Which sweatband for the hat?

[shredder]

Why a leather sweatband in a panama?
Why a leather sweatband in a felt hat, such as a homburg?
That is, as opposed to a petersham / grosgrain ribbon?
Just a personal preference?
Or, some sort of convention or other reasons?

s

[couch]

The most obvious reason may or may not be the only one: a good leather sweat band is actually fairly resistant to any but the most copious perspiration and oils from forehead and hair. Not so with a cloth band unless backed by foam or some other synthetic lining. So the cloth sweatband is much faster to transfer these liquids through to the straw or felt, where they may create stains that accumulate over time. Depending on their age and the hat material, these can be cleaned with greater or lesser success, but it takes a specialist hatter (harder to come by all the time), time, and money, and trouble. And the stains can't always be removed completely or evenly.

I find the cloth sweatband in my cheapest Panama cooler to wear in the summer than the leather sweatbands in my other hats, but that hat is now presentable for only the roughest use, such as gardening.

I have tweed and linen caps with petersham inner bands, but the tweeds are dark and typically worn in cool weather, and I'm careful only to wear the natural linen when I don't expect to be in sauna conditions.

[shredder]

Thanks, couch. Just as I suspected, it is basically a question of priority: longevity of the hat or one's comfort. As you point out, in warmer climate the leather sweatband is less comfortable than a cloth version despite its protective characteristics. My choice in this instance is very clear as I do not need a strip of leather to remind me of what is already evident to me, that it is hot enough to perspire.

However, as I contemplate getting a felt hat, but not a country bowler, which I do not anticipate wearing on very warm days, I wonder whether I should consider a leather sweatband...

s

[couch]

I've never found the leather sweatbands in my felt hats (including a NOS 1934 Borsalino) uncomfortable in temperate or cool weather. They are smoother than cloth, and unlike cloth can be wiped occasionally with a cloth dampened in a solution of water with a drop of detergent and a little rubbing alcohol to remove excess skin oil. They are warmer in cold weather and can help a lightweight felt hat keep its shape.

For one of my heavier fedora-style straws that sees a lot of use in hot weather (an early 1980s coiled Guatemalan hat made of jipi-japa) I had Worth & Worth in New York replace the original leather sweatband a few years ago with one that had a pattern of perforations (dots about 1/16" spaced every half-inch or so). It's still not as cool as a cloth sweatband, but it definitely helps.

[shredder]

That reminds me of the Brooks leather handlebar tape (sorry, I am working on a bicycle re-build project...). You're giving me ideas...

s