BEFORE you call or e-mail us questions about our Custom Hats please click here and read this.

In the 19th century cowboys wanted 2 things when they bought a hat. They wanted a brim as wide, and as flat as possible and they wanted the brim to stay flat. Stetson used to market their Exclusive! Stay Flat Brim! in the mail order catalogues of the day. Traditional working cowboys knew the wider and flatter the brim, the better the all weather protection. We strive to stay true to the old time hat makers, and take care to make each clients hat just the way they want it, as if we were making it for ourselves. Traditional Cowboy Hats - Authentic Designs Longfellow researched the designs based on historical photos and original mail order catalogues from the late 1800's and the early decades of the 20th Century. Of particular help was the Smithsonian Website, the Library, and the archives of the Glenbow Museum in Calgary. And of course those great Hollywood Westerns. True Old West Hats Order your hat in 100X undyed, pure beaver fur-felt, and be one of the first to hearken back to an era in hat making a hundred and forty years ago. The first cowboy hats were made from 100% beaver fur-felt, natural and undyed, and unless the cowboy lost it or had it stolen - the hat lasted a lifetime. Watch the hat fade and lighten, become streaked from all weather wear, and become just as unique as the wearer. For an all weather hat - nothing beats a traditional western hat made from beaver fur - it's what old west cowboys wore.

Everyone deserves a pure beaver western hat at least once in their life.
Then you'll know why we call it; The Last Best Cowboy Hat. Testimonials :: Cowboy Hat Facts :: Our Hat Experts

OUR MOST COMMON HAT QUESTIONS
Q: I'm looking for a ____ Hat. I checked your product catalogue and didn't see it. Can you make it?
A: Yes. As I'm sure you can appreciate it's just not possible to show all the different variations of crowns and brims. If it's made from fur-felt and you can supply us a good picture - yes we can make it. Generally we already carry the same style of hat, we just shape it based on the photo or if it's a movie hat we shape it from watching the movie and seeing the hat from all possible angles to get the look just so. We can do up to a 7" (inch) high crown and a 6" wide brim.

Q: Can I get the same style hatband that the original movie hat had?
A: If it's a satin ribbon and bow, or plain leather; then yes. Other than that the answer is probably no. This is likely the hardest thing in replicating a movie hat because the costume designers/actor/director/ or perhaps all three came up with a very unique type of hat band to make the hat stand out above the crowd. We make our version of the hat, and you can choose any hatband that you may see on any of the hats in our product catalogue.

Q: Do you have to put holes in the hat to put on a windstring?
A: Yes. They go right above your ears, to allow the latigo lace thru. It's the original and best way to put on a windstring. You can buy commercial stampede strings that have clips that go up under the sweat liner and jam into the crown. We hate them. They mess up the fit of the hat and they don't hold tight in a real strong wind. We know we've tried them.

Q: Can you mail me a catalogue of all your hats?
A: No we have no print catalogue - trying to be GREEN friendly. ALL OUR HATS are listed here on our online catalogue.

Q: Can we order a hat with a money order or check?
A: Yes. You can order one of our quality custom western hats by printing out an order form and mailing it in. Please click on this link for a pdf file you can save to your hard drive, and follow the instructions. If anything is unclear please call 1.866.207.1909 or email us at:

Q: Why does the same color appear different in your hat pictures?
A: We try to take our pictures with natural light. The difference in {indoors; outdoors; bright day or cloudy day} lighting accounts for the variance in color. In addition every computer will display colors slightly different. Please understand that color variances caused by individual computer monitors is beyond our control.

Q: What is fur-felt/what quality do you carry?
A: Fur felt is beaver and or rabbit fur mixed with felt to produce a material that lasts 5-10 times longer than wool felt, and is the best material from which to manufacture fine hats. Click here for more information. 

Q: What's the correct way to measure my head?
A: The best is to have a helper, and click here and follow the simple steps.

Q: What colors do you carry?
A: Starting from the lightest: Bone; Silver Mist; Silver Belly; Sand; Dyed Natural; Sahara; Undyed Natural; Pecan; Chocolate; Granite; Charcoal; Black. Browse our hat catalogue to see examples of each color. Click for more information.

Q: Do you carry straw hats?
A: No. There's a number of reasons we don't. Straw hats were not worn by old west cowboys, they considered them peasant or farmer headware. Yes; in the deep south Plantation Owners did but that was generally before the cowboy era. Straw cowboy hats became popular starting in the 1920s with the advent of modern rodeo's. Rodeo Cowboy's didn't want to trash their good fur felt hats so they started wearing straw cowboy hats, during the events, because they were cheap. Nothings changed - they still are. We make hats that last. And the last reason is we don't find straw hats much cooler than a good, light-colored, beaver hat; and those popular Guatemalan leaf hats are such a tight weave they are really hot, and also heavy.

Most of your other questions will be answered by reading our Cowboy Hat Facts page by clicking here.

Hat Retainer FITS SIZES 6 3/4 - 7 3/8. If you only wear your hat seldom; or have a number of hats you wear, you will find our hat retainer a valuable addition to maintaining the perfect shape of your custom cowboy hat. And for those hats that are a tad tight, this gadget will stretch them out for comfort. Order any hat in PURE BEAVER {100X} fur-felt and we'll include a hat retainer at no extra cost. New hat purchases only. Order with your hat And keep the fit as perfect as when you first put your custom Last Best Cowboy Hat on! Pay just 19.50 and save 5 bucks from our standard pricing. You can easily add the hat retainer to your custom cowboy hat order during the checkout process. HAT STRETCHER FITS SIZES 6 3/4 - 7 3/8. PRICE: $24.50 :: Shipping: $9.00 | TOTAL: $33.50 USD Order Now | Checkout ORDERS CALL TOLL FREE: 1-866-207-1909 :: The Best of the Best - order 100X. . . . Custom Made For. . . . All our custom western hat's are personalized with your name, initials, or moniker stamped in gold foil on the sweat band, inside the crown. No additional charge.

1898 Bow This was the most common bow style of the 19th century. If you prefer this bow style for any of our hats, just request it when your hat details are confirmed via e-mail. LADIES BOW Back in the 19th century and the first 4 decades of the 20th century, when hats were a very common part of every day dress, women's hats had the bow on the right hand side. If you want the bow on the right - request it when your hat details are confirmed via e-mail.

Cowboy Hat History
Contrary to popular mythology John B. Stetson did not invent the Cowboy Hat - but he certainly popularized it. Mexican and Texas Ranchers in the early to mid 1800s developed the wide brimmed fur-felt hat to offer better protection against the stifling heat and unpredictable weather of the North American West. Up until the turn of the 20th Century many mail order catalogues still referred to Cowboy Hats as "Sombreros".

The cowboy hat has since become inseparable with a certain way of life and moral conduct recognized around the world as North America's contribution to World Culture. An old cowboy once described the Cowboy Hat this way, "It's the last thing you take off, and the first thing that's noticed."