Akubra Campdraft Question

[indycop]

I just received my Metropolitan clone courtesy of Art Fawcett. Looks great fits good( it should) and although a bit more pricey, I knew what I was getting quality wise.

Is yours the one with the optimo crease and diamond crease?worthlesswithoutpics

 

[The Outlaw Kyle]

Kyle that is the nicest hat, I love how you bashed it thats just how I like mine the only thing diffrent is i ordered a silverbelly.

Thanks Boxerken. I only wish people didn't think it was a Cowboy hat, but you can't regulate ignorance.

 

[Boxerken]

How anyone could confuse that hat with a cowboy is beyond me.

 

[Boxerken]

hey Kyle how big a guy are you in height and weight? I'm 5'9 160 and although I love this hat it might be a little big for my frame.

 

[The Outlaw Kyle]

I'm 5'10" and, umm, lets go with husky

The brim I think does more to make it look big then the crown.

Uncommoness of hat wearing + Thin ribbon + Only word people have for a wide brimed hat made of felt = cowboy hat.

 

[Fatdutchman]

I got mine from Everything Australian. Took a couple of months, I think. After some earlier size wrangling (all my own fault), this one came and fit just right.

 

[Colby Jack]

Good to see you again Fatdutchman! Hope everything is well with ya!:eusa_clap ...

Go campdraft!...I'm ordering a silver belly (3 month wait)...Though I may need to get a tawny also, which they have in stock at Hatsdirect....

Also...have ya noticed the price jump at David Morgan...all the Akubras went up about $15....Glad I got my Bushman at the old price....lol

 

[SGT Rocket]

Campdraft Question

Hi All,

A few months back my wife bought me an Akubra Stylemaster for a present. It is totally awesome. I love, love, love, it.

Now, I'm looking at a Campdraft. So I have two questions about it.

1. How stiff is it? My Stylemaster didn't seem very stiff at all and it fit my oval head well. Is the Campdraft stiffer? Will I need to ask the hat store (hatsdirect.com) to stretch it into a long oval for me? Or will it meld to my head when I just put it on (my stylemaster fit perfect the first time. I did ask them to stretch it out a little for me in long oval, and they did). I'm thinking that if the Campdraft is about as stiff as the Stylemaster, then I will have no problem.

2. I'm not real good with my hands. If I ask the vendor to bash the hat for me, do you think they will? I'm willing to pay extra for it.

Thanks all!

 

[gtdean48]

I have 4 Campdrafts & love them all. Compared to a modern Stetson Open Road, they are not stiff at all. Recently I bought a Stetson Road Master & the Campdrafts are comparable in softness. I had 2 of them blocked to Long Oval & won't do that again. These hats "conform" to your head naturally thru regular wear. They seem to be oversized when you first get them, need some sizing tape behind the sweat but after a few wearings, fit nicely. The 2 I did not get blocked to Long Oval fit as good if not better than the 2 I did get blocked LO. HTH

 

[Salty O'Rourke]

My CD is the only Akubra I own, so I can't say how it might compare with your Stylemaster. I can tell you that it is much less stiff than a modern cowboy hat. It's about the same stiffness as my vintage Knox Westlite (another OR clone), stiffer than my new Borsalino Como, and not quite as stiff as my new Beaver Brand velour fedoras.

As for bashing, it's not all that tough - apply some steam, give it a gentle fore and aft karate chop, pinch as desired and you're done. I think there are some videos on youtube that show exactly how it's done.

 

[Richard Warren]

My Campdraft is not stiff, but the felt is thick and sort of loose.

 

[FurFeltFedora]

Got 4 CDs and in typical Akubra fashion they are each a little different. Some were butter soft out of the box, other's like cardboard. However, after a little work they are all soft. By work I mean that after shaping them with a little steam I bent and flex them and give them a good misting with water until they are wet (not soaking, just wet - like if you got caught in the rain). After that, all soft.

 

[SGT Rocket]

Good information guys!

I'm thinking of Taupe Fawn for a color (I'm blond hair, blue eyed so I'm a little pale) because I think the Silverbelly may washout on me.

Here is a couple of pics with me in my Stylemaster. The white bandage on my cheek is gone now.

Picture 1

I'm thinking the Taupe Fawn is a light brown-ish color?

What do you think about the Silverbelly? I'm thinking it will wash me out.

Thanks!

Picture 2

 

[Spats McGee]

I have a taupe fawn CD and a mid-grey Stylemaster. I love 'em both, for different occasions. I will try to find links to the pics I've posted of the CD. The felt on the two hats is virtually identical in thickness and finish. My CD is slightly less stiff than the Stylemaster, but the Stylemaster is my court hat, while the CD is more for casual wear. I also wear the CD for outdoor & garden work. I think the CD started with the same stiffness as the Stylemaster, but it's just been worked harder. The CD is also softer than the (guesstimated) 1980s Stetson OR or the 1980s Stetson Rancher that I have. The Rancher is a cowboy hat, so not really comparable, though.

As for size and steaming, I wear a 7 1/2 long oval and I wouldn't suggest having it blocked to a LO. I ordered a size 60, and it ran just a touch loose, at least until I got one good sweat going in it. Now the fit is perfect. Steaming is easy and a CD is tough enough that you're not going to tear it up unless you do something pretty extreme during the steaming. It'd be a good hat to practice on. Just a little steam, hand-shape it, and keep after it until you get it just how you want it.

Edited to add: Here are a few shots of my CD. Bear in mind that I'm a rank amateur in the hat-shaping department.

. . . .

​

 

[jdbenson]

Taper

I too own a Taupe Fawn Campdraft...I'm a 7 1/2 LO but ordered a 60, and it fits just fine. Wear it a lot and it'll conform to your head without a problem. Mine was pretty stiff out of the box, but as I've worn it it's gotten softer and softer and more and more comfortable.

Please be aware that the Stylemaster and Campdraft are very different hats. I don't own a Stylemaster but to my eye the crown looks low and a bit tapered. The Campdrafts have a big crown (mine was almost 6" pre-bash)with virtually no taper. In fact if you block in a diamond bash, it may look like a reverse taper.

 

[W4ASZ]

Camp Draft stiffness

I expect you will have no beef with the Camp Draft (Campdraft ?) over the issue of stiffness. I have four CD's (C's ?) and a couple of Stylemasters.
If you need to, work the hats after a spray of distilled water. But you probably won't need to do that.

Enjoy !

 

[SGT Rocket]

That is a beautiful hat Spats McGee.

I am looking for something with a taller crown. I think the Campdraft will fit the bill perfectly!!!! I'm wanting to use it for more of a lounging around hat, picking up rocks and bark mulch at the garden store type of hat. I guess a work hat.

I love my Stylemaster, and it's great for going places in (for fun or work), but I love it so much, I don't want to make it a work hat.

 

[Mav]

The CD isn't terribly stiff- I've got a Silverbelly bashed somewhat like Spats'. I'd also recommend not having it blocked- it'll conform to your head. I would strongly suggest, if you are ordering from HatsDirect, to give them your head measurements rather than assuming your usual hat size will be the same in an Akubra. I usually wear a 7 5/8, but they hooked me up with a 60 (7 1/2) based on my measurements.

 

[Spats McGee]

Thanks, SlyGI. The crowns on my CD and my Stylemaster are almost exactly the same height, but I tend to bash mine kind of low. There's enough material in them to make a higher crown, I think. I felt like I was having to work to get the crown low enough when I steamed mine. Also, the straighter sides on the CD crown give the impression of a bigger, higher crown. Jdbenson is right, though: they're very different hats.

The taupe fawn is a really, really versatile color, and it's definitely my casual/outdoors go-to hat. If you're still deciding on color, though, take a look at the mid-brown and glen grey, too, though. Toobacat and gtdean have posted pics of CDs in those colors and they're also really sharp. I just haven't decided which one of those will me my next CD, but I can certainly see owning several.

 

[kaosharper1]

Hard to image the Akubra version of Silverbelly washing someone out. It's more of a light tan than silver. And the felt is easy to mold. Here's mine: