Any fur experts here?

J

jw2n

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Sep 22, 2009
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I have been looking at full fur trapper/russian style hats. The one I have been using since '85 is a partial, having a cloth/quilt body. The body easily gets wet, so the change to a full body. There are beaver (unsheared or sheared), Muskrat, Wolf, Coyote, Fox, and Mink. Which would be the warmest? Which does not freezee? My original is beaver. This is a substantial investment, so any input would be appreciated. I am not looking for recommendations for alternative hats, as I probably already have tried them.
 
jw2n said:
I have been looking at full fur trapper/russian style hats. The one I have been using since '85 is a partial, having a cloth/quilt body. The body easily gets wet, so the change to a full body. There are beaver (unsheared or sheared), Muskrat, Wolf, Coyote, Fox, and Mink. Which would be the warmest? Which does not freezee? My original is beaver. This is a substantial investment, so any input would be appreciated. I am not looking for recommendations for alternative hats, as I probably already have tried them.
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Mink. Without a doubt.Super water resistant.
I had some mittens made of mink lined reindeer skin ? that came from Ukraine. Fantastic.
Remember using the factory mink oil on Dunham boots ?
I'm old.:grumpy:
 
Up in Alaska I heard some old-timers who trapped speak about the wonderful qualities of wolverine fur, but I've never tried it myself. I have a couple high-end western hats made with beaver fur and they are very durable, but I haven't personally used it in a more original state.

DancesWithKnives
 
I'm no expert, and unfortunately these animals aren't on your list, but I'm interested in such a hat and hope to learn some.

Family in Alaska says musk ox is as warm as it gets (and crazy expensive, if I remember right), but they were talking about possum when I saw them last (one was going to New Zealand, so that might have been why).

One thing I know about beaver.. er.. it was the fur-trade standard, fueled in large part for beaver fur hats, a status symbol in the day! "I can afford quality". My guess, it has to be pretty darn noteworthy to be a noticeable improvement.

The mink fur recommendation makes sense to me, but I'm sure about any type of arctic animal will have a warm pelt.

Sorry for the guessing game, especially after you ask for experts which I'm not. Goodluck!
 
Forgot to mention that some trapper friends in Stewart Crossing, Yukon told me that caribou is very good because the individual hairs are supposedly hollow fibers that trap a lot of insulating air. However, I've heard of their fur being used for mukluks more than hats (for reasons not known to me).

DancesWithKnives
 
I would recommend buying an ushanka (Russian hat) made from mnk fur.
 
Hats made from muskox are not the skin. The animal is carded/combed, the fibers are made into yarn, and the items are knitted. The efficiency of muskox is some 20x of wool if I remember correctly. The advantage is that the items are knit super thin and still retain a great deal of warmth. Yes, very expensive.

The Russian ushanka is what I am looking at. Same design as a trapper.
 
Seems to me I recall reading that if you want a fur hat to keep you warm and dry, aquatic animals ( muskrat, beaver, mink, otter) have the best fur to use.
 
Kismet,

I had looked their site for an Ushanka. How is their quality? I just received an email from them recommending beaver. I thought that was pretty cool of them since they could have suggested one of their more expensive furs, unless they have too much beaver on hand. Just kidding.
 
I have a full body one made from Red Fox. I can't say I've ever had it freeze up but then I've also not worn in conditions that would tend to make that happen. It is very warm, sometimes too warm in fact.
 
jw2n said:
Kismet,

I had looked their site for an Ushanka. How is their quality? I just received an email from them recommending beaver. I thought that was pretty cool of them since they could have suggested one of their more expensive furs, unless they have too much beaver on hand. Just kidding.
Click to expand...

You can never have too much beaver on hand!:D

Seriously, my trapper friends up North say that if it is properly prepared, it is durable, comfortable, and warm. When the rivers are ice free they float the rivers to shoot beaver, in addition to what they trap. You've got to be a pretty good shot because you need to make a headshot on a moving target from a floating canoe.

DancesWithKnives
 
My current one, wool melton body, beaver, was purchased while I was in Fairbanks in 1985. I have used it in -65 f. It is unsheared (Oh boy! Here we go again.). Works well, but a little scratchy. The effectiveness of beaver is dependent on where the fur is taken. Caribou and reindeer hats freeze when wet and lose their insulating ability is my understanding from reading. Artic Fox is the best for warmth, but I have not seen a hat in it yet. I should look at making my own.
 
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