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Here is some info on the care and maintenance of your Cav Stetson.

Cleaning:

If the hat is dusty, simply brushing it with a hat brush will suffice. A good Western wear store will sell you one. Some will even sell you separate brim and crown brushes. Brush your hat counter-clockwise. Much of the dust and dirt will brush right off. If there is oil or grease, use Fuller's Earth or apply dish detergent and water with an old toothbrush. Then rinse the brush and apply clear water to the spot. Let it dry using one of our high-speed hat stands.

Water won't hurt good fur felt, that's why we wear hats to protect us from the rain. Now, if you are cleaning it after a "breaking-in" ceremony, that is another matter altogether. If the hat is in such bad shape that anything is an improvement, you can wash it with a mild detergent like Woolite, Ivory Liquid, or Conklin's Spring Dew, rinse it well, shape it, and let it dry at room temperature. I DO NOT recommend this method for a brand new hat. Never machine-wash or submerge your hat in water.

Shaping:

If you bought it brand new, depending on where you bought it, they may shape it for you. If you bought it through the mail and it was not shaped, you will need to shape it. Shaping is mostly a matter of personal preference. The easy way to shape up a hat is to have it cleaned and blocked. Hat cleaners can be hard to find. You may need to send it to a professional. You can also do this yourself.

Shape your felt hat with steam. A tea kettle will do. So will a clothes steamer. One way is to boil water in a spaghetti-sized pot and place the hat upside down over the pot so steam rises and covers the brim and the front of the hat. (The danger to this method is that if you wander away and forget it, the water boils away, your hat burns up, you choke on the smoke, and the odor is awful). When the felt is pliable, shape it the way you want and let it dry. It will hold the shape that you form. The shape is up to you, but if you are in a Cavalry unit, just look around and you will see hats that you like, and hats that you do not like. Most folks steam them and bend the front and rear of the brim down, and some also curl the sides up slightly. The very top of the hat is the crown. You will see a lot of Stetsons with the crown left alone in the back, but shaped to form a soft point in the front. If you use a little steam to soften it and shape it, make your adjustments very gradual. If it needs more adjusting, this is always easier than trying to "undo" a bad shaping.

The X Factor:

Since you are a Cav Trooper, you are familiar with scouting out information. In looking for the best price for your Cav Stetson, you may have seen some hats that have an "X factor" in their descriptions, for example, a 2X, 3X, or 4X hat. The main thing that determines the X value is the quality of the fur that is used to make the hat. Furs used may include beaver, rabbit, wool and other animal fur.

The higher X's yield a higher percentage of beaver fur in the hat. This is more desirable because beaver fur has characteristics that produce a higher quality felt, which provides a better quality, longer lasting hat. The higher the X, the more expensive the hat will be. A 100X hat, for example, is made of 100% Beaver fur and can take up to 5 hours just to hand sand and shape it.

Stetson Hat Care :

1. Never store your hat on a right side up surface. This could flatten the brim, which means all the time or money spent shaping it just went out the window. Store it in a hat box, or on a hat rack or hat stand.

2. To remove dirt from your Stetson, you can use a clean felt brush. Always brush counterclockwise. When returning from an overseas deployment, never remove combat dust from a Stetson, as it takes away from both the mojo and the cool factor. U.S. Customs should understand.

3. Never let your hat get near a high heat source such as the stove, lamp or car windows. The perspiration or any type of heat will shrink the sweatband. This includes keeping your Stetson on the dashboard of your truck. If you will be storing it there, you might want to order one size larger. If the band does shrink, the hat can be stretched back out at most local hat or Western wear shops.

4. You should hold your hat at the brim when holding on to it. Avoid handling the crown (or top of the hat) to avoid crushing it and affecting the shape.