The cowboy hat is steeped in the lore of the Wild West! The hat was an essential feature of outdoor life. It protected the cowboy from the weather, and doubled as a temporary vessel for water. More than 150 years ago John Stetson gave the cowboy hat an aura, a branding which has now turned it into a fashion statement. Straw cowboy hats are as popular today as they were two hundred years ago.
In fact all types of cowboy hats are making it big on the fashion scene. Handsome hunks sport them, and so do svelte supermodels. They are an enduring symbol of the rough, tough, handsome ‘knights’ of the Wild West epitomized by such screen legends as John Wayne and Clint Eastwood. Can you forget that scene between Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef? Central to the scene was a cowboy hat that gets shot up and goes flying up in the air? Fairly makes me tingle, dagnab it!
The busiest type of cowboy hat is the straw cowboy hat. It sees duty in all walks of life. Politicians wear them for their electoral campaigning. The folks who turn up at these campaigns wear them. The campaign staff wears them. It’s so popular with the gardening community that it is available in the gardening section of large stores right there by the secateurs. What’s the right gear for touring? A camera, florid shirt and a straw cowboy hat!
Straw may appear to you to be a strange choice for a hat. After all, it’s not much good at protecting your head from getting wet in the rain! But if you look at it, it is a very intelligent choice for a cowboy hat. It is much lighter than the other varieties of cowboy hats. It let’s the hair ‘breathe’. So your head is cool and free from sweat. And it does block the sun very effectively and naturally.
This is a particular type of straw that is used by the normal straw cowboy hat. Its called toquilla straw. When next you buy a straw cowboy hat, check with retailer or read the label to find out what straw is used to make the hat. Of course, straw cowboy hats are made from a variety of straws, but toquila straw is the most popular.
Actually toquilla straw is made from the bark of a palm tree that is found in Ecuador. Ecuador and Panama are neighbors. So, most people call the toquilla straw cowboy hat a panama hat. Panama hats are so popular with gardeners that you can pick one up in the gardening section of any large store. Their popularity is often attributed to their price, which is very, very low.
Straw cowboy hats are favored over felt or leather cowboy hats for many reasons. The straw cowboy hats are cooler to wear in the blazing summer heat. The straw cowboy hats are much cheaper than the other two. And they do a good job of protecting your head and eyes from the sun.
To discover great deals on straw cowboy hats visit www.DiscountCowboyHats.net. You’ll read about the various kinds of hats available, and whether you are searching for felt, straw or leather cowboy hats, you’re sure to get one that will fit your needs and your head.