Pith helmet

[BoldHighlander]

I've seen some of the postal workers wear blue ones around here during the summer months

[Big Paul]

Here are a few pics of Actor John Ratzenberger.

[macwilkin]

Some guys wear them at games down here.
I don't quite "get" the pith thing.

It looks a bit like a costume to me.

A pith helmet is quite practical in a tropical clime; not only did Scottish regiments wear them in India, South Africa, etc., but the famous "Bombay Bowler" was worn by Europeans "East of Suez" as part of everyday wear.

Far less "costumey" than some of the odd things you see at games INMHO.

T.

[rongoms]

true pith helmets are made from "Pith" wood, which is much like balsa. The curent crop of emets coming out of vietnam are some hybrid.....close to pith wood, but not quite....they are more dense and a bit heavier.

A mate who served in Rhodesia a couple decades ago as a "private contractor" tells me that they frequently wore them on jungle excursions. They would take them and dunk them in a water barrel for 15 minutes or so.....let them drop off the excess water....and they'd wear them ou....soaking wet. they'd stay comfy all day.

I tied this at the Bellingham games last year when it was so stupid hot (for SEATTLE, geesh) and was surprisingly comfortable......YMMV, of course.

Slainte!

Ron

[BoldHighlander]

I tied this at the Bellingham games last year when it was so stupid hot (for SEATTLE, geesh) and was surprisingly comfortable......YMMV, of course.

Slainte!

Ron

Was it stupid hot last year?
We thought it was lovely out

Actually when we were across the river in Hovander Park it seemed to have become a tradition for Saturday to be sunny, & Sunday to start off a wee bit soft then clear off late in the day.

Oh, and


...from the far nw corner of Washington state!

[James MacMillan]

He did what in hith helmet ?

Ith wath a hot day, and he had heard thath a wet helmet would be mutch cooler if ith wath wet........ thooooooooooo he invented the pith helmet...

[Dukeof Kircaldy]

Agreed, but I have this thing about wool in the type of heat that I would wear a pith helmet.

Not really costumey at all to do this.

A pith helmet is quite practical in a tropical clime; not only did Scottish regiments wear them in India, South Africa, etc., but the famous "Bombay Bowler" was worn by Europeans "East of Suez" as part of everyday wear.

Far less "costumey" than some of the odd things you see at games INMHO.

T.

[rongoms]

[FONT="Georgia"][COLOR="DarkGreen"][B]Was it stupid hot last year?
We thought it was lovely out

Actually when we were across the river in Hovander Park it seemed to have become a tradition for Saturday to be sunny, & Sunday to start off a wee bit soft then clear off late in the day.

Bah.

I'm a native......if it's over 65 degree and the sun isn't filtered by the lovely clouds, i'm miserable.

I AM, glad however, to be in a different pipe band the past two seasons.....my old band was a regimental-styled band.....full doublet, shoulderbelts, feather bonnets.....this is NOT fun in high-heat.

[MacMoose]

I have had a Tilly for ages (I come from Toronto, and they are a local biz). They are great. I have worn mine on many excursions, hiking, canoeing, camping, and yes, even at Games. That being said, I'd LOVE a REAL Pith helmet as an alternative. I agree, it may be a bit "Costume-ish", but as was said earlier, so is the Jacobite-look.

So, I vote "Yes" for the Pith at casual events, including Games.

I do like the idea a personal servant, Fez included. As long as he makes a decent Gin and Tonic. It would be even better if he were a she, and....but this is not the place for such discussion.

[Panache]

Kevin,

This isn't entirely directed only to you but there have been a number of threads as of late that keep turning into heated debates between the "Slobs and the Snobs" (or "Traditionalists vs. Moderns" , "Fashion Police vs. Fashion Rebels" , "Neat Freaks vs. Casuals" however you want to call the sides)

Look at what you first wrote:

I've been contemplating getting a pith helmet...

What think ye?

And then you responded with this:

...I do realise that wearing a pith helmet would look a bit costumey. However, the amount of care that I have for whether or not other people happen to like or disdain what I am wearing is precisely didley plus a wee bit of squat.

When I ask for feedback I want honest feedback.

If you really don't care what other people think then by all means sally forth and wear what you like. But here on XMTS there is this nice mix of Staunch Traditionalists and Bold Modern kilt wearers. If you or others don't want the opinions of the Traditionalists you should either preface this in your query or simply show a picture of your outfit and happily declare "here is my new outfit". The Snobs/ Traditionalists/ Fashion Police / Neat Freaks are likely to not offer much comment because you aren't seeking their advice or approval.

By asking our opinion obviously you must have some interest in what others think. Saying that you don't give much credence to what other people think makes me wish I hadn't bothered to respond.

I'm not trying to attack you, but instead I desire to illustrate a point to all about when questions are posed or opinions sought here.

Cheers

Jamie