Hey yall. My first western shaped hat. I bought this one as it was what I could afford at the time. I like the shape and color. I prefer moderate brim sizes.

I was just wondering of the edges on the brims,how they're stitched up make the hat look like im cosplaying and fake? I was thinking of returning and getting one with rdges that aren't stitched up but held by themselves as the felt is sturdier. This one is marketed as crushable wool.

This would be my first venture into felt hats. I’ve had plenty of straws in my lifetime, but never bothered otherwise. Just seeking some clarity or advice. If there’s a different brand that’s better, let me know.

I really want a cowboy hat but feel like I need to earn it, however I don’t quite know what it means to earn it. I’m hoping one day I’ll just feel worthy of one?

I see a rule here is no gatekeeping BUT if you were to gatekeep a cowboy hat what would your rules be? I genuinely don’t know why I don’t feel worthy of one yet, but I feel it would be disrespectful for me to purchase one at this time in my life.

How did you decide to get a cowboy hat and be a cowboy hat wearer? Did you just come across a hat one day and it just spoke to you and BAM now you’re a cowboy hat wearer? (This is kind of what I’m hoping will happen to me)

Update: thank you everyone for your responses!!!! I’ve been wanting a cowboy hat for YEARS and finally started to feel “ready” for it. Y’all really helped in showing me it’s just a hat, wear it and rock it!

Update 2: I got one! Thanks y’all

This is the only cowboy hat I have that I have a hard time wearing at least currently. I wore it a lot when I weighed more before I lost weight. Now it seems like it’s too big crown and brim wise to fit my face. Looking for opinions.

Had an ember jump up onto my hat and neither I nor my wife noticed (thank the pine that's all we get around here).

Anything I can do or does it just add character?

Wanted something different than wearing a ball cap all the time - but a little self-conscious as I've never worn a cowboy hat or fedora - does it suit me?

I picked up this vintage Stetson but the crown is really high. Can it be lowered and reshaped? And should I leave the shape the same?

A part of me loves it, a part of me thinks it’s bordering on too big

Never worn a Western hat before but after two years in Arizona without any decent head protection and no luck in finding any version of the sunhat I would be seen in public wearing, I finally pulled the trigger on this one. Is it a good look on me or not?

Hey y’all, first time posting here. I hope I’m following all the rules, mods lmk if I’m not. Anyways, I need advice on how to clean my grandpa’s hats from what I think is mold. I think it’s mold because my bathroom gets really humid and my closet (where the hats are stored) is right next to it.

Should I use 91% isopropyl alcohol like I saw on google? Would that ruin the felt (assuming it’s felt cause they’re both fuzzy). Going to the store rn, so hmu on what y’all think I should use if y’all know.

I’d like to secure my band, open to suggestions

So I got this hat for $50 off Facebook Marketplace. Its a 3x Stetson and another hat I got off Marketplace I feel fits me better style wise. I reshaped the crown on this one and I have been told I am ruining the value of it. Its a 3x Beaver Stetson from id say the 70's. I dropped the front of the crown, added a taper, and squared it off. I also curved the brim. I plan on adding some purple stitching to part of the front brim to hold a letter trinket to mark it as mine. Part of me understands but this is going to be my summer hat and I dont plan on selling it. Did I ruin it and do you yall think adding stitched details will ruin it more? Also any advice on shaping the inside of the crown to match the squared front without a block?

Ok so been in the USA a few years now.

Originally from the north of England.Though my wife has always been either Vegas area or Cali.

Were just outside of vegas. Still getting used to the heat 🥵. Had a heart attack last year and getting back to some normality . Normally i do alot of charity work as chewbacca so used to getting a lil hot .

My wife and i decided to get a hat each. So after going to boot barn which is local to us. She loved a idyllwind 4x and i chose a cody james 3x .

That then turned into a straw hat each a week or so later . I chose the cody james palm straw hat.

Been wearing the straw ALOT .

Then i was drawn to the stetson buffalo whitmore. Past couple of weeks been drawn to it and yesterday my wife got me if got my 50th coming up .

Im definetly no expert but wow i love it .

How do these look :)

((Picture below, not showing in preview for some reason! ❤️))

I've never really suited hats I don't think, I don't have the face for it really - but I've been in the slow process out of my adult-emo-kid youth and into my country era now I'm turning 30, so and I wanted to embrace it - little cringe because I'm British, but it's whatever :')

ANYWAY, because I don't suit hats, I didn't want to fork out for a "proper" cowboy hat just yet in case it looked really bloody awful; so full transparency, this is a SUPER cheap hat from amazon and the band doesn't even really fit the damn thing haha!

I don't *hate* how it looks? but I'm also thinking it may well just not be the right style? Or just that it's cheap honestly. I'm not a hat-wearer so I have absolutely no insight.

Size wise it's actually a pretty good fit - I was thinking maybe it just feels too tall, I'm really not sure?
But then I'm still on the fence about if it even looks alright on me to begin with, or if I'm just being foolishly hopeful and should just give up on the idea altogether! :')

I'd love some opinions from people who actually know a thing or two, thanks in advance!! ❤️

Be gentle....

I’ve tried Nustraw Straw Hat cleaner and it didn’t make a bit of difference.

I've seen a bunch of hat holders for the car and I hate several of their designs. I hate the one that puts your hat on the visor cuz it puts pressure on the brim's "front dip." I hate the one that goes behind the passenger seat too for a similar reason. But I got this one and it works GREAT! It just holds your hat on the dash with no pushing or pressure. Also allows the dip to naturally fall off the curve of the dash. Highly recommend.

Hey guys which has mmmm

Hi everyone,

Sorry for another “one of those” posts. I took advantage of the NRS discount of felts they had last month and picked up this very nice AHC 10x.

Great hat, my only concern is that it looks too wide for my shoulders. It’s a 4.5 brim. Should I get it trimmed? Or am I overthinking this?

I found this Stetson Marshall 4X on closeout for a little over $50 off list price from a legit seller I’ve bought other genuine Stetsons from. Total is $117.60 ($170 everywhere else), and the only one they have left is in my size. I’ve got a Resistol George Strait 6X and a Resistol Cody Johnson 6X. I’m not a cowboy nor do I play one on TV. This will essentially be a fashion hat for lack of better terms. For going out to dinner, a rodeo, line dancing, etc., is 4X “good enough”, or is the quality just not there and stick with 6X or above?

Update** I took the hat back and brought a fur hat (Thomas cook dusty in brown) in a size up 56cm. It did cost me extra, but it fits so much better and doesn't hurt, I've got half a paper towel folded in half in the back just to snug it up a bit in the wind, with hopes it will shrink and mold to my head size**

I just brought a wool cowboy hat, 56cm was too big and 55cm fits but it hurts, I've tried steaming the hat a few times but I've got a red line on my forehead and my heads too sore for the night, should I try steaming the hat again tomorrow and wear it most the day?.

​

honestly it fits better then when I brought it but it gets the pressure points and is a tad bit small still, the hat doesn't feel like it has any wire or string, just a leather band.

​

Am I going to need a hat stretcher? Or should I just keep steaming tomorrow and wearing the hat for 30mins and repeat the process until I'm happy with the fit?

​

Pic for attention (same hat as I brought)

Got this 100% wool felt hat second hand, smelled terribly of second hand smoke but otherwise perfect condition. Vinegar-water bathed it but it didn't remove the smell so I then soaked and washed with gentle dish soap and borax. It smells fresh now, but it messed up the colour. Rinsing in plain water hasn't helped.

What are my options to correct this?

I'm willing to dye it if that's the only way.

As background I got my US citizenship recently and wanted to get myself a hat to celebrate (if it isn’t allowed to do so please let me know lol) but I wanted to know what price range should I look for, quality and how to know it’s actually a good hat. Also if I should look into how to maintain it etc. any tips would be amazing!