Comment Issues

I apologize for the inconveinence about not being able to post Comments under the Blog Post.  I wasn't aware the settings had been set back to default settings!  I have now fixed them, and you should be able to post your comments on each Blog Post!

Bad Hair Dayz

I don't know if you have ever felt like this in the the morning and known that a fight was waiting for you in the bathroom with your hair!?!?  I sure have!!  Lucky for me, I have a pile of Hats to choose from so I never have a Bad Hair Day.  (And I don't have much hair to fight with anyways!)

Now here are a couple of hair cuts that need a HAT!

The good thing about Hats is that there are soooo many styles and sizes to fit some of the messes you have going on, on top of your head.  There shouldn't be a day that you wake up are not able to win the fight against Bad Hair!

There is no reason you can't feel like a Queen or King in a great looking HAT!!!

Get to know the Blogger

I am going to ask you 5 questions about Kody and the person who answers all 5 correctly will win something from our many travels!

Question #1:  Which 2 rodeo events has he never done?

Question #2:  How long ago did Kody have his right ACL repaired?

Question #3:  In all the pictures on his personal or Ropin Pen Facebook, which crease does Kody do the most?

Question #4:  What number is most significant to Kody and I?

Question #5:  How many kids does Kody have now?

Please leave your answers in the comments section of this post.  I will be checking them to see who is answering them correctly.  I will be sure to let the winner know as soon as he or she has won!  Good luck to everyone who participates!!

Rock Stars In Cowboy Hats

If you know me I'm a bit of a Rocker, so I was thinking of all the Rockers that wear Cowboy Hats.  Now I am not saying all of them should wear a Hat, but alot do!  I just wish they had better help with some of their Head wear choices!

Take for instance, this PINK Hat with the black fur trim?  I now there is a much better choice of Hat for him.  I would love to see this Hat on Carmen Electra, she could pull it off well!  However it's not working so well for this guitarist from Guns 'n Roses.

Now as for the lead singer of Poison, I do believe he pulls this look off well.  I hate the look of this Hat by itself, but on him it goes with his flow!  If you didn't have your Hat all rolled, looking all wrinkled and wore out, you weren't one of the cool cats!  I don't know who started this trend in Hats, but it sure is a popular style! If anything, I wish they would use this particular style in a higher quality of Hat.  It looks a lot better!  Believe me, I have distressed lots of Hats in my day and not matter what you do to it, quality always wins in the end!

You can't forget the little band from Texas.  They are the staple of Rock Stars in Cowboy Hats.  This band has their very own style, sound and swagger.  These 3 have always stayed true to their Texas roots!  I think if you want to wear a cowboy Hat and rock, learn from the best!!  Take it from me...stay a "Sharp Dressed Man"

Hat Etiquette

There are many rules to wearing a Hat, not a ball cap, but a real HAT!  My generation doesn't practice any of these guidelines in today's society.

Back in the 20's and 30's everyone wore Hats, both Ladies and Gentleman.  They cared how they looked and was a sense of pride to sport a Hat.  Personally, a lady in a Hat always catches my attention no matter the Hat.  It just shows confidence in themselves.  With more and more people wearing Hats there is an Etiquette that goes along with it.  Some of these rules I practice and there are others I don't, so here are some guidelines for you with your HAT.

*It is always proper to tip your Hat to a lady you are meeting for the first time.  Use your left hand so if she wants to shake your hand, the right is free.

*It is OK to leave your Hat on in a public building, only until you enter a private room.  That is when you remove your cover.  It used to be proper to remove your Hat in an elevator but in today's world they are to crowded so it's OK to leave it on your head.
*Always remove for National Anthem, the passing of the flag or a funeral procession.

Besides wearing a Hat to protect you against the elements, a Hat worn properly can give you a sense of Dignity!

I AM BACK BABY!

Holy Cat Fish there has been a pile of things I have done and places I have been since I last talked to you fine comrades of mine!  First and foremost we have the final touches of opening our very own CUSTOM HAT SHOP!  We have acquired all the equipment and skills and are ready to build everyone some custom Hats.  More to come on that at a later date!  Here is what has been going on while I was away from you all!


May was very good with our Straw Hats!  We ordered a couple of different body styles that pushed the standard and did very well.  Also our BIG GUN ROPE CO. sold many, many ropes to Cowboys all across the nation!!  It is very exiting to have people loving our product and have repeat customers!


June was amazing!!  I was home barely one week of the whole entire month. The 2nd of June, I left for the Utah Jr. High School Finals and sold tons of Straw Hats and almost our entire supply of Big Gun Kid Ropes.  Two days following that was the Utah High School Finals which my lil bro was apart of!  (He ended up 4th overall in the Steer Wrestling, and went to Gillette, Wyoming for the National High School Finals)  By the end of those 2 weeks I had sold and creased enough Hats to fit an army!  It was spectacular because everywhere you turned there was a Hat that some one had bought from me.  I was home for one day and the loaded another trailer with some Hats and Saddles for the Art of The Cowboy Makers competition in Loveland, CO.  So Holly (my SMOKIN HOT wife) and I left one day earlier and went to the San Diego Padres (my team) and the Colorado Rockies (Holly's team) baseball game in Denver!  I wore my San Diego Hat sitting right next to the Rockies dug out.  Needless to say I lost and Holly got fried so it was about even!  From there we went to Greeley, CO and were able to experience Greeley Hat Works and see there operation!  Let's just say it was very inspiring!  From there, we set up the show and got started with the competition.


I was Proud of my BLACK CHERRY PURE BEAVER HAT WITH AUTHENTIC OSTRICH SWEAT BAND AND HAT BAND.  I was also proud of KADE's WHISKEY PURE BEAVER HAT WITH A CHAR BROWN  BOUND EDGE AND MATCHING BOW HAT BAND!  Kade won second place in the youth and I didn't end up in the top 3.


Then my Sweetheart of a wife locked the keys in the truck in the Olive Garden parking lot. With my temperature pretty close to boiling, I was trying to break into my truck through the back sliding glass window.  I was trying too hard, and shattered my back window!  The next morning at the show,  someone clipped my bumper and left!!!  To top the whole entire trip off, we finally headed home and the water pump goes out in Grand Junction!!  I don't care if I ever go back to COLORADO again!


JULY 2nd, my brother and I were entered up for the weekend at 3 rodeos and a Home Town Roping.  During this Holly and I were moving into a new place!  Parker (my lil man) and I met Kade and his traveling partners in Mt. Pleasant Saturday morning to run our first steers, and Holly stayed home to start unpacking the trailer full of stuff.  No luck for any of us.  I had the boys stop and help move our couches in on our way to Salina for the rodeo that night.  Bad steers and again No Luck.  Then on Sunday Morning we got up and roped in the Redmond Jackpot Team Roping and I ended up winning a little money!  We left there, and I had to take a Cold shower because we hadn't even turned the Hot water heater on in our new place.  We then headed to Tooele to run our last steer of the weekend.  I was first out, pumped and had a good fresh steer. I called for him and got down alil early and he keep running so I reached up and set my feet and then my left knee completely popped out and I fell on my face.  I knew I couldn't stand up, so I bit my lip and hobbled over to the fence, and crawled on the Haze Horse (Pepper AKA the Old Man).  I hazed Kade and Trevor's steers then rode to the horse trailer and couldn't get off the Horse, so I slid onto Frank, went to step with my left leg, and my knee joint gave away and I again fell on my face!  Come to find out I completely tore my left ACL, tore the Lateral Meniscus and had a large Bone Bruise.  So the rest of July I limped around creasing Hats and getting things prepared for our New Hat Shop!


Now that it is August I have a New ACL, trimmed up Meniscus, awesome looking scar, Fresh Ideas and a Hat Shop to kick the rest of the year straight in the ass with!


LETS DO THIS!!!!!!!!

Extra Crispy??

I know it has been alil while since I have let you fine and sophisticated people, like myself, Under My Hat! I had a gentleman come into the store today looking for funeral clothes, and of course, I checked out the Hat he had on.  By looking, I think his Hat was Silverbelly under all the years of abuse, with a shorter brim, and crooked "Homemade" Gus crease.  I talked to him for a brief minute to make sure he didn't need my help, then one of the girls came and helped him pick out some nice new threads.  He later told me he had to go to his 101 year old Aunt's funeral.

Then he came back to me while I was shaping a Hat and asked me if I could sew in a new sweat band in his old Hat. He said "Y'all will never guess how the S.O.B fell out." So, I had to ask........ He insisted on telling me how the sweat band fell out.  This gentleman knew he had to use "steam" and heat, so he thought he could shape his Hat by putting it into the Microwave for 30 seconds.  When he pulled out his Hat, it was steaming and pliable for shaping.  However, the sweat band had shriveled and became brittle like "Extra Crispy Bacon"  He said, "I guess I should have only done it for 15-20 seconds."

I wished that was the end of this spectacular story, but it only gets better!!!!  He then told me how much he liked the shorter brimmed Hats, and how he made his own "brim trimmer"...YOU WILL NEVER GUESS!!!!!!!  Here are his step by step instructions:

1.  Find a pencil (or crayon), and a piece of string about yay long!

2.  Tie one end of the sting to the pencil (or chalk).

3.  Place the loose end of the string on the bottom part of the crown.
4.  Draw a circle around the Hat with pencil (or Sharpie Marker), while holding tension in the string.
5.  Once you have your circle, take your scissors, pocket knife, pruning shears, or nearest box cutters...and follow your circle until you have trimmed your brim to proper liking!

*********DISCLAIMER*************
Under Kody's Hat is not liable for wavy brims, snags, uneven measurements, and your own disliking of your new and "improved" Hat.   PLEASE DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!!

Needless to say, after his adventurous story, he walked out with a brand new granite Hat, with a properly cut 4 inch brim!  Thanks for the story "man from Montecello"

John Wayne's Hat Band

Trivia Tuesday! I have a question for all of you out there in Movie Land. What is the Hat band that John Wayne wears in some of his movies called and where did it originate from?? (see picture)

 I think this Hat Band gives any Hat a rugged look, and could also mean there are plenty of stories to tell, and also lived in this Hat.

Old Hats

For Memory Monday I would like to tell you a little bit about one of my old Hats. I was pushing some watusi cattle with my Grandpa in tamarack trees on the river. At the time of year the tamarack were dropping their seeds, and were really sticky. Our saddle pads, coats, and felt Hats were covered in the sappy thorns.

The good thing about a broken down felt Hat in this type of country is that the brim can fold down over your ears and cheeks to protect you from the thick, sappy, thorns. The tamarack was so thick, the cows would go lay in it, and we would have to get off our horses and crawl underneath the brush to push the cows back onto the trail. As we were crawling under the tamarack we would come across dead calf carcuses that were half way eaten by cougars. After seeing these dead, half eaten calves I never wanted to get my job finished so quickly!!! I wasn't sure if I should be loud to scare the cougars, or just sneak my way through the tamarack and find the hiding cattle. Finally we were able to rope the cows and "persuade" them back to the other side of the river where they belong!

It was a good thing I was wearing one of my old Hats that day. If it weren't for that Hat, I wouldn't have the ears and cheeks I do now!! After that day, my Hat was never the same. It did it's job, and had to be retired!

Hey Mister, nice Hat!

Today is Featured Friday! This is one of my personal favorite Hats. I was wearing one and had a gentelman buy it right off my head. The pictured Hat is a 10x quality, Pecan in color with a charcoal brown bound edge and matching bow. It has a 4 1/2 inch brim with a "5" hand creased cattleman crown. The five crown in our Hat line has softer creases and shorter than a "3" crown or "8" crown.

The great thing about the pecan color is that it really pulls out your skin tones. I would say this color looks smashing on 80% of people that try it on. It is also dead center between a dark or light Hat. With the darker brown edge it really pulls the dark under tones out, which makes it wearable with about anything! When you can't decide on a dark or a light colored Hat, try on the pecan and see if that works for you.