Global Rating: 4.67 from 15 reviews.
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| rating | title | date | name | city state/province country |
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Switchback (5/5) | Jan 10, 2008 | Vicki | Dallas Or |
| This may be a man's hat, but it looks awesome on a woman too. I've gotten stopped in the store by strangers admiring my hat. Fits great, stands up to an Oregon winter, and looks mighty fine! | ||||
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Switchback (5/5) | May 31, 2008 | Anonymous | |
| My father gave me this hat about a year ago and it has hardly been off my head. I constantly get comments about how sharp it looks. Also, you can pack it or sit on it on accident and it pops right back into shape. Finest hat I have owned. | ||||
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Switchback (5/5) | Dec 26, 2008 | Paul | Barva He CR |
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Having owned a Switchback for nearly a year now, I can say that I find the Switchback Aussie to be one of my favorite hats, and is generally the one that I reach for when running daily routine errands except for on the hottest days. The hat feels more substantial than either my Golden Gate Panther or Stetson’s Santa Fe, the other two hats that I have in that category, but upon measuring the material thickness I found only minor differences. The Switchback gives more of a sense of durability and ruggedness than the other two, while being comfortable with a pleasing feel. It is argumentatively warmer, not the best attribute here in Costa Rica but no doubt a virtue in other parts of the world. Like all my utility hats, I added a cotter pin type chinstrap. In addition, I changed the hatband with one that I had been saving. It is of braided kangaroo leather with 11 braids looking somewhat like the original, but gives the hat a little more class. That sucker cost more than the hat. I was impressed with the fact that Bailey choose to attach their hatband by tack stitching and not with glue as I’ve found used by other companies. I especially like the low crown. The Panther’s crown is about the same height. Although the Panther and Santa Fe were advertised as having the same height, I find the Santa Fe's a little higher and slightly more angular. I have probably received more complements on the Switchback than any of my other two-dozen hats, save a leather Colombian hat, and have traveled internationally with it. And is one of the three that I use when traveling locally. It repeals water fine although I carry a plastic rain cover just in case. I have little fear now that the hat will take a set if it has gotten a little damp before being able to put the rain cover on. Normally in that case it is only a little surface water that quickly comes off with a paper towel, also carried in my backpack. The thing that I don’t like about the hat is the brim curl. I find it excessive for my tastes. But that is a subjective thing. I’ve tried every trick that I know of to reduce it; i.e. steaming, wetting, ironing, etc. And attesting to Bailey’s superior crushable quality, the brim always returns to the original shape. Sometimes it may take a few days. I’ve been able to reduce the curl in other hats, but not the Bailey. What I do now is to store the hat between uses with the brim sides turned down. Then for a few hours of usage I’m more satisfied. I’d buy a second one in a heartbeat if one was offered with less curl. This one has the flavour of Western US, and I prefer something more Aussie; the brim down somewhat in front and rear with little or no side curl. With the brim up in the air there is less protection. I think maybe that my head is slightly elongated, and in time this increases the curl as the hat adjusts to my head. I had to stretch my imagination to justify the colour as pecan. I have other hats that are pecan and the colour virtually says pecan. Later I justified the colour by identifying it with the nut itself and not the shell. However, I’m pettifogging as I find this of little importance, although to call it brown would be more accurate. |
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Durable Hat (5/5) | Nov 6, 2007 | Jim Swink | Te US |
| I have owned this hat for 7 years. I wear this hat while working as a restaurant construction superintendent which means some hard wear. It has held up remarkably well, and I have had no complaints. It should be remembered that it is a felt hat and is very warm (too warm for warm weather). | ||||
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Switchback (4/5) | Dec 29, 2007 | Chuck | Shelby OH US |
| I have had this hat for 45 days and it has been fine. At first I almost returned it because the color is a darker than showen in the pic. I chose pecan. | ||||
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Switchback Aussie (5/5) | Apr 3, 2008 | Alan Stacey | US |
| I bought my Black Switchback about a month ago. This is my latest of several hats, but my first Bailey. I like the style and the fit is very comfortable. I am close to 60 and have that top of head bald spot. I love my hats on those cold days | ||||
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Great hat! Great value! (5/5) | Nov 11, 2008 | Lee Savoy | Monroe No US |
| I have a couple, more expensive, western style felt hats. After wearing this one today, I have to say, it's the best of the bunch and for a third of what I paid for my Stetson. For the price, I was more than pleasantly surprised at the quality of construction and weight of the felt. I really like the styling and it'll keep my melon warm and dry all winter. The fit is very comfortable, although I was glad I decided to get the XL. I normally wear a 7 5/8 or 7 3/4 and the XL was perfect. I liked the quality of the hat so well, I bought a Bailey fedora today after just one day of wearing the Switchback. The great staff at VHS were also a delight to work with after a change to my initial order. I'm sure I'll be back for more Bailey and I'll get them from VillageHatShop.com. | ||||
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Switchback-Great Hat (5/5) | Dec 26, 2008 | Warren Pearlson | Huntington NY US |
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I was finally convinced to switch from a baseball cap to a real hat. The look and fit of the switchback are great. Crushability makes it easy to wear to a movie or restaurant. Received many compliments |
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Absolutely Perfect! (5/5) | Feb 19, 2009 | Jason | Sacramento CA US |
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I had been looking for a replacement hat for several years that was suited to both a professional and relaxed environment. My search escalated when I moved to Sacramento and I began having to deal with rain on a more frequent basis. I purchased the Black Bailey Switchback after finding a similar one at the VillageHatShop in Oldtown Sacramento. As the shop didn't have what I needed I was forced to go online to purchase my hat. The sales folks were very helpful in making sure I had the correct item code and my purchase went flawlessly. I love this hat and wear it daily. Recently in the rainstorms, the hat kept me dry and once indoors it dried quickly. Can't recommend this hat enough. It's comfortable, keeps it's shape and I get complements all the time. |
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Nice, but not for me (3/5) | Jul 1, 2009 | Jake Davis | Winona MN US |
| It's a wonderful hat, but it's not the one for me! I like a heavier hat so I know it's on my head. It does look nice hanging on the wall though! It's also a great price for a crushable. | ||||