Akubra Campdraft

[dmsantam]

I don’t have an idea. I’ve been waiting on an Akubra Sombrero for over 1 ½ years with no idea when it will become available again.

Lots of hats have become available in the last few months, sadly the Sombrero seems to be the last on the list!

 

[St.Ignatz]

To those grappling with the stiffness and sheer amount of felt in the CD it's a frustrating task until you just take a nice walk in the rain. It just turns into a very agreeable hat in my experience. It's a working hat and seems to respond to its time in the elements.

Tom D.

 

[Zombie_61]

I have three Campdrafts and three Fed IVs, all of which have managed to experience the rain here in southern California, and I agree completely--Akubras really like rain. It's probably the chemicals in the acid raindrops momentarily breaking down the stiffener then re-activating it as the felt dries, but they do like rain.

 

[Boomerang]

Am I the only one who noticed, or found it amusing, that the the standard "Camp Draft" is spelled with two words, whereas the "Campdraft Deluxe," spells it as a single word? I'm going by the sweat band labeling here, not anything in print.

I know it is a meaningless point, but it strikes me as odd.

 

[BlackSmp]

Am I the only one who noticed, or found it amusing, that the the standard "Camp Draft" is spelled with two words, whereas the "Campdraft Deluxe," spells it as a single word? I'm going by the sweat band labeling here, not anything in print.

I know it is a meaningless point, but it strikes me as odd.

Cool discovery

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Am I the only one who noticed, or found it amusing, that the the standard "Camp Draft" is spelled with two words, whereas the "Campdraft Deluxe," spells it as a single word? I'm going by the sweat band labeling here, not anything in print.

I know it is a meaningless point, but it strikes me as odd.

I’ve found it odd too, and I’ve wondered why the disparity. Since the name comes from the Australian riding competition known as campdrafting, I’ve always spelled it as one word.

 

[BobHufford]

"Camp Draft" is spelled with two words

I noticed that it is two words on my hat as well. Apparently it is a single word "campdraft" when speaking of the horse/rider/cattle sporting event that inspired it. The Lounge tends to abbreviate it as CD -- implying two words.

We have the same issue with Silverbelly.

 

[Boomerang]

I noticed that it is two words on my hat as well. Apparently it is a single word "campdraft" when speaking of the horse/rider/cattle sporting event that inspired it. The Lounge tends to abbreviate it as CD -- implying two words.

We have the same issue with Silverbelly.

We certainly do! Well, I know that I do. I zero-in on silly glitches and fixate upon them. Not proud of it, but that's my wiring. It makes me a decent quality assurance guy.

As for the Campdraft, I'm imagining some executive at Akubra with an interest in graphic design making the decision to split it into two words for the sake of "appearance." The truth is probably stranger than that.

 

[DaveProc]

Most of my modern hats are working hats, in particular my 15 or so Akubras. This Campdraft finally received a much overdue bath last night.
Before



After

 

[Aleksio]

I have three Campdrafts and three Fed IVs, all of which have managed to experience the rain here in southern California, and I agree completely--Akubras really like rain. It's probably the chemicals in the acid raindrops momentarily breaking down the stiffener then re-activating it as the felt dries, but they do like rain.

I am between CampdractCampdraft and Fed IV Deluxe, which one would you recommend for a first hat, and what are the main differences you experienced wearing them?

 

[DaveProc]

Overlooking Montreal Old City

 

[Aleksio]

So I ordered Campdraft, still waiting to come and from what I read some folks here prefer water spraying and others prefer steam. I'm not sure which one should be better or easier on the hat? On an Akubra official site, they recommend steaming it.

Could I dry bash it without the spidering of the hat? Would electric water heater for coffee be good enough for steaming it? Maybe question are unnecessary and stupid, but I am a newbie, so please bear with me.

 

[Lean'n'mean]

So I ordered Campdraft, still waiting to come and from what I read some folks here prefer water spraying and others prefer steam. I'm not sure which one should be better or easier on the hat? On an Akubra official site, they recommend steaming it.

Could I dry bash it without the spidering of the hat? Would electric water heater for coffee be good enough for steaming it? Maybe question are unnecessary and stupid, but I am a newbie, so please bear with me.

You can shape it dry without fear of 'spidering' & when you have the crease you want, you can block it in & tweak it with steam. Any kitchen appliance which can give you a good jet of steam (a tea kettle is ideal) is fine, some folks even manage over a pan of boiling water. If you're not doing any major reshaping then you should be fine.

 

[Aleksio]

You can shape it dry without fear of 'spidering' & when you have the crease you want, you can block it in & tweak it with steam. Any kitchen appliance which can give you a good jet of steam (a tea kettle is ideal) is fine, some folks even manage over a pan of boiling water. If you're not doing any major reshaping then you should be fine.

Thanks mate, appreciate the info. What about let's say I dry shape it to teardrop, and then I steam it to solidify it and after few months I choose to reshape it to centre dent, would that be plausible and is that even advisable because I read it's not recommended to shape it several times?

 

[jlee562]

Thanks mate, appreciate the info. What about let's say I dry shape it to teardrop, and then I steam it to solidify it and after few months I choose to reshape it to centre dent, would that be plausible and is that even advisable because I read it's not recommended to shape it several times?

If you're just using steam and your hands, it would be much easier to go from a center dent to a teardrop. It's not so much about plausibility per se, but there will be a "ghost crease" from the teardrop that will be more severe the tighter you pinch the crease (not just 'the pinch' in front). But since a center dent is how you would start a teardrop/diamond anyway, you'd only have an issue if you were changing the height.

 

[Aleksio]

If you're just using steam and your hands, it would be much easier to go from a center dent to a teardrop. It's not so much about plausibility per se, but there will be a "ghost crease" from the teardrop that will be more severe the tighter you pinch the crease (not just 'the pinch' in front). But since a center dent is how you would start a teardrop/diamond anyway, you'd only have an issue if you were changing the height.

Thanks man, would 5 1/2 inch crown be enough tall to make that kind of slant from front to back from your experience? So if I understand correctly, once I would make bash like that on a photo it would be much harder to change in to more even side profile. One more thing, is then not recommended to change bashes so many times, does it negatively impact the hat or is negligible?

 

[Woodtroll]

Thanks man, would 5 1/2 inch crown be enough tall to make that kind of slant from front to back from your experience? So if I understand correctly, once I would make bash like that on a photo it would be much harder to change in to more even side profile. One more thing, is then not recommended to change bashes so many times, does it negatively impact the hat or is negligible? View attachment 635768

I own a handful of different Akubras and the felt can be different from one to the other. Some of them are fairly stiff, so take this for what it's worth:

If your felt feels stiff at all, take the time to either steam it or dampen it with a misting spray and let it soak in before you manipulate the felt, especially if you feel you will try several different bashes on the same hat. All it costs is a little drying time, and you'll considerably lessen the risks of "spidering" or visible creasing. I don't change creases on my hats once they're in, and I still have a couple of Akubras with faint lines from trying to crease them dry. Now I wet them all, or at least steam them, before I fool with them.

Not discounting advice already offered here, but the same brand or even model of hat can have felt that varies considerably, so you have to decide the best approach on your own.

Good luck!

 

[T Jones]

Thanks man, would 5 1/2 inch crown be enough tall to make that kind of slant from front to back from your experience? So if I understand correctly, once I would make bash like that on a photo it would be much harder to change in to more even side profile. One more thing, is then not recommended to change bashes so many times, does it negatively impact the hat or is negligible? View attachment 635768

The Campdraft is going to have a wider brim than the hat Heston is wearing in that picture. His brim looks to be either a 2 1/2 or a 2 5/8 as compared to the Campdraft's 2 3/4 brim. Not sure what the open crown height is on his hat. Could be either a 5 1/2 or even 6 inches. In any event, yes, you can get a nice front to back rake on a 5 1/2 open crown. Whenever I crease my hats I use a spray bottle with water and spritz my hats just damp enough to mould the felt. You don't want to soak the hat. I also use a ruler to measure the height of my pinch to where I want it, and I 'll also use the ruler to measure the height at the back of my hat to get the 'steepness' of the rake I want. After you get the crease you want set the hat aside and let it dry. After it dries the crease will be set.

 

[DaveProc]

RM Williams Campdraft

 

[Aleksio]

The Campdraft is going to have a wider brim than the hat Heston is wearing in that picture. His brim looks to be either a 2 1/2 or a 2 5/8 as compared to the Campdraft's 2 3/4 brim. Not sure what the open crown height is on his hat. Could be either a 5 1/2 or even 6 inches. In any event, yes, you can get a nice front to back rake on a 5 1/2 open crown. Whenever I crease my hats I use a spray bottle with water and spritz my hats just damp enough to mould the felt. You don't want to soak the hat. I also use a ruler to measure the height of my pinch to where I want it, and I 'll also use the ruler to measure the height at the back of my hat to get the 'steepness' of the rake I want. After you get the crease you want set the hat aside and let it dry. After it dries the crease will be set.

Yes I am aware Heston hat is shorter on the brim than Campdraft and that's not bothering me, my main thing was if 5 1/2 would be tall enough for that kind of rake and from your answer I am now confident it will be. Thanks for the shared knowledge