Icon of the Australian Outback: The Australian Outback Hat
A symbol of the untamed and exciting terrain of the Australian outback, the Aussie outback hat is a classic. Aside from that, it is truly an icon of the wild, thrilling, romantic, daring lifestyles you see in some modern movies. Think of character actors like Paul Hogan, as “diamond in the rough”, Crocodile Dundee. What about Harrison Ford as the educated, yet adventurous and tough, Indiana Jones. Where would they be without their Australian Outback hats?
It is almost impossible not to think of Crocodile Dundee when we see an oiled, waterproof leather outback hat with a band of crocodile teeth. Indiana Jones wore the crushable wool outback hat, the bao outback hat and the famous whip hatband outback hat among others during his series of Indiana Jones movies.
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.
Although often confused with the Safari Hat, the outback hat is similar to the Safari hat only with regard to the crown and is far more similar to the American cowboy hat with regard to its brim than to the Safari Hat.
Often thought of as the Australian version of the American cowboy hat, the outback hat has a flat top and a wider brim than either the Safari hat or the fedora of which that latter is noted for its stingy brim. The Aussie outback hat was designed with a wider brim to shield the wearer?s head and face from the relentless sun and sharp rains of the outback as well as other more diverse weather conditions of rural Australia such as wind and snow.
In comparison to the American cowboy hat; its counterpart, the Australian outback hat has a wide brim that is only slightly curled up at the sides unlike the American cowboy hat which far more dramatically curled up at the sides. The outback hat style can be curled downward in both the front and back to offer more complete sun, wind and rain protection. In fact the Australian outback hat was designed first and foremost to protect the wearer from the relentless sun and heat typical in 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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