Old West Hat History.  There has been a long competitive history between Stetson Hats and Resistol Hats. Maybe it was preordained that they would one day combine under one roof. John B invented the broad brim Western hat. Seems he was sick to death of getting wet from rain, fed up looking for gold he couldn't find, and made himself a hat that would protect him from all kinds of bitter weather. He went to town and other guys wanted to know where he got it. John B told them he made them and could get all they needed. He sold plenty! Outdoorsmen of all sorts loved wide brim hats. 

Since Texas was big cowboy country, seems natural somebody down there would start making their own hats. Resistol figured a way to keep your head oil from staining the hat so fast by using spacers that separated the inner hat band from the felt. (Texans were probably pickier about looks than settlers in MO.)
 They called this new concept resist oil hats. Stetson lost sales because that resist oil feature was a better sizing system. Then Stetson developed their "better" sizing system to compete.

On went the competition for about a century. Today, we wear the benefit of all the innovation of both companies. "Green" friendly resins have replaced the lead that used to be used to hold the felt together. Hats are easier to reshape. They come in many colors. Hats cost less in today's dollars than they did way back then. A ten gallon hat was really ten Spanish coins, (Galleons), about a month's wages. You can buy a mighty fine hat for a weeks wages or less. Top of the line for a month's wages. Not bad for a hat that might last you for the rest of your life! 

How to fit your size.  Western hats are available In Sizes:  6 3/4 - 7 5/8, (some in 6 5/8 and 7 3/4).   If you are not sure of your size, just take a soft ruler tape and measure around your head where you prefer it to fit. Most people will go around the biggest part of the back of their head, and be about 2 to 3 fingers (turned sideways) above their eyebrow.  We can convert these inch measurements to your hat size for you. You want to be able to pull your hat down in a windstorm, but wear it a little more loose in normal weather. Some people like to tilt it back a little when they relax. Then wear it more square when business need to be done! If you like, lots of people email a picture of the top of their head so we can shape the hat to fit. And, with a picture of your face, we can adjust the brim to complement your facial features. This is how Cultured Cowboy can make a hat look so good and feel so nice when you get it. . 

When you see options of several colors in a Stetson Hat style, you can expect the hatband, ribbons and such to complement the color shown.  

Any other questions? Just write them down and shoot us an email. It's your questions that wind up as comments on the Cultured Cowboy site.

HAT SIZES