Akubra Campdraft

[Spatterdash]

Campdraft ribbon

Just curious,

Has anyone ever put a wide fedora ribbon on an Akubra Campdraft, say 1 1/2 to 2 inches or so? I understand that a lot of folks prefer the open road look with the thin ribbon, but I'm wondering if anyone has ever "fedorized" a Campdraft with a thicker ribbon.
Anyone? How about some pics?

On a side note, I have been away for awhile, and frankly I never felt I could offer much more than my questions, compliments and observations. I was never the type of lounger who could consistantly show new purchases, as I have a decent wardrobe but the stuff I was excited about had to be put on hold for about a year. That was due to some major upheaval in my life, family losses, a job change, a drawn out move, that sort of thing.
Real change of scenery stuff.
Luckily, things have stabilized, I've settled into a semi-sane schedule and hopefully I can be more than just a sometime comment from the sidelines. It was nice to remember the Lounge and pop in, only to see how it's grown. Lotta new faces around here, so if you don't know me, don't feel obliged to type out 'Spatterdash' if you wanna say hi...

Just call me Spats.

Anyway... Campdrafts with new ribbons, what's the score?

 

[pgoat]

glad to know ya!

Just call me pgoat, the mangy cur!

I am in the process of ordering a CD from everything australian and they are inquiring about Akubra doing the wide ribbon for me from the factory. I'm looking to do a Taupe Fawn, bashed like RBH's but with a 2" Black grosgrain.

No word back yet if they can do it but I was already told they'll do up a Long oval for me, which is great. If they won't do the wide ribbon I plan to try it with the stock thin ribbon for a while (It does look awfully good in a lot of pics posted by wearers here) and if it just doesn't make it on me, I'll have it done over by someone eventually.

 

[Doctor Strange]

Rather than getting a specially modified Campdraft, why not just get a Squatter instead? It's also an open-crown hat and has nearly the same specs (okay, so it's got a 76x73mm dimensional brim vs. 73mm all around), but it comes with a wider ribbon. Plus, it's the Superfine felt, not the Imperial.

 

[pgoat]

Hmm....is the crown height the same?

can anyone tell me if the Imperial is thicker or thinner than the Super fine? Any other differences? I prefer denser felt.

I've never tried a dimensional brim.....I was looking at some of Art Fawcett's and thinking about it.

I am assuming this is to get fuller coverage over the eyes without looking too "flying nun" on the sides. yes?

 

[Doctor Strange]

I think the Imperial felt is thicker - why else would they call the better grade "Superfine"? And I believe the crown height is approximately the same.

I own a couple of dimensional brims - a Stetson Temple and an Akubra Federation. Unless you have such a hat hanging right next to one with a standard circular brim, you'd never really notice the difference. But the dimensional brim provides a little more dramatic "brim swoop" when worn.

 

[RBH]

Dimensional brims are nice, I think you will like the look it gives a hat.
As to the thin ribbon, I do hope you get a Campdraft, the thin ribbon has such a classic look to it. The way Stratoliners and Open Roads are going on eBay, the price of a Campdraft is not that great. Plus you get the benifit of a nice high crown that can take most any type crease.

 

[Spatterdash]

Ah, but the Bushman has too wide a brim for my tastes, and the Squatter?

Squatter's crown is just a little too short for me.

The Campdraft solves a lot of my particular issues. It has;
1) a decent brim width without being too large,
2) a nice, high, straight-sided crown,
3) and a bound edge, which is a nice, classy touch Federations don't have.
I know many like the thin ribbon, but the Campdraft is potentially a great depression-era fedora if wrapped with a wider ribbon. It makes for a quality Open Road or Stratoliner, but I think it would also be a great fedora.
That's why I chose the Campdraft as a potential model for a fedora ribbon, and I was curious if anyone had done what I'm thinking of doing.

 

[pgoat]

Dimensional brims are nice, I think you will like the look it gives a hat.
As to the thin ribbon, I do hope you get a Campdraft, the thin ribbon has such a classic look to it. The way Stratoliners and Open Roads are going on eBay, the price of a Campdraft is not that great. Plus you get the benifit of a nice high crown that can take most any type crease.

I'm still leaning towards the CD.

Cool new avatar - is that Gregory Peck?

 

[jimmy the lid]

I know many like the thin ribbon, but the Campdraft is potentially a great depression-era fedora if wrapped with a wider ribbon.

I think a ribbon in the neighborhood of 1" looks killer on an OR-style lid. I'm not sure I'd go wider than 1.5", just to keep things in balance with the narrower edge binding. You can find plenty of examples of this kind of approach on vintage Stetsons. So, the idea of doing it with the Campdraft makes sense to me!

Cheers,
JtL

 

[pgoat]

I think a ribbon in the neighborhood of 1" looks killer on an OR-style lid. I'm not sure I'd go wider than 1.5", just to keep things in balance with the narrower edge binding. You can find plenty of examples of this kind of approach on vintage Stetsons. So, the idea of doing it with the Campdraft makes sense to me!

Cheers,
JtL

Interesting, Jimmy. I'd have thought either 2" or a thin ribbon was the way to go. Do you have any pics of the 1.5" to post? You've piqued my curiosty.....

 

[RBH]

Cool new avatar - is that Gregory Peck?

yep... its Mr Peck from the film " Old Gringo "

 

[jimmy the lid]

Interesting, Jimmy. I'd have thought either 2" or a thin ribbon was the way to go. Do you have any pics of the 1.5" to post? You've piqued my curiosty.....

pgoat -- it's really all a question of personal taste and style. A 2" ribbon may be just what you're looking for. But, to give you a couple of other examples...

Rick Blaine posted a beautiful conversion lid that has a 2.75" brim and a 1.5" black ribbon.

Here's one of my lids with a 2 7/8" brim (same as the Campdraft), a 1" ribbon, and narrow edge binding (as on the Campdraft).

All depends on the look that makes the most sense for you! Hope this helps...

Cheers,
JtL

 

[jimmy the lid]

Anyway... Campdrafts with new ribbons, what's the score?

Spats -- these pics of the
Akubra Squatter should give you a pretty good idea of what a Campdraft will look like with a wider ribbon (in terms of how a wider ribbon looks on Akubra's Imperial felt with a narrow edge binding like the Campdraft)...

Cheers,
JtL

 

[pgoat]

yes, that does help. I like the first (wider) ribbon better - that's quite a job they did - the hat looks totally different - and GREAT!

 

[aliados]

WIDE ribbon

Put a reddish-brown 2-1/4 ribbon (from an old Adam's hat) on a light tan "Open Road" (old stock Akubra) -- and have received quite a few compliments on it. Also put a 2" brown ribbon on a light brown Campdraft. In both cases, the wider ribbon (a) makes the hat look more thirties than forites, and (b) makes that hig crown look a little less tall.
I think I look better with the wider ribbons, anyhow.

Bad news is, I found a fabric store in NY that had wide cotton-rayon ribbon (that's where I got the brown) , bought a yard, did the Campdraft, wnet back for more -- AND THEY'RE OUT OF BUSINESS!

 

[shoelessjoe]

Well, after the obligatory three-plus month wait, my Akubra (silverbelly) arrived last week and having perused the many, many threads/pics concerning bashes, creases, etc., I have finally decided upon a fedora-styled Campdraft.

Now, two questions ... in your opinion(s), which is more becoming on a Campdraft, a diamond or tear-drop crease and secondly, who/where would you send your hat to for shaping?

Thanks ....

 

[Boxerken]

Congrats on the new Campdraft. I have the same hat and wear it often. As to which crown bash, it's just a matter of what you prefer. All of my hats have a diamond bash. You dont need to send your hat to anyone to do this, it's quite easy to do. Just get a spray bottle and distlled water and spray it until it's fairly wet and shape it until you get what your looking for. Dont worry about damaging the hat. Campdraft's are tough, just jump in and do it, you will have the hang of it in notime.

 

[BobC]

Congrats on the new Campdraft, Joe. I have a silverbelly that's still fairly new too. I bought mine from hatsdirect and asked them to bash it for me to a teardrop. I have found that I can bash a diamond pretty easily, but I have had trouble getting a teardrop to look the way I want it. If you search for Campdraft here on the lounge you will see a good many of them, especially the silverbelly lately, with diamonds and teardrops. Either will look good. Give it a go.

 

[RBH]

Congrats!!!
I have a diamond in mine, a rather low creased diamond.
What I mean by that is the creases are a little lower than some of the recent ones I have seen.

 

[Chuck Bobuck]

Personally, I like the Diamond bash, I think it looks fantastic on the Campdraft. Check out the diamond authority thread, the thin ribbon thread, and search for Campdrafts and Open Roads. There are many pictures to look at. Find a bash you like and copy it. Doing a diamond bash isn't very difficult, you should give it a try. I recently got my Campdraft and bashed it myself and I'm new in town also. I used a spray bottle to mist the crown a little to aid in shaping.