Hat Care

David Morgan is pleased to offer a wide range of quality hats including Akubra fur felt hats from Australia, Panama hats and more.

List All Hats

We offer hat care information in our Hat Manual and here. Additional information can be found by viewing our YouTube channel on Hat Care, including:

Wearing and Caring for your Akubra

Akubra Hats are made to be worn by active outdoors people. They are made to give full satisfaction during years of service, through sun and rain. There is no need to baby your Akubra, but if you treat it with understanding, it will look better and last longer.

Do not pick up your hat by pinching the crown, either at the top or front. Pinching will flex the felt, and eventually cause a hole or crack to develop in the felt. It is best to pick up the hat either by the front and back of the brim, or by placing the thumbs inside the leather sweat band at the sides with the fingers just touching the outside of the brim, as shown below.

Rain or sun do not harm a pure fur felt hat. There is no need for plastic rain covers -- these merely keep the felt from breathing properly and so make your head uncomfortable. Do not heat a wet hat. Heat will shrink the felt, as well as the leather. Stand the hat upside down on its crown, or hang on a hook in a cool place and let it dry naturally. Wet felt retains the shape in which it dries, so make sure the brim and crown are shaped as you want them before drying. Do not leave a hat standing flat on its brim, as this will distort the brim. Never put your hat on the back ledge of your car or truck in the sun, as the heat may shrink and damage the leather sweatband. If your hats must of necessity be dried or stored under warm conditions, regular use of a Hat Stretcher will be beneficial.

Dust and grime are bound to accumulate on a hat under any normal conditions. Dust can be removed by brushing with a soft brush. Always brush with the nap, in a counterclockwise direction. Dust can also be removed by wiping the hat with a damp (not wet) towel.

A braided leather hat band, such as our Fancy Edge Hat Band, sets off a hat well. When fitting a band, a stitch on each side to hold it in place is good practice.

Chin straps, known in cattle country as stampede strings, ensure against loss of your hat in wind, water or brush. Our Stampede String works well with all our Akubra hats and most Panamas we offer, as does the Akubra Breakaway Chin Strap. Please see [Attaching A Chin Strap to Your Akubra] for more information.

Renovation of Your Akubra Hat

With a little care, an Akubra hat should last years. If your Akubra meets with an accident, or suffers abuse, consider having it renovated. A good quality fur felt hat can be cleaned and renovated successfully. In a full renovation the hat is disassembled -- the hat band, sweatband, lining and edge binding on the brim (if any) are removed. The felt is then dry cleaned and re-blocked to size and shape. The hat is then reassembled, using the old bands and lining, if they are in good condition after cleaning, or new bands and lining. In a partial renovation the hat may be spot cleaned and re-blocked to size and shape. Holes in the felt, as those caused by picking up the hat by the front pinch or edge of the crown, cannot be repaired.

Hat renovators, once common in most cities and towns, are now few in number. We have provided a list of known Hat Renovators. If you do not have a hatter locally, we suggest you contact one of these renovators.

Panama Hat Care

With reasonable care, Panama hats will last well. While extremely light fine weaves may be folded and rolled, the firmer weaves we offer should not be crushed. Pick the hat up by the brim, not by the crown or the peak, even though the peak is reinforced. Panama hats are designed for protection from the sun. Do not wear them as a rain hat. If you are caught in a shower and your Panama gets wet, let it dry naturally without heat, with crown and brim in the proper shape. When you put your hat down temporarily place it on its crown, so as not to distort the brim. Store the hat on a hat rack or supported at the sweat band in a hat box. Use a soft brush to remove dust.

Wool Felt Hat Care

Wool Felt Hats should be brushed to remove any surface dirt. For deeper cleaning, use
cold water and a mild detergent on the dirty spots. Rinse well then air dry.

For more information ...

Please follow the links below for more information about hat care, Akubra hats and related items. We invite you to watch our YouTube Videos pertaining to hats including how to measure your head for a hat, care and bashing an open crown hat.

Hat Sizing
Hat FAQs
Hat Manual (pdf)
Akubra Hats
Fedoras & City Hats