hi everyone--

i realize i'm coming at it from a different angle than most--i need a felt hat for horse shows. I've always had a straw, but the halter/showmanship suit i have now demands a "real" hat <grin>

so, being new to this, and i understand that more xxx's should mean better quality and more beaver, as well as more $$$.....

any guidelines on makers/brands and price range of what a "decent" hat will cost?

thank you!

betsey

Open or Breed shows? If you are showing open, the hat quality doesn't need to be as expensive, but breed shows need highest quality you can afford. I have seen some wool felt hats from American Hat Co., and boy are they nice! They are also pricey, their cheapest hat is somewhere in the $200-500 range,(straw is cheaper, but as you said, you don't need one) and would work for both kinds of showing. If you go for a quality beaver, it will run you in the $500-2500 range, no matter the brand. You are correct about the x's. The higher the x #, the "stiffer" the hat, which means that it will hold its shape better and last a longer time. I would also suggest a good hat box that will keep dirt, moisture and pests out. The best thing to do is go to you nearest western wear store and talk to one of the employees that has knowledge in this area. Try some on, look at the difference in quality between a bunch of hats, and go from there. When you find the one that works for you, look online at prices before you decide to buy locally. Some places have a 15-25+% markup, and you may be able to save a few $$ by shopping around. (The store I used to work at had a 50% markup on most items, since we were in a "richy" resort town.) I hope that helps you get started. I am sure someone else knows much more than I do!

Kind of a good rule of thumb is to talk to the guy that shapes the hats at the store. He can usually tell ya the better hats they carry.
Sometimes you can get a very good custom hat for about what the top of the line brand name hats go for. A good hat lasts me several years for 'dress' and may last me another 7 years as a work hat before I've got all the good out of it.

Felt hats are made from the hair of animals. The old stanard was beaver. Beaver pelts becme more scarce so the hat makers started adding rabbit fur to the beaver. About that tme the X system was put in use. it used to be that a 4X hat had 4 times as much beaver fur as rabbit fur and a 20X had 20 times as much. A 100X hat was considered pure beaver. Now that system is pretty much a guess. There is getting to be more and more companies fudging on the quality and the X system is pretty much a guess.

I would suggest only looking at Resistol hats and I would also suggest you only look at 5X hats or better. Stetson, Bailey, Serratelli, etc have been deteriorating in quality. I have had a custom hat maker make mine but he is having a hard time getting good quality felt cones. His wait time has gone from 3 months a couple years ago to a year now.

Thanks everyone...

NW-i'm so glad you weighed in on this topic, i knew you would be the person to give me the answer i'm looking for <grin>.

i have until next spring, but i hate "buying blind"

betsey