IMPORTANT PLEASE NOTE

We make great hats and due to the demands on our time we can only offer advice and support to those folks that have made the decision that The Last Best West will be their Custom Hatter. Paying customers deserve all our care and attention so make a committment to us, buy a hat, and we will make sure you get what you want. Even if you don't see exactly what you want, if you order the closest you see online we'll make the adjustments within the first few days of the order. If we can't we will refund your money immediately. Or call your order in and talk it through with Longfellow. But please have a Visa or MC ready because we can not help you design your hat until it has been paid for. If you have questions please read below before you e-mail or call us because there are things we WILL and will NOT do or answer.

If it was made in the Past it can be made in the Present.

Any question regarding, "Can you make. . . ."  is yes. If you've seen it in a movie, or a picture of it - we can make it. It is your responsibility to furnish us with the picture however. Once we have the picture of the hat you want we can give you a firm price, this is important so we both know we are speaking about the same hat. Send your pricing requests to Sonja at

HOWEVER
We constantly get asked if we can make an EXACT replica of a particular hat. The answer is no. And frankly anyone who claims they can, is from the planet Star Trek or a fool. We've yet to meet a Master Hatter who was a fool. We make our VERSION of that hat. And yes there may be slight differences, but I'd hate to have to make a living off those differences. Often the toughest thing in replicating a hat is the hat band. That is because they are so individual and as is mentioned in other places on the website - back in the day traditional cowboys personalized their hats with a unique hat band. Most working cowboys today still do. The prices listed are for hats as they are shown. If the hat you want requires a custom hat band not shown here then there will be additional charges and will be explained, and planned for during the design process for your hat. Or simply take it upon yourself to find the hat band.

Please don't ask us for our Crown and Brim measurements unless you're a client that's already made a purchase. Silly we know but there you have it.

All our hats are custom made one at a time. Our Master Hatter handles every step of production, unlike large hat makers who employ an assembly line to get the hats made. Even many of those hat makers who purport to making custom hats do this. One person to sew on the linings, sweat bands, another to press the hat bodies out of the hat mould, another to stitch on the bound brim and hat band. Finally the Master Hatter to fine tune the brim and crown if required. This is not the right or wrong way to make a hat - it's just a reality of the marketplace. If you want to turn out a lot of hats that's the only way - employing an assembly line. But we don't turn out thousands of hats a year, and by doing it all himself our Master Hatter maintains exceptional quality to keep us making one of the best hat's on the market. OUR HAT EXPERTS

All our hats are unique, one-of-a-kind, hand crafted fur-felt art. Order yours today.

Thank you for your understanding and we look forward to making you a great looking hat!  CLIENT TESTIMONIALS

• You'll need a friend, and a soft tape measure. You know - the type the fella uses to measure your trouser inseam.

• Look straight ahead and have your helper measure your head. Using the soft tape - they should measure over your hair, just above your ears, and a half inch above your eye brows. Make sure the tape is tight - but not uncomfortable. Measure twice - to be sure. Match your head measurement to the corresponding hat size (at right) and make a note of it.

Fur Felt
Fur-Felt is dense and virtually waterproof. It consists of beaver and/or rabbit fur blended with felt to produce a material that lasts 5-10 times longer than wool-felt. A fine fur-felt hat can be re-blocked and shaped numerous times, and is the best material from which to manufacture hats. Supposedly the higher the beaver content the higher the X factor - but unfortunately there is no standard within the hat making fraternity - and a lot of confusion. On the Internet few hat sellers tell you what their fur-felt is comprised of - not to mention seen straw hats promoted as 100X.

We sell 3 quality blends of fine western hats - 5X, 20X and 100X. 5X is a blend of 5-10% beaver with rabbit and felt. Our 20X is 50% beaver and our 100X is pure 100% beaver fur-felt. For an all weather hat - you can't beat a pure beaver cowboy hat. Light, stiff, and fabulous looking it'll shed what ever comes it's way. From the materials, to the workmanship - you won't find a better hat anywhere, at any price. We don't make promises - like all real cowboys we believe that just saying a thing is promise enough.

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.

Questions? Call: Toll: 1.866.207.1909 or e-mail us:

A Note about Color These are the most common colors readily available. There are some original hats on these pages that have been made with different colors. We have several more colors (in small quantities) available. Please contact us via e-mail at if you don't see the color you want - it may be available. Wearability: Light colors will reflect heat the best - while dark colors will retain the heat the most - with black being the worst for staying hot (black absorbs sunlight). However black is the most formal color so bowlers and top hats were generally black or dark gray. For the first 15-20 years cowboy hats were marketed - your choice of color was about 3 shades of brown.
Custom Hat Customers Want to order one of our custom made Last Best Cowboy Hats with a check or money order? Or maybe you have a friend or relative that would like to but doesn't have a computer. Now 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:
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.
Custom Wind String. Long and heavy leather thong includes this polished, hand-made antler slider. Never lose your hat again with this handsome stampede string. Add this custom wind string. to any of our custom hats for 25 dollars during the check out process. See more custom leather
Custom Cowboy Hat Box Custom all wood design keeps your hat nicely elevated off the brim for storage or travel. Adds that final touch for a presentation piece. Yes we know it's expensive. Yes we know you can buy plastic hat cases for 50 bucks - but is that the look you want for your Traditional Cowboy Hat?
	Buy for 235.00 | Shipping: 25.00 | Total 260.00 USD | Buy Now | Checkout NOTE: CUSTOM HAT BOX SHIPS SEPERATELY FROM YOUR HAT ORDER Fabulous Corporate Gift. Ceo retiring or an important customer need that special gift? We can have your company logo burned (branded) into the lid and a custom poster designed for the inside of the lid to go along with your Custom Hat order. We wouldn't even need their hat size. . .you could give them a gift certificate and let them pick their own design. We'd place the gift certificate for the hat inside the custom Hat Box. How's that for a creative, thoughtful gift - that'll be remembered for ever thanks to the branded box. Want to talk about what we can do? Call Toll Free: 1.866.207.1909 or e-mail us:   top of page

	Open Brim An Unfinished Brim is less expensive than bound and more for an everyday-do-yer-work type Cowboy Hat. The Calgary Cowboy Hat pictured at left was sold in the Sears-Roebuck, and Hudson Bay Company Catalogues in the early decades of the 20th century. Like the Calgary - most hats were shipped with uncreased crowns, and little or no shape to the brim. The manufacturers knew the cowboys wanted to personalize the hat themselves - so they shipped unfinished.   One advantage to the unfinished brim is your ability to shape and mold it to your taste - or change the look in the future.   How to make a Character Cowboy Hat
Cowboy Hat Traditions In the old west it was said the shape of the crown of your hat indicated your political views. If you wore a a flat top crown (Boss of the Plains, Top Hats, and others) you favored conservative (republican), law-and-order, or Monarchist views. If you wore a rounded crown (Bowlers, and most cowboy hats) you favored democracy (Liberal/Democrat), individual freedoms, and the such. Trust the newspapers to make wearing a hat a political statement. . . .
	Bound Brim A Bound Brim is more expensive than Open and more for a fancy dress or Town Hat. Finishes the brim off nicely with rich looking detail the Butch Cassidy Bowler to the left is an example of likely the most common headware in the mid to late 1800s in North America. A bowler was seen on everyone from butchers in New York to politicians in Washington and the western Outlaw; Butch Cassidy in Bolivia. A bound Brim CANNOT be re-worked or re-shaped.                    top of page
	Cowboy Hat Fact Humans have always used something to cover their head from the elements - but it wasn't until the 15th century that hats became a common part of people's dress. Many types of materials were used: Silk, velvet, taffeta, leather and wool felt. None of these materials was entirely satisfactory - because they all tended to loose their shape with extended exposure to rain and snow. When beaver fur was mixed with rabbit and felt, hat makers had the perfect material to make virtually weatherproof fine hats that kept their shape. A new continent seemed populated with an inexhaustible supply of beaver and so started the exploration and colonization of North America.

Cowboy Hat Care  
Traditional Cowboys never cleaned their Cowboy Hat - other than a simple slap with their hand, or against their leg as they picked themselves up. A rinsing was something rain or snow provided, or the hat got a bath when it's owner did. Good Hats were for the wealthy, a Range Cowboy made do with one - for every occasion. We subscribe to the traditionalist way - let your custom fur-felt cowboy hat age gracefully with you!

• When your hat gets wet let it dry naturally. Don't put it in the furnace room or use a blow dryer on it!
• Never lay your hat brim down. This puts a lot of stress on the brim and will cause it to lose its shape. Be sure that you place the hat on its crown with the brim up. 
• Hang the hat on a hat stand or some other such perch. The edge of a shelf works good - then the curled part of the brim is not taking any weight. Pant hangers (the clip kind) work very well - then your hat can be hung in the closet. Saddle horn works best!
• KEEP THE BOX YOUR CUSTOM HAT COMES IN FOR STORAGE OR TRAVEL. You could also make a cardboard ring that will hold the crown of the hat snugly. If you're storing your hat for an extended period - put it in a bag as dust will damage your hat over time - but be sure to leave the bag open slightly to allow air to circulate. If you don't mildew may occur. Our ingenious wooden cowboy hat box is another alternative.
• Always try to leave your hat in a cool, dry environment. NEVER in direct sunlight - or fading may occur. Probably not the best idea to leave it in your vehicle.
• Should you spill whiskey, beer or some other beverage on your hat rinse the spot immediately and brush with your finger. Let the hat dry naturally.
• If you get chocolate or some other sticky substance on your hat let it dry before attempting to clean. Grab a small knife and gingerly scrap the crud off. If you want to try returning it to like new - there are numerous commercial cleaners available for your Cowboy Hat. Your local seamstress/cobbler likely has a selection to choose from.

Disclaimer! Supplied as information only - your own common sense should always be followed.

Cowboy Hat Etiquette - By Longfellow
No other piece of clothing carries such a complicated set of rules involving it's wear. Here's some traditional rules for wearing a cowboy hat - and some we think are just good manners.       top of page

•  Any hat should be removed when eating anywhere, that includes baseball caps!
•  Any hat should be removed when the national anthem of any country is played. Hold your hat in your right hand, over your heart. This applies to women, unless their hat is held on with hat pins.
• Cowboys tip their hats to ladies when out doors, remove them when being introduced, and remove them when entering a ladies home.
• Men never tipped their hats to other men in the Old West. It was akin to calling them a woman. A nod was a common greeting when not shaking hands. The Code of the West
• In commercial or public buildings it's not necessary to remove your hat - but should be when entering a private office. Generally considered polite to remove it in a private home, unless other people are wearing their hat.
•  Wearing a {cowboy} hat to a theatre or movie is fine but should be removed if it blocks anyone's view of the entertainment.

  There's many more hat rules then those listed - but if you can remember these - you'll do fine partner!

Custom Traditional Cowboy Hats

Western Movie Hats

Rodeo Cowboy Hats