10 replies to this topic

[Bisley]

I know of two guys on here for sure (Rob and Ed) that can appreciate this. My new Stetson that I ordered on the 4th of July came in last week just before our Sunday hunt, but the new hat band did not get here until yesterday. I decided to upgrade my aging Stetson. A 6X Rancher with a diamondback hat band as opposed to my 4X Roper with a prairie rattler .
I walked into Boot Barn (closest Stetson shop around) and straight up to the counter and asked the lady if I could order my new Stetson. She kind of gave me "that look" and said "How do you know we don't have it here?". So here is how my reply went: "I am looking for a Stetson with a 5" crown so it sits farther down on my head during the windy October-February bird season. I would also like a 4" brim since the 3-1/2 just looks way too short for my liking on a western style hat. And while my current Stetson has a nice wide and flat brim up front to block the sun, it also kills my peripheral vision while hunting and hits my scope while shooting. I would prefer more of a V shaped brim to eliminae that problem. It also has to be black, preferably a 6X this time, but I will settle for a 4X if I have to. And since Stetson only makes one hat to that exact description, the Rancher, would you please go pull it off the shelf for me then?". She looks in the book and punches a few keys and says "It seems nobody has one, we will...." I stop her and finish the sentence "Have to get one from Stetson themselves, and if it has to be made, it could take 4-8 weeks to get here right? Now, can we please order my hat?" She apologized because there is a trendy country bar above the store and she was not used to having somebody that knew their hats come in. I took that as a compliment and thanked her kindly.




Now I am not a superstitious guy, but my last Stetson came home with me from Colorado about three years ago, and while love that fact, it just never quite felt the same (lucky) while hunting. The hunts were still fun, but not as productive as years past with my California bought Stetsons. But I got this one last Wednesday, and look at the Sunday I had this last weekend! The only thing this new one is missing is he glitter and the smell of White Rain form the she-kitties, but we will remedy that here real soon

Also, is it just me, or does the cowboy inside their liner look like Ronald Reagan? My hunting partner says it's more that Ronald Reagan just looked like all the cowboys did back then

[Air Rifle Hunter]

Nice hat. Hopefully it brings plenty of target rich environments your way.

[sxshooter]

[modoc squeek shooter]

Way to go Bob!

[Loopdog]

NIce hat! Is that pic of your hat on a bed?

[Rob]

EXCELLENT upgrade. You look good in that Stetson...yes...yes...yes...

[sxshooter]

NIce hat! Is that pic of your hat on a bed?

Yeah, you might wanna throw some salt over your left(or was it right) shoulder, say three hail Marys, and put a 4 leaf clover in your wallet after that, lest bad luck fall upon that hat and its wearer.

[tawnoper]

Nice lid.

But doesn't your head get smoking hot wearing that around in 100 deg temps?

[sxshooter]

Tawnoper,
I share Bob's affinity for a felt hat. It's a habit I took up when I used to have a few horses and spent all my free time on them. But I do keep my daytime hats on the light side to keep the heat back as much as possible. I use black for night attire. A felt will hold up much longer than a straw. I've had felts that lasted years on the trail, getting abused quite a bit, including rain. Of course, the better the quality of the hat (a.k.a. the more beaver fur it has), the longer it will hold up. A Stetson 6X is a decent hat. I bought one for my brother in law (on the right) for his birthday about 5 yrs ago, about like Bob's.
Three big hats.


The hat on the guy in the middle is likely a 20x or 50x Stetson as he often wore. He has a couple 100x hats but usually dresses a little nicer when he wears em. I'm not sure if that hat on the left is my Rand or a Stetson. My wife says if I buy anymore hats, she's gonna revoke my credit.

Felt cowboy hats are a great way to keep the sun off your head.

[rustygun]

Great looking hat and band. Did you collect and make the band yourself? It also brought you some luck on your Sunday hunt. It didn't interfeer at all with the 44 taling bunnies.

[Bisley]

Nice lid.

But doesn't your head get smoking hot wearing that around in 100 deg temps?

Absolutely! Especially when it's black. But there are a few tricks. A well worn hat will form to your head. The sweat from the heat helps speed this process up too. But when they do fit right, you can pour a bit of water (preferably ice cold) in it while it is upside down, then as you put it on real quick, the water actually stay on top of your head with the sweatband acting as a dam. That can keep you cool a lot longer than you would think .

And yes, it's a bed, along with the .44 in the soft case