Men's Cowboy Hats: Felt, Straw, Fit and Style

Men's Cowboy Hats questions

What are the best men's cowboy hats?

For most men, a cattleman crease in black or dark brown felt, with a medium brim, in your measured size. It's the shape most people picture when they hear cowboy hat, so it looks right at a rodeo, a country concert or a wedding. If you live somewhere hot and mostly need it for summer, the same crease in natural straw is the move.

How do you choose a cowboy hat?

Work through four questions in order. Season: felt for cool months and dressy nights, straw for heat. Fit: measure your head and buy that size, not a guess. Crown: cattleman is the safe classic, gambler and brick read more old-school. Brim: three and a half to four inches suits most men. Color comes last, and black or brown is never wrong.

What color cowboy hat should a man buy first?

Black or dark brown felt, or natural straw. Black is the dressiest and goes with nearly everything. Brown is warmer and a little more relaxed, and it hides dust better. Gray and sand felts are great second hats. Bright colors are fun; save them for your third hat.

Should a man get felt or straw?

Both, eventually. Felt for fall, winter, evenings and anything dressy. Straw for spring, summer and long days outside. The old calendar runs felt from Labor Day to Memorial Day and straw in between. If you're buying one hat and your summers are brutal, start with straw. If you want one hat for events, start with felt.

What brim width should I get?

Three and a half to four inches is the comfortable middle, and it's the most common range among the cowboy hats in our feed. Go wider if you have broader shoulders or a longer face, or you want maximum shade. Go narrower if you're slight, spend a lot of time in a truck, or want a cleaner city look. Brim shape matters too: more curl at the sides reads more western.

Which crown crease looks best on men?

Cattleman is the classic and suits most faces. A pinch front softens a strong jaw and, per American Hat Makers, tends to make a face look a little slimmer. A brick or Gus crease reads more rugged and old-school. A low gambler crown is flat and sharp, good if you're tall and don't want extra height. Try the crease on your own face before committing.

Should a man take his cowboy hat off indoors?

Usually, yes. American Hat Makers' rule of thumb is hat on outside, off inside, with informal places as the exception. Emily Post's list keeps a man's hat on in lobbies, elevators and on public transportation, and off in someone's home, at the table, in restaurants, in a house of worship and during the anthem.

Can you wear a cowboy hat with a suit?

Yes, and it's a good look. Pick a felt hat, keep the crease clean, and match the hat's darkness to the suit: black or charcoal hat with a dark suit, silverbelly or sand with lighter suits in warm weather. Boots or dress shoes both work. Take the hat off indoors at the ceremony and at the table.

How do you tip your hat?

Grab the front of the brim with your thumb and forefinger and lift it slightly, or just touch the brim, with a nod. Resistol's etiquette guide says a man tips his hat when introducing himself to a woman. Today plenty of folks tip it to anyone as a friendly hello, which keeps things simple.

Are men's and women's cowboy hats different?

Mostly in sizing ranges and trim. Many models in our feed come in a men's and a women's version with the same crown and brim, sold in different size runs and sometimes different bands. Any hat that fits your head is your hat. Treat the gender filter as a starting point.

Start with where you’ll wear it

A hat for summer rodeos and a hat for a December wedding are two different hats. Summer, ranch days and lake trips want straw. Cold months, concerts at night and anything with a dress code want felt. Leather and faux suede sit in between: tough, a bit warm, and casual.

If you’ll only own one, think about the event you’d hate to show up underdressed for. That’s your hat.

The shape that suits you

Most men look right in a cattleman crease with a medium brim. From there, adjust for your build:

Tall and lean: a lower crown keeps you from looking like a lamppost with a hat on it. Try a gambler or a lower cattleman.
Broad shoulders: a wider brim keeps the hat in proportion.
Round face: a taller crown with sharper creases adds some angles.
Long face: a wider brim breaks up the length. American Hat Makers’ size guide suggests the same. Treat all of these as starting points, not rules.

The styles guide shows every common crease side by side.

Fit, then color

Measure first. A medium in one brand isn’t always a medium in another, so match your inches to the chart for the hat you’re buying. Our size chart page has American Hat Makers’ table and a converter.

Then color. Black is dressy and bold. Brown is easygoing and forgiving. Gray and sand are what you buy once you’ve caught the bug. Natural straw goes with everything summer throws at you.

Wearing it without looking like a costume

Keep it level. Keep the rest of the outfit quiet. One statement piece per outfit is plenty, and the hat already called dibs. Take it off by the brim, set it down on its crown, and you’ll look like a guy who’s done this a while.

What hat should a short man wear?

Keep the proportions tight. A crown that isn’t too tall, a brim around three to three and a half inches and a clean cattleman or pinch front crease make the hat look like part of you instead of a monument on top of you. A huge brim on a smaller frame turns you into a lampshade. Fit matters even more here, so measure and check the size chart.

What’s the best cowboy hat for working on a ranch?

A straw hat for summer work and a wool felt hat for winter, both in your exact size so the wind doesn’t take them. Look for a brim of about four inches for shade, vents or an open weave for heat, and a chin cord if the listing has one. Leather is tough and shrugs off brush, but it’s warm in July. Save the fancy hatband for Saturday.

What hat should you buy as a gift for a man?

If you know his head size, a black or brown felt cattleman is the safest cowboy hat gift there is. If you don’t, pick a style with a forgiving fit, like an S/M or L/XL outback or a one-size leather cap, and check the store’s return window before you order. American Hat Makers states 90-day easy returns, which is worth confirming on its site at the time you buy. Hat sizes are personal, so a quick, sneaky measurement with a string beats guessing.

Men's Cowboy Hats