How to Wear a Campaign Hat?

[Stosh]

My son and I both have campaign hats - I've got a Brit one and my son has a BSA one. After spraying them with liberal amounts of Scotch Guard we've used them in all weathers and they now look very much like those hats from the 30s and 40s. I'm not a great fan of the DI look; if you wear them in they become a very comfortable and functional item of clothing - each to his own!

Historically the hats were sprayed/painted/soaked with shellac to hold their shape as best they could. It also added a bit of waterproofing. Eventually the guys just gave up unless it was for parade.

 

They were issued only one dress uniform (unless you were the Iron Brigade who fought in the dress uniform). The field uniform was replaced ever 3-4 months, but the bummer cap wasn't necessarily an impressive piece of uniform. Men liked it because it held a lot of foraged food.

 

By the time WWI rolled around the slouch hat of the Span Am war was replaced with the campaign hat, but in the field on the front line, the helmet was worn. The campaign hat was more comfortable, and wore out pretty quickly. They never looked spit and polish except maybe for the first hour or two. In a heavy rain, even less. One never sees the campaign hat on campaign, helmets were the cover of choice.

 

Stosh

[Coracle]

Thanks Stosh - I love historical info like this...

[Rick_in_CA]

My son and I both have campaign hats - I've got a Brit one and my son has a BSA one. After spraying them with liberal amounts of Scotch Guard we've used them in all weathers and they now look very much like those hats from the 30s and 40s. I'm not a great fan of the DI look; if you wear them in they become a very comfortable and functional item of clothing - each to his own!

Actually you do see the campaign hat in the field. Go look at photographs from the Punitive Expedition into Mexico. You will see lots of campaign hats.

[Scouter99]

I read somewhere that the original BSA campaign hats from the 20s and 30s were made from crushable felt (much like the current "Indiana Jones" hat). I have also been told this is false. Does anyone know the answer to this?

From existing period hats and photos, I'd say what you probably read is that the original BSA hats were made from felt and got crushed a lot.

[Stone Cold]

I don't think the BSA sells campaigns hats by anything other than hat size but a quality hat will be sold by hat size and head shape, i.e. Regular, long oval and wide oval.

[packsaddle]

Gotta say that when this much discussion over, what - 10 years?, can occur regarding how to wear a hat, there is little wonder about the way discussions go about something that's actually important. Awesome....

[Stosh]

My son and I both have campaign hats - I've got a Brit one and my son has a BSA one. After spraying them with liberal amounts of Scotch Guard we've used them in all weathers and they now look very much like those hats from the 30s and 40s. I'm not a great fan of the DI look; if you wear them in they become a very comfortable and functional item of clothing - each to his own!

Granted, the time period equals that of WWI, one must remember that the Punitive Expedition was a cavalry operation. The dough boys of WWI were infantry in trenches. If one were to peak up out of a trench, the helmet was the cover of choice. When riding a horse, the infantry helmet was of little protection. The wide brim of the campaign hat at least protected against the sun's rays of the desert southwest. I'm thinking the steel of the helmet and the heat generated by the sun would have made the helmet obsolete very quickly.

 

Stosh

[Rick_in_CA]

My son and I both have campaign hats - I've got a Brit one and my son has a BSA one. After spraying them with liberal amounts of Scotch Guard we've used them in all weathers and they now look very much like those hats from the 30s and 40s. I'm not a great fan of the DI look; if you wear them in they become a very comfortable and functional item of clothing - each to his own!

jblack47: Correct about the trenches of WW1. However, my understanding is that the US Army didn't have steel helmets until the troops arrived in Europe (that being the M1917 Helmet - and I understand to troops only in Europe). In fact, the Army bought the first helmets from the British (the M1917 is a copy of the British Brodie helmet which was designed in 1915). The US only started manufacturing the M1917 in enough quantities to issue them to troops in 1918. Note, it was the switch to helmets in Europe that caused the switch from campaign hats to overseas caps because it was easy to store when wearing the helmet.

 

Outside of the trenches of Europe, the campaign hat still ruled (in addition to the punitive expedition, look at the photos of the "Banana Wars" and you will still see lots of campaign hats. OK, many of those troops are actually US Marines, not US Army - but you will see mostly hats, not helmets). Some interesting photos from the 1918 Siberian Expedition: The first clearly shows campaign hats, the second I'm not so sure:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/American_troops_in_Vladivostok_1918_HD-SN-99-02013.JPEG

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:31st_Infantry_in_the_field_near_Vladivostok.jpg

 

I love this history stuff!

[Rick_in_CA]

I've found a few places that sell reproduction M1911 campaign hats (rather pricy though). Does anyone know if the early BSA campaign hats were the same as the military ones?

 

I think the soft campaign hats are much more functional than the stiff - need a hat press - campaign hats of today. I'm a scouter, not a DI.

[Stosh]

The early scouts did not have uniforms and they as chartered by Congress, allowed to wear US Army uniforms. Military clothing is designed to take a punishment from the elements. Eventually they began to drift apart in appearance, i.e. BSA buttons, etc, and eventually they dropped the Army uniform. Sea Scouts however, did not. The M1911 IS the BSA hat in that it was the US Army hat at the time the BSA formed.

 

Once the US Army dropped the campaign hat, they went to the garrison hat, so did BSA.

 

The Vietnam era ushered in the Army beret, BSA followed.

 

See any BSA troops wearing boonies?, camo pants?

 

But of course BSA wishes no one to think that BSA is a para-military organization, thus the terms uniform, salute, rank, scout, troop, patrol, QM, etc have all dropped from usage in today's BSA organization.

 

Stosh

[Stosh]

I've found a few places that sell reproduction M1911 campaign hats (rather pricy though). Does anyone know if the early BSA campaign hats were the same as the military ones?

 

I think the soft campaign hats are much more functional than the stiff - need a hat press - campaign hats of today. I'm a scouter, not a DI.

All the hats were "stiff" when they were issued. A few weeks of sweat and rain pretty much knocks the stiffness out and the hat becomes "broken in". No soldier in the field has time to repress his hat into a nice flat brimmed original, nor are they running around with plastic diaper covers over the hat either. I'm thinking the average soldier has a lot more to worry about than whether or not the brim is nice and flat. Over time, the hat pretty much takes on a life of its own. Eventually when the hat wore out, it was simply replaced and they started the whole process all over again.

 

Stosh

[Eagle92]

I've found a few places that sell reproduction M1911 campaign hats (rather pricy though). Does anyone know if the early BSA campaign hats were the same as the military ones?

 

I think the soft campaign hats are much more functional than the stiff - need a hat press - campaign hats of today. I'm a scouter, not a DI.

Rick,

 

When I was awarded my Smokey Bear after completing BA22 way back in the day, It was brand spanking new and very stiff. 45 minutes after getting it was very well broken in because all of us got caught in the outer bands of a hurricane.

[perdidochas]

The early scouts did not have uniforms and they as chartered by Congress, allowed to wear US Army uniforms. Military clothing is designed to take a punishment from the elements. Eventually they began to drift apart in appearance, i.e. BSA buttons, etc, and eventually they dropped the Army uniform. Sea Scouts however, did not. The M1911 IS the BSA hat in that it was the US Army hat at the time the BSA formed.

 

Once the US Army dropped the campaign hat, they went to the garrison hat, so did BSA.

 

The Vietnam era ushered in the Army beret, BSA followed.

 

See any BSA troops wearing boonies?, camo pants?

 

But of course BSA wishes no one to think that BSA is a para-military organization, thus the terms uniform, salute, rank, scout, troop, patrol, QM, etc have all dropped from usage in today's BSA organization.

 

Stosh

Wow, all of those words are used weekly in our Troop.

[Stosh]

The early scouts did not have uniforms and they as chartered by Congress, allowed to wear US Army uniforms. Military clothing is designed to take a punishment from the elements. Eventually they began to drift apart in appearance, i.e. BSA buttons, etc, and eventually they dropped the Army uniform. Sea Scouts however, did not. The M1911 IS the BSA hat in that it was the US Army hat at the time the BSA formed.

 

Once the US Army dropped the campaign hat, they went to the garrison hat, so did BSA.

 

The Vietnam era ushered in the Army beret, BSA followed.

 

See any BSA troops wearing boonies?, camo pants?

 

But of course BSA wishes no one to think that BSA is a para-military organization, thus the terms uniform, salute, rank, scout, troop, patrol, QM, etc have all dropped from usage in today's BSA organization.

 

Stosh

Yep, it speaks to the hypocrisy of the process.

 

Stosh

[TAHAWK]

. . .

 

But of course BSA wishes no one to think that BSA is a para-military organization, thus the terms uniform, salute, rank, scout, troop, patrol, QM, etc have all dropped from usage in today's BSA organization.

 

Stosh

 

There is something I am missing as B.S.A. has not most dropped most of those terms.

 

A small sample of the continued general use by B.S.A. of "uniform," "salute," "rank," "troop," patrol," and "quartermaster."

 

http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/34283.pdf

http://www.scoutstuff.org/bsa/uniforms-insignia.html

"Demonstrate the Scout sign, salute, and handshake."

 

"Additionally, the newly adopted resolution replaces the full-hand Venturing sign and salute with the three-finger Boy Scout sign and salute."

 

"Venturing:

* Retire the Venturing Oath, Code, sign and salute

• Adopt the Scout Oath, Scout Law, Scout sign, and Scout salute."

 

"Tenderfoot Rank Requirements"

"Second Class Rank requirements"

"First Class Rank Requirements"

"Star Rank Requirements"

"Life Rank requirements"

"Eagle rank requirements"

 

"Troop" appears so many times in 2014 BSA literature that it's boring to make a list

 

Ditto for "patrol"

 

"Quartermaster

 

The quartermaster is the troop’s supply boss. He keeps an inventory of troop equipment

and sees that the gear is in good condition. He works with patrol quartermasters as they

check out equipment and return it, and at meetings of the patrol leaders’ council he

reports on the status of equipment in need of replacement or repair. In carrying out his

responsibilities, he may have the guidance of a member of the troop committee. "

 

And, of course, since we have become too dense to recognize a symbol, the patch still says "QUARTERMASTER." CAPSLOCK

 

"Etc" is proving more difficult. ^___^

 

I thought no one thought my troop was paramilitary because they saw us trying to march in last year's July 4th parade.