During a hunting trip,Stetson amused his friends by shoeing them how he could make cloth out of fur without weaving. Stetson used the fur from hides collected on the hunting trip. Kneading the fur and working it with his hands, dipping it into boiling water,spreading it out,kneading it,and dipping it again,he created a soft, smooth piece of felt. Stetson made an unusually large hat out of this fur-felt. He then wore the hat for the remainder of his hunting trip,at first as a joke, and then later he grew fond of the hat for its protection from the weather.