The Champie
Crown: Creased
Brim: 1/2" Kettle Curl Bound
Hatband: 1" Satin with Bow
Color as shown: Sand

Lawton Champie was a champion rodeo competitor in the 1920s and 1930s, as well as being a life-long working cowboy. This hat design was likely named for Mister Champie, although the brim working on the hat Lawton is wearing in the Levi Strauss ad at right is a little bit different, it's the same basic look. Hat makers started offering pre-creased crowns and shaped brims after they saw the most common way the working Cowboys had of creasing their hats.

Look Familiar?
Christopher Lloyd
in Back to the Future III. His character; Dr. Emmett Brown sports a brown beat up version of the Champie

This big grandiose cowboy hat would do Tom Mix proud; watch almost any "B" western movie from the 1930s and you'll see someone wearing a Champie in almost every scene. No kidding. And if you want the Tom Mix Look click here and have a look at our big B-Movie Hats.

5X Price: $310.00 Shipping:$35.00 TOTAL:$345.00 USD
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20X - 50% Beaver Fur-felt
Price: $440.00 | Shipping:$35.00 TOTAL: $475.00 USD Order Now | Checkout

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.

The Rough Rider                        
1898 Spanish-American War 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry Hat
Crown: centre trench| Brim: hand rolled - Open
Hatband: 1" Satin with 1898 bow. Color as shown: Sahara in 20X Fur-felt

Teddy Roosevelt called these short 4 months in 1898 the most exciting of his life; culminating in leading his "Rough Riders" up San Juan Hill in that storied charge. If you look at any picture of the US Expeditionary Force, you'll see almost as many brim and crown treatments of the same basic hat as there are soldiers. Our hat is based on the originals we saw at the Cavalry Museum in Tucson, Arizona, and is shown in the centre picture below. To the left you'll see two versions of the crown. Put your mouse over the image at left: The first has the side pinch and the second has none. On our version we also dropped the mesh air vent, but included the traditional military style side bow on the hat band. Order with or without the cavalry cord. Easily choose your hat options during the checkout process.

5X Price: $290.00 | Shipping: $35.00
Total: $325.00 USD | Order Now | Checkout

20X - 50% Beaver Fur-felt Price: $390.00 | Shipping: $35.00
Total: $445.00 Order Now | Checkout

100X - 100% Beaver Fur-felt Price: $540.00 | Shipping: $35.00
Total: $575.00 | Order Now | Checkout

1898 Campaign Hat
Enlisted Man's Issue
Crown: 4 pinch peak | Brim: Flat - Open
Hatband: 1/2" Satin with bow.
Color as shown: Sand in 20X Fur-felt

The Spanish–American War was a conflict between Spain and the United States of America from April to August 1898. It heralded the emergence of America as a world power and climaxed with Teddy Roosevelt's' charge up San Juan Hill in Cuba. This is the enlisted man's hat.

Our hats off to Everett in California for ordering the first one, "Longfellow, Just got the hat and it's perfect! Really great job, like the hat-band too. It's so beautiful I kinda hate to give it the worn out sidekick treatment but I got a feeling I will. Do you suggest the same method you describe on the website ( taking a shower with it )?" Thanks! Everett.

Horse Hair Hat Bands
Add a quality horse hair hat band to any hat. Slide it over the satin ribbon and bow {as seen on the Wasey below} or wear it alone. Click picture for larger image.

1. 5/8" Double tail Black/Beige Price: $25.00
   See it on a hat click here.
2. 1/2" Padded Double Hitch 2 tail Black/Beige/Maroon Price: $75.00
   See it on a hat click here. Seen on the Wasey below.
3. 1/4" Single tail Black/Beige Price: $15.00
   See it on a hat click here.
4. 1/4" Single tail Beige/Black Price: $15.00
   See it on a hat click here.
5. 1/4" Two strand single tail Black/Beige As seen on the Yakima Price: $15.00

The Wasey
Crown: Three Dent Modified Sagebrush
Brim: Open Hatband: 1" Satin with Bow
Color as shown: Un dyed natural
Shown in 100% beaver fur-felt

Modified Sagebrush shaped crown was one of the most common of the first few decades of the 20th century. Crown shape was first seen in the 1890s. We've modified this look by starting with an oversized hat body, and sliding a horse-hair hat band over the satin ribbon and bow. The brim on our hat on the left would be almost twice as wide as seen in the painting and can be  shaped any way you like. Shown here in an Un dyed Natural color in 100% beaver fur-felt. The color is a wonderfully rich looking mid brown. Put your mouse over the hunter at right.

For the best in sun protection, the oversized hat body can give you up to a 50% wider brim.

20X - 50% Beaver Fur-felt
Price: $455.00 | Shipping: $35.00 ::
Total: $490.00 | Order Now | Checkout

100X - 100% Beaver Fur-felt
Price: $570.00 | Shipping: $35.00
Total: $605.00 | Order Now | Checkout

The Hickok
Crown: Texas Straight
Brim: Pencil Roll Bound
Hatband: 2" Satin with Bow
Color as shown: Black

Another version of the Boss of the Plains - this is our best guess on what Wild Bill was wearing in the picture on the right. We start with an oversized hat body to make this wide brimmed custom western hat.

Please read our ordering procedures

5X Price: $320.00 :: Shipping: $35.00 Total: $355.00  USD :: Order Now | Checkout

20X - 50% Beaver Fur-felt
Price: $455.00 | Shipping: $35.00 :: Total: $490.00 | Order Now | Checkout

100X - 100% Beaver Fur-felt
Price: $570.00 | Shipping: $35.00 :: Total: $605.00 | Order Now | Checkout

The Slim Jim Holster
the Classic side-arm holster of the early west.

Most men - including Texas Rangers - who could afford a holster would have used this style in the early days of the western frontier. Shown here with a Remington 36 cal. black powder pistol, with a 7 1/2" barrel. Holster shown is a left draw and can be worn on the left hip, on the right for a cross draw or on the right for a right handed "Twist" or "Cavalry" or "Hickok" draw. Shown plain - no adornment - in our signature color: Deadwood Brown. Our Holsters are Top Quality - made for life-long use. We will custom make to accommodate the make and calibre of your side arm. Other colors available click for more. 

Old Texas
Crown: Texas Straight
Brim: Kettle Curl Open
Hatband: 1"multi-colored burlap
Color as shown: Chocolate

Some variation of this design was seen on almost all the actors, in the remake of John Wayne's, "Alamo", starring Billy Bob Thornton, and others. This traditional Texas look for a Cowboy Hat was the precursor of the Boss of the Plains, and was well known in the Texas of the 1830s and onward. Order with a flat brim or kettle curled.

Like any of our hats you can substitute a different hat band from one of our other hats - in most cases for no extra money. We confirm all details of your hat within 1 business day of your purchase.

Big Monty
Crown: Modified Gus crease
Brim: Hand-Curl Bound - with contrasting edge in navy blue
Hatband: 2" Satin with Bow
Color as shown: Bluey-Grey Specialty Color

This is the Monty's hard riding brother; the Big Monty has a wider, range ready brim. Specialty color was requested by the client. If you don't see the color you want - please check with us - we may be able to do it for you. Bound brim edge can be contrasting or the same color as the felt - or not bound at all. Your choice.

5X Price: $290.00  Shipping: $35.00  Total: $325.00 USD
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20X - 50% Beaver Fur-felt
Price: $445.00 | Shipping: $35.00 Total: $480.00 | Order Now | Checkout

Traditional Cowboys and their Hats
Up until the turn of the 20th Century most cowboy hats were sold in Mail Order Catalogues. In those days if the local haberdasher didn't have the hat you wanted - he likely had a catalogue to order one from. The first cowboy hats were all made from 100% beaver fur-felt, natural and undyed, and worth their weight in gold to working cowboys and most all other Westerners.

The Montgomery Ward Catalogue of 1872 (at right) was the first to offer a "Western Sombrero" for sale to the public. Like our open crown cowboy hat, The Calgary - most hats were shipped with uncreased crowns, and little shape to the brim. Manufacturers knew the cowboys wanted to personalize the hat themselves - so they shipped unfinished. Remember Hoss from Bonanza and his big dang hat? That was the most authentic old west hat any of the Bonanza cast wore.

Dirty Champie
Crown: Creased and Pinched.
Brim: Hand worked Open
Hatband: 1/2" Leather Cavalry Tie
Color when new: Silver Belly

This hat is the working version of the champie - seen above. Open Brim - not bound, more creasing to the crown. This was one of the most popular designs of the late 19th and early twentieth centuries. These days this basic shape is called the "Gus" after Robert Duvall's character in Lonesome Dove. This hat has seen a lot of service and was in this condition when we made our character hat, The Ellsworth - below.

5X Price: $280.00  Shipping: $35.00 
Total: $315.00  USD  Order Now | Checkout | Did you read our ordering procedures?

The Calgary Cowboy Hat
Crown: Round Uncreased | Brim: Hand Shaped Open
Hatband: Braided Buckskin Color shown: Chocolate

This cowboy hat was available for purchase through mail-order catalogues put out by T.E. Eaton, The Hudson's Bay Company, and Sears-Roebuck, in the 1890s-to early 1910s. Most hats were shipped unfinished for the cowboys to personalize them - themselves - like Guy Weadick to the right pictured in ~1912.

5X Price: $260.00  Shipping: $35.00  Total: $295.00 USD
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20X - 50% Beaver Fur-felt
Price: 390.00 Shipping: 35.00  TOTAL: $425.00.00
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100X - 100 % Beaver Fur-felt
Price: $510.00 | Shipping: $35.00 Total: $545.00
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How to make an Old West Character Hat
Now that you've seen our great hats we're sure you'll want your own Custom Hat - so what are you going to do with your old one? It'd be a pity to relegate it to discard. Our solution is to rotate it out and make a great Character Hat.

Years ago I read a story about how Tom Mix used to crease and work all his custom hats himself in the shower. So I decided to take his advice and am more than pleased with the results. The amount of time it takes is up to you. I had the Ellsworth fashioned in less than 5 minutes - then a further half hour fine tuning the look. The steps I went through are pretty simple.

Click for the rest of the story