What the well-dressed wear to clear snow...

[Pilgrim]

About 10 this morning I broke out the portable snowblower and cleared about 4" of snow off the driveway here in Fort Collins, CO. It's now 2:00 and there are another 2-3" out there, so i'll be out there again this afternoon.

In the process, I broke in my Stetson cattleman's bash western hat, which one of the members here opined might be called a Rancher. It's a fairly stiff felt with a 2 7/8" brim, 4.5" crown. Very much like an Open Road, but an unfinished edge. When I got it the brim was up all the way around and it looked pretty dorky. I just flipped the brim's front down, and I like the result very well. I also worked on the creases on the cattleman's bash - the previous owner had picked up by the crown's creases and pinched them together, but they opened up pretty well with a bit of steam and patience.

After wearing it in the snow and letting the snow pile up on it and melt a bit, it fits better. It was riding up on my forehead a bit when the photos were taken. Nothing, simply nothing, beats a good western hat to keep snow from falling down your neck!

You can judge the snowfall (which has been constant all day and continues) from the photos:

Oh - that's Max "The World's Must Useless Dog" in the top photo. He's not worthless, just useless. We love him dearly.

 

[vintage68]

Great looking hat! It does ride up a bit, but I'm sure a bit of wear will solve that problem.
As a guy who previously lived in Denver, CO. I can attest to the usefulness of western style hats while shoveling snow!

 

[Pilgrim]

Here are some better photos of the hat:

This one probably has the most accurate color. I got the right side of the brim (left side in this photo) to lay down more evenly and the whole front brim to curve more gracefully after the photo was taken:

 

[RBH]

I like it!

 

[SinatraStyle]

I really like the cattleman's bash and the color is great. Thanks for posting, Pilgrim.

 

[Prairie Shade]

Ben there

Done that, getting ready to do it again tomorrow. I was planning on going to the Stetson Outlet to pick up a hat for my uncle in Scotland. BUT who knows, I may be wearing a hat shoveling snow!!!!

 

[bolthead]

I like it!

Of course you do......

Prairie Shade, you know darn well that your Uncle isn't the only one getting a new Stetson tomorrow....

 

[Pilgrim]

Of course you do......

Prairie Shade, you know darn well that your Uncle isn't the only one getting a new Stetson tomorrow....

Not if he's half as smart as I think!! :eusa_clap

PS: I just finished the second round with the snowblower - with 5 minutes to spare before the Holiday Bowl starts. My alma mater WSU beat Texas the last time they went there - I'm hoping that Arizona State upholds the honor of the PAC-10 and beats them this year!

 

[Pilgrim]

Nope, Texas beat AZ State handily - and the Longhorn band wears funny-looking hats. (I'm glad I'm not the guy who has to take care of all those band hats.)

 

[RBH]

I really do like that ribbon!

also a good hat-stretcher is almost a necessity for a hat now-days! A few hours with one will make a world of difference in how a snug hat fits.

 

[GentlemanFarmer]

Nice hat

I really like your Rancher. The owner of our local western store told me he has sold that model to auctioneers before. I also wear my Resistol western hat to move snow around. So far we haven't had a measureable snowfall yet, but it's only December.

 

[Prairie Shade]

Only One Hat from Outlet

I purchased an Open Road for my Uncle, 35 bucks and he can wear it with his pipe band. I look forward to those pictures. I tried to dicker on a Buffalo Felt Open Crown but couldnt get them to budge from 70 dollars. Oh well, maybe someone here has taken the plunge and could tell me if I did well by NOT buying it. The felt,,,,, OK, but Buffalo Felt, I dont know. Kinda trendy I guess. It says waterproof and doesnt feel too bad. Anyone hear the call of the buffalo???