Akubra for Summer?

[shodan]

I want to order an Akubra Fedora, maybe a campdraft. With the wait times listed here it wil be May before I would receive it. I'm new to wearing hats, so my question is this; are these hats ok for summer wearing? I'm in NC, gets pretty warm! Question #2. I don't wear many suits, what is the "proper" style of hat to wear with jeans and khaki pants? Thanks very much!

 

[LordBest]

I have been wearing my Federation IV quite happily in temperatures upwards of 40 degrees centigrade (104 and up fahrenheit), and I can not say it is any more or less comfortable than my panama summer hat. Of course, a FedIV is not a campdraft. Dark brown or beige goes quite well with khakis, in my experience, can not say about the jeans as I do not wear denim.

 

[Doctor Strange]

You may also want to consider one of Akubra's country hats rather than a fedora. A hat like the Cattleman is only slightly bigger than the Campdraft, but it's unlined and has six ventilation holes. In a light color like Sand (which = Silverbelly), it's a great hot-weather hat.

I've been using my Sand Cattleman for summertime hiking for a couple of years, and have found it to be no warmer than a straw hat - and far more indestructible: it still looks brand new. (And as a bonus, being one of Akubra's bestsellers, it's a stock hat in several colors, so you won't have to wait for months to get one.)

True enough, it's definitely not a fedora, and it's designed to retain its factory shpae: it would take some real effort to modify the bash or brim. But it's also not as formal as a fedora, and goes great with jeans/khakis and a T-shirt...

 

[kaosharper1]

The Campdraft is lighter than the Fed, but in NC where you have high humidity, it might still be too heavy for those dog days. When humidity gets up to 80% you might think of a panama. Panama Bob has some good deals on EBAY.

 

[Atticus Finch]

I want to order an Akubra Fedora, maybe a campdraft. With the wait times listed here it wil be May before I would receive it. I'm new to wearing hats, so my question is this; are these hats ok for summer wearing? I'm in NC, gets pretty warm! Question #2. I don't wear many suits, what is the "proper" style of hat to wear with jeans and khaki pants? Thanks very much!

Shodan, I live in Coastal North Carolina and used to wear a felt Open Road pretty much year 'round. Last spring, I finally bought a Panama Bob Havana and a straw OR and rotated them into my summer wear. Those hats quickly made me realize that, for our humid summertime weather, straw is much more comfortable and practical than is felt.

Now I wear my felt hats until late May when I switch to straw until late September.

AF

 

[gtdean48]

I asked Sam at EA if he could order an Akubra Zephyr, straw hat with brim size of a Campdraft, & he said he could. I going to get one in fawn for the warmer Georgia weather...

 

[Kid Mac]

I must concur with the good doctor. The Cattleman is a very good summer hat. I've worn one for the last seven North Carolina summers. Only on the hottest days is it a little warm, and on those days any hat is a bit warm.

As I mentioned, I've had mine for seven years, and it keeps getting better and better. Both the crown and brim have become much softer (probably because of getting wet in the rain and use) while still retaining their basic shape. I gave my brim a bit more snap and deepened the crown pinches to make it my own. I'm wearing mine in my avatar.

In Australia, the Cattleman alternates with the Snowy River as the top-selling Akubra.

Cheers,
Mac

 

[johnnycanuck]

To answer you first questions - You can wear a felt hat in whatever weather you feel like. Australian military has their felt slouch hats, I hear it gets hot down under. Farmers and Cowboys wear felt hats year round without issue. I have worn my Akubras in the Alberta summer without issue. It gets up to 35 above centigrade here but it is low humidity. So yes you can wear felt in the hot summer. Keep in mind ventilation holes does make a hat cooler.

Second question - You can wear a fedora with whatever you want. Any you mentioned are good hats. The Campdraft will have a more relaxed look then the Fedora but you may have that wait time. The CEO is a nice choice as it has a turned down brim that gives it a relaxed look as well. The cattleman is a nice summer hat choice and the brim can be snapped up at the back to give it a bit of a fedora-ish look.
Johnny

 

[carldelo]

Check this out

For hot humid NC, you might consider the Akubra Capricorn, a polypro straw recently getting a good review on the lounge:

http://thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=38186

They're quite inexpensive - maybe add one to your Campdraft order to take advantage of multiple hat shipping. The polypro should stand up to a lot and it's a great looking hat, should be fairly cool, etc.

PS I think the Campdraft should go with most clothes, it seems very versatile style-wise.

 

[rebelgtp]

I have worn my Federation in everything from bone chilling cold to blazing hot temps (110+). I will say it gets warm at 95+ but not intolerable. I wear my fed regularly with jeans, t-shirt and a long sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up a bit.

I do still want to get one of the Akubra country line of hats for my field work. However being a poor college student I can't justify the cost right now. No lining does help quite a bit in high temps, however if you really get sweating it makes it easier for it to soak into the felt.

Another option for hot weather would be one of the Sunbody hats. They are quite inexpensive, seem that they can be quite tough and can be bought open body and in various brim widths.

here is my recent Sunbody purchase, less then $40. It will be my field work hat this summer.

Here is my Federation, its around 3 or 4 years old. It has never been babied, I've fallen asleep and rolled over on it, its been crushed, soaked, mangled, carried around by my dog and baked in the sun. It hardly shows any signs of wear.

 

[Not-Bogart13]

Some people can handle wearing felt in the heat and humidity. Others, like myself, can't. It's all a very personal thing. If you do get a lined felt hat, the liner can be removed (snip the thread if sewn in, or carefully pull it free from the glue). Liners can be tucked back in whenever you want them, and removed to make the hat more breathable.

As for me, I stick to straw hats in summer. Over the years, I have found the cheap ones to be most comfortable. They only last one or two summers, but my head doesn't complain. lol

 

[kaosharper1]

To answer you first questions - You can wear a felt hat in whatever weather you feel like. Australian military has their felt slouch hats, I hear it gets hot down under. Farmers and Cowboys wear felt hats year round without issue. I have worn my Akubras in the Alberta summer without issue. It gets up to 35 above centigrade here but it is low humidity. So yes you can wear felt in the hot summer. Keep in mind ventilation holes does make a hat cooler.

Johnny

Humidity is the issue. I just moved to southern California from Massachusetts. The temp in both places during the summer is about the same, but in MA the humidity would get to 80%-90% in the dog days. Here in Pasadena it gets to 20% tops and it makes a huge difference. I can wear my light felts here in Pasadena but in Boston I would have been sweating like a pig.

In Australia, there's no humidity either. With no humidity, going into the shade (including the shade from you hat brim) can drop the effective temp dramatically while in humidity it makes virtually no difference.

 

[David Conwill]

Is the Campdraft a lined hat? I'm not sure I've seen that mentioned here. Now that they've got it in Glen Gray, I'm sorely tempted to pick one up. How do the dimensions compare to the Fed IV?

-Dave

 

[jpbales]

yeah, I completely agree with kaosharper. I live in Georgia, and I've trained in South Carolina and North Carolina, and it's the humidity that's killer. If I wear my Fed on warmer winter days, like 70+ degrees, it starts getting hot for me and sweat starts building up on my forehead. I can't imagine wearing a felt fedora in the summer here in the Southeast. My panama is pretty comfy though, it helps keep the sun off your head which keeps you cool and the holes between the weave provide good ventilation. Mine is a pretty low weave count, which supposedly provides more ventilation than tighter-woven panamas.

I just got a Sunbody too, I love it so far, but I haven't had a chance to try it out in hot weather tho.

Good luck!

Humidity is the issue. I just moved to southern California from Massachusetts. The temp in both places during the summer is about the same, but in MA the humidity would get to 80%-90% in the dog days. Here in Pasadena it gets to 20% tops and it makes a huge difference. I can wear my light felts here in Pasadena but in Boston I would have been sweating like a pig.

In Australia, there's no humidity either. With no humidity, going into the shade (including the shade from you hat brim) can drop the effective temp dramatically while in humidity it makes virtually no difference.

 

[indycop]

I wear mine year round. Wore the federation and hotter felts last year, will be wearing the campdraft also this year.

 

[CRH]

Blessings.......

I asked Sam at EA if he could order an Akubra Zephyr, straw hat with brim size of a Campdraft, & he said he could. I going to get one in fawn for the warmer Georgia weather...

Sam could get your hat blessed by Jesus Christ....... well at least a local native Shaman lol.

 

[kaosharper1]

Is the Campdraft a lined hat? I'm not sure I've seen that mentioned here. Now that they've got it in Glen Gray, I'm sorely tempted to pick one up. How do the dimensions compare to the Fed IV?

-Dave

Yes. They are lined, and I bet the grey is terrific.

 

[kaosharper1]

I wear mine year round. Wore the federation and hotter felts last year, will be wearing the campdraft also this year.

You are a better man than me, IC!

 

[Not-Bogart13]

I How do the dimensions compare to the Fed IV?

-Dave

I'm not completely sure about the Fed IV, but I had a Campdraft and a Fed III at the same time. The crown heights were the same, and the brim on the Cd was 2.75" all around. So, if my info on the Fed IV is right, both the cown and brim would be slightly smaller than the Fed III.

 

[gtdean48]

Sam could get your hat blessed by Jesus Christ....... well at least a local native Shaman lol.

Zephyr ordered for right at $40 including shipping...nice deal!