Akubra questions

[bonedaddy]

A $20 Hat Jack is a good investment. Don't use it to stretch the hat but set it at your hat size and insert in the hat after use. It will help maintain the hat to your size. Or if you have wordworking skills you could cut yourself a band block in the correct size and insert that into the hat each night.

Hat Jack is on my shopping list, thank you.

 

[belfastboy]

Hat Jack is on my shopping list, thank you.

Just be cautious in using it especially if the hat is wet...do not stretch the hat as it can distort the whole damn thing, brim and crown. Use it to prevent shrinkage and maintain the correct size and you will be fine.

 

[Lean'n'mean]

No worries, the Snowy River will take anything you wish to throw at it. You can change the shape of the brim as many times you wish too.
It's true, Akubra's bonded leather hat bands & sometimes poor sweatbands are a let down but they make reasonable quality hats for a very good price & so they prefer to remain competitive by maintaining the quality of the felt but skimping on the accessories.
As for the glue left by the hat bands I've always found it easy enough to carefully scrape off with a small sharp knife & leave no trace on the felt. If however you do have trouble, since they use a hot glue gun, you could try heating up the glue blops with something like a hair dryer which should soften them & so make it easier to scrape them off.

 

[bonedaddy]

No worries, the Snowy River will take anything you wish to throw at it. You can change the shape of the brim as many times you wish too.
It's true, Akubra's bonded leather hat bands & sometimes poor sweatbands are a let down but they make reasonable quality hats for a very good price & so they prefer to remain competitive by maintaining the quality of the felt but skimping on the accessories.
As for the glue left by the hat bands I've always found it easy enough to carefully scrape off with a small sharp knife & leave no trace on the felt. If however you do have trouble, since they use a hot glue gun, you could try heating up the glue blops with something like a hair dryer which should soften them & so make it easier to scrape them off.

Thank you, I will definitely try that in the future.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

It would nice if someone could share there experience with Akubras and harsh weather conditions.

I don't own a Snowy River but I have a Cattleman as a work hat. It has been in rain & water has collected & pooled in the front pinch many times but it has never soaked thru anywhere. The Cattleman doesn't have a liner so if it were to soak thru I would see it easy enough. At the end of the day I just let it dry overnight.

 

[bonedaddy]

I don't own a Snowy River but I have a Cattleman as a work hat. It has been in rain & water has collected & pooled in the front pinch many times but it has never soaked thru anywhere. The Cattleman doesn't have a liner so if it were to soak thru I would see it easy enough. At the end of the day I just let it dry overnight.

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Nice hat! And thanks for your reply.

 

[Mark53]

Bone daddy, I have worn Akubras for about thirty five years, mostly Camp drafts and Squatters in recent years. My experience is that they tend to hold up very well. But!! I wear size 61 and always buy 62. I put adhesive backed foam tape inside the sweat band and move it as it shrinks. I have found that they have tended to shrink a size but I wear hats every day in all kinds of weather. The picture I have posted are of the hats that are currently on my hat rack. They are (right) a taupe fawn Campdraft, (new ribbon, thanks to Art Fawcett), (left) carbon grey Squatter, (back) regency fawn Squatter (thank you Hattery for the special order). Enjoy your Snowy River, wear it and you will quickly get used to fold dumbass comments about it.

 

[bonedaddy]

Bone daddy, I have worn Akubras for about thirty five years, mostly Camp drafts and Squatters in recent years. My experience is that they tend to hold up very well. But!! I wear size 61 and always buy 62. I put adhesive backed foam tape inside the sweat band and move it as it shrinks. I have found that they have tended to shrink a size but I wear hats every day in all kinds of weather. The picture I have posted are of the hats that are currently on my hat rack. They are (right) a taupe fawn Campdraft, (new ribbon, thanks to Art Fawcett), (left) carbon grey Squatter, (back) regency fawn Squatter (thank you Hattery for the special order). Enjoy your Snowy River, wear it and you will quickly get used to fold dumbass comments about it. View attachment 218500

Thank you Mark. Those are some nice looking hats, classic and rugged, I love em. And yes, in terms of the shrinkage I figured the larger size would be a good idea since the 59 wasn't uncomfortable at all and did not look odd or anything. I think purchasing a hat slightly larger, just slightly, rather than smaller gives you more freedom because it's so much easier to alter the size. Been wearing my Snowy River every day since I got it and I love it. One thing that particularly fascinates me is the great fit. By that I mean how easy it sits on my head but is still holds very firmly. With the other two minor quality hats I own the fit was always rather snug around the head, otherwise it was going to be blown away by the wind. But the leather sweat band keeps the hat in place so easily that I forget I am even wearing something on my head.

Also, no comments so far. But even if, who cares. I live in Austria, where they are not common, but I have been wearing cowboy boots for the past ten years and after a while people stop commenting. Same with the hat, I guess.

 

[Mark53]

Thank you Mark. Those are some nice looking hats, classic and rugged, I love em. And yes, in terms of the shrinkage I figured the larger size would be a good idea since the 59 wasn't uncomfortable at all and did not look odd or anything. I think purchasing a hat slightly larger, just slightly, rather than smaller gives you more freedom because it's so much easier to alter the size. Been wearing my Snowy River every day since I got it and I love it. One thing that particularly fascinates me is the great fit. By that I mean how easy it sits on my head but is still holds very firmly. With the other two minor quality hats I own the fit was always rather snug around the head, otherwise it was going to be blown away by the wind. But the leather sweat band keeps the hat in place so easily that I forget I am even wearing something on my head.

Also, no comments so far. But even if, who cares. I live in Austria, where they are not common, but I have been wearing cowboy boots for the past ten years and after a while people stop commenting. Same with the hat, I guess.

Yes, I also wear cowboy boots and have had many comments over the years, the (Hello Sheriff variety). Not so many any more, probably because I am not self conscious about it. Mostly now the comments are, nice hat or, small children asking if I am a cowboy. My reply is, no I'm not a cowboy I just like hats. Enjoy. Thanks for the reply.

 

[Catechumen]

Excuse my presumptuousness as a newbie, but I have read through many threads on this site regarding getting special order Akubras and I’m wondering why that seems to have stopped years ago. Has Akubra absolutely killed the idea? I would love to get a Federation IV in Fern Green (yes, I know the Federation model is exclusive to one seller), and the Akubra Fedora or Campdraft in Western Navy. Why have the special orders stopped? I know there are shoe stores that were built on special order Aldens; don’t know why Akubra sellers don’t use some imagination and offer special subscription offers (would be even better if they could offer something other than the blah white liners). Would really like to see some greater variety on the Federation, Fedora, and Campdraft front. I love my Akubras, but they seem to be missing out by being the Model T - any color so long as it’s black.........they need to be flexible about special orders IMHO. Offering the same hat in only Bran or Sand for years is not, exactly, trying to grow a business...........

 

[Aerielle Max]

Choose the right shape as it will allow the hat to sit in the perfect spot on your head.

 

[Catechumen]

Excuse my presumptuousness as a newbie, but I have read through many threads on this site regarding getting special order Akubras and I’m wondering why that seems to have stopped years ago. Has Akubra absolutely killed the idea? I would love to get a Federation IV in Fern Green (yes, I know the Federation model is exclusive to one seller), and the Akubra Fedora or Campdraft in Western Navy. Why have the special orders stopped? I know there are shoe stores that were built on special order Aldens; don’t know why Akubra sellers don’t use some imagination and offer special subscription offers (would be even better if they could offer something other than the blah white liners). Would really like to see some greater variety on the Federation, Fedora, and Campdraft front. I love my Akubras, but they seem to be missing out by being the Model T - any color so long as it’s black.........they need to be flexible about special orders IMHO. Offering the same hat in only Bran or Sand for years is not, exactly, trying to grow a business...........

Wow, way to bury this sincere question in a generic thread.......the moderation helps create a moribund site, methinks.

 

[belfastboy]

Wow, way to bury this sincere question in a generic thread.......the moderation helps create a moribund site, methinks.

Rather than blaming it on the thread/moderator it could very well be that no one has an answer for you. I am an Akubra fan, have owned many of them over the years, read your thread and had nothing of value to offer in way of an explanation. Perhaps I am typical. In my experience the threads in the 'Hat' section are read widely by the hat guys in the forum.

 

[jlee562]

Rather than blaming it on the thread/moderator it could very well be that no one has an answer for you. I am an Akubra fan, have owned many of them over the years, read your thread and had nothing of value to offer in way of an explanation. Perhaps I am typical. In my experience the threads in the 'Hat' section are read widely by the hat guys in the forum.

Agreed.

I can speculate as to why Akubra no longer does so, but it would only be idle speculation.

It seems as if Akubra's number one export market is now China as well as Tibet. Perhaps we need to find a Tibetan retail partner.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Wow, way to bury this sincere question in a generic thread.......the moderation helps create a moribund site, methinks.

Your question seemed more appropriately directed to Akubra. I’m not aware of anyone here working for Akubra or having insights into their business plans. I’d love to see more colors too, but the company doesn’t explain their decisions and all I/we could do is guess.

To keep the forum from getting too cumbersome, the moderators often move new threads into related existing threads. I know this is different from other sites, but this is the way it’s done here (I personally like it). This site likes for you to resurrect old threads and add to a somewhat organized body of knowledge. No offense was intended.

 

[belfastboy]

Agreed.

I can speculate as to why Akubra no longer does so, but it would only be idle speculation.

It seems as if Akubra's number one export market is now China as well as Tibet. Perhaps we need to find a Tibetan retail partner.

That is interesting. Did Akubra continue to source their felts from China? Next step will be a Chinese company making them in China under license from Akubra.

 

[M Brown]

You won't even notice the strap hooks unless you utilize them.

 

[jlee562]

That is interesting. Did Akubra continue to source their felts from China? Next step will be a Chinese company making them in China under license from Akubra.

The most recent article I could find (2017), says they are importing most of the fur from France and Belgium and they are no longer processing raw pelts.

 

[Lean'n'mean]

Excuse my presumptuousness as a newbie, but I have read through many threads on this site regarding getting special order Akubras and I’m wondering why that seems to have stopped years ago. Has Akubra absolutely killed the idea? I would love to get a Federation IV in Fern Green (yes, I know the Federation model is exclusive to one seller), and the Akubra Fedora or Campdraft in Western Navy. Why have the special orders stopped? I know there are shoe stores that were built on special order Aldens; don’t know why Akubra sellers don’t use some imagination and offer special subscription offers (would be even better if they could offer something other than the blah white liners). Would really like to see some greater variety on the Federation, Fedora, and Campdraft front. I love my Akubras, but they seem to be missing out by being the Model T - any color so long as it’s black.........they need to be flexible about special orders IMHO. Offering the same hat in only Bran or Sand for years is not, exactly, trying to grow a business...........

My guess is & it's just a guess, that there is no profit in making one off unique colored hats for individual buyers. Akubra does experiment with different colors from time to time but if there is little or no demand for them then it makes good business sense to stick to the colors that sell well. In this day & age maybe you're asking too much from a mass produced $150 hat.
If you want something different to your own specs then why not go custom.....you'll have to pay a little more though. Or, you could try contacting Akubra, explain what you want & tell them you're prepared to pay $1,000 US for it. You might get lucky.

 

[BIGG SHOW]

Hello all,
I received my Akubra Fedora from a land down under a few months back. My first ever Akubra. It’s lovely. I only wish the felt was a bit stiffer/thicker so to speak. It wouldn’t really hold a dry bash. Steam helped a great deal. Anyway, I’m leaning towards a Banjo Paterson in heritage fawn or the Stylemaster in acorn fawn. I know they’re two very different lids. I’ve never seen either hat in person. I’m looking for something I can just bang around in so to speak. Hit the woods or go shopping with the Wife and everything in between. How does the raw edge on the Banjo hold up over time? With rain and snow exposure etc? Would I be better off with the bound edge of the Stylemaster for long term use in any and all climates? Is the heritage series felt stronger compared to the felt used to make the Stylemaster? Any and all information or thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Pics of either hat can’t hurt either

Cheers!