Akubra Campdraft

[Zombie_61]

Good to hear you're still OK. I was a little worried about you.

Thank you, I most sincerely appreciate that! A lot changed after my wife died 2-1/2 years ago, and I've been doing my best to keep up. I sold my house, moved 15 miles east, and a week from tomorrow I'll be getting married again to a woman I've known for 30 years. If someone had tried to tell me years ago that this was going to happen, I'd have had some strong words for them and perhaps suggest a shrink. That said, I've been quite busy lately.

 

[Frunobulax]

Thank you, I most sincerely appreciate that! A lot changed after my wife died 2-1/2 years ago, and I've been doing my best to keep up. I sold my house, moved 15 miles east, and a week from tomorrow I'll be getting married again to a woman I've known for 30 years. If someone had tried to tell me years ago that this was going to happen, I'd have had some strong words for them and perhaps suggest a shrink. That said, I've been quite busy lately.

Well, congratulations on the upcoming nuptials, Al. There are still miles left to go, my friend!

 

[BdSal]

Just got my campdraft today from EA, and I have a few questions.

1. Does the wavy surface of the crown go away with some steaming? It has these soft spots that makes the surface look uneven and wavy. Hopefully the attached pic can illustrate what I mean.

2. I measure an exact 57cm and, at their advice, they sent me a 58. Out of the box, the hat is huge. It sits low and covers the top of my ears right now. If I look down, it wants to fall off my head. I know they supposedly shrink, but I'm concerned about whether it will shrink enough.

3. The brim does not snap down. I can force it down, but with any movement it immediately snaps back up.

I realize some of this may be resolved with some steaming and time. I'm mostly concerned about the size, really. Seems like a long ways right now to a good fit.

I plan on shooting EA an email as well. They were very responsive with my initial questions. But I thought I'd pick your brains in the meantime.

Hi, all. Just wanted to provide an update on my BGCD, as I had several questions and many of you were so kind to offer advices/opinions.

The experience has turned around 180 degrees. I really dig how the hat has turned out and my previous concerns vanished.

1. Gone are the shipping waves/dents. All it took was some steam and brushing as several suggested.

2. The fit is great now. I didn't even use any spacers inside! The hat conformed to my head with just regular wear after a couple weeks. There was minimum sweating in it (the weather has been cold until now) and just enough steaming to get it shaped. I guess 58 is my Akubra size, regardless of what I measure.

3. The brim snaps down and stays down now. Solved it with soaking by spraying, shaping it, and letting it dry naturally.

Here's a pic of it now.
Thanks again for all your help!

 

[Woodtroll]

Gald you got it worked out to suit you - it looks very nice. Campdrafts are great hats, especially for their modest cost. I hope you get years of enjoyment out of it!

 

[Zombie_61]

Hi, all. Just wanted to provide an update on my BGCD, as I had several questions and many of you were so kind to offer advices/opinions.

The experience has turned around 180 degrees. I really dig how the hat has turned out and my previous concerns vanished.

Very pleased to hear this. As much as I liked my first Fed IV (my first proper/fur felt hat), the Campdraft became my favorite hat the moment I had shaped it and put it on my head. The color of that first one, Silverbelly, was considerably lighter than I expected, but I got used to it...until my Bluegrass Green arrived, that is.

2. The fit is great now. I didn't even use any spacers inside! The hat conformed to my head with just regular wear after a couple weeks. There was minimum sweating in it (the weather has been cold until now) and just enough steaming to get it shaped. I guess 58 is my Akubra size, regardless of what I measure.

Akubra's size 60 (60 cm) is just right for my head. I don't have a lot of fur felt hats (I kinda' got into wearing wool Pork Pies) and most of those are Akubra, so I haven't done a whole lot of experimenting. I do have one Stetson that was probably marketed as a Trilby, but I kinda' turned it into a Pork Pie and liked it so much that I left the feathers sticking out of the top of the bow.

3. The brim snaps down and stays down now. Solved it with soaking by spraying, shaping it, and letting it dry naturally.

View attachment 702813

I had a bit of a similar problem shaping my BGG Campdraft--no matter what I did, the front of the brim wouldn't snap down, and when it finally did it almost immediately snapped right back up. Finally I simply kept working the front of the brim with my hands, sometimes spraying it with water, sometimes not. Eventually it seemed to understand what I wanted, and the brim stayed down longer and longer until it just stayed down, period. Looked quite a bit like yours, in fact.But as much as I liked my BGG Campdraft, my Tawny Fawn Campdraft immediately caught and held my attention after it arrived. The shape, the color, the fit...it just worked.