Akubra questions

[deadlyhandsome]

There isn’t a great amount of consistency. I’ve never seen or owned an Akubra that I’d call floppy, at least not one that wasn’t very well-used. Some have a fairly soft hand/finish, but the felt has mostly been of the firm variety. That said, I’ve owned Imperial grade Campdrafts that had vastly different felt.

if you don’t mind a raw edge, like the Fed IV, why not find a used western in your size and cut the brim down? You can have a fedora with the stiff western felt you want.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

not clear on what you mean when you say.....'hold without the crown/middle of the hat dropping down'?

I wasn’t sure what this meant either.

 

[1967Cougar390]

Hello all,
Ok. My head is spinning.

I don’t have a retail location that sells Akubra hats locally.

I am unable to hold these hats in my hand to get a feel for the stiffness of each model.

The long and short of it is, I want a hat with a brim that’s stiff enough to hold without the crown/middle of the hat dropping down.

I’m reading that the Stylemaster is floppy but then others say it is stiff?

Is the Campdraft brim stiff? I’ve been told on this website that the Banjo brim is stiff but then read that it’s soft?

How about the Fed IV Deluxe? It seems from what I’ve read that it’s a pretty stiff hat.. ? Is the Campdraft deluxe stiffer than the regular Campdraft?

Obviously people’s idea of lid stiffness differs so different folks have different outlooks.

All my hats so far (two Stetsons and 1 Akubra Fedora) have fairly floppy brims so to speak.

I’d really love a modest brim sized Fedora with western hat stiffness. Thin country band in a country tan or fawn color. I want a hat that can take a beating. That’s what I’m looking for. I know Akubra hats can handle weather.

Cheers!

All of my Akubra hats are very consistent in regards to stiffness. I just received two Stylemaster’s this past week and my Acorn Fawn was work in a heavy rain and the brim still snaps up or down after it dried. I like the stiffness of my Akubra’s compared to my moder Stetson Stratoliner’s. The Stratoliner felt is much softer when comparing them to the Akubra felts.
I’ll buy another Stratoliner but for my money Akubra seems the better of the two felts in my opinion.

My Stratoliner’s are royal felt (low end) and my Akubra’s are Imperial grade felt (low end).
Two Stratoliner’s one in Walnut and the other in Silverbelly.
Akubra’s, Fed IV’s in Moonstone, Tawny Fawn. Stylemaster’s in Bluegrass Green, Acorn Fawn, Carbon Grey. Sydney in Regency Fawn.

I hope this helps.

Steven

 

[St.Ignatz]

I own three CD's in Imperial felt and a Heritage Fed IV. They are all true to size and all need to be rained on a few times. Cupping has not been a problem on any of them. I prefer the Imperial for its softness and willingness to take and hold a shaping.

Tom D.

 

[BIGG SHOW]

Thank you all for your input. I appreciate it. Just to clarify what I wrote - 'hold without the crown/middle of the hat dropping down' - I mean a brim strong enough to stay flat and not “fold over”. Meaning the brim alone is stiff enough to hold the weight of the whole hat all together. Not sure if that makes any sense? It’s not complicated yet it is proving to be surprisingly difficult to explain via words alone.
As far as trimming the brim on an old western weight felt hat. That would be great if I could find one in my size that appeals to my taste. Haven’t seen any thus far. Online or in person. Is the Campdraft brim stiff? I saw a YouTube video from Kevin @ JJ Hat center where he places a pair of folded sunglasses on the brim of a Bushman hat and the brim didn’t move. Would that be the same with a Campdraft? The Bushman is too much brim for my personal taste.

Cheers!

 

[1967Cougar390]

I would think the felt stiffness would be about the same for the most part. All of my Akubra’s are in the 2-1/2” brim range, regardless of model the felts seem the same to me. The factor that I would lend to a less stiff brim is its width. The wider the brim, I would tend to believe the more flexible it would become. Just my thoughts.

Steven

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Thank you all for your input. I appreciate it. Just to clarify what I wrote - 'hold without the crown/middle of the hat dropping down' - I mean a brim strong enough to stay flat and not “fold over”. Meaning the brim alone is stiff enough to hold the weight of the whole hat all together. Not sure if that makes any sense? It’s not complicated yet it is proving to be surprisingly difficult to explain via words alone.
As far as trimming the brim on an old western weight felt hat. That would be great if I could find one in my size that appeals to my taste. Haven’t seen any thus far. Online or in person. Is the Campdraft brim stiff? I saw a YouTube video from Kevin @ JJ Hat center where he places a pair of folded sunglasses on the brim of a Bushman hat and the brim didn’t move. Would that be the same with a Campdraft? The Bushman is too much brim for my personal taste.

Cheers!

I just sold a Campdraft that was super soft. The nap was almost a long hair finish and the felt was unlike any of my other Akubras. As for a
Western conversion, it’s possible to completely reshape the crown and brim so I don’t know what you’re not finding to your liking. Get a color you like, pop out the old crease, work out the old crease lines, re-crease the crown, trim the brim, shape the brim...it’s actually pretty easy.

If you get a hat that you wish was stiffer it’s an easy thing to mix up some blonde shellac or buy a commercial hat stiffening agent and firm it up. What’s hard is getting a stiff hat to soften up.

I’d say that most of my Campdrafts had felt similar to my Bushman. The Stylemasters that I’ve owned also seemed to be similar, but there has definitely been variations in the Akubras I’ve owned.

 

[Gobi]

When new they are fairly stiff. You could probably hold it by the brim with minimal flex. However, after rain and handling, they become soft. My Imperial Campdraft which is very much broken in, is very soft and almost "floppy". You cannot pick it up by the brim without the brim bending all the way and folding in on itself. You could do that when it was new. I dont see a problem with the softness since it bounces back into shape after bending. If it just flopped and stayed that way like a piece of cloth, that would be an issue.

 

[belfastboy]

Thank you all for your input. I appreciate it. Just to clarify what I wrote - 'hold without the crown/middle of the hat dropping down' - I mean a brim strong enough to stay flat and not “fold over”. Meaning the brim alone is stiff enough to hold the weight of the whole hat all together. Not sure if that makes any sense? It’s not complicated yet it is proving to be surprisingly difficult to explain via words alone.
As far as trimming the brim on an old western weight felt hat. That would be great if I could find one in my size that appeals to my taste. Haven’t seen any thus far. Online or in person. Is the Campdraft brim stiff? I saw a YouTube video from Kevin @ JJ Hat center where he places a pair of folded sunglasses on the brim of a Bushman hat and the brim didn’t move. Would that be the same with a Campdraft? The Bushman is too much brim for my personal taste.

Cheers!

I have two CD, a blue grass green and a silverbelly. Both I would categorize as stiff brimmed. The blue grass snaps down very well but the silverbelly doesn't so I just wear it up all the time. And if I understand you the CD brim and crown stand up well on their own. The CD offers great value for your money.

 

[1961MJS]

... I mean a brim strong enough to stay flat and not “fold over”. Meaning the brim alone is stiff enough to hold the weight of the whole hat all together. Not sure if that makes any sense? ..

Cheers!

Hi
From what I've done and read, you don't want to put your hat down on the brim because the brim will change shape, that's why they make hat stands. You can also lay them on the crown. For some reason, it's much easier to disfigure the brim than it is the crown.

https://bernardhats.com/all-about-hats/cowboy-hat-etiquette/

Mainly this part "Never lay a cowboy hat down on the brim. Place your hat on it’s crown, brim up. You may also use a hat stand or rack."

Hope this helps. I was TRYING to find where to get the less expensive hat stands, but they don't seem to make them anymore. I also have three glass heads from Pier 1 Imports and they're out too.

Later

 

[dkstott]

My Banjo Patterson was really stiff at first to the point that even if I wanted to, I couldn't turn the brims up.

Now after 6 months of daily wear (5 mile hikes, yard work, etc) and a few rain storm soakings, It's really flexible and soft to the touch. The brims still prefer to be down, but they will flip up. The sides still have some of the original stiffness.

The crown will just about take any crease that I want without steam now.. But I tend to leave it in the original teardrop crease.

 

[1967Cougar390]

Thank you all for your input. I appreciate it. Just to clarify what I wrote - 'hold without the crown/middle of the hat dropping down' - I mean a brim strong enough to stay flat and not “fold over”. Meaning the brim alone is stiff enough to hold the weight of the whole hat all together. Not sure if that makes any sense? It’s not complicated yet it is proving to be surprisingly difficult to explain via words alone.
As far as trimming the brim on an old western weight felt hat. That would be great if I could find one in my size that appeals to my taste. Haven’t seen any thus far. Online or in person. Is the Campdraft brim stiff? I saw a YouTube video from Kevin @ JJ Hat center where he places a pair of folded sunglasses on the brim of a Bushman hat and the brim didn’t move. Would that be the same with a Campdraft? The Bushman is too much brim for my personal taste.

Cheers!

I made a short video this morning. When new, I steamed the crown and brim on my Fed IV and it has held up well to date. I hope my video provides some insight into your question about the stiffness.

Steven

 

[BIGG SHOW]

Hello all,
Wow! You all are awesome! I appreciate the information. It is a big help. Mr 1967Cougar390, thank you kindly for the video Sir! How do you like the Fed? Where does it rank in your personal comparison to the Stylemaster?

Cheers!

 

[1967Cougar390]

Hello all,
Wow! You all are awesome! I appreciate the information. It is a big help. Mr 1967Cougar390, thank you kindly for the video Sir! How do you like the Fed? Where does it rank in your personal comparison to the Stylemaster?

Cheers!

In reference to comparing the Fed IV to the Stylemaster, I can’t pick one over the other. Both types have their place in my rotation. I wear a lot of polo shirts when I’m not working. The Stylemaster in my opinion is a little more casual, so I reach for the Stylemaster more often. The Fed IV can also be worn casually, but in my rotation I wear it more with button up shirts. I’m actually wearing my Moonstone Fed IV today with a polo. I received a compliment on my Fed IV while I was in a store earlier this morning.

Steven

 

[BIGG SHOW]

In reference to comparing the Fed IV to the Stylemaster, I can’t pick one over the other. Both types have their place in my rotation. I wear a lot of polo shirts when I’m not working. The Stylemaster in my opinion is a little more casual, so I reach for the Stylemaster more often. The Fed IV can also be worn casually, but in my rotation I wear it more with button up shirts. I’m actually wearing my Moonstone Fed IV today with a polo. I received a compliment on my Fed IV while I was in a store earlier this morning.

Steven

Thanks Sir
I would have to agree with you. Without having seen either the Stylemaster or the Fed in person, from pics I’ve seen online the Stylemaster looks more casual.

Cheers

 

[riffraff]

Anyone know when the Akubra Weekender was produced and whether it was made for the domestic Oz market or export? I had a very similar hat but with a different band. Would love to find another one

 

[riffraff]

Meant to add this to my previous post:
When did the Akubra size tag change from round to the current square style? Presuming the crown logo on the lining went to the color version at the same time?

 

[johnnycanuck]

Meant to add this to my previous post:
When did the Akubra size tag change from round to the current square style? Presuming the crown logo on the lining went to the color version at the same time?

My oldest Akubra I bought new is from 2001 and they were square then.
Hope that helps
Johnny

 

[riffraff]

Thanks, Johnnycanuck!

Looks like the round size tag continued on after the colored crown logo was introduced. This is a 1130 Drover -- apparently marketed via Outback Trading Co

 

[riffraff]

Not sure when this style of crown logo was used? It predates the current, colored version. A couple of my first hats had this style (I bought them used on eBay in the late 1990s)