So what is a quality Ushanka hat?

[Maxx2]

Serious, I have only one material item that I have always wanted but never got around to buying and that is a quality fur Ushanka hat. Not this coming winter but the next I plan on spending some time in Ukraine or Russia and I want a hat that doesn't look like a joke from a stupid American man. So what do you suggest? What kind of fur and where to get it? Thanks!




Maxx

[Doll]

mink

[Larry1]

I saw a silver/gray fox fur ushanka that looked great.  It cost about $100.  I wish I had bought it.

A FSUW from Moscow told me they aren't exactly fashionable now, at least in Moscow.  But I once had a rabbit fur ushanka and it was far more effective in keeping me warm in cold weather than any other hat I ever had.  We lose most of our heat from our head and that hat was so good that I never felt cold when I was wearing it.

[Doll]

Don't do fox fur! It is too long and will look ugly.
Rabbit fur ushanka is cheap and very warm.
Maxx asked for "quality"- it is considered quality in Russia (FSU).

[Maxx2]

mink

Thanks Doll. I know those fake "fur" military hats no self-respecting Russian would be caught dead in.


According to Larry they are out of fashion. Are they still seen allot on the streets though? BTW thanks Larry. Some of those really big fur hats look in my opinion a bit outlandish





Seems a bit much.

[Maxx2]

Don't do fox fur! It is too long and will look ugly.
Rabbit fur ushanka is cheap and very warm.
Maxx asked for "quality"- it is considered quality in Russia (FSU).

Quality I mean like over $400-$500 or more.

[Maxx2]

I'm a little slow on the uptake today. Mink is considered quality as Doll was telling me. I noticed Russian businesses men wearing mink Ushankas. I like mink. Is there any other fur that is considered quality?

[jone]

Sable.

[Maxx2]

Thanks jone. Does it look noticeably different than mink?

[Doll]

Sable fur is "shinier" and longer. I believe it is even more expensive than mink.
 

[Doll]

Quality I mean like over $400-$500 or more.

I have no idea about prices.

[die_cast]

Serious, I have only one material item that I have always wanted but never got around to buying and that is a quality fur Ushanka hat. Not this coming winter but the next I plan on spending some time in Ukraine or Russia and I want a hat that doesn't look like a joke from a stupid American man. So what do you suggest? What kind of fur and where to get it?

Mink is the best fur for hats. And that is true, that Ushanka is not fashionable now.
Also if you want to buy Ushanka with ear flaps that can be not just tied up to the crown of the cap, but also can be tied at the chin - when you're buying it, make sure you can unbend ear flaps, because this is not always possible. 

[Maxx2]

that is true, that Ushanka is not fashionable now.

From my Russian travels a dozen years ago I remember that men do not go outside during cold weather without a hat on their head. Is that still true? What kind of hats do they wear now?

[lonedrake]

From my Russian travels a dozen years ago I remember that men do not go outside during cold weather without a hat on their head. Is that still true? What kind of hats do they wear now?

 Depends how cold it is....how long they will be outside etc.  Fleece hats are very popular.....especially black.

[die_cast]

What kind of hats do they wear now?

[Muzh]

Some years ago I bought a mink ushanka. Still have it and used it quite a bit this winter. IF I had more time during that visit, I could have gotten a sable one instead. Keep in mind this was in the middle of summer and there was only one vendor with hats at the open market. He told me he could have gotten me one in two weeks. Unfortunately, I was leaving the following week.

[Larry1]

Some years ago I bought a mink ushanka. Still have it and used it quite a bit this winter. IF I had more time during that visit, I could have gotten a sable one instead. Keep in mind this was in the middle of summer and there was only one vendor with hats at the open market. He told me he could have gotten me one in two weeks. Unfortunately, I was leaving the following week.

Would it be gauche of me to ask how much the mink ushanka cost?

On my first trip to FSU the one thing I wanted to buy was a nice ushanka. It was late May, not a good season for buying a ushanka. My girlfriend and I asked to see some in the old Soviet-era GUM department store in Minsk.  They had only one: a nasty ugly brown fur one.  If I had been told it was rat fur I would not have been surprised.  The "fish fur" ushanka issued to Red Army troops in the Great Patriotic War would have looked much better.

[Muzh]

Would it be gauche of me to ask how much the mink ushanka cost?

On my first trip to FSU the one thing I wanted to buy was a nice ushanka. It was late May, not a good season for buying a ushanka. My girlfriend and I asked to see some in the old Soviet-era GUM department store in Minsk.  They had only one: a nasty ugly brown fur one.  If I had been told it was rat fur I would not have been surprised.  The "fish fur" ushanka issued to Red Army troops in the Great Patriotic War would have looked much better.

Not a problem asking. $100 USD. The sable was $200.

[Maxx2]

Would it be gauche of me to ask how much the mink ushanka cost?

http://www.furhatworld.com/mink-full-fur-russian-hat-p-302.html   (I'm sure there are less expensive (cheaper?) versions. These come from Canada)

What they call a "full fur" Ushanka. Full being the entire hat is covered with fur and not just the flaps with the rest in leather.





 


@ $750


Mink Below @ $350

[Maxx2]

They got em in black as well. Sheared beaver looks good at about $250.

[jone]

Nothing like a beaver hat!

[Maxx2]

Nothing like a beaver hat!

Looks pretty good without looking over the top. I am leaning towards Beaver @ $400







Sure looks warm!


A man has got to wear the hat not have the hat wear him. 





I sure wanted one of these back in the 1950's

[GQBlues]

If you'd like to give the impression of being a jetsetter/trendsetter, you might consider standing above the masses and wear the very latest in hat fashion.

Consider: Human skin.




From surgical harvesting done only by the most-skilled physician....





...to ensure only the very best quality skin is harvested...




...goes over the finest lines of their available hats. Enjoyed only by the elite and decadent.





Or...simply be a contemporary, animal-friendly American and sport the ever-popular *cheesehead*. Proven to provide the warmest heads in the coldest reaches of our globe.

[Doll]

BTW, my son bought a hat looking like ushanka here- in a regular store
(Kohl's or something like this). It is the combination of fabric and rabbit fur- very warm!
I brought my dad's rabbit fur ushanka from Russia. For some reason the fur is called "Chinese rabbit". This hat is minimum 20 years old but doesn't look bad at all.
Very warm as well.
What I am trying to say is- Maxx, just get any you are comfortable in.
 

[Maxx2]

Thanks Doll. What is best is what we like the most.