What are the advantages of leather sweatband

[apipeguy]

are there any? was curious...

 

[fatwoul]

are there any? was curious...

As opposed to canvas/linen?

My hunch is that a leather band is more comfortable, certainly in heavier felt hats. Leather can breath and cope with moisture more effectively than a lot of alternatives. Leather is able to cope with the demands of stitching etc better, and is supple enough to take and retain the shape needed.

Basically, all the same sort of reasons why leather is good for shoes and jackets.

Anybody else?

 

[J.T.Marcus]

If we are perfectly honest, we have to admit that leather is not the most comfortable material for a sweatband. Of all my hats, the most comfortable sweatband is one of those elastic "one size fits..." Everybody just revolted at that statement, but it is objectively true. Yet , knowing that, I still prefer leather sweats. Why? (1) Leather shouts "QUALITY," anything else whispers "cheap." (2) A reeded leather sweatband helps retain the shape and fit of a hat; a fabric band does not. This is especially important with soft fur felts with no stiffener. (3) Leather is comfortable enough. Sure, it sometimes sticks to my forehead, but not always. I can put up with that for the sake of items (1) and (2).

 

[Feraud]

One drawback to cloth is it will too quickly absorb sweat and transfer it to the felt.

 

[Qwkslvr]

Pinches me 'ead, that's what.

If we are perfectly honest, we have to admit that leather is not the most comfortable material for a sweatband. Of all my hats, the most comfortable sweatband is one of those elastic "one size fits..." Everybody just revolted at that statement, but it is objectively true. Yet , knowing that, I still prefer leather sweats. Why? (1) Leather shouts "QUALITY," anything else whispers "cheap." (2) A reeded leather sweatband helps retain the shape and fit of a hat; a fabric band does not. This is especially important with soft fur felts with no stiffener. (3) Leather is comfortable enough. Sure, it sometimes sticks to my forehead, but not always. I can put up with that for the sake of items (1) and (2).

The elastic "one size fits...", for me; are the most uncomfortable. They leave a red around my head and give me headaches.
I wonder if they (hat makers) could make a "one size fits all" with velcro that could be comfortable. I've seen them on baseball caps and the like, but never on the inside of a dress hat.

 

[HamletJSD]

One drawback to cloth is it will too quickly absorb sweat and transfer it to the felt.

That's what I was thinking ...
Cloth can often feel more comfortable and cooler, but it's cooler because it's wicking the sweat away straight into your hat's felt. Leather actually protects the hat, as well as some of the other things mentioned, and is comfotable enough.

Maybe someone should create a hybrid with the quality of leather, but the cooling abilities and softness of cloth.

 

[apipeguy]

ok. so would you recommend a gatsby with a leather sweatband? The newsboys are wool.

 

[Bebop]

I think leather is just longer lasting. It can take the sweat a lot better than most other materials. I know that my hats with leather laminated sweatbands need a new sweatband more often that the ones made entirely of leather. I am not sure there are any other advantages that would make a noticable difference. I just had a new sweatband put onto an old hat and the hatter that did it recommended a sheepskin sweatband for a little more comfort than a regular leather band while still maintaining longevity.

 

[Doctor Strange]

To add to what's been said - leather is classier, tougher, holds up to exposure to moisture better than fabric, etc. - leather sweatbands also grip the head better than other materials, especially when a little sweat creates a vapor-lock. Much better than fabric for keeping a hat from blowing off your head in the wind.

You know, I had one of those fur-felt Temple of Doom Stetsons back in the 80s, and it had a cloth sweatband - that hat blew off my head more times than I count! This hardly ever happens to me now, even with my big-brimmed Akubras, and I'm sure the leather sweatbands are the main reason.

 

[J.T.Marcus]

My comfortable elastic "one size" just happens to fit my noggin. Others in that category don't! That particular sweatband doesn't touch the crown, so the problem of wicking into the crown doesn't present itself with that hat. The ideal would be a sized elastic sweatband which does not touch the crown. However, the perception of quality just would not be there. As more than one of us has said, "Leather is comfortable enough!"

 

[LEUII]

With my melon head those one sizers kill me. I look like I have a ring of read cottage cheese pressed to my head after wearing them. I had to wear one all day while fly fishing for reds. I'd forgotten my hat and picked this one up at the shop. I had that pressing on my head the next day!

Aside from the aforementioned advantages of leather it also keeps the consistency in the hat. The felt is made from the underfur of dead animals and the sweat is made from the hide of dead animals. The panache is made of feathers from dead animals. Consistency. (Sorry, I'm a bit punchy from lack of sleep this week.)

 

[Mojave Jack]

I have to agree that the one-size-fits-all sweatbands are awful, but mainly because with my short military haircut it acts like velcro trying when I'm trying to take the hat off. Hats with that band also tend to slip down on my head and sit on my ears, since the hat is, in reality, too large.

My Akubra leather sweat band is awful, too, though. When it's hot (which is most of the time here), I tend to get a little pool of sweat between the sweatband and my forehead, so when I shift or remove my hat I get a stream of sweat straight into my eyes. Not comfortable.

I replaced the sweat in my Australian bush hat with a CoolMax sweatband from a Columbia Boonie, and that it is by far the most comfortable and practical sweatband going. It has a small vapor shield that prevents the sweat from transferring to the felt, stays on even in relatively strong winds, and doesn't stick to my forehead. If I could find those sweatbands independent of the rest of the Columbia hat, I'd put them in every hat I own. Well, except maybe my Whippet.