The best cowboy hats for men

We choose picks by comparing published specifications, construction, sizing guidance and aggregated owner feedback. We have not worn these boots ourselves. How we pick

Men buy cowboy hats in the wrong order. The hat that gets bought first is usually a felt one, because felt is what looks serious in a photograph - and then it sits in a closet, because the events most men buy a hat for happen in July. Material and season decide this purchase. Everything else is detail.

What follows is the order the decision should be made in, then six hats that are each the best answer to a specific version of the question. Two of them cost under a hundred dollars and one of them is the right first hat for most men reading this.

How we judged these

1. Material honesty. Fur felt or a real straw weave, with the X rating stated by the maker. Wool-blend felt sold at fur-felt prices does not make this list.
2. A real sweatband. Leather or a proper moisture-managing band. A cloth band is the single clearest sign of a hat built to a price.
3. Proportions that are published. Crown height and brim width from the manufacturer's own listing, not estimated from a photo.
4. A shape you can live with. Pre-creased in a shape that suits a wide range of faces, or open-crown so a hatter can set it.
5. Honest season. A hat that is right for the weather you will actually wear it in, which for most first-time buyers is heat.

What we do not do is claim to have worn any of these. Every specification below is attributed to the brand that publishes it, and the judgment is about who each hat suits - not a durability test we have not run. If that distinction matters to you, how to read a boot review explains why it should.

Quick picks

Tap any row to jump to the full write-up. The price column goes straight to Amazon.

#	Product	Best for	Price
1	Illustrative photo Resistol Cisco Straw HatYou give up formality and lifespan.	a first hat, and every summer event	Check price on Amazon
2	Illustrative photo Resistol 20X Colt Straw HatYou give up the freedom to be careless.	the man who actually wears a straw hat every day	Check price on Amazon
3	Illustrative photo Stetson 6X Fur Felt HatYou give up casual wearability and money.	the one felt hat to own	Check price on Amazon
4	Illustrative photo Stetson Open Road 6XYou give up shade and presence.	a felt hat you can wear in a city without explaining it	Check price on Amazon
5	Illustrative photo Resistol 6X Felt Cowboy HatYou give up summer use, same as any felt.	a rodeo-shaped felt hat	Check price on Amazon
6	Illustrative photo Ariat Straw Western HatYou give up weave density and longevity.	the cheapest hat worth buying	Check price on Amazon

#ad - price checked on Amazon at the time you click. Last price check: October 13, 2026. How we are funded

Straw first, felt second

Felt is a cold-weather and dress material. Straw is a hot-weather material. If your hat is for a summer festival, a concert in June, a rodeo in August or any outdoor wedding between May and September, buy straw - felt in that heat is genuinely unpleasant, and you will take it off within an hour. Felt belongs to autumn through spring, and to dressing up.

There is a second argument for straw as a first hat, and it is the stronger one: you will mistreat it. You will sit on it, leave it on a car seat in the sun, jam it in the back of a truck and get caught in rain in it. Doing that to a straw hat costs a fraction of doing it to 6X fur felt, and by the end of a season you will know your size, your brim and your crease. Then buy felt, knowing all three. The full comparison is in felt vs straw cowboy hats.

The X rating, and what it means on each material

The X number means different things on felt and on straw, which is where most of the confusion starts. On felt, X broadly describes the fur content and the fineness of the felting - more X is finer, lighter and more water-resistant. On straw, X describes weave density - more X is a tighter, stiffer weave that holds the brim shape instead of going soft. Neither scale is standardized between makers, so use it within a brand's range and not across brands.

• Felt at 2X-4X - usually wool or a wool blend. It will not hold its shape. Fine as a costume, not as a hat.
• Felt at 6X - fur felt, and the point where a hat becomes a keeper. This is the right rating for a first felt hat.
• Felt above 10X - lighter and softer, with diminishing returns until you have worn hats for years.
• Straw at 4X-8X - the normal, affordable range. Good for a season or two of real wear.
• Straw at 15X-20X - a noticeably tighter weave. Worth it only if you wear a straw hat most days through the summer.

Brim width for your frame

Brim width is the decision men get wrong most often, and it is not about fashion - it is about proportion. Four to four and a half inches is the classic western brim and suits most heights and builds. Go narrower and the hat reads modern, urban and dressier, and gives up most of its shade. Go wider and it is a working brim: more sun protection, more presence, and harder to wear anywhere that is not outdoors.

The reliable rule is that the brim should be at least as wide as your face and roughly in balance with your shoulders. If a hat makes your head look small, the brim is too wide; if it looks perched, it is too narrow or too small. Face shape matters less than people expect, but it does matter at the extremes - the right cowboy hat for your face shape covers the cases where it does.

Get the size right before you get anything else right

1. 1

   Measure your head

   A soft tape around your head about an inch above your ears and across the middle of your forehead - where the hat band actually sits. Measure with your hair the way you normally wear it.

2. 2

   Convert to a hat size

   Divide the circumference in inches by about 3.14. A 22 3/8-inch head is roughly a 7 1/8. A quarter of an inch is half a hat size, so measure twice.

3. 3

   Buy the number, not S/M/L

   Numbered sizes fit; S/M/L is a compromise. If a hat is only sold in S/M/L, check the maker's own conversion rather than guessing.

4. 4

   Consider head shape, not just size

   Many men have an oval rather than a round head. A correctly sized round hat on an oval head pinches front and back while sitting loose at the sides, which produces a headache within an hour. Better makers sell long oval blocks.

5. 5

   Fine-tune with sizing tape

   Foam sizing tape behind the sweatband takes up a half size. Every hat shop uses it and it is the normal fix, not a bodge.

A hat that is slightly too big blows off and sits on your ears. A hat that is slightly too small gives you a headache in an hour and leaves a red line across your forehead. Snug enough to stay on when you lean forward, loose enough to forget about: the full method, including what to do between sizes, is in the cowboy hat sizing guide.

The six picks

Pick 1

Resistol Cisco Straw Hat - best for a first hat, and every summer event

Illustrative photo

Check price on Amazon

If you are buying one hat and it has to work at a concert in July, buy straw - and the Cisco is the straw hat that comes up most. Resistol lists it as a 6X straw with an average 4 1/2-inch brim and a crown about 3 3/4 inches front by 5 1/4 inches back. The reason it suits a beginner is that straw is cheap enough to learn on. You will sit on your first hat, leave it on a car seat in the sun and get caught in rain in it; doing all of that to a straw hat costs a fraction of doing it to 6X felt. Sizing is the one thing to get right - measure your head and buy the size, do not guess between S/M/L.

What you give up: You give up formality and lifespan. Straw is a warm-weather hat, it will not take a season of hard use, and it cannot be reshaped like felt.

Good

• Cool in heat
• Cheap enough to learn on
• Pre-creased, ready to wear

Less good

• Not a dress hat
• Shorter life
• Cannot be reshaped

Material	6X straw
Brim	Approx. 4 1/2 in
Crown	Approx. 3 3/4 in front / 5 1/4 in back
Season	Spring and summer

Pick 2

Resistol 20X Colt Straw Hat - best for the man who actually wears a straw hat every day

Illustrative photo

Check price on Amazon

If you have worn through a 6X straw in a season, this is the next rung rather than a jump to felt. Resistol lists the Colt, from its George Strait collection, as a 20X straw with a 4 1/8-inch cattleman crown, a 4 1/4-inch brim and a leather sweatband. The X number on straw indicates weave density rather than fur content, and the practical difference at 20X is that the weave is tighter and stiffer, so the brim holds its shape instead of going soft and wavy by August. It is pre-creased in the cattleman shape, which is the right call for a hat you will wear daily and never have reshaped.

What you give up: You give up the freedom to be careless. This costs several times an entry straw, and straw still cannot be reblocked - crush it and it is finished, 20X or not.

Good

• Tight weave holds the brim shape
• Classic brim and crown proportions
• Leather sweatband, not cloth

Less good

• Expensive for straw
• Still not repairable if crushed
• Warm-weather only

Material	20X straw
Crown	Cattleman, 4 1/8 in (per Resistol)
Brim	4 1/4 in
Sweatband	Leather
Season	Spring and summer

Pick 3

Stetson 6X Fur Felt Hat - best for the one felt hat to own

Illustrative photo

Check price on Amazon

Felt quality is sold in X ratings, and 6X is the point where a hat stops being a costume and starts being a hat you keep. Stetson's 6X fur felt line - the Skyline and Bar None are the two you will see most - typically runs a cattleman crown around 4 3/8 inches with a 4 1/4-inch brim and a genuine leather sweatband. For a first felt hat the cattleman crease is the right choice: it is the shape most people picture, it suits almost every face, and it is what hat shops will reshape for free if you want it adjusted. Buy felt for cold weather and for dressing up; do not buy it for an August festival.

What you give up: You give up casual wearability and money. Felt is hot in summer, it stains if it gets soaked, and 6X is a real spend for a first hat.

Good

• Keeps its shape for years
• Reshapeable by a hatter
• The classic crease

Less good

• Too hot for summer
• Water-sensitive
• Expensive for a first hat

Felt	6X fur felt
Crown	Cattleman, approx. 4 3/8 in
Brim	Approx. 4 1/4 in
Sweatband	Genuine leather
Season	Autumn through spring

Pick 4

Stetson Open Road 6X - best for a felt hat you can wear in a city without explaining it

Illustrative photo

Check price on Amazon

The Open Road is the western hat for a man who does not want a big western hat. Stetson lists it as a proprietary fur-felt blend with a 4 1/4-inch cattleman crown, a 2 3/4-inch bound-edge brim, a grosgrain band, a genuine leather sweatband and a satin liner, finished with a hand-pressed cattleman crease the brand says it has used since 1948. The short brim is the whole point: at under three inches it reads as a dress hat rather than a rodeo hat, which is why it turns up on men who wear a hat with a jacket and would look costumed in a four-and-a-half-inch brim. For a first felt hat it is the low-risk choice in a city or an office town, and it still has a real cattleman crease, so it does not look like a trilby pretending.

What you give up: You give up shade and presence. A 2 3/4-inch brim does very little against sun or rain, and next to a traditional western brim it can look undersized in a photograph taken at a rodeo.

Good

• Short brim works with a jacket and in a city
• Real hand-pressed cattleman crease
• Stiff enough to hold its shape

Less good

• Very little sun or rain protection
• Reads undersized against western brims
• Premium price

Felt	6X proprietary fur-felt blend
Crown	Cattleman, 4 1/4 in (per Stetson)
Brim	2 3/4 in, bound edge
Sweatband	Genuine leather
Liner	Satin

Pick 5

Resistol 6X Felt Cowboy Hat - best for a rodeo-shaped felt hat

Illustrative photo

Check price on Amazon

Resistol's 6X felt hats - the USTRC line is the common one - are listed with a cattleman's crown around 4 5/8 inches, a 4 1/4-inch brim and a leather sweatband, pre-creased and rodeo-ready. The difference between this and the Stetson equivalent is mostly crown height and brim shape, and at 6X both are honest felt. Pick between them on the crease and the color: silverbelly reads dressier, black reads formal and is unforgiving of dust, and a dark brown or chocolate hides everything.

What you give up: You give up summer use, same as any felt. And a pre-creased crown means you are buying someone else's shape unless you pay a hatter to change it.

Good

• Honest 6X felt
• Pre-creased and ready
• Rodeo proportions

Less good

• Summer-unfriendly
• Fixed crease
• Premium price

Felt	6X
Crown	Cattleman, approx. 4 5/8 in
Brim	Approx. 4 1/4 in
Sweatband	Leather

Pick 6

Ariat Straw Western Hat - best for the cheapest hat worth buying

Illustrative photo

Check price on Amazon

Ariat's straw hats sit a tier below the Resistol and Stetson straws in weave quality and a long way below them in price, with pre-creased crowns, bound brims and a shaped bash ready to wear out of the box. They are the right first hat for someone who is not sure a hat suits them at all. Spend an hour in one at an outdoor event and you will know whether you want to invest in felt - and if the answer is no, you have not spent much finding out.

What you give up: You give up weave density and longevity. A looser straw loses its shape faster and will not survive being packed in a bag.

Good

• Low cost of entry
• Ready to wear
• Fine for one summer

Less good

• Loses shape
• Not durable
• Basic finish

Material	Straw
Crown	Pre-creased
Brim	Bound
Position	Entry

#ad - price checked on Amazon at the time you click. Last price check: October 13, 2026. How we are funded

Crease: buy a cattleman

The cattleman - a center dent with two side creases - is the shape most people picture when they picture a cowboy hat, it suits the widest range of faces, and it is what most pre-creased hats come in. Buy it for a first hat and do not agonize. Once you know you wear hats, a hatter will steam a felt hat into a different crease for very little money, and the alternatives are laid out in cowboy hat shapes and creases. Straw cannot be reshaped, so on a straw hat the crease you buy is the crease you own.

Color, for men specifically

• Silverbelly - the pale gray-beige, and the most versatile felt color there is. Dressier than it looks and shows dust far less than black.
• Chocolate or dark brown - the practical choice. Hides everything and works with brown and black leather alike.
• Black - formal and striking, and the highest-maintenance color on the rack: it shows dust, lint and every rain spot.
• Natural straw - the default. Goes with everything and does not look like it is trying.
• Bleached or white straw - sharper and dressier, and visibly dirty much sooner.

Match the hat to your belt and boots rather than to your shirt. A brown hat with black boots and a black belt is the most common mismatch men make with western wear - the rules, which are simpler than they sound, are in matching a hat to your boots.

What not to buy

• A wool-blend felt hat at a fur-felt price. If a listing will not state the X rating or the felt content, assume wool blend and pay accordingly.
• A cloth sweatband. It is the component that decides whether a hat is comfortable in heat, and cloth is the tell of a costume hat.
• A 5-inch brim as a first hat, unless you work outdoors. It is a lot of hat to learn in.
• Felt for a summer event. The commonest and most expensive mistake in this category.
• S/M/L sizing on a hat you care about. Buy the number.

If you are buying one hat

Buy the 6X straw in a cattleman crease with a four-and-a-half-inch brim, in your measured size. It is right for most of the occasions men buy hats for, it costs little enough that ruining it is survivable, and a season in it tells you exactly what to buy next. If your event is in November, skip to the 6X felt and buy silverbelly. Either way, start from the measurement and the season - not from the photograph.

Read next

Hats

Cowboy hat sizing guide

How to measure, the conversion chart, oval head shapes, and how sizing tape works.

Hats

The best felt cowboy hats

What X ratings actually buy, and the felt hats worth starting with.

Hats

The best straw cowboy hats

What separates a good straw hat from a cheap one, and the ones worth buying for summer.

Outfits

How to match a cowboy hat to your boots

Tone, formality and proportion - how to pair a western hat with your boots, with four hats by boot color.

← All hats guides