"How to look after a felt hat?" Topic

I have an Akubra and Stetson, which in all honesty I have abused both, they have seen rain and sun, what is the best way to get them back to health, in future proofing- should I invest in a waterproof cagoule, if so where do I buy such.
i do not have the original boxes, nor the cardboard and foam protectors they came with.

cheers
jon

See if a dry-clean shop can bring-it-back.

1: For the Stetson, get a hat box to keep it in.
2: Depending on how old and worn they are, they may not be salvageable or even worth saving. However the best thing you can do is to remove as much "dust, flakes, specks, etc." off the felt with a light bristle brush. A wet cloth slightly damping the felt edges to help reshape.
3: If they are really that bad, there are couple of good hat shops in Texas that can help repair them.
I can give you the links for them if you need them.

How many X's does your Stetson have?

If they're beat down, expect repair to cost more than buying new. Unless they are a vintage design you love and can't get anymore …

Buy new ones and follow the care instructions on the manufacturer's website. Then revel in your "old slouch hat"s that you can use in the right environment. Maybe even rat one of them up a bit more.

Both are a few years old – they have been knocked about a bit and well used, I think they need relined – the inside is really "crusty" and still "swampy" at the same time, the felt seems fine (no holes), probably need re-steamed to stiffen them up.

Murphy – the Stetson is 4X (I vaguely recall it being sold as Beaver).

There are bound to be places local- Nashville is only an hour and a half away, that was why I asked if there was any point in going and looking into a hat shop.

Thanks again

cheers
jon