1018 Crackle Kangaroo

A kangaroo leather outback hat with a waxed crackle finish

The 1018 Crackle Kangaroo is a packable outback hat made from Australian crackle kangaroo leather, handcrafted in Minnesota, USA. Its natural waxed crackle finish is the reason people pick it. The surface has a fine crackled pattern, so the hat looks like it already has a few seasons behind it.

That look keeps changing. Waxed finishes darken and pick up marks as you wear them, and on this hat every scuff just adds to the pattern. After a summer of yard work and weekend drives it will look like your hat and nobody else’s.

Underneath the finish is kangaroo leather. It’s a thin hide that’s known for being strong for its weight, so the hat sits light and doesn’t feel heavy by the end of the day. It’s water resistant, with 50+ UV protection, and a Cooper Crossing hatband wraps the crown.

Two colors: Brown Crackle and Hickory Crackle.

Folding it is part of the design. It goes into the travel bag that comes in the box, and it rides well in a backpack or a truck’s back seat. The free Hat Sizing Kit is in there too. Measure your head, find your size on the leather chart from Small to XXLarge, and use the two foam strips under the sweatband to fine-tune the fit. Between two sizes? Go with the larger one and let the foam strips do the rest.

Care is easy. Air dry it at room temperature away from heaters after a soaking, and condition the leather now and then. To see how kangaroo stacks up against our other hides, read the leather hat guide. If you’d rather have a softer stonewashed look in the same shape, try the 1018 Squashy Kangaroo.