Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Fur hats

Who's got em. Mine is land otter with fur on both sides of the ear flaps. Way too hot until it is about 15 below. My next one will be beaver with fur on only one side of the ear flap.

Got one with beaver. Almost too hot to wear if your very active.....although it's not too warm to use right now since temps are pushing -50.

I have 3, 1 beaver, ball cap type, a otter trooper hat and a Alaskan trapper, River otter & grey leather with the flaps, all are very warm, the last one I wear a brimless Story Kromer under it, my cold weather, & ice fishing Hat! John

Mine is silver fox and too warm for almost any use around here... Though today is trying to make it a useful hat...

Mines wolf. wore it the first time in 3-4 years yesterday. --- Mel

I like to cover my head and face with beaver,
YMMV.

Got two.One beaver and another made of otter which is my favorite.Had a wolverine one one time and it was very warm but those long hairs were itchy.A guy offered me too much money to refuse for it, so away it went!

I have a mink one, with fabric, it's wonderful, very warm and also very attractive. I also have a mink headband. Also very warm, but not as nice looking as the hat.

M

pak,

Good weather for it, eh? My hat is exactly like yours. Land otter top to bottom. Been a great hat for going on 20 years. I think it is THE fur for hats. Much more durable than the long fur w/guard hairs, and is PLENTY warm!

Jeff

Otter is the fur for anything when durability is an issue... Really pretty stuff, too.

sheep skin is what I got .maybe -5 coldest Ive had it in.nothing as cold as the rest of you all . was a gift am glad to have it.

For looks, I really like the hats with orangeish colored marten.


Jeff,
If you have had only one hat for all this time it is a true demonstration of durability.
pak

Beaver pelt here. A mink coat and coyote fur hood for the wife though.

I don't mean to rain on anybody's parade, but, IMHO, fur trapper hats are Alaskan cowboy hats. A fashion statement with limited utility. It may be warm in the short term, but if a fur hat gets wet from sweat or water, they are unlikely to dry without being taken to a heated space and dried properly.

2 decades ago, I took my beautiful Effie Kockrine martin hat on a famous 1000+ mile sled dog race, along with a spare, more utilitarian "musher" hat. I was outside in fierce cold (-55˚at night) windy (30+ mph was common that year.), snowy (47" fell on the race) weather for 19 days. Once my martin hat got wet, it was useless. Got it fairly dry at a checkpoint, put it in a plastic bag, and hauled it as cargo for the rest of the race. My "musher" hat did a better job .... would dry out while I was wearing it, and still keeping me warm. Fur hats are beautiful, and useful for some, but for REAL hardcore use, I use hats of synthetic materials. Fur hats are companion pieces for wool and cotton. (I do, though, use Smartwool socks and love them.)

There is one place where nothing can replace fur. Fur ruffs are a necessity, up here. Nothing has replaced a nice wolf or wolverine ruff for saving your face from being ravaged by sub-zero cold and wind. I prefer wolverine - I think it's prettier, and last longer; and moisture doesn't ice it up and make it brittle. (Wolf ruffs look ratty after only a few years.) No substitute for a good fur ruff.

Just my humble opinion.

Does my rabbit Mad Bomber hat count?
But I'm all dressed up with no place to go-- The house has central heating; the town has an ordinance against impersonating the Imperial Grand Dork; and wearing it where I really need it, out in the snow while hunting rabbits and coyotes, is tantamount to suicide!


BTW, did any old-timers really have a coon tail wagging down their backs? Besides Fess Parker, that is.

endgameAK, while the circumstances you describe were extreme, at best, and most of the equipment used was probably less than adequate. You probably replaced parts on your sled and dropped some dogs. Alaskan cowboy hat is IMO a bit harsh. For alot of activities, a fur hat is probably just fine, such as ice fishing or after heavy activity. I find mine is just too hot for anything but low activity. Besides they are too damn expensive to tear up and synthetic is much more versatile.

What year did you run the race? I flew on parts of the trail in '90 and '91.
pak

Always thought red squirrel would make a cool hat. Pill box style (or whatever the flat top type is called) withred and tan stripes around the side.

Might take a few for a hat...good thing tree cougar numbers are legion!

Was out looking for set locations and had a pair of lynx bounce/frolic across the track in front of me. My first thought was YAHOO! Second was "get the sets made!" My third thought (made verbally to trapping pard whilst hiking at 30 below) was, "How cool would a couple nice lynx hats be..."

Hope that last thought comes to fruition!

bhtr

pak ....

Not all races are that cold. In '84, for the first week, the temps were as high as +40˚, and there was water everywhere. I was wet most of the time, wading as much as mid-thigh deep where the trail went thru a gully, and there, the dogs had to swim. And then, at night, the temperature would drop, etc. Any travel in winter Alaska can be extreme.

'84, '85, '91, '92. Never had to repair a sled on the race .... built my own without using wood. And all the gear I used was state of the art at the time of the event. Tired, sick or injured dogs were dropped and rode Northern Air Cargo home. Preparation is the name of the game.

On my way home, early one spring, a big house cat ran in front of my truck, and try as I might, I struck him a glancing blow, and he was down. I stopped to see if he lived, but no. He was a beautiful, big 15# Siamese. With a perfect pelt. I took him home and put him in the freezer, intending to skin and tan the pelt and .......... make a hat out of him .... long tail hanging from the back .... Siamese face on the front, with blue glass eyes .... would have been pretty and pissed off my Yuppie-Anti friends. But, my wife cleaned out the freezer and wouldn't tolerate the frozen cat around. So, a fun idea that never moved into reality. Would have been fun to wear to the Open North American, or the Fur Rondy.

Could you post a picture of your "musher" hat? Or at least tell us the brand and model? I gather it is synthetic, but since I am in the market for a new hat for real cold weather, I would like to know what you recommend.

John