Fedora Hat storage

[LoveMyHats2]

While I was out of town last week, my wife made me an anniversary gift... kind of an "us" present. I'd been looking to find some way of collecting my hats in one place - also keeping them out in view so I can see (remember) what I have and encourage a varied wearing rotation.

We have a spare bedroom that Donna uses as a sewing room and library for her costume design resource books. Years ago we had two shelving units in there but after a while sold one at a yard sale. Donna ran into the fellow that had bought the shelves years before and asked if he was still using them. She wound up buying them back and setting them up in the sewing room for my hats. She put a ribbon on it and surprised me on my return home, adding a small sewing box for my hat repair tools and brushes. It was a great present. For you young guys, we all reach a point in life where empty space (physical and mental) is worth it's weight in gold.

This past weekend I spent a little time getting organized. I wanted to get most of the hats out of boxes because I tend to forget what's in them. I left in boxes only the rare and fragile hats and the few where the box is clearly original. Donna got me some 1/2 foam, which I cut and stapled to make a support ring. It helps shoulder the weight of the stacked hats and protect the ribbons from damage.

It's a work in progress. There are still some additional hats scattered around the house. And I need to do a better job storing the summer straws. But now I can see what I have and decide what to wear a little better. Did I mention that I love my wife?

Your hats and as many of them that you have, leave me speechless. In my dreams I wish I owned even half of those.

I leave hats in the boxes they came in, and will normally allow a hat to "air out" for an hour or so after wearing, before placing it in the box.

 

[HatsEnough]

Hmm, I guess in about 20-30 years when we begin to die off, there will be a lot of vintage hats for sale.

I am taking mine with me, baby!

 

[EggHead]

I am taking mine with me, baby!

I know, I think there will be a lot of "You're not getting mine!"

 

[VetPsychWars]

Your hats and as many of them that you have, leave me speechless. In my dreams I wish I owned even half of those.

Really? Why? While I have no issue with a man spending his money how it pleases him... I despair of getting so many hats that I don't wear them. I get no pleasure out of an object just to have it if I cannot use it... and I'm a little worried that I have more than I will wear.

As for my own storage, I have something similar to this and will get this one, two shelves bigger....

Hanging Organizer

Tom

 

[Aureliano]

Great way to store your hats, Alan! I used to have mine all in boxes and it was a struggle to remember them and to wear them. Back some years I had many more. I've posted this before but I deleted them from photobucket. I just re-shot these shelves I made to show again how I have my hats. Way fewer than before. As for dust, not a real problem. They get worn often and a simple brush takes care of it. I have some of my lighter felts covered with plastic, that helps See? there's even an empty square now!

 

[alanfgag]

Really? Why? While I have no issue with a man spending his money how it pleases him... I despair of getting so many hats that I don't wear them. I get no pleasure out of an object just to have it if I cannot use it... and I'm a little worried that I have more than I will wear.
Tom

I think many of us can relate to that feeling and like many, I likely have too many. My hope is that having the hats out and in my hands will help me achieve the balance. It's in that spirit that I share the pictures.

cheers,
Alan

 

[HatsEnough]

Really? Why? While I have no issue with a man spending his money how it pleases him... I despair of getting so many hats that I don't wear them. I get no pleasure out of an object just to have it if I cannot use it... and I'm a little worried that I have more than I will wear.

Well, if you approach a passion solely with pure logic (and if you do I say it's no passion) I guess you just might limit yourself to 1 or 2 hats. But when you "get into" hats, Id submit you are naturally going to end up with more than you need from utility.

Besides.... never say never!

 

[EggHead]

Just ask Imelda Markos!

 

[LoveMyHats2]

Really? Why? While I have no issue with a man spending his money how it pleases him... I despair of getting so many hats that I don't wear them. I get no pleasure out of an object just to have it if I cannot use it... and I'm a little worried that I have more than I will wear.

As for my own storage, I have something similar to this and will get this one, two shelves bigger....

Hanging Organizer

Tom

I wish you to back your truck up a bit here, my statement regarding viewing the hats this man owns as "leaving me speechless" is far from a statement on my behalf to be "observed" in any means of negative in nature and in fact looking upon my further comments I state I wish I had half that many.

Additionally I have no mention in reference to the amount of which he (or anyone else for that matter) would desire to spend on hats.

 

[Aureliano]

I hope this thread doesn't turn ugly.

 

[LoveMyHats2]

I hope this thread doesn't turn ugly.

I hope it does not either, I just desire that no one wants to get into twisting anything I state and then running away from it.

 

[PabloElFlamenco]

Storage of hats...a difficult matter. Hats, especially if you have more than a few, take up a lot of room, and because of the ever present (imaginary or otherwise) threat from moths, cannot be just kept on a hatrack. How do I keep my hats?

Well, it ain't pretty: they're all over the place. In the (enclosed) veranda, under a desk, in our bedroom, stashed away in several wardrobes, wherever there is some room for one or more of these boxes.

Most are in fact kept in various vintage travel hatcases I bought on eBay: Samsonite, most of them, American Tourister, and Imperial being some of the brands. The advantage is that these type of travel cases are not only reasonably "pretty" to look at, they're also very solid, and have a rubber or synthetic type (sometimes aluminum) closure system which, I believe, keeps any kind of insects out of the box. Because these cases do not have a proper support inside, I used some I had as a model to make made-to-fit supports. Mostly, hat supports consist of two elements: the first a vaguely circular or elliptical flat section of stiff cardboard, sporting a more or less circular hole in the middle, which hole is traversed by a (more or less) cylindrical tube of a certain height. This "tube" is easily made from a section of cardboard, stapled together (usually one side has a somewhat larger diameter than the other side of that tube), anyway...duck tape does wonders in assembling this item. It's no rocket science at all and such supports can be made to be perfectly fitting...

Then I have some cardboard boxes, such as one I'm very proud of, from "Optimo" (Chicago), then some "restored" old Stetson box, my battered original "Stetson 100" box, and then some awful plain cardboard things from Justin and other "modern day" (western) hat factories.

I strongly recommend those vintage Samsonites, though. They're not really cheap, but they're perfect for the purpose!

Pablo

 

[Chepstow]

Hi guys, I have the same problem sometimes, that's what I do when I get a Hatbox without
Inlay.
a old German Wegener Hatbox with Inlay

I take a strip of cardboard, cut him and glue him or tape it together at the correct length

then i glue him into the Box.

you can make different stripes for big or small Hats, high Crown, low Crown

 

[LoveMyHats2]

Hi guys, I have the same problem sometimes, that's what I do when I get a Hatbox without
Inlay.
a old German Wegener Hatbox with Inlay

I take a strip of cardboard, cut him and glue him or tape it together at the correct length

then i glue him into the Box.

you can make different stripes for big or small Hats, high Crown, low Crown

Very well done, thank you!

 

[LoveMyHats2]

Storage of hats...a difficult matter. Hats, especially if you have more than a few, take up a lot of room, and because of the ever present (imaginary or otherwise) threat from moths, cannot be just kept on a hatrack. How do I keep my hats?

Well, it ain't pretty: they're all over the place. In the (enclosed) veranda, under a desk, in our bedroom, stashed away in several wardrobes, wherever there is some room for one or more of these boxes.

Most are in fact kept in various vintage travel hatcases I bought on eBay: Samsonite, most of them, American Tourister, and Imperial being some of the brands. The advantage is that these type of travel cases are not only reasonably "pretty" to look at, they're also very solid, and have a rubber or synthetic type (sometimes aluminum) closure system which, I believe, keeps any kind of insects out of the box. Because these cases do not have a proper support inside, I used some I had as a model to make made-to-fit supports. Mostly, hat supports consist of two elements: the first a vaguely circular or elliptical flat section of stiff cardboard, sporting a more or less circular hole in the middle, which hole is traversed by a (more or less) cylindrical tube of a certain height. This "tube" is easily made from a section of cardboard, stapled together (usually one side has a somewhat larger diameter than the other side of that tube), anyway...duck tape does wonders in assembling this item. It's no rocket science at all and such supports can be made to be perfectly fitting...

Then I have some cardboard boxes, such as one I'm very proud of, from "Optimo" (Chicago), then some "restored" old Stetson box, my battered original "Stetson 100" box, and then some awful plain cardboard things from Justin and other "modern day" (western) hat factories.

I strongly recommend those vintage Samsonites, though. They're not really cheap, but they're perfect for the purpose!

Pablo

Yes that is perhaps a great suggestion. Sort of hard to find (for me at least). I have been wanting to actually build/construct a hat case for both storage and transport, something similar to the luggage style but totally custom looking and very eye appealing, light weight yet strong enough to be jounced around. When I finish one, I will probably post a few pictures to allow anyone to view how it looks and offer a custom made for anyone that may desire to own one.

 

[Chepstow]

i have to thank LoveMyHats2, We've got all the problem

 

[job]

I recently posted this before but it works here also. I am displaying a few and keeping some boxed up for all the reasons given in this thread. I use Command Hooks. No holes, removable, etc.

 

[LoveMyHats2]

I recently posted this before but it works here also. I am displaying a few and keeping some boxed up for all the reasons given in this thread. I use Command Hooks. No holes, removable, etc.

Wow that is a really sharp way to hang a hat. I have often wondered if leaving a hat "out" like that being on a hat hook, stand, or display, could possible afford the moths to have a feast? That one worry is a main reason that I always put a hat in the box after wearing it.

When I view some of the post from those that have so many nice hats on shelves, I am concerned the hats may come under attack by pests, and have wondered if that happens and how to avoid it?

 

[job]

Lucky for me I have never heard of moths around my neck of the woods.

 

[PabloElFlamenco]

Lucky for me I have never heard of moths around my neck of the woods.

I live near an airport, and you should see those "Tiger Moths": classic eat-my-hat beaters! ;-)