The 20Xer

Some may know the history behind the Cowboy hat. Other may feel that it is meant only as a fashion statement, such as those that the famous hairdressers of LA, and New York would wear.
However, for those of you who do not know, the Cowboy hat was used to keep the sun off the roughnecks tending to their cattle. It was also used to fan a fire, or to pull water from a stream.
Though the days of having to pull water from a stream are long gone, the Cowboy hat still hold it's charm for what we Cowboys know as a dying breed.

The price of a hat will depend on the felt quality, which can range from a 2X to a 100X. What does this mean to the first time buyer of a new cowboy hat?

If one purchases a 2X hat, which usually the lowest on the spectrum, you are more then likely going to end up with the sort of hats that they sale to children at rodeos. These are not good quality hats, are not good for working in the sun, or pulling water from a stream.
May first hat, which my grandfather purchased for me, was a 7X. Its still in the lower but is still holding its shape to this very day. This is a hat that one can wear on the farm or ranch, and still wear to other events such as a rodeo, or a night out with the boys to your local dive bar. However, if your wife is refined like mine, don’t you dare even think about taking her out in this hat after you have been working cattle all day.

There other X’s out there that one can purchase to stay with in your budget. I have several that ranges from $150.00 7 or 6X to some that range from $350.00 to $600.00. These are going to be the 20 to 100X.

The 20 to 100X is what I call the cowboy pimp hat. You will mainly see these in places such as downtown Dallas on the heads of cattle, land, or oil baron. These are not meant for the trail or even a "decent" honky tonk but meant to show ones status in the community. Can people really tell the difference? You bet they can. The photo on this post is of a Larry Mahan 100X hat, which cost $650.00.