Outback Trading Company Men's 1392 Broken Hill Cowboy Hat

FINALLY! I have been looking for a western-style (or outback-style) hat for the winter months for the last 8 weeks. I’ve purchased 5...yes, FIVE different hats and returned them all for some reason or another. I’m VERY picky with hats, mostly because I know exactly what I want in just about every regard from brim width and shape, to crown size, color, material, and durability. This is the hat I’ve been looking for. Deep enough to fit my head and not feel like it’s going to slip off. Beautiful, SLIGHTLY upturned western-style brim (this was something that I really wanted in a winter hat) that is nice and wide to keep the sun out of my face. Majority of the other hats that I purchased and tried had brims that were WAY too short be useful for actual outdoor activities like trail riding which is what I needed this for. It came with a stampede strap, a MUST HAVE for trail riding. Nothing worse than a nice, long gallop down the trail and having to keep one hand on the top of your head the whole time to prevent your darn hat from flying off in the wind, possibly spooking another horse in the process. Lordy. So glad those days are going to be over. Stampede straps can also be pretty darn expensive if you have to buy them separately so the fact that this hat came with a stampede strap already hooked up and ready to go is really a fantastic feature in my opinion. I also love that it is a loop stampede strap. This means that it goes through two holes on each side of the hat’s brim and the string wraps around the back of the crown. These are much more sturdy and dependable than pin-style stampede straps which you push up between two seams in the sweatband and then spread/bend the two pins apart to keep it in place. The issue with these is that they tend to be flimsy and the hardware can fail causing the strap to come apart when you’re riding (or driving, boating, etc) at higher speeds. This hat is a gorgeous color. The perfect cool-toned medium to medium-dark brown. Going to match all of my cowgirl/riding wear perfectly. I love that it is 100% wool which means it will repel water naturally. I also purposefully searched for a winter hat that was 100% wool and not a blend of materials in order to ensure that my head would stay toasty warm during my cool weather rides. I live in Arizona, so winters here probably have some people wondering why in the heck I would even need a “winter hat,” but when you’re a desert rat like I am, basically anything below 70* F is cold enough for me to abandon my trusty summer straw hat and search for something that keeps me warm in the early mornings. I will comment on the fact that this hat runs a little on the large size, HOWEVER, not so large that I would suggest ordering a size down. I bought my regular size (medium, I wear a perfect 7, or 22”) and just added a couple pieces of adhesive-backed felt to the sweatband to provide a softer pad against my forehead and reduce the size to a fit that’s comfortable and more snug on my melon. This hat arrived JUST in time to take with me on a trip to Florida this week where I’ll be camping in the mountains and riding everyday. The forecast is colder than satan’s soul. Well, for an Arizonan, that is ;) so I can’t wait to see how this baby holds up in the lower temps. It is also supposed to be raining a good bit while I’m there so I’m interested to see how effective this particular hat will be at repelling the moisture. I am also going to test the “crushable” theory as I’ll be packing this on my carry on. Although, I like it so much, I may just wear it right onto the plane. I will post some pictures at a later date, maybe when I come back to update this review. In the meantime, 100 stars. I’m so pleased. The search is over.

Better to go a size down on these crushable wool hats which was recommended and I did. Great looking and will travel well in luggage

A mostly crushable hat with vague measurements. Look, you're thinking of buying this hat because you didnt want to spend an atrocious $400 on the hat you really want. You think that this hat will work fine, tide you over until you get the money for the other hat, and do what it needs to do. Here's the reality. You're buying a place holder. It's not what you want, but it's "good enough". If this hat suits your taste, you're going to want the custom made, personalized hat even more. And if you don't like it, you feel like it's still a justified purchase because you didn't waste all your money. But the thing is... this hat isn't really sized well, so it likely won't feel as nice. It's construction means its really hot (meant for cold weather). It looks nice, and is almost crushable (except the wire in the brim). You'll be glad you bought this, not because its a great item, but because its a great gateway. Its the hat you buy trying to decide if you want to go full cowboy, or if its not worth it. And to me, it was the latter.

Size runs large. Otherwise, beautiful. Exactly like described. However color is much darker than expected

Size small was much too large I wear Stetson small. This caught my eye. Hat made well and disappointed it did not fit. No xsmall option.

This hat is great! Well made, looks good, comfortable and fits perfectly.

It makes one wonder just what a hat vendor thinks when they ship a cowboy hat in a flimsy plastic bag. Do they really expect it to be in good shape when it reaches its destination? Bad decision-making from this vendor. The hat was great, fit well but very misshapen because it was crushed. A waste of my time to order and return.

Exactly as described and the sizing is spot on. That made me hesitant to buy but its good. Also sweat bands that are super cheap tend to cause a weird reaction. Guessing something in the processing. No issues with this one.

très beau et le chapeau le plus confortable que j’ai eu

sizes run very large. had to return first one and size down even further with foam but hubby loves it and gets complements every time he wears it.

They made holes in the brim for a leather rope that is USELESS ……

Hat arrived bent up and distorted poorly packaged! Hat is off centre oblong and chinstrap holes are very uneven. I expected better quality.

Make sure you check the size are your waited 3 1/2 weeks for mine and got the wrong size. Sent.