?An Icon In The Making – 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.

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.

The outback hat has a flat top. It also has a wider brim than a Safari hat or a fedora (which is well-known for its stingy brim.) In fact, the Australian Outback hat is often thought of as a “down-under” version of the American cowboy hat. The Aussie outback hat has a good wide brim that shields the wearers head and face from the merciless sun and beating rains of the outback. It also provides good protection against the harsh wind and snow you will find in rural Australia.

Of course, by comparison, you will see some differences between the American cowboy hat, and its counterpart, the Australian outback hat. For one thing, the Australian Outback hat has a wide brim that curls up slightly at the sides. We all know that the American cowboy hat curls up dramatically at the sides. Curl it down in the front and the back and you will find that the Australian outback hat will give you complete protection from the elements. Sun, wind, and rain will all be diverted. In fact the primary use for the Australian outback hat was to protect the wearer from the relentless sun and heat that is commonly found in the Australian outback.

Of course, the outback hat that is most popular today is the Snowy River style. This type of hat became famous when Disney released the movie, “The Man from Snowy River”. This hat is a stockman hat. It is pre-creased and has a three-and-a-half-inch brim. With rolled up sides and downward curving front and back, this will offer the most 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!