Alright, so I’ve been binge-watching Yellowstone, you know, like pretty much everyone else with a TV. And one thing that kept catching my eye, aside from all the drama, was Rip Wheeler’s cowboy hat. It just has that look, you know? So, naturally, I got a little curious. Figured I’d try and see what the story was with that hat.
My Little Hat Hunt Kicked Off
First thing I did, simple enough, was just pay closer attention. Every time Rip was on screen, especially when they gave a good shot of his headwear, I was squinting at the TV. I probably wore out the pause button on my remote. My wife even asked if I was trying to memorize the dust patterns on it.
I initially thought, “Ah, it’s just a black cowboy hat, how hard can this be?” Turns out, a lot harder. There’s a whole world of difference in these things, and Rip’s definitely isn’t some off-the-shelf special you grab at any old store. It’s got a certain… character.
So, I started trying to break down what I was seeing. Here’s what I jotted down, mentally at first, then actually on a notepad because my memory isn’t what it used to be:
- The Color: Definitely dark. Looked black most of the time, maybe a really dark chocolate brown in certain lights, but mostly black.
- The Material: Looked like good quality felt. You can sort of tell, even on screen. Not flimsy.
- The Shape: This was the tricky part. The crown had a distinctive crease, sort of a cattleman style, but maybe a bit more… pinched? And the brim, it wasn’t flat, wasn’t super curled either. It had a specific roll to it.
Digging a Bit Deeper
Once I had my notes, I figured I’d see what the internet had to say. Spent a good few hours just clicking around, you know how it is. Typed in a few things here and there. Lots of people asking the same question, which made me feel a bit less crazy. Found a whole bunch of theories, some folks saying it was one brand, others saying another. Lots of look-alikes being sold too, which just muddies the waters.
It got a bit frustrating, to be honest. You see a hat in a show, you think it’ll be easy to find out. Nope. Especially with movie and TV props, they often customize things, or use vintage pieces. It’s not like they leave the brand tag sticking out for the camera.
The “Aha!” Moment (Sort Of)
After a while, sifting through forums and fan discussions – some of them pretty intense, mind you – a pattern started to emerge. It seems like Rip’s hat isn’t just one specific, easily named model. Shocker, right? The consensus, or at least what seemed most plausible to me, is that it’s likely a custom-shaped felt hat. Probably a high-quality one, something like a 100X beaver felt, or at least a very good rabbit felt blend. The kind of hat that costs a fair bit and is made to last.
The style folks kept pointing to was a modified Gus crown or a Cattleman crown that’s been shaped just so, with a fairly traditional brim, maybe around 4 inches, given a unique roll. The idea is that it’s been shaped by a custom hatter or even by the actor/wardrobe department to fit Cole Hauser’s head and look perfectly. It’s often a dark, almost black, color – sometimes called ‘granite’ or ‘charcoal’ in the hat world if it’s not pure black.
So, no easy “it’s a Brand X Model Y” answer, which I guess I should have expected. It’s more about the style and the quality. The specific hat he wears might even change slightly from season to season, or even scene to scene, if they have multiples. But the overall look – dark, quality felt, distinctively shaped crown and brim – that’s the key.
Anyway, that’s what I dug up. Took a bit of doing, but it scratched that itch. Now I can go back to just watching the show without pausing it every five minutes to stare at Rip’s head. Well, maybe.