The Effanem Hat

Be A Stylin' Worshipful Master

So, I hopped in my truck and drove the mile or so to the World’s Greatest Man Store (Madsen’s) today, and picked up a new Effanem hat.

Ok, Ok, so I know that I used to call the Filson Flagship Store in Seattle’s Sodo District the World’s Greatest Man Store, and I’ve got an awful lot of amazing quality Filson goods, but they’ve decided to go to crap and start making things overseas. I’ve got nothing against things made cheaply overseas, but I expect to pay a cheap price for cheap goods, not startlingly high prices for cheaply made goods. So, anyway, Filson decided to junk their quality, so lost the right to be the World’s Greatest Man Store! End of Rant.¹

Sorry about that, as someone who has long loved Filson, I had to get that off my chest.

Anyway, Effanem hats are still made in the USA, and when you buy one and bring it home like I did today, here’s what you’ve got:

Rolled Effanem Hat

Tis my new hat, on my ice chest!

You may recall that I bought one of these hats, just last fall. And I posted about it at the time. My thoughts at the time were that they make wonderful Worshipful Master hats, for the Worshipful Master who is looking for something that looks good, but costs very little. That post can be found below, and I still believe that what I wrote in it is correct. This hat is a superb option for a Worshipful Master:

I guess that begs the question…

If I just bought one of these hats last fall, why on earth did I need to buy a new one today?

Well, I’ll tell ya…

I am used to 100% fur felt hats. Beaver felt hats from the USA, and Rabbit felt hats from Australia. They don’t really shrink. The leather sweatband might shrink a touch, but the hats generally maintain their size no matter how much you abuse them.

The Effanem hat is not fur felt. It is wool felt. (As are most cowboy and dress hats today, shop carefully.)

And wool felt shrinks.

Now, I knew that wool felt shrinks, so what happened is in no way the fault of the Effanem people. But, some fellow on some internet forum was going on about how water resistant these hats are, and I didn’t really believe him, so like any good moron I decided to stand outside in a terrible rainstorm this winter to see how long it would take for my head to get wet while wearing the hat. I was right, forum guy was wrong, not long at all. If you want to stay dry for hours you need a 100% fur felt hat.

Anywhoo, my great experiment resulted in a soaked through hat, and that resulted in a shrunken hat. Not too badly shrunken, but enough that it bugs me. It’s just a touch too tight now.

So, the trip to Madsen’s for a new Effanem hat, one size larger than the old one, because you know that I won’t be able to resist wearing it in some horrible rainstorm again.

I took it out of the bag, unrolled it, and let me tell ya, what a floppy thing it was. Like an Army Boonie Hat. I hate those things.

To be clear, these Effanem hats do not have lots of body. They aren’t stiff. They come to us rolled up, and they are designed to be rolled up and stuffed into a pocket when they aren’t on our heads. That’s part of their beauty, they are darn near indestructible with normal use. One need not baby them.

Just unroll them, and shape them as desired. But, they are still floppy.

If you don’t like floppy, all you have to do is put the tea kettle on the stove, hit ‘em with a lot of steam, and shape as desired. Doing so will make them a little stiffer, they will take whatever shape is desired, and they will hold that shape reasonably well. It takes about five minutes. Someday, if they get all floppy again, just repeat the process, it works great.

The old one I shaped like a fedora, with a teardrop pinch front crown, with the brim turned up in back and down in front. It has held that shape perfectly since last fall.

I decided to give this one a flat brim instead, here it is after being unrolled and spending five minutes or so getting steamed:

Effanem Hat

That’s a fine looking hat for any Worshipful Master. And it’s made in the USA. And it’s only 29 bucks. And it’s made to be crushed, so one doesn’t need to worry about damaging it. What could be better?

To get one, give Madsen’s a call:

360-736-1336 or 800-822-2808

They call them a “Wool Crusher Hat” and stock them from size Small to Extra Large, in Black, Red, Green, and Orange.

You can buy Effanem hats elsewhere, like Amazon, but heck, they are 55 bucks on Amazon today, 29 at Madsen’s. I don’t think you’ll find them for less anywhere else. But you do have to call Madsen’s, they don’t take orders via the web.

I didn’t go to buy this hat today with the intention of wearing it in Lodge, rather I was looking for a green one to wear while BBQing. What can I say, it’s close to St. Patrick’s day and I had green on the brain. But, Madsen’s was out of green (I imagine due to said holiday) in my size, so I snagged a black one, so I guess that Lodge it is. Have to go back next week to get the green!

So there you go. Two posts now, sharing about a perfect Worshipful Master’s hat, at a very low cost. But remember, if you are going to wear it in the rain, go a size bigger maybe, because it will shrink some. If it’s too big, just stick some dollar bills, folded lengthwise under the headband. That’ll take up the extra space until it shrinks.

But, now you have to hear my personal story about Effanem hats!

I wore these things throughout my childhood.

I went deer hunting with my grandfathers and my father starting at a very young age. While doing so, we all wore red Effanem hats. (That was before the gov’ment decided that everyone had to wear orange while hunting big game.) My uncle, now he always wore a blue ball cap, but that’s a bit of a tangent, and anyway, we were three generations in red Effanem.

Mine and my dad’s always looked floppy and crappy to my eye, but my grandfather’s always looked sharp. As a kid, I never did figure out why that was. Of course, now I know that his secret was hitting it with a bit of steam on rare occasions.

So, I’ve got these wonderful memories of spending loads of time out in the woods with my father and grandfather, all of us wearing these specific hats. It’s a great thing.

But then of course things change. I grew up, they died. We don’t hunt deer anymore. I sort of forgot that the hats existed. Lord only knows where my old red one ended up.

Sometime last fall, I happened upon a blog post from a fellow in Bellingham WA, writing all about his Effanem hat, his hat that he wears while walking. And all these memories flooded back.

I went off in search of one. When I was a kid, I’m pretty sure that they were regular stock in every single sporting goods store anywhere. But not anymore. Fancy fabrics and cheap overseas manufacturing seem to have taken over.

Ultimately these things are remarkably hard to find. I found a few online sellers, but very few. Then I discovered that they carry loads of them at Madsen’s, a huge mail order company just about a mile from my home that has an attached retail operation.

I was set!

And snagged a black one for Lodge use.

I’ve still got to get a red one for memories sake, but, alas, Melinda would kill me dead if I ever wore a bright red one in public. Nevertheless, I’ll have to brave her wrath someday.

There you have it, a bit of my personal history with this brand and style of hat.

But, yesterday, I was minding my own business, when I happened across a really funny guy on YouTube, talking about and showing off, what else but Effanem hats!

If you want to see what these things look like on video, check it out:

I’ve got fond memories of these hats, and that’s what has drawn me towards them.

But, that said, for the Worshipful Master who needs a good looking hat and doesn’t want to spend very much, I can’t imagine a better hat.

1. From Filson.com:

“Is Filson still made in the USA?

Many Filson products are made in our Seattle locations as well as other at other factories in the USA. Our manufacturing partners use Filson materials and produce excellent work, to ensure that every Filson product meets our exacting standards–regardless of where it’s sewn.

Is Filson made in China?

Some Filson products are currently being manufactured by quality partners located in China. Our manufacturing partners use Filson materials to produce excellent work and ensures every Filson product meets our exacting standards -- regardless of where it’s produced.

Is Filson made in India?

Some Filson products are currently being manufactured by quality partners located in India. Our manufacturing partners use Filson materials to produce excellent work and ensures every Filson product meets our exacting standards -- regardless of where it’s produced.”