I have had the (undeserved) pleasure of being contacted by a group called American Hat Makers (americanhatmakers.com). They offered for me to select one of their hats out of many different options in exchange for me highlighting the hat in some Practical Woodsman videos. I had never heard of this business before, and I rarely do these direct partnership things - I’m very picky about quality and frankly, I am resistant to putting myself into situations where I feel obligated to anybody.

But my goodness, if there was ever a better match made in heaven…

These folks just happen to be in a business that I really, really admire, making products I really, sincerely love. I had a heck of a time picking out a hat just because there are too many outstanding options to pick from.

If you get a chance, go visit their website and see if anything stands out to you. While you’re at it, enjoy this real peak behind the curtain at my personal correspondence with them.

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Hi Rut,

I came across The Practical Woodsman and really enjoyed your no-nonsense approach to outdoor living and gear. Your content reflects a level of authenticity and practicality that aligns perfectly with what we value at American Hat Makers—durability, craftsmanship, and gear that performs in real-world conditions.

We’d love to collaborate with you on a short talking video featuring one of our handcrafted hats. In exchange, we’d be happy to send you a hat of your choice—something built to handle the outdoors and match your style in the field.

All we're looking for is a short, raw video where you speak naturally on camera and show the hat in use. No need to post publicly unless you want to—just something real, practical, and in your element.

If you're interested, let us know and we’ll help you pick the right hat. We’d love to get something in your hands that fits the way you work and live outside.

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Hello XXXX,

Thank you for reaching out to me, I appreciate it very much. I don’t do ‘team up’s’ very often, but I think, thematically, American Hat Makers is ideally suited for The Practical Woodsman and vice versa. I would be honored to show off one of your hats to those who follow The Practical Woodsman (as well as to those who don’t) and to give folks a heads up about American Hat Makers in general. I’ve taken a gander at the American Hat Makers website and I’m genuinely impressed by the offerings there. I appreciate very much the styles and the seeming quality of the hats.

Please let me know how you’d like to proceed from here.

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Hi Rut,

Thank you so much for your thoughtful message—we’re genuinely excited about the opportunity to collaborate with you. We agree that The Practical Woodsman and American Hat Makers are a great thematic match, and we’d be honored to have you wear one of our hats on your channel.

We’d love to send you a free hat and would be thrilled to hear your thoughts in short video clips! Here’s how to get started:

Choose Your Hat (Pick 1):

Barcelona

Paulo

Cabana

Mira

Johvan

Breeze

Pathfinder

Crusher

Cattleman

Rancher

Cyclone

Marlow

El Dorado

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You folks sure don’t make it easy to choose. I feel a bit like a kid in the 90s who has been given a voucher for any item he wants and and then sent into a Toys R Us.

You’ve got some really beautiful hats. Truly, I’m an admirer of what you all are doing. I started buying fine hats, fedoras, straw hats back in the late 90s, and at that time, it was very difficult, relatively, to find anybody still producing fine hats like this, and design options were also relatively limited. I remember thinking that in another ten or twenty years, these sorts of hats would have gone the way of the dodo. So you can imagine how pleased I am that they have not, and that folks like you still exist out there doing this fine work.

For me, the greatest difficulty comes down to choosing between the Barcelona and the Rancher. Both are exceptionally handsome, but of course, both seem best suited for two entirely different seasons. Because it’s about 900°F here in the shade currently where I am, I’m awfully tempted to go with the straw and get a summer’s worth of use out of her. But for the long-term, that Rancher in Dirty Mushroom seems too good to pass up. So that’s what I’m gonna go with.

Hat Choice:
Rancher, Dirty Mushroom, 7 1/8 hat size (Medium)

Please accept my genuine expression of gratitude for this opportunity to try out and own one of your very beautiful hats, and along with it my sincere well-wishes for continued success.

I’m looking forward to receiving the hat, and in my modest way, seeing what sorts of videos I can come up with to show it off, and point people in your direction.