Sunday, March 8, 2009

?The Australian Outback Hat, An Aussie Icon

By Josh Arnett

The Australian outback hat is symbolic of the exciting and untamed terrain of the Australian outback. Moreover, it is the icon of the wildly thrilling, romantic and daring lifestyles represented in modern movies by such character actors like Paul Hogan, who played the rough around the edges, Crocodile Dundee and Harrison Ford who played the educated, adventurous and tough, Indiana Jones.

When you think of Crocodile Dundee, you are sure to picture his well-known oiled, waterproof leather outback hat adorned with a band of crocodile teeth. Indiana Jones wore a wide variety of outback hats in his movies. At various times, he could be seen sporting the famous whip hatband outback hat, the crushable wool outback hat, the bao outback hat and others.

The Aussie outback hat features a teardrop shaped crown that is about 4 inches high. The brim is typically 3 to 4 inches wide. The outback hat can be made of rabbit fur felt or other animal fur felt, crushable wool felt, canvas, straw, oiled, waterproof leather or even snake skin. It can come with or without the chin strap and just about any type of hatband.

The Aussie Outback hat is often confused with the Safari Hat; it is actually only like the Safari hat where the crown is concerned. It is really quite a bit more like the American cowboy hat in the brim. It's brim is really not at all like that of the Safari Hat.

We often think of it as the Australian version of the American cowboy hat. The Australian outback hat has a wider brim and a flatter top than the Safari hat or the fedora. Of course, fedoras are known for their stingy brims. The Aussie outback hat has a nice wide brim. This helps to shield the wearers head and face from the grueling sun and the harsh rains of the outback. It is also good protection against even worse weather conditions that exist in rural Australia. Strong wind and snow are just two examples.

When you compare the American cowboy hat to its counterpart, the Australian outback hat, you will see the differences. For one thing, the Aussie hat has a wide brim that just curls up a bit at the sides. The American cowboy hat, on the other hand, has a far more dramatic upward curl on the sides. You can curl your outback hat down in the back and the front to give you even more protections from the wind, rain and sun. As a matter of fact, the Australian outback hat was originally designed for the simple purpose of protecting the wearer from the unrelenting heat and sun that are typical of the Australian outback.

The most popular outback hat type today is said to be the Snowy River style which became famous with the release of the Disney movie, The Man from Snowy River. It is a pre-creased, stockman hat with a 3.5 inch brim. The sides are rolled up and both front and back are curved down to provide maximum protection from the elements.

It takes a certain sort of face to do an American cowboy hat justice, but an Aussie outback hat looks great on everyone! You can't beat an Australian Outback hat if you are looking for good protection from rain, wind, and even snow. They give more protection from these elements and from the sun than you will find in any other hat. Actually, I'd say that when you wear an Aussie outback style hat you are very likely to find that you are inspired to grab yourself a bit of excitement, romance and adventure!

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