Cowboy Hats: Felt, Straw and Western Styles

Cowboy Hats questions

What is the cowboy hat rule?

It's really a handful of manners. Take your hat off for the national anthem, the pledge, prayer and at the dinner table. Set it down crown side down so the brim keeps its shape. Don't put it on a bed, and never touch someone else's hat without asking. Ladies get more room indoors: Emily Post lets a woman's fashion hat stay on at daytime social events, services and indoor shows, unless it blocks someone's view. Read the full guide ›

How much does a good cowboy hat cost?

Price follows the material. Wool felt and most straws sit at the friendlier end, fur felt and finely woven straw cost more, and a high X rating on a fur felt hat pushes it up again. A good hat is one that fits, suits the season and holds its shape. The grid above shows today's prices straight from the store feed, so you can sort by your budget.

What is a cowboy hat called?

Most people just say cowboy hat or western hat. Inside the trade, hats get named by their crown crease: cattleman, pinch front, gambler, brick, Gus and so on. The original 1865 Stetson design was called the Boss of the Plains. You'll also hear felt hats named by material, like wool felt or fur felt, and straw hats by their straw, like palm or Toyo.

How do you wear a cowboy hat?

Wear it level or tipped very slightly forward, sitting about a finger's width above your eyebrows and ears. The narrower end of the crown goes in front; the little bow on the sweatband sits at the back. Keep the rest of the outfit simple so the hat leads. Pushing it way back on your head reads as costume, so save that for the photo booth.

How do you measure your head for a cowboy hat?

Soft tape, level, right where the hat sits: just above your ears and about an inch above your eyebrows. Snug, not tight, because a tight tape buys you a headache. Do it twice. Then find your number on the store's chart. Walt's size chart page has American Hat Makers' table, a converter and the fit check for when the box shows up.

How should a cowboy hat fit?

Snug enough to stay on in a breeze, loose enough that it leaves no red line on your forehead. It should sit level and rest above your ears, not on them. If it wobbles, a sizing insert behind the sweatband can take it down; American Hat Makers says its foam inserts can reduce fit by up to one size. If it pinches after an hour, go up a size.

When do you wear a straw vs. a felt cowboy hat?

The traditional calendar says straw from Memorial Day to Labor Day and felt the rest of the year. In practice, wear straw when it's hot and felt when it's cool. Resistol notes that some events call for felt no matter the season, so a dressy wedding or a winter rodeo is felt territory even in a warm state.

How do you shape or reshape a cowboy hat?

Felt takes steam: soften one section over a kettle, bend it with your fingers and hold it until it cools and sets, then move on. Straw is pickier. American Hat Makers says its straw brims can only be reshaped if they have a wire in the brim. Full crown re-crease or a badly warped brim? A hat shop has the tools, and your fingers will thank you.

How do you clean a cowboy hat?

For felt, brush it with a soft hat brush, counterclockwise, then lift dust with a damp (not wet) cloth or a lint roller. Use a felt hat cleaner on stubborn marks. For straw, brush out light stains, dust cornstarch onto greasy ones, and wipe tougher spots with a damp cloth. Let either dry at room temperature, away from heat.

Who makes the best cowboy hats?

Stetson and Resistol are the names most people know, and both make fur felt hats with X ratings. There's no single best maker, because it depends on your budget, your head shape and whether you want felt or straw. We list hats from stores we work with. Right now that's American Hat Makers, our Preferred Brand, and we label that relationship everywhere it shows up.

How do you pick a cowboy hat without overthinking it?

You need four answers, in this order.

Season. Felt keeps you warm and handles dressier events. Straw breathes and handles heat. If you only buy one and live somewhere with a real winter, felt is the safer bet.
Fit. Measure your head. A great hat in the wrong size is a bad hat. Our size chart has the store’s table and a converter.
Crown. The crease on top sets the personality. Cattleman is the classic, pinch front reads a little softer, gambler sits low and flat. The styles guide has the full lineup.
Brim. Wider brims give more shade and look bigger on small frames. Narrower brims look sharper and fit under a truck’s roofline better.

Color comes last because you’ll pick it with your heart anyway. Black and brown go with nearly everything. White and silverbelly look sharp in summer and show every smudge. If you’re torn, the Hat Finder asks these questions for you and scores hats against your answers.

Felt, straw or leather: which one?

Material	Wear it when	Watch out for
Wool felt	Cool months, evenings, dressier events	Heat and getting soaked; it can shrink
Fur felt	Same as wool, with better shape and water resistance per makers like Resistol	Costs more
Straw (palm, Toyo, bangora and others)	Hot days, outdoor work, summer concerts	Crushing it in a bag; most straws don’t love water
Leather and faux suede	Rough use and a rugged look	Heavier and warmer than straw

Every felt cowboy hat in our launch feed is wool felt, and none of them lists an X rating. That rating system belongs to fur felt hats, and Resistol says it isn’t comparable between brands anyway.

What are the parts of a cowboy hat?

The crown is the tall part, and its crease is the shape pressed into the top. The brim is the flat ring around it, and how it curves is called the brim shape or “flange.” Inside, a sweatband sits against your forehead and handles both fit and sweat. Outside, a hatband wraps the base of the crown. The first cowboy hats sold under that idea were Stetson’s “Boss of the Plains” in 1865, with a flat brim and a straight-sided crown with rounded corners.

How do you wear a cowboy hat like you meant to?

Wear the hat level, or tipped just a hair forward. The brim should sit about a finger above your eyebrows. The bow on the inside sweatband goes in the back, and the narrow end of the crown faces forward. Keep the outfit plain: a solid shirt, jeans that fit, boots that are clean-ish. A loud hat plus a loud shirt plus loud boots turns into a parade.

When you take it off, grab it by the brim, front and back, rather than pinching the crown every time. The crown is where felt hats crack first.

How do you care for a cowboy hat?

Brush felt with a soft brush, counterclockwise. Store any hat on its crown or on a rack, never flat on its brim, which can warp it. Keep it out of hot cars: American Hat Makers warns heat can shrink a hat. If felt gets wet, shake it off, turn the sweatband down and let it air-dry away from heat. Straw gets a soft brush and, for greasy spots, a sprinkle of cornstarch.

What are the cowboy hat rules?

Hats come off for the anthem, the pledge, prayer and meals. They go down crown side down, and never on a bed. Ladies wearing a fashion hat get more leeway indoors. Our etiquette rundown is in the questions below, and the full cowboy hat etiquette guide covers weddings, funerals, restaurants and where to set your hat down.

Are western hats and cowboy hats the same thing?

Yes. Western hat is the broader, slightly dressier name stores use, and it covers cowboy, cowgirl, rancher and gambler shapes. When we checked Google’s top 10 results for both searches in November 2026, half the pages were the same, which is why this one page covers both.

What about brown cowboy hats?

Brown is the easygoing twin of black. It hides dust, warms up denim and earth tones, and looks right at a barbecue or a ranch rodeo. A dark brown felt cattleman is as safe a first hat as black. Lighter browns and tans lean summer and casual. Use the color filter above to see every brown hat in stock with its sizes.

What cowboy hat should you wear to a rodeo or a country concert?

Season decides. A summer rodeo or an outdoor festival wants straw, with a chin cord if it’s windy. A night show, an indoor arena or a fall rodeo wants felt, and black or a neutral brown never looks wrong. Indoors with assigned seats, be nice to the row behind you and pick a brim that isn’t a patio umbrella. Jessica has outfit formulas for concert nights on the women’s cowboy hats page.

Where is the best place to buy a cowboy hat online?

A store that publishes a real size chart, states its return window plainly and lists the material for every hat. Western wear shops and hat makers’ own sites tend to do this best. We list hats from stores we work with, today American Hat Makers, our Preferred Brand, and link you to the store to buy. Our stores page shows each store’s stated policies side by side, dated.

Are American Hat Makers cowboy hats good quality?

We haven’t tested them, so we won’t grade them. Here’s what’s checkable. Each listing states its material, such as midweight Australian wool felt, palm straw or cowhide leather, and many list brim width and crown height. Some are listed as assembled in the USA and others as imported. The store states a 50-year craftsmanship guarantee, 90-day easy returns and shipping in one day, per American Hat Makers’ own site. It’s our Preferred Brand, picked for its range, guarantee, returns and shipping, and how we rank explains what that does and doesn’t change.

Cowboy Hats