You’d think wearing a cowboy hat would be simple — you grab one that looks good and go about your day, right? Wrong. Turns out, there’s an actual season for these things, and yes, people do notice when you get it wrong. I learned this the hard way when Curtis showed up to a July cookout in his black felt hat looking like he was about to perform at the CMA Awards. Let’s just say nobody was impressed by his commitment to tradition when he started sweating through his shirt.
So here’s the deal, plain and simple:
Straw hats rule the summer. Felt hats own the rest.
The old-school cowboy calendar says you switch to straw around Memorial Day and stay there until Labor Day, then go back to felt for the cooler months. Think of it like swapping flip-flops for boots — not because you have to, but because it just feels right.
Now, is this some kind of strict law written by the cowboy council of America? No. But it’s a rule that’s been around for as long as dusty trucks and country songs about dusty trucks. It’s about comfort and common sense. Straw hats breathe better when it’s hot out — they let the breeze through and keep your head from feeling like a baked potato under the sun. Felt hats, on the other hand, trap warmth and block wind, which is great when it’s chilly, but downright miserable when it’s 92 degrees and humid enough to steam vegetables outside.
That said, there are exceptions. A felt hat still works for weddings, rodeos, or any fancy event where you’d feel weird showing up in straw. Black felt hats especially — they’ve got that timeless, put-together look that says “I clean up nice,” even if you still have hay in your hair.
But honestly, most of it comes down to vibe. Around here, you can tell the season’s changing not by the temperature, but by when the straw hats start getting traded for felt at the feed store. It’s this quiet little shift — kind of like how the first pumpkin spice latte tells everyone fall’s here, only with more dust and less judgment.
Me? I don’t stress the rules too much. I’ve borrowed Curtis’s straw hat on more than one hot day, and trust me, once that breeze hits your scalp, you’ll understand why cowboys are so loyal to the tradition. It’s practical, sure — but there’s a little poetry to it too. Like the rhythm of the seasons, it just fits.
So go ahead and wear what feels right, but if you want to blend in with the real ones, remember: straw in the summer, felt in the fall. It’s not about fashion — it’s about respect for a lifestyle that’s been lived long before hashtags made it cool.
And besides, nobody wants to be the person in felt when everyone else is in straw. That’s just asking to sweat your pride right off your forehead.
Source: Resistol