Meet the Howley Brimmed Hats: A New Kind of Winter Hat

Every hat you own is good at one thing. Your beanie keeps your head warm and leaves you squinting into a low January sun. Your ball cap shades your eyes while the wind goes straight through to your scalp. Your felt western hat looks sharp right up until the sleet starts, and then it spends the rest of the day on the back seat of the truck.

So why do you have to choose?

The Original Howley already handled the cold better than any hat we had ever worn. The only way we could think of to improve it was to add a brim. The result is a hat that does not fit neatly into any category that existed before it.

What is a Howley brimmed hat?

A Howley brimmed hat is a soft, warm winter hat with a structured, patent-pending brim built into it. The hats are cut are sewn from high-performance materials optimally suited for warmth and comfort. You get the warmth and fit of a beanie with the shade and weather protection of a brimmed hat, in a hat so comfortable you can wear it all day. In adverse weather, a brim keeps you dry like no other mechanism. There are two styles: The Boss Howley, made from Polartec fleece, and The BLVD, made with a hardshell outer that stretches. Both are hand-sewn in the USA.

Why a winter hat with a brim makes sense

Winter is when you need a brim most. The sun sits low from November to February, so it hits you at eye level and snow bounces that light straight back up at you. Rain and sleet run down your forehead and into your eyes and down your back when nothing is there to stop them. If you wear eyeglasses, you know the pain of trying to keep them dry in bad weather.

A brim fixes all of that. It shades your eyes from low sun and glare, sheds rain and snow away from your face and neck, all while keeping you warm and comfortable. The catch has always been that the hats with good brims were never designed to keep your head warm in real cold, and the hats that keep your head warm offer none of that protection. A Howley brimmed hat is built to do both jobs at once.

The Boss Howley: our Original, with a brim

The Boss Howley takes everything people love about the Original Howley and adds a patent-pending brim. The body is the same genuine Polartec fleece, which traps warm air in its raised pile and delivers twice the warmth for half the weight of most wool hats. Inside, an airflow lining keeps air moving, so you stay comfortable when you step in from the cold.

You choose the brim that suits the way you live:

The Boss comes in Black and Mocha, in Standard and Max sizes. The size chart on the product page shows which one is right for your head.

The BLVD: structure you can dress up

The BLVD is a brimmed hardshell hat. Its smooth outer holds a sharp, defined shape, while real stretch means it still fits like a soft winter hat. You can shape the profile the way you like it, and it holds that shape all day.

Its 2-inch patent-pending brim contours to the shape of your head, and the fit system lets one size fit comfortably up to a 7 1/2 hat size without pinching or sliding. Like The Boss, it is airflow lined. The BLVD comes in Black and Air Force Blue and is hand-sewn in the USA from American-made materials.

The BLVD cuts a unique profile that looks just as right with a wool overcoat as it does with a puffer. It works great with workwear, jeans or complimenting your finest attire!

What the patent-pending brim actually does

Howley's brim and fit system were engineered together. The full perimeter brim is built into the hat rather than tacked on, and it works as part of how the hat fits, exactly contouring to your head shape so the best fit is achieved. You get a brim that stays where you put it and a hat so comfortable, you won’t want to take it off.

Because the design is patent-pending, you will not find this brim on anyone else's hat.

Airflow lining: why a warm hat should not feel like a sauna

Warmth without breathability is how you end up with a sweaty forehead in the first ten minutes and a cold head for the rest of the day. Both brimmed Howleys are airflow lined, which lets air circulate and moisture move away from your skin. It is the same thinking behind everything we make, and we explain the details in The Science of Comfort: Engineering the Best Cold Weather Gear.

For people who already love a brim

If you wear a cowboy hat, you already know what a good brim does for you. You probably also care where your hat was made. Western hat wearers tend to value craftsmanship, durability and a hat with some character, and plenty of them go out of their way to buy American-made.

Howley is not trying to be a cowboy hat. A felt western hat is a beautiful thing, but felt does not love sleet, and it was never designed for the coldest days of the year. A Howley brimmed hat is for the days you would otherwise leave your good hat at home: warm enough for real winter, tough enough for wet weather, and handsewn in the USA.

That last part matters to us as much as it matters to you. If you want to know why, read our thoughts on the decline of American manufacturing and how Howley got started.

Which Howley brimmed hat is right for you?

Getting the size right

Howley brimmed hats accommodate a wide range of head sizes. The Boss Standard comfortably fits up to a size 7-1/2, while we offer a Max size that will work from 7 ⅝ & up. The BLVD's fit system covers heads comfortably up to a 7 1/2 hat size.

Frequently asked questions

What is a brimmed winter hat?

A brimmed winter hat combines the warmth of a winter hat with the shade and weather protection of a brim. Howley makes two: The Boss Howley in Polartec fleece and The BLVD with a hardshell outer.

Can you wear a hat with a brim in winter?

Yes, and winter is when a brim is most useful. Low winter sun, glare off snow, rain and sleet all arrive at face level, and a brim keeps them out of your eyes.

What is the difference between The Boss Howley and The BLVD?

The Boss is built on Polartec fleece with a choice of 2 or 3-inch brim in Standard and Max sizes. The BLVD has a hardshell outer with stretch, a 2-inch brim and a one-size fit system comfortable up to a 7 1/2 hat size.

Should I choose a 2-inch or 3-inch brim?

Choose 2 inches for a closer, everyday profile. Choose 3 inches for more shade, more coverage from the weather and a bolder look. The 3-inch brim lends itself to shaping, similar to a cowboy hat.

Is a Howley brimmed hat a cowboy hat?

No. It is a warm winter hat with a structured brim. It suits people who love a brimmed hat but need something warmer and more practical for cold, wet weather. We often say our brimmed hats are also the most casual brimmed hats on the market.

Where are Howley brimmed hats made?

Both The Boss Howley and The BLVD are handsewn in the USA.

Pick your brim, pick your color, and bring on the cold. Shop The Boss Howley or shop The BLVD.