new used hat bent

[tigerdad2k 10]

hello . i just recieved a used military issue campagn hat . the trouble is that the person who shipped it, put it in a box that was too small . not to mention that the post crunched the box also . so my new hat isn't at all strait . does anyone know how to straiten it out . thanks

[Gold Winger 9]

Hatmaker and hat stores use steam to shape the hat. If you want it to stay flat, you'll need a hat press.

 

http://www.troop17.org/hatpress.htm

 

My campaign hat doesn't have the flat brim. I shaped it to look like the campaign hats worn by the army in the early 20th century.

 

http://www.worldwar1.com/dbc/jpg/36train.jpg

[Dizzy ona cliff 11]

Use a little steam from a tea kettle and then let it cool and dry on a flat surface, maybe with a weight on the brim. However since we are scouts and not military, unless you want to take a steam iron and long extension cord to summer camp it is best let it take on a little character.

[Slouchhat 10]

Hello,

don't worry.

You're not a Drill Instructor at Boot Camp. The thing is called a Campaign Hat, so just let the hat develop a bit of character so it looks like a hat that's been on campaign and not just in the locker of a chairborne ranger.

In fact, that's why I love my well broken-in Rhodesian slouch hat so much.

 

best regards,

Volker

[tigerdad2k 10]

thank you all . i will try the steam method . as for a hat with some character , i agree but i need to start from zero then let the hat come alive with character.

rite now the hat just looks goofy.

again thanks all .

i will post my results later.

 

[John-in-KC 311]

Dad enlisted in 1941. The Campaign Hat was a basic part of his uniform. The board-stiff brim is part of the modern ARmy and Marine Drill aura.

[Gunny2862 11]

I've got a new one and I'm going to keep the brim as flat as possible.

I've only worn it a few times but the Scouts have remarked how easy it is to find me in a crowd of adults with the "newly shaped" campaign hat. They seem to get a kick out of it too.

 

You can also make more of a travel protector(vice hat press) to avoid the "goofy" brim set with a folded piece of heavy cardboard cut in a U shape to allow the upper portion of the hat to slide in with the brim held flat.

 

A cheap hat press can be made out of two sheets of thin flat plywood. Cut two boards to a square shape slightly larger, +1/4 inch at least, not more than 1/2 inch is necessary. Cut a centered hole in the top sheet the size of your upper hat, center that on the lower sheet, drill a hole in each of the corners, place thumbscrew bolts and clamp the hat in place. This is good to maintain shape for storage and if done after steaming the brim will reshape it to the flat brim you are looking for to start. Works best with a thicker sheet on the bottom to resist the pull of the bolts. You can also use swiveling/hinged bolts to make it easier to put the hat in or take it out.

[fgoodwin 23]

National Supply used to offer a hat press (that's where I ordered mine, together with a plastic cover for bad weather) but I don't find it listed on their webpage -- you might call them and ask if they still offer one: 800-323-0736

 

 

[Slouchhat 10]

Gunny,

you're a former Marine, right?

I'd not expect you to wear anything less than a campaign hat with a straight brim.

Thanks for the tip with the plywood hat press. I'll have to make one for the USMC hat in my collection to make it look smart.

 

best regards,

Volker

[Ohio_Scouter 10]

Volker,

 

Please excuse this slight interjection. FYI...There is no such thing as a former Marine. U.S. Marines are like Eagle Scouts. Once a marine, always a marine.

[Slouchhat 10]

Aye aye,

I stand corrected.

This paratrooper didn't know any better. :-)

 

best regards,

Volker

[Ohio_Scouter 10]

No problem. Please feel free to educate me, too, as necessary.

[Gunny2862 11]

Prior Service Marine is accepted by some, Former Marine only by those trying not to make people feel bad by correcting them.

 

Our Scout Service Center/ Store had the foul weather hat covers available. Ozark Trails Council.

 

Off topic:

I understand jumping out of the plane, OohRah!! - it's the still being connected to it that would bother me(static line). ahem, Hooah!

 

Volker, were you in the German military? If so, do they have the motivational terms like the U.S. of America forces use and is there an associated meaning to it/them? i.e. OohRah and Hooah?

 

 

[Slouchhat 10]

Hello,

is the foul weather hat cover the plastic foil type with elastic ring?

 

Off Topic:

Yes, we're the gang that jumps out of perfect airplanes. I did some time in a Bundeswehr parachute battalion.

No, we don't use the ooo-rah and hooo-ah shouts. In fact, I found it strange at the JRTC in Ft. Polk hearing the hooo-ahs all the time. Thought it was a local thing, but heard it again in Mogadishu from Rangers and 10th Mountain.

 

Back to topic:

Our troop has an African motto: "pamwe chete", that's Shona for "All together!" or "Together only!". You can hear our scouts chanting it at inter-patrol competitions and we chant it together at the end of the troopnight.

 

best regards,

Volker