Waxed Cotton Wide Brimmed Hat

Described as a Aussie-style hat on most of the web sites you would purchase it from, this is very practical waterproof hat that also give goods sun protection with its wide brim

Made from waxed cotton typical of the outdoor country style of clothing you will see worn by gentry, farmers, river and pond fishers, game keepers and the like.

Waxed cotton is very tough practical weather resistant fabric with a very particular but not unpleasant smell.

Waxed clothing originated in the sailing industry, but the less stiff paraffin waxing process used in garments today did not come about until the 1920's and was produced in Britain by 3 companies who equipped the British army with garments made of it.

Barbour the most famous creators of waxed cotton country garments today, started using it for motor cycle clothing in the 1930's and back then was only available in black or an inconstant olive green colour. 

Modern waxes come in many colours but olive green is still the main colour choice.

Sailors Cap GI Style

American Navy Sailors cap GI style, GI standing for general issue.

This hat also known as Dixie Cup Hat or Dog Bowl based on the shape of disposable cup or dog bowl one assumes. 

While researching this hat I came across this fact that in April 2016 it was decided women in the US navy would be allowed to wear the same hat as their male counterparts, bit slow on equality there.

 Made of white canvass, the white seems to have come about to help operations in hot climates or it could be because they were made from spare sail cloth, the latter seems more likely.

Practical hat

The brim can be flipped up to stop water running down your face into your eyes.

The brim can be turned down to protect your ears from sunburn or shield your eyes.

The hat can be used as a flotation device by capturing a pocket of air.

Can be stowed away flat since space on ships can be short in short supply.

This is cheap copy of an American Navy cap and is basically bush hat with the brim turned up, but looks similar enough to be sold as one. A bush hat in itself is based on fisherman's hat so this does lead back to source. 

A Sombrero

A Sombrero, mexican hat, basically a very wide brimmed hat with a crown and upturned edge popular in Mexico used as a shield from the sun, these hats are wide enough to cast shadows over neck and shoulders.

This Sombrero however is possibly the worst hat I own, its made of compressed cardboard and is pure tourist tat, I'm sure if I ever got wet it would turn into paper mache. 

Well one day I'm sure I will get a better quality Sombrero but for now this is all I have.

They were also worn by cowboys and in many other Spanish speaking countries

Bucket Hat

A couple of laces make thus old bucket hat really useful in the wind.

Bucket hats probably started has practical fishemens hat in some oiled fabric, but were adopted has fashion hats in the 1960's.

Also known as session hat, fisherman's hat, or Irish country hat.

Photo above by Tom Garnett from Dark Colony Event

I've had this hat for a least 27 years as went with me to Thailand 1989 as can be seen in the photos below

My taste in clothing has got a little duller since this photo below with the very sun burnt legs to match the shorts.

I Just Need a Stormy Sea

This is what's known as Sou'wester 

A practical hat used by seaman for protection against rough wet weather, The brim is wide and slanted basically designed to stop rain running off it down the collar of your coat. 

A good chin strap also keeps it in place in high winds.

The name Sou'wester potentially comes from the South Westerly winds which brought rough seas, this may have some truth, but I can't find anything to back the claim up.

In some countries its just called a fisherman's cap, however they are not necessarily the same thing as as Sou'wester for example they are not needed to be fully waterproof.

Sou'wester are made of oilskin which can any be fabric made waterproof but is traditionally canvass covered in linseed oil or tar this one however is 100% PVC but works fine.

This Hat is Worn a Great Deal

This is probably the hat I've worn the most.

It looks like a basic felt fedora but not made to a traditional style instead it has made to a practical design. 

A mixture of cotton and felt with a wide elasticated band inside which grips the head very softly and stops the wind whipping it away. Its ventilated like a bush hat, water resistant and the elasticated band is also covered in a absorbent material to help sweaty heads

I purchased this hat somewhere near Tintagel while on holiday in Cornwall sometime in the late 80's, made by Kangol, its looking a bit tired now, but seen years of use.

It still kept on my the coat stand by the front door and grabbed whenever the weather is sunny and I don't need to be too smart.

 Its also visited the Tardis.