Akubra Hats

[Kirk H.]

We are a bunch of enablers....

 

[Bob Roberts]

But what one should he buy first?

Splitting hairs. Long as he does it on the same day.

 

[Benny Holiday]

I'm a Stylemaster man, I find the Campdraft too large dimensionally for me, though I'm shorter than the OP at 5'8". I agree the bluegrass is a great colour. Here is the Stylemaster in mid-grey (I don't think this colour is around these days, I think Moonstone is a tad lighter):

And in bluegrass green:

Whatever you pick, the Akubras take a beating. I bought my first one, a black Stylemaster, in 1995, and it still looks brand new today.

 

[moontheloon]

I'm a Stylemaster man, I find the Campdraft too large dimensionally for me, though I'm shorter than the OP at 5'8". I agree the bluegrass is a great colour. Here is the Stylemaster in mid-grey (I don't think this colour is around these days, I think Moonstone is a tad lighter):

And in bluegrass green:

Whatever you pick, the Akubras take a beating. I bought my first one, a black Stylemaster, in 1995, and it still looks brand new today.

great look

 

[andrew_AU]

Hi all,


Here is my short list:
- fed 4 in moonstone;
- stylemaster in moonstone, carbon grey, or fawn;
- banjo paterson in fawn;
- hampton in grey.

Opinons?

In my opinion that's a good list. You should get them!

Seriously, I have/had all of those hats. Here's my $0.02...

The Hampton brim is a bit stingy for me. It was one of my first hats but sold it once my interest non-stingy brims 'matured'.

Stylemaster looks great in fawn and moonstone. Although my Stylemaster is fawn. I don't wear it much anymore mostly because I prefer larger brims, but a nice hat.

Banjo Paterson is a great casual hat. I have 2 in fawn. One with the original Barramundi leather band and one with a 12mm ribbon band similar to a Campdraft.

Fed IV is a great hat. I have one in regency fawn, heritage fawn and moonstone. Moonstone is a great, versatile colour.

You might want to consider the Squatter too. I have it in carbon grey and wear it often. For me, it is the "city version" of the Campdraft and the "big brother" of the Stylemaster.

 

[Bob Roberts]

Dude's all over the place and I'm starting to feel like a wardrobe mistress. Multiple choices may confuse him so just get the Federation in Moonstone and be done with it.

 

[andrew_AU]

Dudes all over the place and I'm starting to feel like a wardrobe mistress. Multiple choices may confuse him so just get the Federation in Moonstone and be done with it.

Yep, can't go wrong with a Moonstone Fed

 

[Benny Holiday]

Thanks Moon, that's me most days. I got a killer silvermist Art Fawcett that is amazing and I wouldn't mind another one plus some Gannons and an Alley Kat or two . . . You know how it is!

 

[Edward]

Hi all,

Though perhaps unrealistic, I'm seeking a versatile hat that can do it all: namely, moderate sun protection, moderate rain protection, can be worn travelling in cities and occasional bush; and in the city with business casual without drawing too much attention. Low maintenance is a must. I travel quite a bit, mostly to warmer climates and moderately urban environments.

My wardrobe consists of grey, charcoal, black, navy, denim, blue, and white dress shirts. I tend to wear brown an tan leather coats and /or shoes. For my work I wear almost exclusively black shoes.

I'm east asian, 5-11, 160 lb. I used to have a black Akubra adventurer, but someone loved it more than I so I donated it.

Here is my short list:
- fed 4 in moonstone;
- stylemaster in moonstone, carbon grey, or fawn;
- banjo paterson in fawn;
- hampton in grey.

Opinons?

In general, imo, you won't find a better production hat than an Akubra. And you'd have to spend some on a custom to better it. I've owned about eight or so myself, across various models, all winners.

I'm not sure there's one, single design that does everything you want, but some may come close. Most of the felts will be too much for hot climates; I spend a significant amount of time in Bejiing in May and June for work (I'm actually there now as I type this), and I certainly wouldn't wear a Federation here at this time of year - or a Campdraft. Both are unvented and lined styles. I own examples of both - lovely hats. The Federation, for me, is the classic American (even though Aussie made!) Fedora, the Indiana Jones type.... I look no further for a Winter / Autumn / Spring felt fedora. The Campdraft is a classic OR style Western; I have mine bashed and steamed into a fedora shape (no snap brim, but I steamed mine up at the back and down at the front, how I like it). My Feds and the Campdraft are very similar - I really have to hold them against each other to notice the difference in the brim. The crown on the Campdraft gives the appearance of being noticeably taller, but it isn't really: it's just the thin ribbon causes that optical illusion. If I'm wearing a felt hat in the heat, though, what I really want is a vented one. I have an Akubra Riverina (bush-hat type; I think the closest current model is the Coober Pedy - https://hatsdirect.com/collections/the-akubra-range-1/products/coober-pedy ). I changed the look a bit by steaming a narrower pinch and removing the leather hat band for my own, hand-wound pugaree to give it more of a classic, thirties-big-game-hunter look. I've woprn that hat a lot in China and India in hot weather (up to 37ish degrees). By a certain point, a straw is really a better option in terms of being cooler, but as a felt all-rounder, the vented Akubra does really well. I've worn it in heavy rain (2008, Hong Kong's worst rain in the 120 odd years they'd been keeping records), and it coped absolutely fine.

For my money, the absolutely most flexible option you might have would perhaps be a moonstone campdraft with some vents added aftermarket (you'd need to find a hatter who can do this, or perhaps buy from one who would before you take it home / receive delivery). That would be a bit dressier than any of the bush-type hats, while not looking out of place with casual wear. I have worn my Riverina with suits, though, and it was fine. A cracking all-rounder. I wouldn't rule out picking up a cheaper straw as well, though - some temperatures (like Beijing this week) it's just more bearable than a felt will ever be. I have several Akubra Capricorns; I'm wearing a grey one with a bluish band this week. Polystraw, which is great - they cope a lot better with getting caught in a downpour than real straw. The Capricorn is very cheap and has a classic look to it. I have them in the natural, the grey, and two in one (one with brown band, the other black). The white one definitely improves with the new 'sheen' off it, but they're all great when felt is just too, too hot.

I think I'm staring to understand:
- wear the Moonstone Fed with cooler colours (eg., blue, grey, black);
- but the Bluegrass green will match better with brown, tans, and otherwise warmer colours?

Does the height of the crown of the campdraft vs. the stylemaster make a significant difference in the look? TBH I'm a bit nervous to wear a hat of the campdraft's dimensions, though research on the this forum indicates that the campdraft and fed tend receive high reviews.

Thx all for the comments!

As with anything else, the more used you are to a high crown, the less it feels 'odd'. I like them, they're a great look.

In terms of colours, I think the most versatile of all would be a moonstone Fed with a silver-grey ribbon instead of the black, or perhaps a burgundy one. If they could offer them with custom ribbon colours and an optional wind tunnel, I'd never look at anything else for a fedora.

FWIW, the Adventurer you had will be very similar in dimension and look to the Fed, as both models were ultimately an attempt to create a production Indiana Jones type hat.

 

[Bob Roberts]

As I said earlier in 2 words. "Moonstone Fed."

 

[RJR]

As I said earlier in 2 words. "Moonstone Fed."

This is an Adventurer from Morgan;their is another version from other dealers that I believe is more tapered.

 

[Willebe]

As I said earlier in 2 words. "Moonstone Fed."

I finally got the green light from the wife to buy the Moonstone Fed IV Deluxe. I am excited, and I am sure the wait will be agonizing.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[Bob Roberts]

I finally got the green light from the wife to buy the Moonstone Fed IV Deluxe. I am excited, and I am sure the wait will be agonizing.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

Good move. Now take her out to a nice restaurant.

 

[Willebe]

Good move. Now take her out to a nice restaurant.

For Father's day? I think I have earned it. I take good care of her and our 5 children. I am thinking I need the Fed IV in moonstone and the CD in bluegrass green. Then we can talk about the new Glock I want. [emoji56]

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[Bob Roberts]

For Father's day? I think I have earned it. I take good care of her and our 5 children. I am thinking I need the Fed IV in moonstone and the CD in bluegrass green. Then we can talk about the new Glock I want. [emoji56]

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

Start making reservations.

 

[johnnycanuck]

I finally got the green light from the wife to buy the Moonstone Fed IV Deluxe. I am excited, and I am sure the wait will be agonizing.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

I finally got the green light from the wife to buy the Moonstone Fed IV Deluxe. I am excited, and I am sure the wait will be agonizing.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

Sounds good. Post pictures when it come in. Also watch some of the Hat creasing videos out on Youtube. They will be useful.
Johnny

 

[Mar Kc]

I will say it again. Wear what you are comfortable in. If it’s the pre bashed Stylemaster then go for it.
If you are going to go a little more daring, the Federation or Campdraft are great options. As for height, most modern hats are low crown hats around the 4 ½” mark. This will look perfectly normal as this has been the height of factory produced creases for decades now. However with an open crown hat that is over 5” tall you can put it to any height you want. Now the rule I read years ago was to take the distance between the middle of your eye and the bottom of your chin (mouth closed) and that should be the height of the crown of your hat. If you look at Windsock8e picture you can see his hat follows that guideline. But if you are not used to wearing hats this may seem really tall until you get used to seeing yourself like this.
BTW green is one of those colours that seems to go with just about anything. Black, Blue, Mulch. Any colour.

Hope this helps some.

Johnny

@ Johnny - my measurement as suggested is just a smidgen over 5"... thank you.

 

[Mar Kc]

When you say you are "East Asian" that means different things - in the UK, it means Indian sub-continent, in the US it is Japan, China etc. FWIW, I am a 6 foot, US 7-1/8 (smallish head), half Japanese, half French and the Fed IV (carbon grey) works well for me.

It got *absolutely* soaked 4 weeks ago (water cascading off the brim in a summer thunderstorm) and was *absolutely* fine.

I wear it with grey and blue suits although casual as well. I will probably pick up a CD BG at the end of the summer.

@Windsock8e - thanks! Yes, I'm chinese and that fed 4 looks excellent on you.

 

[Mar Kc]

I said to buy Both. A Bluegrass Green Camp Draft and a Moonstone Federation. SIMPLE.
(You'll end up with one of each anyway...)

@Bob Roberts - your initial seems prophetic... I think I'm headed that way after some final deliberations and meditation...

 

[Mar Kc]

I'm a Stylemaster man, I find the Campdraft too large dimensionally for me, though I'm shorter than the OP at 5'8". I agree the bluegrass is a great colour. Here is the Stylemaster in mid-grey (I don't think this colour is around these days, I think Moonstone is a tad lighter):

And in bluegrass green:

Whatever you pick, the Akubras take a beating. I bought my first one, a black Stylemaster, in 1995, and it still looks brand new today.

@Benny Holiday - Id been previously studying these photos from other posts. I'm being persuaded to go with the Fed 4 and the campdraft... this is a tough call. Thank you for your input; and I think you wear the stylemaster sublimely!