Part 2
Picking up where we left off after picking the perfect cowboy hat.
After finding the right hat on hatcountry.com, it was time to work with the kind ladies at Hatcountry to get the right size. Before I go any further, I must say these ladies, Jacqueline and Amy, were so awesome in this whole process and answered every question I had. They even took time to look at photos I took to make sure I was measuring my head correctly. I truly am so impressed with this willingness to help me.
Alright, so to find the right size, Jaqueline told me to get a measuring tape and measure around my head where the hat would lay. Like seen in these pic.
As you can see my head was measuring 20 ½ inches.
Once you have that measurement, you also want to consider the shape of your head. Is your head round or oval shaped? Once you have your measurement and head shape then look at the hat makers sizing chart to see what size is best suited for you. Now here’s where I had a hard time. According to my measurement, I would need a child’s hat. Not to mention, it was saying a child’s hat in the same size as the hat I already have that hurts my head. No way! So this is where I went back to the experts and got Jacqueline and Amy’s opinion. Both of them told me to go with a 6 7/8 hat. We knew this would be a bit on the big side but because my head is oval shaped, we felt it was better to go big rather than small again. Plus, I could add padding to help it fit better.
So now that we had the size picked out, the order was sent in and it was time to wait. My hat was a special order which meant it would take 4 weeks to be delivered since it had to be made at the factory. Fast forward 4 weeks, I get my hat in and as expected it was a little big. Not real big, just a little. Since we expected this, Amy and Jacqueline sent me out strips of padding I could add into the hat to make it fit snug.
If you’re like me and need a little more padding then what is offered by the store, you can also use weather-stripping for doors.
To figure out where to add the padding, first put the hat on and determine where it doesn’t touch your head. In my case, I needed it in the front and back and on the sides. But for some you might only need it on the sides, so don’t start adding it until you’ve tried the hat on and determined where its needed.
To add the padding, flip down the sweatband and stick the pad in between the sweatband and the inside of the crown. Once your down, flip the sweatband back up and try your hat back on. Continue to tweak the padding until your hat fits snug. It’s ok to leave the padding in place, so don’t worry about taking it out after wearing the hat. As a note, there might be a ripple in the sweatband but that’s ok, it will smooth out over time.
Now it’s time to start wearing your hat and enjoying it!
No Comments