather variant, but I haven't checked. I do recall that it was a modified version of a hat made by the famous London milliners, Herbert Johnson.

 

[DurhamParish]

Yes, it is a felt hat. Not quite sure of the creature it came from.

I sewed the shell on myself.

 

[blessedtraveler]

I've Ben wearing my leather outback hat and have been glad to have it. I can crush it to fit in a big pocket if needed but have done it rarely. Make sure it either fits tight or has a string or you'll lost it to the wind!