Akubra squatter

[avedwards]

Since Yeps's hat has no chinstrap hooks it would be an OZ model which has a shorter crown with some taper to it. You might want to consider getting a Fawn from a US retailer as it is DIFFERENT in height (taller by about 1/4") and straighter due to the hieght. And as I understand it many of the OZ models are unlined as opposed to the US models if this is a factor that is important to you.

Lining or lack of doesn't really bother me but the extra crown height and straight-sidedness would be an appeal to me.


Can anyone tell me what the Squatter's mid fawn colour looks like in person? On DM and other retailers' websites it looks more of a brown than a fawn colour, which wouldn't interest me so much as I have no use for a brown hat but wouldn't mind a beige hat.

 

[monbla256]

Lining or lack of doesn't really bother me but the extra crown height and straight-sidedness would be an appeal to me.


Can anyone tell me what the Squatter's mid fawn colour looks like in person? On DM and other retailers' websites it looks more of a brown than a fawn colour, which wouldn't interest me so much as I have no use for a brown hat but wouldn't mind a beige hat.

It is a definate Brown with reddish tones to it, NOT anywhere near Biege. Here's my Mid-Fawn DM Squatter .

From what you say color and crown wise, you don't want a Squatter you'd probably want a Taupe Fawn Campdraft from one of the OZ retailers but you'd have to change out the ribbons from thin to wider at a hatter's .

 

[DudeInBlack]

Mine was a custom order from hatsdirdct.com about four/five years ago, so yes it is Australian. I really can't see any taper on the crown from the front. From the side it depends how you bash the hat. The height is about the same as the Federation IV. It is shorter then the old Federation III though. Hope that helps. Any more questions feel free to ask. I can take more pictures if you like.
Johnny

That's very generous of you. Thanks.

Could you post some close up shots of the felt color (maybe even a comparison shot)? It's hard to tell just how dark a grey it is.

 

[monbla256]

That's very generous of you. Thanks.

Could you post some close up shots of the felt color (maybe even a comparison shot)? It's hard to tell just how dark a grey it is.

If you go to David Morgan's site and look at the Stylemaster he sells you'll see a VERY GOOD photo of the true color of the Carbon Grey that Akubra sells. I have that one and it is a LOT darker than the Steel Grey that the Squatter came in . I have one I got from Blue Water Group last year.

 

[monbla256]

Here's some newer pics of 3 of my 4 Squatters. All are David Morgan Squatters so have the taller, straighter crown and non-dimensional brim and a full liner.
First is my Mid Fawn :

Next is the Steel Grey, a nice true grey that goes with most anything:

And last is the Black which shows EVERY white hair my Calico cat has! I can brush all day, she walks in the room and ALL her white hairs she's shedding jump on THIS hat

 

[Matt Brandon]

Here's some newer pics of 3 of my 4 Squatters. All are David Morgan Squatters so have the taller, straighter crown and non-dimensional brim and a full liner.
First is my Mid Fawn :

Next is the Steel Grey, a nice true grey that goes with most anything:

And last is the Black which shows EVERY white hair my Calico cat has! I can brush all day, she walks in the room and ALL her white hairs she's shedding jump on THIS hat

These look great! O love the Steel Grey. I like the way David Morgan bashed them. A few questions.

1. As these come with an open crown, why didn't you bash them yourself?
2. How soft is this felt? Folks here has said the Sydney is super soft, is the squatter comparable?
3. Do they run true to size?

Matt

 

[ThatHatGuy]

The Sydney is very nice as a open crown and holds its shape well, as for running true to size its hard to say. It depends alot on the cut of the hat, your hair, the shape of your head. They do run pretty close to there size.

 

[monbla256]

These look great! O love the Steel Grey. I like the way David Morgan bashed them. A few questions.

1. As these come with an open crown, why didn't you bash them yourself?
2. How soft is this felt? Folks here has said the Sydney is super soft, is the squatter comparable?
3. Do they run true to size?

Matt

First off I don't bash my hats. I CREASE them as I don't live in OZ and we crease hats here in Texas Second , DM did not crease them, I did. And third, I would not call the felt "soft" at first, more of a firm feel to it but as you wear them and they get rain and weather they "soften" up quite nicely. They will take a dry crease quite well with some steam to sort of "set" the crease. rain and weather does the rest. And yes, they are "true" to metric size and I buy mine a size up as they "size down" with wear and rain etc. I LOVE 'em! I now have all four colors that DM used to sell getting my Moonstone awhile back after I took those pics. DM now only sells two colors of Squatters, the Moonstone and Fawn.

 

[avedwards]

Here's some newer pics of 3 of my 4 Squatters. All are David Morgan Squatters so have the taller, straighter crown and non-dimensional brim and a full liner.
First is my Mid Fawn :

Is the colour accurate in these pictures? I always thought the fawn was more of a brown colour but it looks beige/tan coloured in these pictures.

 

[Matt Brandon]

First off I don't bash my hats. I CREASE them as I don't live in OZ and we crease hats here in Texas Second , DM did not crease them, I did. And third, I would not call the felt "soft" at first, more of a firm feel to it but as you wear them and they get rain and weather they "soften" up quite nicely. They will take a dry crease quite well with some steam to sort of "set" the crease. rain and weather does the rest. And yes, they are "true" to metric size and I buy mine a size up as they "size down" with wear and rain etc. I LOVE 'em! I now have all four colors that DM used to sell getting my Moonstone awhile back after I took those pics. DM now only sells two colors of Squatters, the Moonstone and Fawn.

Thanks for the info. But, as a guy who hails from Texas myself, I not all Texans "crease" their hats some of us "bash" them ;-). I ask about the softness of the felt, because my Sylemaster is really firm and I am looking for a hat with a much more supple fur felt. Thanks again.

 

[monbla256]

Is the colour accurate in these pictures? I always thought the fawn was more of a brown colour but it looks beige/tan coloured in these pictures.

Everyone defines and sees colors differently as do monitors. A beige/tan I would call a "shade" of brown. The photo is relatively correct, mabe it's a bit darker in hand but it is a medium reddish/brown in daylight.

 

[monbla256]

Thanks for the info. But, as a guy who hails from Texas myself, I not all Texans "crease" their hats some of us "bash" them ;-). I ask about the softness of the felt, because my Sylemaster is really firm and I am looking for a hat with a much more supple fur felt. Thanks again.

As for crease vs bash, I had NEVER heard that term ( bash) till I read it here and I've worn felt hats since 1959 and NEVER heard anyone who did hat work down here use it. My father always had his hats creased and since I don't live in OZ I use the US term As for the relative "firmness" of the Imperial felt of Akubra's, my experience is that they start that way and as they get worn in all sorts of weather they "soften" up over the years they are worn. They are NOT vintage or custom hats and as such one should not expect the vaunted "softness" these might have IMHO

 

[Link]

How does the moonstone color compare to the steel gray? Is it lighter or darker?

 

[monbla256]

How does the moonstone color compare to the steel gray? Is it lighter or darker?

It's MUCH lighter. A pale Blue/Grey really IMHO DM's pics on his site give a good rendition of the color of both the felt and the ribbon work.

 

[Link]

Thank you. I may have to order one sometime soon.

 

[Sam Craig]

I'm wearing my brown Squatter today with a sort of lightism burgandy check shorts shirt, 40s tie, under a brownish tweed sweater vest.

I could swear that my Squatter takes on a reddish, plumish tinge with this outfit, compared to the lack thereof when I wear it with a true-brown wool sportscoat.

Have I stumbled on the magical "Cordovan" hat?

Remember the ads from the 50s about the cordovan shoes that would edge into different shades depending on whether you wore them with brown or navy suits?

I do.

I am continue to check this out with different light sources, but so far I am amazed.

Sam

OH, year, besides that, the squatter is a truly great hat!

 

[Matt Brandon]

As for crease vs bash, I had NEVER heard that term (bash) till I read it here and I've worn felt hats since 1959 and NEVER heard anyone who did hat work down here use it....They are NOT vintage or custom hats and as such one should not expect the vaunted "softness" these might have IMHO

I am no kid, but in 1959 I was wearing a diaper not a hat. So I show deference to your experience and will use the word crease here. I have read that some folks suggest the Squatter needs/should be soaked to be creased. Is this really a necessity or is that just helping it keep the crease? I guess you take out the liner? Seems like you would ruin it otherwise. Not having a hat shop anywhere near to touch one of these hats is frustrating. Your right, what I really would love to get my hands on is a nice vintage hat. But, living in Malaysia make both of these options pretty unlikely.

Thanks

 

[monbla256]

I am no kid, but in 1959 I was wearing a diaper not a hat. So I show deference to your experience and will use the word crease here. I have read that some folks suggest the Squatter needs/should be soaked to be creased. Is this really a necessity or is that just helping it keep the crease? I guess you take out the liner? Seems like you would ruin it otherwise. Not having a hat shop anywhere near to touch one of these hats is frustrating. Your right, what I really would love to get my hands on is a nice vintage hat. But, living in Malaysia make both of these options pretty unlikely.

Thanks

I see from where you live that you probably do "bash" your hats over there. You probably run into more Aussies than Texans over there As for creasing /bashing your Squatter, all of mine would take a loose dry crease prior to my applying a good liberal dose of steam to the outside of the crown to give it the final shape of the crease I wanted. I have creased all of my Squatters (mine are the model sold by David Morgan here in the US) in a centerdent/front pinch style which is very simple to do as opposed to the more complex teardrop/c-crown style so this may effect my results somewhat. I've never used the spray bottle with distilled water method but it sounds simple, just spray the outside of the crown to wet it down and start shaping . A simple teakettle that makes a good amt. of steam works fine to steam with and I'm sure you have one of those? You don't need to remove the liner to do any of this as you are working on the outside of the hat. Be patient ( speed is not your friend with this) and work carefully and you will get good results. Steam is also your friend in shaping the brim and "snap" you may want. After you get it where you want it put it on and wear it ! And remember, rain can help fine-tune it's look even further

 

[gtdean48]

I am no kid, but in 1959 I was wearing a diaper not a hat. So I show deference to your experience and will use the word crease here. I have read that some folks suggest the Squatter needs/should be soaked to be creased. Is this really a necessity or is that just helping it keep the crease? I guess you take out the liner? Seems like you would ruin it otherwise. Not having a hat shop anywhere near to touch one of these hats is frustrating. Your right, what I really would love to get my hands on is a nice vintage hat. But, living in Malaysia make both of these options pretty unlikely.

Thanks

I was only an embryo in the last months of 1959 but have been creasing my own lids since the late 1970's. I usually detach all my liners since it lets me get more wear in the warmer GA weather. If the hat is clean, wetting the felt should not damage the liner. If that is a worry then wearing it in the rain is going to ruin it too. I use a spray bottle with distilled water to wet down the crown if I am doing drastic crease changes = going back to open crown, then to another style crease. For minor adjustments, I use steam. I don't worry that much about the liners since nobody sees them but me & my head sweat usually is the main damage they see. BTW, the Squatters I have owned didn't come with liners. The USA models from DM are different than those from Australia.

 

[bowlerman]

I am no kid, but in 1959 I was wearing a diaper not a hat. So I show deference to your experience and will use the word crease here. I have read that some folks suggest the Squatter needs/should be soaked to be creased. Is this really a necessity or is that just helping it keep the crease? I guess you take out the liner? Seems like you would ruin it otherwise. Not having a hat shop anywhere near to touch one of these hats is frustrating. Your right, what I really would love to get my hands on is a nice vintage hat. But, living in Malaysia make both of these options pretty unlikely.

Thanks

Well at least you appear to have gotten your hands on a nice smoking piece-- it's so tiny in your avatar but I really like what appears to be the heavy pine cone-like rustication on the bowl!