Akubra Overload

[Ephraim Tutt]

I had intended to buy a modern Stetson (what else is there for a Texan?)

For a Texan? How about Shudde Bros hats in Houston? Wonderful hatter.

 

[xwray]

According to their website they don't carry Akubra. Perhaps I'll pay them a visit one day to see what a hat shop is like.

 

[Ephraim Tutt]

According to their website they don't carry Akubra. Perhaps I'll pay them a visit one day to see what a hat shop is like.

Sorry xwray, I thought you asked an appropriate hat for a Texan. I suggested Shudde Bros as they have a longer Texas pedigree than Stetson (in terms of manufacture). They won't sell Akubras, but they have always made great quality hats.

 

[elvisroe]

Bloody southern news readers lowering the standards again! It's an A - "A-koo-bra" with emphasis on the koo, as Deputy suggested.

But I admit to being a pedant.

I'd have thought it'd be reduced to 'koooooo-bruh by you lot up north.

...and I thought Bananabenders, like Canadians, prefer to put the "A" on the end - as in " you'se wear'n Koooobrahs, ay."
[huh] [huh]

 

[Ephraim Tutt]

But elvis - I did put an A on the end - A-koo-bra

Now let's talk about newsreaders' cadence...

 

[Lloyd]

Bluegrass Green Campdraft from Everything Australian

does anyone have one of these?
I'd like to know what shade of green it really is.
Any info would be appreciated.
Thanks

 

[Dundee]

bluegrass green CD

 

[Lloyd]

Sweet. Thanks Dundee. I think I see one of these in my near future. Near in this case being defined as how fast I can get one here from Australia

 

[Duper]

Lloyd, if you want a bluegrass green Camp Draft you might want to hurry up. I see on the EA website they are sold out of a number of sizes and this was a special run they had done for them. I got mine a while back and wear it regularly (almost daily) on my dog walking trips to the offleash park.

 

[Lloyd]

Thanks Duper, I ordered it today, if that doesn't pan out then it's a willow green squatter from Hats Direct. I was surprised they still had 60's in stock. One of the few times having a big head was a bonus.

If anyone is a size 8 and wants a green Lawson David Morgan has them on close out.

Dundee, where did you get those hat boxes in your pic?

 

[Jerekson]

From What Price Glory:

It looks better now - I was still beating the stiffener out of it when I took these.

 

[CRH]

From What Price Glory:
...

It looks better now - I was still beating the stiffener out of it when I took these.

Do tell. Was that a baseball bat or a cricket bat?

 

[Jerekson]

Oh, a cricket bat no doubt. Stiffest hat I've ever handled (and an Akubra nonetheless). Guess it goes with the whole military spec. Thing was rigid as sheet metal.

 

[AlterEgo]

From What Price Glory:

It looks better now - I was still beating the stiffener out of it when I took these.

Jerekson,

Your Aussie Military Slouch Hat looks a lot different from mine: Brim appears narrower and has no binding, crown seems to have more taper, color looks more fawn and less green, the pug is joined at the front with a vertical seam and has more pleats, there is no chin strap visible, and the brim is turned up on the RIGHT side (or perhaps you are wearing it backwards).

Mine I had as a kid, and the 6 3/4 size renders it far to small to wear on my now-7 1/8 head, but I'm thinking of getting a new one, and now I see yours that looks so different from my circa-1968 one and the current ones I've seen in catalogues and online. So, please, tell me more about your hat--it looks great!

 

[AlterEgo]

Well, keep in mind I don't really know what I'm doing. My Criteria went along these lines:

I think the vintage fedora type hats a lot of you wear are very nice and I like the look but I'm not sure I am a fedora type person. Since I know nothing of vintage quality it would not do for me to try that route in any event. I want one hat that I will wear when I wear a hat and I want it in a western flavor but not the flavor most westerns seem to be styled in at least to my novice eye.

I had intended to buy a modern Stetson (what else is there for a Texan?) until I found this place. After going forumblind reading all I could and listening to the excellent advice here and because I try to be quality conscious as much as I can I my fixation on a Stetson morphed into a fixation on Akubra and I actually came to that conclusion before I even knew the details of what Akubra offered. All I needed to do was to figure out which style I liked the most. For whatever reason the Overlander Dark Fawn spoke to me the loudest and that is what I ordered.

We will see...I have much to learn about hats.

xwray,

I used to live in Lufkin, later Dallas, but was in Houston often, so I know your neck of the woods well even though I'm now down in Dixieland.

You don't have to hang here long before you learn that Akubras are slam-dunk better hats than 95% of modern Stetsons. I would not recommend trumpeting that fact in Texas, though.

I assume you've not yet received your Overlander, but you'll soon see just how nice the Heritage grade felt is and how soft and comfortable the extra thick premium sweatband is on this level of Akubras.

The Overlander is nothing like an American "western" style but rather a classic Australian "outback," with the very deep downturn to the front and rear 3 1/4-inch brim, sides rolled up, the 4-inch-high pinched telescope crown, and the braided kangaroo leather band. I think you're going to like it as your first hat, a strictly casual one.

I've a Lawson en route in the same dark fawn color, and my only concern is that that shade is too dark to wear here in the South for much longer, but that's the only color presently available in my size without a 3-month special-order wait. Have you considered that unfavorable aspect of dark fawn? FYI, David Morgan has the Overlander in sand, a light beige, which could take the hat deeper into Spring without a sweat-fest. The trade-off is that it would show dirt quite readily.

Let us know your Overlander impressions when it arrives.

 

[marvelgoose]

Thanks Duper, I ordered it today, if that doesn't pan out then it's a willow green squatter from Hats Direct. I was surprised they still had 60's in stock. One of the few times having a big head was a bonus.

If anyone is a size 8 and wants a green Lawson David Morgan has them on close out.

Dundee, where did you get those hat boxes in your pic?

Just ordered my copy and noted that I wouldn't have bought it if I hadn't seen it on the Fedora Lounge.

 

[xwray]

xwray,

I used to live in Lufkin, later Dallas, but was in Houston often, so I know your neck of the woods well even though I'm now down in Dixieland.

You don't have to hang here long before you learn that Akubras are slam-dunk better hats than 95% of modern Stetsons. I would not recommend trumpeting that fact in Texas, though.

I assume you've not yet received your Overlander, but you'll soon see just how nice the Heritage grade felt is and how soft and comfortable the extra thick premium sweatband is on this level of Akubras.

The Overlander is nothing like an American "western" style but rather a classic Australian "outback," with the very deep downturn to the front and rear 3 1/4-inch brim, sides rolled up, the 4-inch-high pinched telescope crown, and the braided kangaroo leather band. I think you're going to like it as your first hat, a strictly casual one.

I've a Lawson en route in the same dark fawn color, and my only concern is that that shade is too dark to wear here in the South for much longer, but that's the only color presently available in my size without a 3-month special-order wait. Have you considered that unfavorable aspect of dark fawn? FYI, David Morgan has the Overlander in sand, a light beige, which could take the hat deeper into Spring without a sweat-fest. The trade-off is that it would show dirt quite readily.

Let us know your Overlander impressions when it arrives.

Actually I received the hat Sat...really fast delivery.

Up to this point in my life I have only wore baseball caps when I wore a hat at all but I have always had a latent desire for a western style hat but never acted on it because I thought a cowboy hat just didn't look right on me. I found the fedora lounge via a google search while looking for information regarding leather jackets. I saw the hat forum, nosed around a bit, and decided I needed a hat after all these years. Finally settling on the Akubra brand I zeroed in on the Overland but was still concerned it wouldn't look right but since I could return it if I didn't like it I went for it.

I have to say I love it...the style is perfect for me. Unfortunately I have to exchange it for a size smaller. I measured several times and came up with a size 7 1/8 every time so I know I ordered the right size based on measuring but as I have learned here there can be size differences based on any number of variables between your size and the hat in that size fits. Since this is an expensive hat I did not want to use shims especially since I believe the size 7 will fit perfectly and I want my first and possibly only hat to be as perfect as I can get it without resorting to patches.

I understand what you are saying about the Outback versus American western style but to my uneducated eye it's certainly western enough (and probably so to most non hat wearers too)...may even give me an opportunity to speak hats to someone who notices that it's "different" and asks about it. I feel so good about the way it looks I may even break down and post a picture when I get the size 7.

The dark fawn is the only color that appeals to me so I didn't give the color versus Houston heat much weight in making a decision. But after putting the Akubra on my head and seeeing how much I liked it who knows what the future holds...

 

[Selvaggio]

Hi Xwray, I would have a discussion with your supplier about size before concluding it is too big for you. It may be too big, but the questions is, by how much?

The way we tend to by Akubra's down her in Oz, is we buy them a littel big and wear them with shims until the sweatband shrinks to size - a process much aided by a hot and sweaty climate. Then we remove the shims.

So if yours is only a little too big this may be okay - you may just need to wear it as the weather starts to warm up. Of course by then, if it is really too big, even when worn in, it will be too late to exchange it.

Also, it is better for a hat to be a little too big than a little too small (as it will give you a head ache and you will never wear it).

AlterEgo, as to the sand colour showing the dirt, based on my very scientific research, in rural New South Wales (my home state) sand is by far the most popular colour (especially amongst the younger folk). And yes it shows the dirt.. and yes that is, in my view, exactly why it is popular. The grubbier and more beaten up your Akubra the more kudos is yours...

 

[xwray]

Hi Selvaggio

Nice Family...I have 5 kids too.

I hear what you are saying. The hat is loose enough so that it will slide right off when I just bend over with any head motion at all. I have asked the vendor about it and suggested, if they didn't have a better idea, that they go ahead and send me anothe Overland in size 7. When I get it I'll see how that fits and send the one that fits the worst back. I figured that might be a better way to get a size I like with the least amount of hassle given my inexperience. I expect to hear from them today.

 

[Selvaggio]

They do look like a nice family - though not my family - I only have two kids and that keeps me busy enough. These ones are from a cattle farm in our tropical North.

I always think kids look great wearing a proper hat and a bit bratty wearing baseball caps - but that might just be an Australian cultural thing on my part because we didn't grow up with baseball.

Yes, if it's that loose, that is too loose. Good luck with it.