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Stuff That Works: The "Brother Hezekiah Munson" Amish Hat
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July 12, 2010
Stuff That Works: The "Brother Hezekiah Munson" Amish Hat
By Kirk Deeter
Not too long ago, over on the Honest Angler blog, my esteemed friend John Merwin brought up a really good point about choosing the right fishing lid for your head, and how making a smart choice could ultimately save your life. He was right, of course.
Fishing in the outdoors can be a photo damage hazard. "Photo damage" is a sexy way for describing the precursors to skin cancer. And I, too, have learned that a baseball cap that only covers your beak might still leave you (sometimes painfully) half-exposed (neck, ears, and so forth) to the harsh rays of the sun. Considering how much time I spend on glistening waters, I now usually cover all my bases... especially in midsummer. And that means sweat-proof SPF 30, applied at least 30 minutes before I step out into the glare... and also wearing the full-brim hat.
I've dabbled with the French Foreign Legion look... the baseball cap with the synthetic mullet. I've tried the "boonie hat" (Romano likes the boonie; on me, boonie is goony.) And now and then, I sport the Mexican straw-design cowboy hat... but that's sometimes sweaty and heavy on the river. Besides, I was once told by a guide friend in Montana that the brim diameter on a cowboy hat is directly proportional to your perceived I.Q. The bigger the "toilet seat," the more "waste" (and he didn't describe it quite like that) between the ears... I'm not saying I agree with that, but that's what I was told.
As such, I've landed on a very plain and practical Amish design... which cost me about $20 at the Kutztown Folk Festival in Pennsylvania several years ago. Light straw. Solid brim. Plain black band, that holds grasshopper flies better than any sheepskin patch on a vest.
I even fish in it on Sundays.
Deeter
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Comments (12)
The only problem with wearing an Amish hat is being mistaken for Amish. They are great folks ( I live in Amish country) but they have a reputation of cleaning out ponds. In other words there is no Amish word for catch and release.
I have been toying around with getting a new hat. Romano looks so dapper in his boonie which makes this choice tempting but I think Gilligan has ruined this look for my generation.
I'll stick with my truckers cap. It's ventilated and covers my eyes.
Only the finest of writers can tie a "Kingpin" reference to angling. Three cheers KD
Right now it's 97 degrees, no humidity. Been like this for the past month for our National Rodeo and will continue til mid-September. Blue skies, baby.
Sun burn, baby. I wear a $10 full brim camo for cloudless days fishing here up against the East Slope of the High Sierras. Yeah, CA Golden Trout! The hat is a Paramount Outdoors, 55% cotton, 45% Polyester, rigid 2" brim, not floppy like my government issue and admittedly, a little warm.
I've tried straw, it breathes better than my camo, but seems to annoy the fish cause when I wear it, no strikes. Maybe our CA Goldens are fashion savy?
In review, protect your skin and wear what works...for the Goldens!
Can't say that I have ever seen one of those on a trout stream. I am sure that hat will make you recognizable on the water. I hope it is packable. That's the nice thing about roll-up Panamas ... made in Ecuador. Also nice to have a non-reflective underside.
Personally, I like ventilated full-brim river guide style hats. Mine is supposedly a roll-up but is more smashable. Looks like it has been crushed a few too many times, but I don't care anymore. I might consider a large brim ventilated Tilley when this hat wears out.
I think the guide meant indirectly proportional (sorry, it's the engineer in me).
One of my favorite movies... thanks J.C. See you in Vegas. And by the way, I watched Timmy Munson out on a 7-pound rainbow today... but that is a story for later.
I used to spend a lot of hours in the sun mowing and a few years ago I bought a straw hat from an Amish feed store, figuring they would know better than anyone what was and wasn't a good hat. Got a lot of grief when I wore it at first but then my dad, a neighbor, another neighbor did the same thing. I never thought about the difference in sun protection compared to a baseball cap making such a difference in comfort, but add that to the number of older people I know fighting melanomas and other skin cancers and I'm not giving it up. On my second one and I went back to my Amish supplier, I figure he's the expert.
We talk about sneaking up on educated fish, keeping our profile low and then we don this monsterous halo at the highest point of said profile! My only concern with a straw hat is the color. It is difficult to find a good broad brim in dark colors. The straw seems to me to produce to much of a 'shine'.
I'm gonna go with inversely proportional. Oh, and by the way...nice hat! :)
My fathers name was Earl Munson, he had an uncle named Hezekia Munson but I guarentee he was not Amish! He stood well over six fet tall and dad told us the story of "Hez" carrying a memorial cannon in his arms around the town square on Fourth of July on a dare. As far as the hat, looks like it makes good sense to me!
Great Hat, having had to skin cancers removed, (not painful but 2 weeks with bandages is a pit! I wear the biggest brim I can find other than a Sombrero.
two*
Gilligan did not wear a boonie! He wore a dixie cup (US NAVY issue), with the brim turned down! A boonie has a wider (usually floppy) brim, used in the jungle fighting of several SE Asian wars. I use a panama style hat (I can't afford a real panama hat yet!).
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The only problem with wearing an Amish hat is being mistaken for Amish. They are great folks ( I live in Amish country) but they have a reputation of cleaning out ponds. In other words there is no Amish word for catch and release.
I have been toying around with getting a new hat. Romano looks so dapper in his boonie which makes this choice tempting but I think Gilligan has ruined this look for my generation.
I'll stick with my truckers cap. It's ventilated and covers my eyes.
Right now it's 97 degrees, no humidity. Been like this for the past month for our National Rodeo and will continue til mid-September. Blue skies, baby.
Sun burn, baby. I wear a $10 full brim camo for cloudless days fishing here up against the East Slope of the High Sierras. Yeah, CA Golden Trout! The hat is a Paramount Outdoors, 55% cotton, 45% Polyester, rigid 2" brim, not floppy like my government issue and admittedly, a little warm.
I've tried straw, it breathes better than my camo, but seems to annoy the fish cause when I wear it, no strikes. Maybe our CA Goldens are fashion savy?
In review, protect your skin and wear what works...for the Goldens!
Only the finest of writers can tie a "Kingpin" reference to angling. Three cheers KD
Can't say that I have ever seen one of those on a trout stream. I am sure that hat will make you recognizable on the water. I hope it is packable. That's the nice thing about roll-up Panamas ... made in Ecuador. Also nice to have a non-reflective underside.
Personally, I like ventilated full-brim river guide style hats. Mine is supposedly a roll-up but is more smashable. Looks like it has been crushed a few too many times, but I don't care anymore. I might consider a large brim ventilated Tilley when this hat wears out.
I think the guide meant indirectly proportional (sorry, it's the engineer in me).
One of my favorite movies... thanks J.C. See you in Vegas. And by the way, I watched Timmy Munson out on a 7-pound rainbow today... but that is a story for later.
I used to spend a lot of hours in the sun mowing and a few years ago I bought a straw hat from an Amish feed store, figuring they would know better than anyone what was and wasn't a good hat. Got a lot of grief when I wore it at first but then my dad, a neighbor, another neighbor did the same thing. I never thought about the difference in sun protection compared to a baseball cap making such a difference in comfort, but add that to the number of older people I know fighting melanomas and other skin cancers and I'm not giving it up. On my second one and I went back to my Amish supplier, I figure he's the expert.
We talk about sneaking up on educated fish, keeping our profile low and then we don this monsterous halo at the highest point of said profile! My only concern with a straw hat is the color. It is difficult to find a good broad brim in dark colors. The straw seems to me to produce to much of a 'shine'.
I'm gonna go with inversely proportional. Oh, and by the way...nice hat! :)
My fathers name was Earl Munson, he had an uncle named Hezekia Munson but I guarentee he was not Amish! He stood well over six fet tall and dad told us the story of "Hez" carrying a memorial cannon in his arms around the town square on Fourth of July on a dare. As far as the hat, looks like it makes good sense to me!
Great Hat, having had to skin cancers removed, (not painful but 2 weeks with bandages is a pit! I wear the biggest brim I can find other than a Sombrero.
two*
Gilligan did not wear a boonie! He wore a dixie cup (US NAVY issue), with the brim turned down! A boonie has a wider (usually floppy) brim, used in the jungle fighting of several SE Asian wars. I use a panama style hat (I can't afford a real panama hat yet!).
Post a Comment