The Montana Peak

The Montana Peak, better known as the Campaign Hat, was adopted and became standard issue by the Army in 1911. The use of this hat had been used in the military since 1840 with minor changes made to it throughout those years. The ropes worn around them indicate what field of expertise that person was in, such as red for artillery.

Following WWI the Army wanted to improve the headgear that was issued. They had so many types of hats and caps introduced that they couldn't keep up with the supplies. The campaign hat was found to be unsatisfactory for wear in motor vehicles, tanks, and airplanes. By the 1930's it was decided that the grade felt was hard to keep in quantity, it wasn't waterproof, too hot in the tropics, no protection, and not easy to pack.

So, for the most part the campaign hat was discontinued by the mid 1930's. It would only be used in limited ways after that. The current use of the campaign hat is primarily for drill instructors, although other instructors and some officers use them also. A different color felt was/is used by the different branches of the military. The female Air Force instructors wear a slouch hat instead of the campaign hat.

The Navy is the only branch of the US Military branch of service that has never used the campaign hat, also known as a cover.