felt hats seem to blow bad when windy any way to make it so the stay on your head better? besides a tie on, i was watching jeremiah johnson and he had a small hole at the top of the hat at the crease, will this work, any info would be cool

I THINK THE HOLE IN THE TOP OF THE HAT IS A WORN HOLE IN IT , I CAINT SEE HOW A HOLE WOULD MAKE THE HAT STAY ON YOUR HEAD..
ONE THING, GET A PERFECT FIT..HEAD ARE IN UNSUAL SIZES...ROUND-OVAL-LONG OVAL. WINDY WEATHER, PULL IT DOWN SNUG, THERE ARE STAMPEED
STRINGS THAT WILL HELP ALSO.

quote:

Originally posted by coonmedicinetrapper:
felt hats seem to blow bad when windy any way to make it so the stay on your head better? besides a tie on, i was watching jeremiah johnson and he had a small hole at the top of the hat at the crease, will this work, any info would be cool

I wouldn't pay much atttention to anything you see represented in a movie...

Bill

A treasured friend gave me a wide beaded band to put on my hat. That beaded band weighs enough to keep it on my head.

That hat honestly has to high of a crown but it is now adorned with that friends beaded band, a celtic cross from the Emerald Isl whence my kin folk came, a trade turtle my wife gave me, and a small hand with a white finger that my neice gave me. Nope, I can't just exchange the hat. Load fast and aim slow.

The big black fet hat I wear also has the first playing card I cut in two tucked into the band. I cut that card with Sharon, my 54 Hawkin. I've cut many other cards but that was my first one.

A few years later, my wife cut a card with her 45 cal half stock caplock. Several weeks later I bested her by cutting a card with Sweetheart, my 45 cal rocklock.
Load fast and aim slow.

Mainly finding one that fits proberly helps.And as mentioned the only way to really keep a felted hat on is a stampede string..
Woodman

Most of us are aware Alfred Jacob Miller attended a Rendezvous in 1837. One of the hunters, Pierre, was the subject of two paintings. The second painting is when Pierre gets killed by the buffalo and his felt hat is lying on the ground upside down. If you have the book, The West of Alfred Jacob Miller, it's on page 58. In any event it looks like there are two straps coming out of the inside sweat band of the hat. You would bow tie these under your chin. Probably helps keep your hat on in high wind or, when riding fast.
This is however sort of unique since no other image in the Miller book shows such.

Whats being shown there is as known today a stampede string. Usually they are tied at the ends then with a bead or carved wooden piece it slides up under your chin if wind is strong. Or just the strap keeps your hat from blowing completly away.
Woodman

CMT, if you are a heading to WY. some day be ready for winds! Dust choking, gravel spitin winds almost daily. I have lived there, in fact the RMT west has a lot of wind not just WY. So like stated above first a snug good fitting hat, I like one with a brim not to stiff that way it can bend with the wind. A stampede strap is a must no two ways about it. I am glad Redowl mention the Millers showing them,also you don't see nothing but a plain hat band and maybe some feathers on the hats. My strap is one long length of BT deer which is looped around the top front of my brim then is dropped down about my ears. The ends are tied loose about my chest high on breezy days that way when that gust comes about my hat don't blow away. When its windy tie it tight against the chin, cold snow blowing winds I then take my silk scraf wrap that around my hat and tie around my chin. If its nice I tuck the strap up under my hat out of the way. No playing cards or medals and such will help hold yer hat on? I also prefer a light color hat for the hot desert sun will bake your brain in a dark one.

I read that some folks feel that stampede straps may not be correct. Hmmm...the old ones must have spent a lot of time riding back to look for their hats. I think some things just make sense, and a simple string to keep a vital piece of gear, such as a hat, with its owner is one of them.

"stampedestrings" modern term..?
1800 small rope to keep the hat on your head?
i honestly think they would have did that....

thanks fellers! i just saw it on jeremiah and wondered what it was, its one of the closest movies i can relate too! the hat came with a nylon string and plastic bead thing but i cant be havin no white man material, ha ha.... anyway i cut a buckskin thong and put it on the hat, its the one im wearin in my picture of me with the groundhog..

Coonmedicine,
I wear a felt hat at times when the weather is rainy to protect my specs some. I have not had too much problem with wind but I have noticed a noticable loss in sound reaching my ears when squirrel hunting. I find it quite anoying. Anyone else notice that?
Chasing Crow

yeah if your pionted away from the squirrel the sound will bounce off you hat back... if pointed towards it will prob, sound louder....

On the bead thing: If we are to be PC, we would need some sort of documentation on that even though the use of the bead seems obvious. The two strings on Pierre's hat, they are not tied together at the ends and I don't see a bead. Once again, the book, The West of Alfred Jacob Miller has these painting on 8 1/2" by 11" pages so the details aren't clear- it LOOKS like two strings to me. Miller shows some other upside down hats- like in the Trapper's Bride where there is no strings.
How to install these strings. I guess there are several ways, like two strings, each tied to the inside of the sweat band or there abouts. What I do is make two small holes on the sides of the hat- where the crown meets the brim -and then take one long rawhide boot lace and run each end through the holes. The middle section of the boot lace ran around the back half of the crown in the crease between the crown and brim.
This is one of those situations where there isn't much documentation but common sense dictates that no one would ride around in areas of high wind without doing something to secure their hat.

Bouncing sound.
Yep. Felt hats bounce sound. When I am not in my period gear I frequently wear a hearing aid. Hearing aids are very susceptible to being damaged by water--including rain. To protect the devise I wear a brimmed hat, which puts a roof over it. Also, with the hat tipped back slightly, it actually catches and funnels the sound to the hearing aid. Pretty cool from that standpoint.

Of course, there are a lot of sounds I don't hear...

Regarding felt hats, I just pull them down snug when it's windy and haven't had much problem.

Sparks

Yep, I do think stampede string is a modern term, I never really seen a term mention in any writtings of the time. But like then some guys use them others don't. The bead thing I tried many moons ago but when that big gust comes it will slide on you, well thats what happen with me.

Ah yes. There's the movies, and then there's reality. "Jeremiah Johnson" inspired many of us baby boomers to become buckskinners, even though it's historical accuracy is, at best, questionable. Regarding errant hats: remember the scene in "Dances with Wolves" where Lt. Dunbar had to negotiate to get his hat back that had blown off during the buffalo hunt? He should have tied that sucker on tighter.

About stampede strings: Yes, the term is most likely modern (or at least cowboy era). However, the concept is probably much older (ref. Miller's painting). I have used a round braided leather thong secured under the chin to hold my hat on for years. I use a single thong, wrapped around the front of the hat crown and threaded through two small holes at the crown/brim crease, just in front of my ears. I'll admit to using a wooden bead slider, because it makes it easier to get the thing on and off. Whether or not a bead or other slider is PC is up for debate. I wouldn't base judgement on just one painting by Miller. Maybe Pierre's strap got broken when he was run over by that buffalo.

In addition to the leather thong (chin strap?), I also wear a silk scarf on my head under my felt hat (to make up for a lack of hair!). This allows me to pull the hat down snug if the breeze comes up and it stays on pretty good, plus it also keeps my balding pate covered if the hat does come off.

As a young man I worked for the National Park Service. We wore the flat-brimmed "Smokey Bear" hats, which became Frisbees in the slightest breeze. We used a "chin strap" that was actually placed on the back of the head, behind the occipitals (many State Troopers do this as well). Surprisingly, this kept those flat hats on in all but the strongest winds.

I believe straps of one type or another have been used for centuries to secure hats or helmets, there is just not much in the way of docums for this period that I know of.A scarf works well over the top of a tri corn, I agree that a good fit is very important in keeping the hat on in windy weather..

I've ridden for years with a hat the fits proper and stays on. I reckon that's the thing. If'n it's too big, a headrag like a greaser wears does good too. Done that because ya do what the guys in the know do.