Akubra Overload

[VitaminG]

Is your Stylemaster fairly soft, or stiff?

Randy

I don't really know how to gauge it, but it seems fairly soft to me. Not as soft as some of their other hats (like the Traveller) but nowhere near as stiff as a cowboy hat. It is getting softer with use too. Plus I deepen the side dents every time it gets caught in a downpour

 

[The Good]

I don't really know how to gauge it, but it seems fairly soft to me. Not as soft as some of their other hats (like the Traveller) but nowhere near as stiff as a cowboy hat. It is getting softer with use too. Plus I deepen the side dents every time it gets caught in a downpour

Would you mind posting a photo of your Stylemaster? This is going to be the very next hat I buy, most likely, and I still want to know what exactly I'm getting into. I'm sure it's quite nice!

 

[VitaminG]

Would you mind posting a photo of your Stylemaster? This is going to be the very next hat I buy, most likely, and I still want to know what exactly I'm getting into. I'm sure it's quite nice!

this is the only pic I have of it. It looks more broken in now - a more pronounced pinch, deeper side dents, dirtier. lol But this is a fair indication of the colour.

 

[theinterchange]

Neophyte... you're seriously making me jealous with these pics! I'm drooling! :eusa_clap Looks fantastic on you!

Oh yeah, how soft is the felt, do you think it'd be easy to recrease the crown or no?

Randy

 

[Neophyte]

Neophyte... you're seriously making me jealous with these pics! I'm drooling! :eusa_clap Looks fantastic on you!

Oh yeah, how soft is the felt, do you think it'd be easy to recrease the crown or no?

Randy

The crown on this hat is rather stiff. I guess it'd depend on the type of crease we're talking, but I'd suspect you'd have to do some serious steaming, watering, and beating to soften this thing up quickly.

The fur itself is soft but a little coarse; looks to me like the hair on the Heritage fur may be a tad longer than Imperial. I'm quite certain though that this hat will become incredibly soft and comfy over time.

As it stands, the hat is incredibly comfy. It actually feels better on my head than my Bluegrass Green Camp Draft, which has been conforming to my head for about a month . I really can't explain it, except that I definitely think it was worth the money.

I hoped this helped, and thanks for the compliment. I'll try my best to answer all questions, as there's not really much on the Lounge about Akubra's Heritage line beyond the Banjo Paterson lol.

 

[Chuck Bobuck]

My Akubra Lightning Ridge arrived today...

I wasn't prepared to like it. I didn't think it would be fedora-y enough. But, I really do like it.

 

[The Good]

Vitamin G and Neophyte: Nice hats! Your Stylemaster, Vitamin G, looks proportionally good on you. I may try to order one soon. I've been holding back on it for a little while now. And Neophyte, that's a cool hat. While it does have quite a bit of taper, it happens to work. So will this be mainly just a country/outdoors hat, or will it see some city wear?

 

[Neophyte]

I wasn't prepared to like it. I didn't think it would be fedora-y enough. But, I really do like it.

I've learned that what I really like is a brimmed hat, I'm not specific to fedora's. The Camp Draft has sufficed so far because it fits my smart casual manner of dress. I don't really have the resources to invest in the "dapper" clothes that I'd like to wear with more "dress-y" hats.

For now though, I really like the fedoras and the smaller-brimmed Aussie hats (I believe that the 3'' brim on this sucker actually qualifies as one of those smaller-brimmed ones lol).

At any rate, thanks! I didn't think I would like it either, but I really wanted a hat from Akubra's Heritage line, and the barramundi band on the Banjo Paterson wasn't doing it for me at the time lol.

 

[theinterchange]

Thanks for the info, it's really helpful. I was thinking I might would try to more with the side dents were I to buy one... Not that it looks bad now!

The fur itself is soft but a little coarse; looks to me like the hair on the Heritage fur may be a tad longer than Imperial. I'm quite certain though that this hat will become incredibly soft and comfy over time.

I can agree with this comment. As it ages, my Heritage Federation is getting a little fuzzier when you give it a really close inspection. [note that it doesn't look this way when viewed at a normal distance, even I don't see it while looking in the mirror] I'm thinking of hitting it with a touch of sandpaper someday.

Randy

 

[Neophyte]

Vitamin G and Neophyte: Nice hats! Your Stylemaster, Vitamin G, looks proportionally good on you. I may try to order one soon. I've been holding back on it for a little while now. And Neophyte, that's a cool hat. While it does have quite a bit of taper, it happens to work. So will this be mainly just a country/outdoors hat, or will it see some city wear?

lol

Thanks for the compliment! And VitaminG, I'd like to second that, the Stylemaster looks really good, and that pic still looks great (I recall seeing it somewhere a few months ago).

Actually, it will only see city wear. I live in a dorm on campus, so there's not much choice. This is actually a fairly smart-looking hat, I guess the Oz equivalent of the "going into town" hat [huh] .

In summation, everywhere I feel comfortable in the Camp Draft I would feel equally comfortable wearing the Lightning Ridge . It really does put a smile on my face just wearing it (that may just be the "new hat" phenom).

 

[Neophyte]

I can agree with this comment. As it ages, my Heritage Federation is getting a little fuzzier when you give it a really close inspection. [note that it doesn't look this way when viewed at a normal distance, even I don't see it while looking in the mirror] I'm thinking of hitting it with a touch of sandpaper someday.

Randy

Judging by VitaminG's comment about the stiffness of his Stylemaster, I would venture to say that there may be some extra stiffener in the hat, maybe as part of the "factory bash" process. The felt overall seems just a tad thicker than my Imperial hats, and that may have something to do with it.

Also, thanks for the info about your Heritage Federation! It's good to know that this ought to soften with age (I wasn't certain this would occur, just hopeful lol)!

 

[The Good]

Well good! I suppose I'm rather obsessed with the idea of mainly wearing certain hats for only certain locales or functions. I mean, for example; I would feel somewhat self conscious wearing a cowboy hat (or Australian equivalent) in downtown Los Angeles, although beyond the hills in the countryside I wouldn't give any thought about it. On the other hand, I feel a fedora is something that can be worn nearly anywhere, in most contexts. That aside, if you're comfortable wearing a hat in the city with a brim broader than 2 3/4 inches, great, keep it up!

I do plan on purchasing a cowboy or Aussie style country/western hat at some point. I don't know, maybe a Campdraft or Open Road will come before that...

 

[Neophyte]

Well good! I suppose I'm rather obsessed with the idea of mainly wearing certain hats for only certain locales or functions.

I know exactly what you mean!

Regarding brim width: Fortunately for me, I've got a massive noggin (only 59 in circumference, but in total dimensions, my head is pretty big). Hats that look big on some people look smaller on me. For instance, the Akubra Camp Drafts I own don't look that big, at least to me. Then I saw Salty O'Rourke's pic of his new Bluegrass Green CD, and I wasn't sure it was the same hat. On him, that hat looked BIG (in a good way, the say I wished the hat looked on me lol).

I don't know, maybe I'm just compensating for something..........

At any rate, I found a loophole in my very utilitarian and functionality-focused way of thinking. I looked for hats with a country aesthetic, but were too nice to use as a work hat. Some might call these "going to town" hats, a phrase I've seen on TFL quite a bit, especially when people are mentioning the hats their fathers or grandfathers used to wear.

The Casual/Dress hybrid, too dressy for work but to casual for dress, the quintessential "town" hat. This is what I look for, and it's harder to find outside of Open Roads and Camp Drafts, but damn it if I'll let that stop me!

 

[theinterchange]

Judging by VitaminG's comment about the stiffness of his Stylemaster, I would venture to say that there may be some extra stiffener in the hat, maybe as part of the "factory bash" process. The felt overall seems just a tad thicker than my Imperial hats, and that may have something to do with it.

Also, thanks for the info about your Heritage Federation! It's good to know that this ought to soften with age (I wasn't certain this would occur, just hopeful lol)!

You're welcome. And since you've mentioned it, I have noticed a glaring lack of Heritage info on here!

Randy

 

[VitaminG]

Judging by VitaminG's comment about the stiffness of his Stylemaster, I would venture to say that there may be some extra stiffener in the hat, maybe as part of the "factory bash" process.

there could be something to that. The SM does come with a factory bash. I like the teardrop but not the side dents, so I've deepened and softened them. And the hat has become softer with wear and use.

The Good, I had initially intended to wear the hat with suits to work but found it works well dressed down too (per my pic). On my recent 3 week holiday, I was wearing it to the landscaping supply place with workshirts & jeans and doing yardwork in it. Got it a little dusty & dirty (especially when a large railway sleeper I was carrying crashed to the ground, showering wood chips & saw dust all over) but they're for wearing, not for displaying, right?

btw Neo, the new hat looks sharp.

 

[theinterchange]

but they're for wearing, not for displaying, right?

This is what I appreciate about Akubras, they look great and can TAKE the wear and tear of life like champs.

Randy

 

[The Good]

I wore my Akubra Fed IV in some heavy rainfall here in Southern California, today. It held up well as usual. This is exactly why I trust the durability of Akubra's line of hats, rather than Stetson's or Resistol's, or Dobb's, what have you... Maybe I'll get one of those some time down the road, but I know I can always count on an Akubra to be a good, functional, yet stylish rain hat.

 

[kyboots]

Rain?

Gosh! You got Rain !! John

 

[The Good]

Gosh! You got Rain !! John

Yep! Los Angeles County, and maybe the rest of Southern California, got it good today. I have to admit, my hat's acquired a bit of discoloration over the years on certain parts of the brim and crown, but it's not too noticeable to the untrained eye, and for me it just adds to the rugged adventurer appeal anyway.

 

[Neophyte]

Yep! Los Angeles County, and maybe the rest of Southern California, got it good today. I have to admit, my hat's acquired a bit of discoloration over the years on certain parts of the brim and crown, but it's not too noticeable to the untrained eye, and for me it just adds to the rugged adventurer appeal anyway.

I recall someone purposefully caking dirt and mud on a FedIV and letting the rain wash it off to achieve that effect lol!


Well, it's getting really late here. As promised, tomorrow morning or afternoon I will delete my former post (the one with the pics), and I will try my best to replace them with equal or better outdoor pics with natural lighting. I myself don't actually know what Akubra's "Sand" will look like (we have yellow lights indoors), so it ought to be an interesting experiment.

Farewell for now!