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Best Crushable Hats

Neil

A-List Customer
Messages
335
Location
Maryland
Well. . . .

Even though everybody dumps on Borsalino, I ordered their grey Allesandro packable from Village Hats.
Here's the thing: Akubra's Casual is nice, but Akubra can be a pain, because the best outlets are halfway around the world, and shipping is a fortune, and can take a really long time, and the outlets here in the States are lightly stocked.
Village Hats, on the other hand, accepts returns and provides refunds if you aren't happy. And that is a service for which I am willing to pay.
We'll see. If it's not suitable, I'll return it and buy the Christy's "foldaway" from Hornet Hats in the UK.
 

Blackthorn

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,568
Location
Oroville
Neil said:
Even though everybody dumps on Borsalino, I ordered their grey Allesandro packable from Village Hats.
Here's the thing: Akubra's Casual is nice, but Akubra can be a pain, because the best outlets are halfway around the world, and shipping is a fortune, and can take a really long time, and the outlets here in the States are lightly stocked.
Village Hats, on the other hand, accepts returns and provides refunds if you aren't happy. And that is a service for which I am willing to pay.
We'll see. If it's not suitable, I'll return it and buy the Christy's "foldaway" from Hornet Hats in the UK.
I don't know what the shipping from the UK will be, but I think you can just order the Christy's from Amazon.com. Hopefully they have a supply in the US and maybe you can avoid the long shipping:
http://www.amazon.com/Christys-Lond...ef=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1253486070&sr=8-1-fkmr1
 

ValEag

One of the Regulars
Messages
156
Location
Ohio
Casual

I have the Akubra Casual. It is my everyday hat. I really did not purchase it for the crushable feature, just liked the looks of it. Of all my Akubras it did shrink just a little more than the others, and this was discussed in another thread not too long ago. (Here: http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=42606)

I would purchase one slightly bigger if I were to order another, a 61 rather than a 60. I little time on the stretcher works fine now though. Here are a couple of pics of the Casual beside my Akubra Fedora. The Casual is on the left.

IMG_0188.jpg

IMG_0189.jpg


I had to raise the crease slightly on mine, about 1/4", to get it off the top of my noggin. All in all I am well pleased with it.
 

ValEag

One of the Regulars
Messages
156
Location
Ohio
Thought I might add this as well.

Neil said:
Here's the thing: Akubra's Casual is nice, but Akubra can be a pain, because the best outlets are halfway around the world, and shipping is a fortune, and can take a really long time, and the outlets here in the States are lightly stocked.

My personal experience with Hats Direct is that I have usually received my hats within a week's time, sometimes sooner. Shipping is higher than within the states but prices are typically lower so that is a wash. I cannot address Akubra being a pain as I have not dealt with them directly, but the customer service at Hats Direct has been excellent as well.
 

Chuck Bobuck

Practically Family
Messages
715
Location
Rolling Prairie

Duper

Practically Family
Messages
899
Location
Ontario, Canada
I own an Akubra Casual. I like the hat very much. Light as a feather and soft. I wish I could find another offered for sale in the brown tone. I picked it up from Noggintops in the good ol' US of A. They had very favourable shipping costs when sending items to Canada. I like that incase there is some problem and I needed to return an item.

Here is a shot of me on the way out the door this morning to the dog park. Also I was long overdue to provide a picture that ValEag had requested back in my original post when I was requesting info on the Casual.

As per ValEag's and Goose's recommendation you might want to order 1 size up. It worked for me!

3941144748_1da9b88184.jpg
 

Duper

Practically Family
Messages
899
Location
Ontario, Canada
I had contacted Hornets Hats to ask about the Foldaway a few weeks back. Here is the response I got on the brim size.

Duper:
Hello, is the description correct. The dimensional brim is listed as larger on the sides (2 3/8``) than the front and back (2``).

Hornets Hats:

Thank you for your email. Unfortunately we haven't got a Foldaway here to measure but Christys inform us that these measurements are indeed correct.
 

Neil

A-List Customer
Messages
335
Location
Maryland
That's just too weird

Who ever heard of a dimensional brim that is longer on the sides than the front and back. Isn't it supposed to be the other way around? As with Stetsons, or with Art's hats?
 

avedwards

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,425
Location
London and Midlands, UK
Whatever has been said about the Foldaway being larger on the sides is wrong. It's 2 3/8" on the sides but 2 1/2" at the front and back, making it a normal dimensional brimmed hat, albeit so slightly you don't notice it. I've seen one myself (which was not modified but the normal dimensions) and I can say this for definite. The ordinery crown height is 5" and the ribbon is 1". The sweat band is cloth and there is no liner. The crown is very soft and can be dry bashed when unrolled, but the brim is very stiff (though it can just abouts be snapped up and down and rolled).
 

Carlisle Blues

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,154
Location
Beautiful Horse Country
avedwards said:
Whatever has been said about the Foldaway being larger on the sides is wrong. It's 2 3/8" on the sides but 2 1/2" at the front and back, making it a normal dimensional brimmed hat, albeit so slightly you don't notice it. I've seen one myself (which was not modified but the normal dimensions) and I can say this for definite. The ordinery crown height is 5" and the ribbon is 1". The sweat band is cloth and there is no liner. The crown is very soft and can be dry bashed when unrolled, but the brim is very stiff (though it can just abouts be snapped up and down and rolled).


Thank you excellent description......:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap
 

avedwards

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,425
Location
London and Midlands, UK
Carlisle Blues said:
Thank you excellent description......:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap
:) I'm sure others may be able to elaborate as the way a hat is in a shop can be quite different to how it is in the rain. However that's what I could tell in the five minutes I examined it at Hornets in London.
 

Neil

A-List Customer
Messages
335
Location
Maryland
Well. . . .

I'm trying the Borso Allesandro first. Buying transcontinental can easily eat up the price of the hat if it has to be returned for some reason.
Sending back the Borso to Village Hats would cost eight bucks. And they provide a refund if you aren't happy, and from the looks of that hat, I think I'll like it.
By the way: I saw a rather ugly little crushable Borso at Brooks Brothers the other day.
Three hundred and ninety five dollars.
BwAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And you know what? They'll sell some.
 

ValEag

One of the Regulars
Messages
156
Location
Ohio
Duper said:
Also I was long overdue to provide a picture that ValEag had requested back in my original post when I was requesting info on the Casual.

As per ValEag's and Goose's recommendation you might want to order 1 size up. It worked for me!

3941144748_1da9b88184.jpg

Thanks for the pic Duper - looks great!
 

Aureliano

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,753
Location
Macondo.
I own a borsalino rollable. Don't know how old. Not vintage that's for sure but, contrary to dinerman, mine performs. I've rolled it, tucked it in my back pocket; I've sat on it (accidentally ;) :beer: ) It has been soaked wet by rain and Always pops back into its shape. I love it.

You can see it here along with one of Dinerman's beauties.

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=1915&page=4

I also own a new Christy's Foldaway and I'm loving it. A good, sort of dressy, light and comfortable hat. Mine has 2 1/2 inches brim. I rolled it once and, the very same night, got wet. It returned to its shape as well. You can see it here almost at the end along with Gene's jaw-dropping Borsalino.

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=1915&page=5
 

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