Home made safari hat

[Mark G]

I just finished my second hat. I've had the good fortune to be able to visit East Africa and am planning to go back soon. I've worn an Akubra and a canvas hat, but I wanted something more personal, so I got a rabbit capeline body in medium brown sage (green brown) and made my own sweatband. I used an old hat sweat as a pattern and had some pigskin of the right thickness. I found an upholstery shop that had the reinforced vinyl for the reeding and used some optic fiber that was the right thickness for the reed. After sewing it to the leather I used some heat shrink tubing to fuse the piece together. I slit the leather for the back bow because I'd seen it on some higher end Stetsons and liked the look. I got some eyelets from a fabric store and installed them after I shaped the hat. I didn't use a liner because of the eyelets. The puggaree was made of tea dyed muslin and I found out how to tie it from a google search.

I made the brim 4" and the crown when open was 6"

 

[deanglen]

Nice job! Terrific hat! :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

DEAN

 

[Hemingway Jones]

Look at the swoop of that brim! Awesome hat.
Stewert Granger would be proud.

 

[Wolfmanjack]

Great Field Hat!

Congratulations! You have made a made a beautiful hat; and at the same time, a very functional hat for field work. The 4" brim will provide excellent sun protection; but it won't be mistaken for a cowboy hat or a "Smokey the Bear" hat. The eyelets will be excellent for ventilation.

I have one suggestion you might consider: For my work in the field, I like a chin strap. (I actually wear it around the back of my head.) This keeps my hat in place when I'm moving fast through the forest and (inevitably) get smacked in the head with a branch. It also comes in handy in a fast-moving open Jeep or open boat. My hands are busy with equipment and I can't drop everything to hold onto my hat.

One caveat: If you decide add a chin strap, install the eyelets on the brim as close as possible to the crown. If the eyelets are even a short way out on the brim, the the brim will be distorted when you snug-up the strap.

 

[Mark G]

Thanks, I am thinking about doing just that. I have stampede strings on some of my western hats and wear them behind my head. Thanks for the tip on the eyelets.

 

[Flitcraft]

Look at the swoop of that brim! Awesome hat.
Stewert Granger would be proud.

Ditto!
Bravo, good job!
Nice to see a homemade project turn out so well!:eusa_clap

 

[Joel Tunnah]

Awesome. But how did you block it?

 

[Mark G]

I made a wooden block to form the dome and then I use a plastic bowl that is the perfect size for the telescope. I put a rubber ball that's just a little smaller than the bowl as a form to give the crown the dome in the telescope. The last step is to shape it into an oval with my hands and put the tear drop in the front.

 

[Nick D]

That is a gorgeous piece of work! Bravo!

 

[Martinis at 8]

Mark G,

That's pretty nice. How breateable do you find it? Air circulation?

I do a lot of work in Angola and Nigeria, like 4-6 months out of the year, and also in SE Asia (Malaysia, Indonesia). This is field work. Lately I have been using a fishing hat type fedora with a neck drape. I also have a canvas fedora from Stetson, and also a bill cap with a neck drape.

The Stestson builds up too much heat for me, so now I just wear it for casual dress with khakis, etc., but not during activities where I will sweat.

What are you doing for shirts? I have been using the long sleeved ones from Magellan and Columbia. I like the line from Columbia much better, but the Magellan shirts tend to breathe better and they have more pockets.

I do take Malarone, but still use the long sleeves for prevention, and I still grease up, since I've already had Malaria once. Also, this Zeasorb powder I have found to be fantastic. It's like a sponge!

Good to see another Africa traveler here.

Cheers,

M8

 

[Jerekson]

That's cool!!!

 

[Nick Charles]

great hat dont forget to check out the Gerneral Adventure gear thread in the general attire section. welcome

 

[Mike K.]

Absolutely amazing!! How else can it be described? :eusa_clap :eusa_clap
I second what Hemingway said - the swoop of the brim really sets the hat apart. The fact that you did all the work to make it yourself is nothing short of incredible. There's plenty of people here at the Lounge that might be calling on you to make hats now that we've seen your handiwork.

Welcome to the Lounge...please join Nick, Mojave, MissQueenie, myself, and all the others in the adventurer's thread.


p.s. Is it just me, or does that hat seem like a dead ringer for Redford's hat in Out of Africa?

 

[Feraud]

That is an impressive piece of work! :eusa_clap

 

[Nick D]

Mark, where did you get the blank for the hat?

 

[Mojave Jack]

Wow! Mark, that is an incredible job! Between you and Mike, I can't tell who folds a better puggaree! :eusa_clap I'm particularly impressed with that custom sweatband. I think I'd probably go through a pig or two and still not have it look as professional as that.

And Mike, I think you're right. Darn close to a dead ringer.

 

[Steve]

Amazing piece of work! :eusa_clap

 

[Mojave Jack]

On the chinstrap issue, since you clearly have the skills to alter the sweatband, you might want to consider doing it the way the Australian slouches are attached. Rather than punching holes through the brim, (having holes in your brim right over your ears is definately not advantageous if you ever plan to be in the rain!) they have short gaps in the stitching of the sweatband. The chinstrap passes through those gaps between the felt and the back of the sweat, and attaches to small brass T-shaped hooks sewn into the inside of the hat. Lawrance Ordnance carries the chinstraps for about $8. The brass hooks are harder to find, but you can use shirt collar buttons just as effectively. David Morgan has a good tutorial on it here.

 

[Mike K.]

I agree with Mojave that it's best to attach the chinstrap to the sweatband rather than the brim. Unless you are using a thick chinstrap and plan on never removing it, holes in the brim will just lead to problems in rainy weather. Also, by attaching to the sweatband, if you ever choose to go sans chinstrap the overall look & functionality of the hat will not be compromised.

 

[Mark G]

Mike K wrote. "p.s. Is it just me, or does that hat seem like a dead ringer for Redford's hat in Out of Africa?"

Guilty. I'm still waiting for the plastic surgery to complete the transformation. I've always wanted to say... "Doesn't that outfit come with a rifle. You should take it with you, you're horse isn't much of a shot".

Nick D, I got the blank from www.hatsupply.com. They're about $25.00, but you could just as easily use an old western hat and rebuild it. I chose the rabbit capeline because it was thinner than a western weight and I thought it would be lighter, but you could pounce (sand) a western to the same thickness if you were careful.

Mojave Jack, I will sew the chin strap into the hat. I like the look of it better and it avoids the problems with rain.

Thanks everyone for you comments, makes me want to start on another right away.

BTW, did anyone see the prices on those Barron hats. Wow!