what makes a hat "comfortable"?

[Richard]

is it the flexibility of the area under the sweatband, since that's the only place with body contact? if so, would it be possible to make a hat of more expensive materials in that region, with cheaper materials all around it?

 

[BD Jones]

For me there are many things that make a hat comfortable. Yes, the sweatband is a factor, but it also has to do with the shape of the opening (oval, long oval, wide oval, etc). It is very hard for me to find a hat that fits well. My head is wider in the back than the front by a considerable measure, and is slightly long (I think they call that a German oval??). So I normally go a little looser fit then pad it up in the front. But there is also the weight of the hat. Do you feel comfortable in a heavier or lighter hat? It is different for everyone. For me it varies depending on my mood and the temperature. Hot weather is defiantly a lighter weight hat.

As to the quality of the materials, you can have an expensive sweatband and a cheaper hat around it. But my question is, why? The sweatband is the part that isn't seen and the quality is not always indicative of the price. The Akubra hats have a very soft and comfortable sweatband, but that are not that expensive. Plus, you can always change out a sweatband if it doesn't feel good anymore. The felt is the most important aspect of a hat. Get quality there, and the rest should follow (or can at least be changed).

 

[Andykev]

Proper fit

You should be able to go to your hatter and have the hat custom made to fit your particular head shape. I have a conformer, which makes a pattern of my head shape. Then I send the shape card to Art, and he uses his conformature (I may have the names transposed) to make the hat. Anyway, the hat shape of my head is set in a mold so to speak, and it sets the sweatband and felt to be an EXACT MATCH for my noggin.

Most people don't fare so well, having this type of equipment. Generally, hats used to be sold in regular oval, wide oval, and long oval. I am a long oval. So you go to the haberdasher and buy your new 1940 Stetson, and say "I'm a 7 3/8 Long Oval". They have it in stock. Today you buy a hat and it is S , M, L.
Ya we have not progressed.

 

[BD Jones]

The problem is that most hat makers don’t have a conformature, don't have all the parts, or don't know how to us it properly. Joe Sr. at Peters Brothers has one and I have used it before (that is how I found out my head shape), but I have not used it to get a hat made. He has all the parts, and knows how to use it, I just haven't gotten a hat made yet. They make those plastic ones, but I don't think they do as good of a job and the big, older ones. But hey, it is better than nothing.

You are correct about today's sizing. My wife looked at a few of the S, M, L sized hats and couldn't find any to fit her. She is a 6 3/4 and the smalls only go down to 6 7/8, and even those are a big 6 7/8. My favorite (with a sarcastic tone) is the "One Size Fits All". How a bout "One Size Fits None".

 

[K.D. Lightner]

I had the S M L frustration some months ago when I went into Village Hat Shop to try on those licensed Indy hats. I tried both the cheap wool felt and the fur felt and neither fit my head in any size.

My head should take a medium (it is 7 1/8) but there are some hats in which medium is too loose and small is too tight. That was true of the Indy hats. In another hat brand, medium was too tight and large was too loose.

I have since decided not to get fedoras or any kind of hat that does not have a true size. Even then, I sometimes find I fit a 7 rather than a 7 1/8, or, as in the Tilley hats, a 7 1/4.

One size fits all sometimes squeezes my head and irritates me. I don't like the pressure, feels like a rubber band around my head.

I hope soon to get a custom Indy hat from Fedora, so I know it will fit me just fine.

karol

 

[BD Jones]

I have since decided not to get fedoras or any kind of hat that does not have a true size. Even then, I sometimes find I fit a 7 rather than a 7 1/8, or, as in the Tilley hats, a 7 1/4.

Most serious custom hat makers (and even some who deal in pre-made hats) ask for you head measurement in inches or centimeters for this vary reason. Hat sizes are like shoe sizes. A 9 in a Nike might be larger than a 9 in a Rebook. A 7 in a Stetson might be different from a 7 in a Dorfman. I always go inches/centimeters. Even if it is a pre-made (or vintage eBay) I as for the measurement in inches or centimeters.

 

[Michael Mallory]

Whenever my wife comes in and asks, "Uh, are you wearing you're hat inside for any particular reason?" I know I'm wearing a comfortable hat, because I've forgotten I'm wearing it. For my money, a truly comfortable hat is one that you're not conscious of wearing. The two most comfortable hats I have at present are a tan Scala panama and a black velour Biltmore fedora.

 

[Renderking Fisk]

Whenever my wife comes in and asks, "Uh, are you wearing you're hat inside for any particular reason?" I know I'm wearing a comfortable hat, because I've forgotten I'm wearing it...

INTERIOR: MORNING - RENDERKING holds up a mug of coffee as he sits at his computer wearing his boxer briefs and his fedora.

I have to add that you have to be completely happy with the style of the fedora or you're never going to be COMFORTABLE with your fedora. I've had plenty of fedora's that just didn't look right - The crown was too short, the brim was too wide, too much taper - wrong bash.... and I was constantly checking myself out to see if I looked as bad as I thought I did.

Strangely enough, when you have the perfect fedora you forget about it after the first few weeks of euphoria and you're able to get on with your life.