Anyone ever wear straw Campaign hats for Sun?

[ddog]

I do need some shade for the ears and back of head that a baseball cap does not cover, and a little "full head circumference" shade on middle hours of the day when no shade is available.

Rather have a Texas Ranger straw hat by Wrangler, but if Campaign hat is the appropriate uniform... Campaign hat looks like a lot of do dads to get with it: brim press, cord, chin strap, and rain cover.

I'd appreciate feedback from actual users or someone who's considered an alternative to frying your brain in hot year round Sun. And yes, its a drill sergeant, state trooper, and smokey the bear hat.

[K-9 Aussie]

It's good to see that some people take getting sunburnt seriously, not to mention the unprofessional image of looking like a drowned rat when it rains with no headwear.

We are lucky "down under" as we have an excellent hat manufacturer by the well known Aussie brand name Akubbra. They make excellent broad brimmed hats. I wear one daily myself and it's part of my uniform. When the burning summer heats here in Australia is trying to cook us to a crisp, it keeps me free from sunburn, yet when we get the wild afternoon thunderstorms and the subsequent rain it keeps my head dry. One of the best investments you could make to your uniform is a broad brimmed hat.

[SecTrainer]

Yes, I've worn both straw and soft (felt?) hats (both trooper and sheriff's styles) as part of summer/winter uniform changes. The straw hats are much less subject to deformation of the brim when not being worn, and are more rugged generally regarding daily use. And, they are cooler than most other hats. The soft/felt hats were more of a pain to maintain. Since the climate was fairly temperate in winter, one agency I know of went to straw year-round.

Neither hat is your best friend in a fight, and based on cost alone I wouldn't recommend either one. A more subtle reason that I wouldn't recommend particularly the trooper style hat is that I believe most people find it is rather pretentious- or "wannabe-"looking and perhaps even comical when worn by security officers, especially in states where just about the only ones wearing such a style are the state police. The sheriff's hat doesn't suffer quite so much from this problem.

[N. A. Corbier]

For Sarasota, you can get away with wearing the campaign hat as everyone else does.

However, I have to ask ddog, is the campaign hat the authorized cover for your company, or are you wearing it because that's what everyone wears?

As far as the campaign hat, the only thing you need is a one piece hat strap.

[Hank1]

As I posted in another thread, the only time we (CIS) wear campaign hats is during funerals and other cermonial occasions. Otherwise, hats of any type or style are unauthorized unless permission is given by the Commander of Uniformed Patrol Division.

Be safe,

Hank

[ddog]

For Sarasota, you can get away with wearing the campaign hat as everyone else does.

However, I have to ask ddog, is the campaign hat the authorized cover for your company, or are you wearing it because that's what everyone wears?

As far as the campaign hat, the only thing you need is a one piece hat strap.

Thanks for all the replies guys. I wanted the Wrangler official Texas Ranger hat since its a 20X weave, and the tightest Stetson I've found is a 10X. As well, it has little Gold Texas Ranger stars around the head band (black or brown); and in FL, 'Ranger' was not a prohibited word on SO uniforms. Still, 'Texas Ranger' may be deceiving even though real tiny and hardly big enough to read.

http://www.texasranger.org/store/Pro...anglerHats.htm

But I have already been given a wrong size campaign hat (to be exchanged next week) that is already flipping on the lid, brand new, like a flower gardners hat: hence the need for the $25 flat hat press. The nice gold cords on the top of the hat are what the chin strap attaches to as well. Probably can get by without the rain cover though. Still, I'd rather pay $20 more and get the Ranger hat than these doodads to make it look professional; but need the 'correct' uniform and campaign hat is my uniform alternative. I was going to put the gold SO or rank pin on the front of the hat.

http://www.qmuniforms.com/search.asp...ent%2EHeadwear

Worked around Drill Sgts in US Army at a training unit, so know how hats should be handled. I'll still carry my baseball hat so when getting chow, can tuck brim under belt on my back for convienience. But for standing in sun, wow, my baseball hat currently melts into my head and all uncovered skin on head is burnt in short order. And its hard responding to the constant people variability when you brain is bubbling

[Bill Warnock]

Nothing beats running around in the Southwest Texas sun with a "Tee" shirt athletic shorts and sneakers. Now try North Africa, Little Rock and Guam with dazzling sunlight on an bleached white aircraft parking area with just a baseball type fatigue cover for years. You find out years later melanoma has become your dearest friend. You lose part of your ear, chest, upper back and arms resemble the works of a mad stitch artist. You have trouble with your left eye, and lo and behold your retina has this neat little hole burned in the middle. Cataract surgeons become your dearest friends. They all ask you the same question, "Were you ever in military service, perhaps US Navy? No Air Force, ramp rat. That's fun explaining. Would have loved to have had a broad brimmed cover and sunglasses. Never knew what UVA and B were until it was too late.
Enjoy the day,
Bill

[N. A. Corbier]

Nice hat. I wouldn't wear the Texas Ranger one, though, because it would violate 493.6118 - Official Authority. Simply by having a badge of office (the Badge of the Texas Rangers) on your hat, someone can make a case for "impersonating official authority," which has a lot looser definition than "impersonating an officer."

[ddog]

Nice hat. I wouldn't wear the Texas Ranger one, though, because it would violate 493.6118 - Official Authority. Simply by having a badge of office (the Badge of the Texas Rangers) on your hat, someone can make a case for "impersonating official authority," which has a lot looser definition than "impersonating an officer."

Yep, unfortunately you'd have to take that nice Ranger hat band off (probably half of straw hat price), but it would still be one heck of a nice hat. The 'white' hat for the sun and to symbolize the 'good' guy would be nice as well.

A smile with wearing the campaign hat may seem cynical due to images of drill sgts and smokies giving tickets. It should get some attention though and help keep me from getting run over, with cell phones sticking out of drivers ears.

[blocka]

As K-9 Aussie said we got a great Hat manufacturer down here called Akubra. Great for All weather conditions, rain, wind or stinking hot. And they look bloody good, I love my Black longhorn
http://www.rmwilliams.com.au/templat...79FEFCF3376FA4

[FireEMSPolice]

We have them and were required to wear them out in view of the public when I started. Now we just wear them for rain with a hat "condom" on or for special events as designated by management. The problem is that we dont buy each officer a new hat. At $50.00 each, its not something I can write a purchase order for. Its unsanitary to inherit another officers "head funk"

[flashlightcop509]

In our company, you are authorized to wear one once you attain the CPO certification; We've got like 8 CPO's in my area, but only 3 of us wear them. I don't really wear it for sun since I work nights shifts, but I do cover the occasional special event during the day and it is nice for keeping the sun from frying my face, eyes, etc. I've also got one of the hat covers (black waterproof nylon type, the clear plastic ones look like crap) since I'm outdoors alot in the winter, and after paying close to $100 for it, I ain't getting it ruined by snow and the like...

[ddog]

In our company, you are authorized to wear one once you attain the CPO certification; We've got like 8 CPO's in my area, but only 3 of us wear them. I don't really wear it for sun since I work nights shifts, but I do cover the occasional special event during the day and it is nice for keeping the sun from frying my face, eyes, etc. I've also got one of the hat covers (black waterproof nylon type, the clear plastic ones look like crap) since I'm outdoors alot in the winter, and after paying close to $100 for it, I ain't getting it ruined by snow and the like...

Great point about the rain covers. I used to have lots of beaver felt Stetsons and the clear covers do look like a big used condom.

Not sure if I need a cover on a straw hat or not. The only thing to worry about would be the black ribbon on outside of hat and the beaver felt head strap inside hat. But that may be enough of a concern, along with a leather chin strap.

I'll have to start remembering some of my Army boot camp marching cadence songs, lol. Yours looks pretty sharp any way. I forgot about your campaign hat. A beaver felt hat would be a sweat box in middle FL or lower, and pretty much useless down here except inside in air conditioning

I'm looking foward to a little relief, even though we just broke through the mid day 90F barrier last week. Its 80+/-10F year round at some point during the day down here, most of the time. So the Sun is a real killer, and straw campaign hats look like the optimum coverage with 4" horizontal coverage around my 24" head (7-5/8 hat size)

[gcmc security part 2]

Trust me, wear the rain cover with the straw hats. They will get wet and the straw will weaken and get misshapened and look like doo.

[ddog]

gcmc security part 2,

Thanks, I will. With brim straightener and extras, mine will be about $90 total. That should be about the only care required, so it will not be a problem at all.



flashlightcop509,

May I please ask where you purchased your black vinyl rain cover at? I've never seen one of those before. Thanks in advance!