Why are they called 10 gallon hats?
Some cowboy hats have been called “Ten gallon” hats. The term came into use about 1925.[23] There are multiple theories for how the concept arose. One possibility is that the tight weave of most Stetsons hats made them sufficiently waterproof to be used as a bucket. [5] Early print advertising by Stetson showed a cowboy giving his horse a drink of water from a hat.[5] Stetson says a ten gallon hat only holds 3 quarts. [24] However, though a very high quality felt hat made from animal fur may hold water, [25] even a cowboy hat with a large crown holds less than a gallon of water, and over time, any cloth container will leak. The durability and water-resistance of the original Stetson obtained additional publicity in 1912, when they raised the battleship Maine, which had been sunk in Havana harbor in 1898. They found a Stetson hat which had been submerged in seawater for 14 years; it had been exposed to ooze, mud, and sea-growths of the water of the harbor. However, the hat was renovated
