By Jimmy Hickey, Findlay Hats owner, as told to Chris Urquia
I lost my favorite hat while rafting when I was 12 years old, and the next time I went rafting, I was determined to not lose my hat, so I took the laces out of my shoes and cut a hole in my hat and made the first “Jimmy-Rigged” Findlay Hat, and my hat stayed on my head while rafting.
We’ve been in business for just over three years now, and here at Findlay Hats, we’re aiming to reach people looking for a good time and those looking for a hat that will survive those good times.
Every time I went to the water to wakeboard, surf or raft, I would wear this hat with the laces on it.
Since we first began, we’ve produced hundreds of styles of hats. We always make limited edition hats, so it’s difficult to give an exact estimate on how many styles we’ve made.
People were always asking, ‘dude, where did you get that hat?’ or say, ‘it’s so cool,’ and I’d say, ‘thanks, I made it myself!’ I kept hearing that I should make more, and after eight or ten years of hearing that I finally did.
We probably have 30 to 40 different styles in stock and available online, and we’ll probably release another few hundred this month.