Need advice on a hat, material..

I had a leather Aussie type hat that I wore for 2-3 years and love it. Eventually it got kind of stiff and smelly and shrunk from being caught out in the rain. I am actually wearing a helmet now and find it cooler than the Aussie hat. Who'd have thunk!? But that doesn't give good shade.

I guess I saying that some of them can be hotter than wearing a helmet, which actually protects your head.

If I were going for a hat, I would try to find a light color and a breathable material. The palm type sounds interesting.

Oiled, cotton hats are what I like to use. They do a wonderful job of keeping your head dry in the wet but breath nicely during warmer weather. All the maintenance you need to do is reapply the oil once in a while, generally while sitting in front of the TV to give my hands something to do.

This similar to the Seratelli I have, but I reshape them the way I like it....

Serratelli 5X Ranch Flex Black Premium Felt Hat | Cavender's Boot City


And these are the SunBody Palm leaf hats you shape yourself, I love them...
Western SunBody Open Crown Palm Leaf Hat In 6' Brim Cowboy Hat: Westernhats.com

Chick, I see that second one and I automatically think "Amish farmer"

This is the hat that I bought several years ago as nothing more than part of a Halloween costume. It has now withstood about 6 years of use; getting rained on, drenched with sweat, even being stomped by a horse a time or two, and being crushed between my head and a pipe fence once . It's still kicking, though it's starting to get a bit mushy and doesn't hold as shape as well as it once did.

Did I mention that it pretty much has a perpetual cow-sh*t smell and has at least 3 species of blood on it somewhere?
Larry Mahan 3X Oplin Black Felt Cowboy Hat | Cavender's Boot City

^^^ I have actually got that question- if I was Amish...LOL
That is after I shaped it, I put the stove pipe top in it like the Amish do but at still put some bend on the brim..sheesh.

I buy a new straw hat each summer and usually throw it away by winter. They get blown off my head, stepped on by the horses, dirty & sweaty. If I need them to be waterproof in the summer, I can slip a plastic hat cover over them if I know I will be in the rain for an extended ride.

Colder months, I use a black flet hat. Current one has lasted 3 years, But it is about done for. It has shrunk enough to not fit well on my head. Got wet to many times I guess.

I have a nice leather hat - love the hat - problem is, it got wet (soaking wet) and shrunk. But it still looks pretty hanging on my hat rack.

My oilskin hat from Outback is the cotton style, and it ages beautifully. I actually don't wear it while riding (I usually wear a helmet - not because I'm prone to falling, but because I'd rather have ultra-low twigs and branches scrape a helmet than my skull).

I still love that hat and wear it around the camp just because I like it.

These are useful, IMHO:



Put it in while your hat is still wet with sweat, rain, whatever, and let it dry. Your hat will fit when you put it on next...

I have a real vintage Shady Brady straw hat with a buffalo nickel that I wear all the time, the thing has been beat to heck and it still hasn't cracked or come undone.
Shady Brady Hat Company - Homepage

Then I have a kangaroo leather hat with a smaller brim and it's AWESOME and heavy duty. It's my winter hat but I wear it when I go out. It's a little tight, I need that hat stretcher Bsms!!

I live and work in montana, and have used an aussie oilcloth hat for over 8 years. I always had to get used to the heat and at times the smell that came with it. For my b-day last year a friend bought me a palm leaf straw woven hat from an online store called Texas Outfitters. I love this hat. It's cool, and light, very durable, and has a 4 inch lip that creates great shade. It has been rained on, and stomped on by a 1000 longhorn bull. It just bounced back with a little water it was easy to reshape and keeps on going. As long as it doesn't get cut by a hoof, the palm hats are a good, and economical bet.
check out their palm leaf hats here:

Texas Hat Co Palm Leaf Hats