I need to buy a western hat. I want a straw hat.
Although I have lived in Texas ALL my life I have never owned a hat other than the gimme hats from the auto parts store.
My question is what are the guidelines before I purchase the hat. Is there a “break in period” much like there is with some shoes. Is there a particular brand that might be best?
It seems off white is the color of choice so I will stick with that.
Jeez I feel stupid being a Texan and asking questions like this!! :rolleyes:
There is a slight break-in period, just like there is with gloves. Once the hat has conformed to your head, it will fit like a…well, glove.
Here is where to shop. Try the Jax (Page 1 under “Stetsons”)
Yee-haw! 
The most important thing is to make sure you shop somewhere where the proprietor and the shop assistants know what they’re talking about. They should be able to tell you where the hat was made by what company (and what the company’s reputation is) and what the materials are – rabbit fur, beaver fur, whatever.
If you’re getting a straw (Panama) hat, find out where it was made. Real Panama hats come from Ecuador (yeah, confusing). They should be able to tell you how to choose a proper shape based on the shape and size of your face. Most of all, be prepared to spend good money. If you skimp on price, you’ll get something that’s not going to hold up well. I’d say be willing to spend at least $60-$80 for a good hat.
Although there is a break-in period, the hat should feel reasonably comfortable right off the shelf.
The only other thing to watch out for is the materials. There’s this bizarre little system of rating the kind of animal fur that was used in making the felt your hat is constructed out of. Rabbit, beaver, etc all the way up to mink and the like. Two very simlar looking hats can be wildly differnt in price because of the base materials.
As for brands, Stetson is a name no one will ever mess with you about. Resistol is a good brand name too.
thwartme
Borsalino (not Barcelona) is another good brand.
Except that our OP wants a straw hat. Good choice for the sun. Not for the rain.
Now, for a felt hat, I’d perfer an “Open road” by Stetson- the style is sorta a cross between a fedora & a cowboy hat.
I went ahead and got the resistol. Don’t know what it means but is 8X??
Feels ok but seems a little tight. The salesman said that it would stretch as I wear it.
Price was almost exactly what acsenray said the price would be, around fifty dollars.
Thanks for the input guys.
What do the X’s mean. I was too confused to ask.
What are the benefits to such a hat? As opposed to other kinds of hats. Or is it all just in the name of style? Is it a requirement to also have a big belt-buckle and boots?
I’ve never understood why anybody could possibly want a hat like that, but I guess if you’re in a region where it’s a lot more common it would be easy enough to influence you to go in that direction.
More Xs mean it costs more. Really there is no standard but each manufacturer implies that they represent the amount of real fur in a felt hat. In the case of a straw hat who the hell knows what they mean. [John Cleese]Guatemalen beaver straw?[/JC]
I got a new hat for my wedding last year, a black Resistol that I had blocked in a Gus crease (As in Robert Duval’s character in Lonesome Dove.). At the rehearsal I showed the hat to my dad and said I got a triple X beaver. TheLadyLion had a horrified look on her face and asked if I always talked to my parents that way.
Congrats on your purchase, craneop
IANAC (I am not a cowboy), but Mrs. Bizz is an enthusastic wannabe, and I have been to many hat stores with her and remember this little bit of hat etiquette:
When dining, remove your hat and place it under your chair.
Also, when you set it down (on a shelf, for example), place it crown-side down, never sit it on the brim.
Happy trails, pard.