Hat Tricks
Written by Tod Bell,
Rockn’ B Hats Owner/Operator
This month lets talk about hat shapes:
There ar multiple different hat shapes to choose from; the cattleman, the Minnick, the brick, the Gus, and the cool hand look or CHL just to name a few.
The cattleman is probably the most widely used hat shape in the cowboy hat market. This hat shape has a 4 and a half inch tall crown with longer shaped indents on the side. Most pre-shaped hats come in the cattleman.
The Minnick. Has a crown height of about 4 and three quarters inches, the indent on the top is not as deep as the cattleman therefore the crown is a bit higher. The sides generally have a smaller dimple but can have longer indents depending on your liking.
The brick is a square shaped crown with a crown height of about 4 and a half inches the center of the brick is generally pushed back up just bit as to not hit the top of the head when the hat is worn. The indents on the side are longer shaped indents much like the cattleman.
The Gus is named after the movie character Augustus McCray from the movie Lonesome Dove. The front of the crown is about 4 and a quarter inches and tapers upward to the back of the hat. The sides are somewhat egg shaped going from the from of the hat to the back.
The CHL or cool hand Luke is very similar to an open crown. The top of the crown is pushed down slightly in a circular motion. The side indents are small oval shaped indents very similar to the Minnick.
These are just a few of the many hat shapes that are available to you as a cowboy hat owner. My suggestion to you would be to research hat shapes and see which shape you like. Most hat shapers should be able to show you different hat shapes to help you choose which shape is best for you. In the end there is no right or wrong shape it all comes down to your personnel style and liking.