Sou'wester

Encyclopedia : S : SO : SOU : Sou'wester

A sou'wester is a hat made of flexible waterproof materials worn to repel water, often with a neckstrap to keep it from flying off in strong winds. It was traditionally worn by sailors off the North Atlantic coast and is distinguished by a wide brim that becomes especially long in the back for the purpose of protecting the neck from the elements.

In many senses, a modern North American fireman's helmet can be seen as a hard version of a sou'wester, which also sports a wide brim all around the helmet with an especially long tail in the back to protect the neck.

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.