Akubra Overload

[jharrell]

Thanks, that answered the question. I was curious if they were "helmet" like.

Randy

No, definitely not helmet like.

 

[Florida_Marlin]

Hey Nice Banjo!

The Banjo looks really nice. I've been looking at one myself, just haven't pulled the trigger. Regards, F_M

 

[Duper]

jharrell, The Banjo looks good on you. The B.P. in Fawn was my first real felt hat purchase. It started me down this slippery slope of collecting.

I'm glad you are pleased with it.

 

[Riot Earp]

Got a Stockman on order, size 62, with a ribbon band. The color is "fawn," but which fawn is anybody's guess. Akubra has so many "fawns."

 

[Doctor Strange]

It's probably the "main" Fawn that a great many of their hats come in as the default color, which is a light brown with an underlying hint of red.

I've got a Stockman (Glen Grey with the standard red woven leather band) and - responding to a question orignally asked above about the Banjo - it's helmet-like. Stiff like a cowboy hat. It's an outstanding hat, I wear the heck out of it for stuff like cool-weather hiking, but changing its shape would be a real production number. Luckily, I dig the standard shape.

I've also got a Cattleman, but it has a little more give to it than the Stockman. I can actually flip up the back of the brim easily... not that I would. I also have a Stylemaster, which was delightfully soft from day one, and a Federation III I've had for six years... which (apparently unlike newer Feds) has never softened. Not in rain, not in snow, not from handling. It has always seemed to me much more like a western than a fedora... partly because its dimensions are a little big for me, fedora-wise. The Stylemaster suits me better.

 

[Sam Craig]

Akubra is as iconic to Australians as Stetson is to you folks.

Eph,

Elsewhere some of us who are stuck in winter's mighty grasp (don't know what ever happened to that global warming thing!) have been discussing pith helmets and their use in this part of the world ... and elsewhere.

I've notice they are still worn commonly in the hottest months here on the Great Plains by mail carriers.

You actually see them quite a lot.

I was just wondering if you see any pith helmet use down there in your summer wear ... I mean real use, not just trotting one out for show.

Sam

 

[Scott Wood]

It's probably the "main" Fawn that a great many of their hats come in as the default color, which is a light brown with an underlying hint of red.

I've got a Stockman

:arated:
In that "main" Fawn

 

[theinterchange]

I've notice they are still worn commonly in the hottest months here on the Great Plains by mail carriers.

You actually see them quite a lot.

My carrier here in Orlando wears a pith helmet daily, all 4 seasons.

Randy

 

[Riot Earp]

It's probably the "main" Fawn that a great many of their hats come in as the default color, which is a light brown with an underlying hint of red.

Anything is better than their Santone Fawn, with its yellow hue. I despise that color. I saw a Snowy River in Santone Fawn in a local Western store earlier this month. It looked like someone had coated it with vomit and let it dry overnight.

 

[elvisroe]

I was just wondering if you see any pith helmet use down there in your summer wear ... I mean real use, not just trotting one out for show.

I've never ever seen one worn down-under and I've been a keen observer of hats since I was a toddler.

My great-grandfather immigrated from England's north to the Aussie coal mines around the turn of the century and wore one regularly but I get the impression it was unusual even then and something he was well known for.

I own one as part of my collection but would never consider wearing it.

 

[Ephraim Tutt]

Eph,

Elsewhere some of us who are stuck in winter's mighty grasp (don't know what ever happened to that global warming thing!) have been discussing pith helmets and their use in this part of the world ... and elsewhere.

I've notice they are still worn commonly in the hottest months here on the Great Plains by mail carriers.

You actually see them quite a lot.

I was just wondering if you see any pith helmet use down there in your summer wear ... I mean real use, not just trotting one out for show.

Sam

I've never seen one worn here Sam, except maybe as a fancy dress costume. I suspect anyone who wore one would be laughed outta town. Aussie's love to take the piss....er...pith.

 

[Jerekson]

Well fellas, I just ordered an Akubra slouch (the WWII version from WPG - not the military dress one) and it should be here in a few days. I'm really lookinf forward to rocking the Digger look for my next trip into the bush. I hope I like it - cost me enough.

 

[Sam Craig]

I've never seen one worn here Sam, except maybe as a fancy dress costume. I suspect anyone who wore one would be laughed outta town. Aussie's love to take the piss....er...pith.

So, It's summer there now, right?

Is it most common to see straws being worn, or do hat wearers keep in felts even in hot weather?

Here it gets hot enough you'll ruin most felts in the summer if you're outdoors at all

Sam

 

[Ephraim Tutt]

So, It's summer there now, right?

Is it most common to see straws being worn, or do hat wearers keep in felts even in hot weather?

Here it gets hot enough you'll ruin most felts in the summer if you're outdoors at all

Sam

Felts will cope with a lot of heat and sweat Sam. Wearing Akubras all summer long is not uncommon here, especially in the country. Temperatures in an Aussie summer are quite often around the 100 degree F mark with humidity in the 90's. The hats cope fine. Generally, you'll see a mixture of felts and straws among the hatwearers at this time of year. Personally, I mix it up in summer but can still be found in felts the majority of the time.

 

[Scott Wood]

Felts will cope with a lot of heat and sweat Sam. Wearing Akubras all summer long is not uncommon here, especially in the country. Temperatures in an Aussie summer are quite often around the 100 degree F mark with humidity in the 90's. The hats cope fine. Generally, you'll see a mixture of felts and straws among the hatwearers at this time of year. Personally, I mix it up in summer but can still be found in felts the majority of the time.

I wear felt a lot here in the summer extremes and only ever had a problem with one Scott in that the ribbon stitches were right through and the sweat soaked right out :eusa_doh:

 

[BinkieBaumont]

"Here in the Swan River Colony, everyone wears a straw hat of some description, from November onwards, I also wear a sola Topee or Pith and know of two other chaps in town who wear them, felt hats appear in May and have their last wearing on The first Tuesday in November, we have a few quaint customs in the Swan River Colony, another one is "Bow Tie Friday" we all wear Bow Ties on the Friday before the Grand Final Football Match

PS

Your favourite felt may suffer serious fading if worn in strong sunlight"

 

[Sam Craig]

This may be a personal problem ....

I stopped wearing felts after about mid-May here several years ago when I sweat stained a couple of dress hats

I still have a couple of Open Roads that I'll wear when it's warm, but once June arrives, I put even those away until fall

Summer, I wear straw fedoras, incluiding a palm straw that is, frankly, not much cooler than a light felt, but I don't worry about it staining.

I even have a couple of those awful straw golf hats that have been given to me, but on really hot days, they are fairly comfortable and I REALLY don't care what happens to them.

Fortunately, out here in the farm land, no one cares if you also put your suits away for the summer, so I'm mixing straws with Hawaiian shirts, so it's not like I have to have that perfect staw dress hat .... you know, like Barney Fife wore!lol lol lol

 

[elvisroe]

Hats everywhere...but not many Akubras

In Sydney you do see the odd felt hats at all times of the year but most city-slicker locals are unlikely to wear one. The only fedoras you see are on hippies or elderly Italian gentlemen - they seem to love the Akubra Sunbody.

Until recently you only saw the occasional straw/panama on older men in summer but at the moment, with the trilby craze that's sweeping the globe, most young guys own a straw/paper "fashion hat" and you see them everywhere!

There are plenty of chicks wearing them too. A very stylish female colleague recently asked my advice on a new hat as she was keen to get "the look". Sadly she disregarded my suggestion of a nice little Akubra fashion straw and has ended up with something with a "label" that's made of paper. Ah well, you can only try!

I think it's great to see so many has around, the only downside is that in a few months they'll probably be "so last season darling!"

The most common broad-brimmed hat you see around the CBD would be the leather "outback" variety...although they tend to be accompanied by a backpack and a couple of didgeridoo shaped packages.
It's very much the tourist look.

 

[elvisroe]

Hat Book for Akubra lovers

I'm guessing that this is likely to have been mentioned elsewhere but I'm yet to see it - photographer Grenville Turner has released his book on Australian hats entitled "Akubra Is Australian for Hat".

Check it out...

http://books.google.com/books?id=Eg...ook_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CDQQ6AEwBw

you can sneak a peek at his pix here...
http://images.google.com/imgres?img...e+Turner+hats&hl=en&ei=WYhnS_DhKY7c7AOm5J2BBg

This guy certainly got his moneysworth out of his campdraft!

 

[theinterchange]

I've been tempted to buy that book elvisroe, it looks to be an interesting read/look. Thanks for the linkage, it helped to know a bit more about it.

Randy