What companies make hats out of your own tanned furs???

tod osier

tod osier

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I'm going to be in an area next fall that has a very healthy population of wolves and I'd love a wolf trapper hat made out of my own fur. I may be putting the cart a bit before the horse, but I'd like to have the details of what is involved and the cost before I buy a wolf tag.

Anyone have a suggestion of a company who does it?

T
 
Do you get the Trapper magazine? I don't anymore but there used to be furriers advertizing that service. Used to be a company in Freeport, Ill that did it but that's about all I remember. The only fur hats I had done from my own furs were two beaver hats that I got from Buckhorn Fur & Ginseng, Richland Center, Wisconsin. They sent the furs out but I don't know where.
 
Most fur hats run $200 to $600 depending on the types of fur used and how much additional sewing is needed.

For a hat out of your own fur you will have some barter room if you trade the fur remains to the maker. However, a summer pelt is going to make for poor winter hat material. The fur will have to be fleshed and tanned as well so that adds to the total cost.

Boundary Fur Sewing in Fairbanks might abe able to answer some questions about having a hat made from your own fur.
http://www.boundaryfursewing.com/p/about-bfs.html

Dahlberg's Taxidermy in Palmer (see their Facebook page) will flesh and tan a hide and then have a fur sewing friend of theirs make throw pillows from that hide. They have examples of moose and caribou covered pillows on their FB page. I don't know if their fur sewing friend does hats. I'll have to check on that.

The below link will make your wallet and credit card scream, but how cool will you look in that hat?
http://www.alaskrafts.com/fl-hats4-wolf.htm

Or you can get in touch with Bushrat on the AOD. Real Deal bush dwelling trapper made fur products.
http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/...-pieces-and-hat-pics


Also from the AOD with lots of local contact info
http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/...-for-a-fur-hat-maker

The person that does the pillows. I would go with a full fur hat total mountain man style.
http://alaskaspiritcrafts.com/
 
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Sent six prime Wisconsin muskrat pelts, skinned out, to Gorlics Trading Inc., Warwick, N.Y. and they made me a hat that retailed for $400, but by providing my own fur, cost me only $80.

This was a dozen or more years ago. I was wearing the hat today actually. It wears like iron for hunting, dressing up, or even Packer games, but don't try wearing it in tempatures above 15 degrees, you'll roast!
 
Most fur hats run $200 to $600 depending on the types of fur used and how much additional sewing is needed.

For a hat out of your own fur you will have some barter room if you trade the fur remains to the maker. However, a summer pelt is going to make for poor winter hat material. The fur will have to be fleshed and tanned as well so that adds to the total cost.

Boundary Fur Sewing in Fairbanks might abe able to answer some questions about having a hat made from your own fur.
http://www.boundaryfursewing.com/p/about-bfs.html

Dahlberg's Taxidermy in Palmer (see their Facebook page) will flesh and tan a hide and then have a fur sewing friend of theirs make throw pillows from that hide. They have examples of moose and caribou covered pillows on their FB page. I don't know if their fur sewing friend does hats. I'll have to check on that.

The below link will make your wallet and credit card scream, but how cool will you look in that hat?
http://www.alaskrafts.com/fl-hats4-wolf.htm

Or you can get in touch with Bushrat on the AOD. Real Deal bush dwelling trapper made fur products.
http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/...-pieces-and-hat-pics


Also from the AOD with lots of local contact info
http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/...-for-a-fur-hat-maker

The person that does the pillows. I would go with a full fur hat total mountain man style.
http://alaskaspiritcrafts.com/
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You are too good Ray - wow! Are you saying that a pelt in the time period I'm talking would not be worth it for a hat, even a hat for CT warm winters? I hadn't considered that. Hat no, but pillows yes? Pillows would be cool.

Speaking of pillows, there are these pillows at the Oklahoma rest stop on I40 that I've stopped at a couple times. The rest stop/visitor's center is all oak with leather couches and there are these cow hide pillows with the hair on them in the coolest patterns using hides of different colors like and art deco quilt pattern. I almost asked about them, but they are obviously too rich for my blood.
 
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Sent six prime Wisconsin muskrat pelts, skinned out, to Gorlics Trading Inc., Warwick, N.Y. and they made me a hat that retailed for $400, but by providing my own fur, cost me only $80.

This was a dozen or more years ago. I was wearing the hat today actually. It wears like iron for hunting, dressing up, or even Packer games, but don't try wearing it in tempatures above 15 degrees, you'll roast!
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Thanks Mike, I just found a place in MT (Glacier Wear) that will make a hat for $70 if you provide the tanned hide, so that price of yours is right on.
 
Tod,

Not sure when your time period but you wouldn't want to take a wolf or any animal in the summer as the fur will be very poor ie. thin, spotty, patchy with no underfur. IMO not worth making anything out of.
 
Tod,

Not sure when your time period but you wouldn't want to take a wolf or any animal in the summer as the fur will be very poor ie. thin, spotty, patchy with no underfur. IMO not worth making anything out of.
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Yes, obviously if the fur is no good, then yes. I don't know what the condition can be expected since we are talking August in the far northern Arctic. I expect Ray has some ideas, I haven't found anything searching what the coat is like then.

T
 
I was just going to recommend http://www.alaskaspiritcrafts.com/id25.html but I see you already have that one in there. She does awesome work and gets what trapping is alla about. Good luck tagging a wolf!


Steve
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It would be a total target of opportunity, but the tag is only $30. The area we are going to be has a lot of wolves and it is very common to see them there (shoot them is another matter). From what I gather searching I can't find much on the fur quality at that point, but they seem like they are OK, not prime by any means, but not a waste either. I'd take any info that anyone has on that.

T
 
Hey Todd....That Oklahoma stop didn't happen to be one of the "Indian Stores" we have in the state? If so, those pillows were probably hand sewn by a genuine blue-eyed, blonde haired Injun. LOL
 
Yes, obviously if the fur is no good, then yes. I don't know what the condition can be expected since we are talking August in the far northern Arctic. I expect Ray has some ideas, I haven't found anything searching what the coat is like then.

T
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The fur will not have much under coat to it. The guard hairs may be a little short. The arm pits may also be thin to hairless as could the belly. The summers up in the Brooks do get pretty hot up until mid to late August then start dropping quickly.

There should still be a good amount of hair along the back and shoulders to get a bomber style hat out of it. It just may not be all fluffy and puffy like a winter fur with the 4 to 6 inch long hair.

I've only seen a couple folks up here post photos of wolves taken during a hunting trip. Luke Moffit (Alaska_Lanche on the AOD) took a nice black wolf a few years ago while caribou hunting in the middle of the state. The skinning photo shows the belly is fured, but there appears to be some thin spots in the pits.

http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/showthread.php/105134-More-Sheep-Hunting-w-Alaska_Lanche-and-the-Mrs-(plus-chasing-some-other-critters-too)?highlight=wolf+black

This old thread is funny. My daughter now owns the puffy jacket the Becca is wearing in these photos. Maybe it will bring my kid and I some luck this coming season and she can pose for similar photos in the same jacket.
 
Yes, obviously if the fur is no good, then yes. I don't know what the condition can be expected since we are talking August in the far northern Arctic. I expect Ray has some ideas, I haven't found anything searching what the coat is like then.

T
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The fur will not have much under coat to it. The guard hairs may be a little short. The arm pits may also be thin to hairless as could the belly. The summers up in the Brooks do get pretty hot up until mid to late August then start dropping quickly.

There should still be a good amount of hair along the back and shoulders to get a bomber style hat out of it. It just may not be all fluffy and puffy like a winter fur with the 4 to 6 inch long hair.

I've only seen a couple folks up here post photos of wolves taken during a hunting trip. Luke Moffit (Alaska_Lanche on the AOD) took a nice black wolf a few years ago while caribou hunting in the middle of the state. The skinning photo shows the belly is fured, but there appears to be some thin spots in the pits.

http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/...highlight=wolf+black

This old thread is funny. My daughter now owns the puffy jacket the Becca is wearing in these photos. Maybe it will bring my kid and I some luck this coming season and she can pose for similar photos in the same jacket.
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Thanks Ray, I looked pretty hard yesterday on AOD for info on fur quality at that time. Wolf is a minor interest, but I'd like to be prepared.

Funny thing is I was looking for info on rifle harnesses yesterday and I found a thread with that photo of Alaksa_Lanche with the horns on the pack with the rifle strapped in from that thread. Credit card is smoking these days!

As for the puffy jacket and your daughter - I can't wait to see the pics.
 
Funny thing is I was looking for info on rifle harnesses yesterday and I found a thread with that photo of Alaksa_Lanche with the horns on the pack with the rifle strapped in from that thread. Credit card is smoking these days!
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That tends to happen. Have you looked into a bino pack system? There are two systems that get high marks: The FHF (fish hunt fight) and the Alaska Guide Creations. Both a chest packs that will hold a set of bino's and some extra kit. The guide system is larger and carries more items. I have been using a crooked horn style loop elastic strap system and it gets hard to deal with at times. Too floppy, can't hand the bino's off to your buddy, etc.
 
Funny thing is I was looking for info on rifle harnesses yesterday and I found a thread with that photo of Alaksa_Lanche with the horns on the pack with the rifle strapped in from that thread. Credit card is smoking these days!
Click to expand...
That tends to happen. Have you looked into a bino pack system? There are two systems that get high marks: The FHF (fish hunt fight) and the Alaska Guide Creations. Both a chest packs that will hold a set of bino's and some extra kit. The guide system is larger and carries more items. I have been using a crooked horn style loop elastic strap system and it gets hard to deal with at times. Too floppy, can't hand the bino's off to your buddy, etc.
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I've been thinking about the chest packs, but haven't done more than that. I have to figgure out what to do - I'll look at those you suggest. I'm going to bring my Kelty Cache Hauler for packing quarters, but don't know if I want to use it as a daypack or if I want a smaller day pack. I don't have the pack bag for the Cache Hauler and the pack bag is really big for a day pack anyway, so I'd probably use the Cache Hauler as a frame and just strap a dry bag on it. I found a camp gun, I don't have it in hand, but it is on its way, so I'm set there I hope - just need to trick it out :). I'm glad I already have good glasses and scope.

T
 
The cache hauler with a day pack strapped on will work fine. A dry bag will be fine too. Quite a few times I have used my old school back pack hanging on a frame to carry my kill kit and daily stuff.

Right now I am in the early steps of turning my 30 year old Camp Trails frame back into a cache hauler. Kelty sent me the cache hauler shoulder straps and waist belt system, which pins right on to the old Camp Trails frame. These old Camp trail frames are the same frames originally used in the Barney's Moose Packs of the same era.

Now I am making sure my Viking sewing machine can sew the webbing I want to use before I make too much more investment in the materials for a compression system. In the past I have been fine with cheap sleeping bag staps. I tie off the ladder lock end to one side of the frame, route the strap to the other side and tie it off there. Thread the wild end of the strap over the load and back through the ladder lock and its good to go. Works poorly on a bag of loose meat, so I am looking at the compression systems like Hill People Gear, and Kifaru have out - too many "adjustability" features that I have never needed for a meat pack.
 
The cache hauler with a day pack strapped on will work fine. A dry bag will be fine too. Quite a few times I have used my old school back pack hanging on a frame to carry my kill kit and daily stuff.

Right now I am in the early steps of turning my 30 year old Camp Trails frame back into a cache hauler. Kelty sent me the cache hauler shoulder straps and waist belt system, which pins right on to the old Camp Trails frame. These old Camp trail frames are the same frames originally used in the Barney's Moose Packs of the same era.

Now I am making sure my Viking sewing machine can sew the webbing I want to use before I make too much more investment in the materials for a compression system. In the past I have been fine with cheap sleeping bag staps. I tie off the ladder lock end to one side of the frame, route the strap to the other side and tie it off there. Thread the wild end of the strap over the load and back through the ladder lock and its good to go. Works poorly on a bag of loose meat, so I am looking at the compression systems like Hill People Gear, and Kifaru have out - too many "adjustability" features that I have never needed for a meat pack.
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Good to get that confirmation on the Cache Hauler as a day pack. It is a lot to carry with the kill kit safety gear in a day pack.

I bought the Cache HAuler for the situation where I drop a deer too far back in and can't get it out whole (has happened, but not since I had that pack). I use it most to carry my Double Bull Blind, which is big and heavy. I don't think there are enough straps on it as it is, I use an extra strap up higher to tighten things up. It works well to tote Gus too.

I think your sewing machine will be fine, especially a Viking. Webbing sews easily if you have a sharp needle.
 
man, $70 seems like a good deal. I want a pair of alligator skin boots, but even if you provide the alligator, they still run $500 and up.
 
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