Are felt hats comfortable in warm weather?
Many people equate felt, particularly wool felt, with cold weather wear only. To the contrary, natural materials like wool and fur have remarkable thermostatic properties, retaining needed heat in cold conditions and actively releasing excess heat in warm conditions. Felt is also naturally breathable. Akubra fur felt hats were developed for protection from the intense sun of the Australian Outback, and John B. Stetson’s first hat was a fur felt “sombrero” intended for sun protection. For most people, a typical comfort range of a wool or fur felt hat would be something like from 40 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. This, of course, will vary up or down with the individual, activity level, etc. We have seen felt hats in use for everything from ice fishing to hiking the Grand Canyon.
