How much rain can an Akubra take?

[AlterEgo]

Sorry, but I'm currently camera-less, since the rechargeable battery and spare are dead as a door nail, and Canon no longer makes replacement batteries for my first-generation Digital Elph. I'm saving up for a new top-flight professional-grade digicam.

In the bigger scheme of things, you will never see a photo of me here or anywhere on the Net wearing a hat or not. You see, someone lifted my photo and personal info off a social networking site and passed himself off as me. One of my other hobbies is gun collecting, and it was just happenstance that an old friend also into ordnance who knew me well stumbled onto this guy's web site. There, as it turns out, he was posing as me selling handguns suspiciously under-priced, and my buddy knew that could not possibly be me, so he let me know what was up.

I contacted the dude, but then his site immediately evaporated. I suppose he stole someone else' identity and re-opened under a different URL. Ever since then, I do not particpate in social networking sites or post photos of myself anywhere on the Internet.

When I get a new digital camera, however, I'll post pics of my hats, but they will not be on my head.

 

[Dewhurst]

Geez.

 

[Neophyte]

That is both fascinating and completely understandable

 

[Neophyte]

I can feel myself slowly slipping away. It's been...oh god, let me check my carvings...................about 46 hours now without a proper hat on my head. I tried my tilley and a ballcap......but.......but...it wasn't the same. I can't see straight, my head hurts...it feels like I'm only an observer in my own body. I try to get up.......my legs...they won't move. :rage: lol lol lol

 

[Neophyte]

Actually, I did revert it to open crown. Now...now the sides won't stay in any bash but the shallowest, simplest bash. The whole what feels flimsy, though I can't see it taking damage or falling apart. It just won't stiffen. I think, if today's steaming doesn't help, I may have to look into purchasing some kiind of felt stiffener online.

 

[elvisroe]

I wore my fed iv in the shower a few months ago to clean it, give it a rebash and help it along on it's lived-in look. It came out fine [huh]

Other Akubras have been worn swimming, dunked in buckets and hosed off - they're made to take a beating. Perhaps they won't be exactly the same but it's all charactor right?

Hats are made to be worn and worn out as far as I'm conserned

 

[Spats McGee]

I wore my fed iv in the shower . . . .

There are just some sentences you never expect to hear.

 

[gtdean48]

Neophyte... From your photos, your crown is much more teardrop now than before when it was more C-crease. From the pinch, both sides are bowing outward more than coming straight back. That will give you problems with side dents not holding. I like long side dents & to get them I use a C or Diamond crease to get them.
This is a Dobbs that I use as my guide =

 

[Neophyte]

Wore your Fed in the shower........I gotta agree with you Spats. I had to read that one several times before it clicked. lol

Anyway, I think I need to clarify something. I've said this multiple times already: I'm completely confident in the hat itself. It's the stiffener, or whatever gives the hat "stiffness" so that the bash stays, that I worry about.

The hat is on my head right now. I'm just trying to figure out how to return it to its former glory. Unfortunately, the outline of the front "crease" stays, so if I have a wider front pinch, it looks like a raised bar of felt straight down the middle of the front of the hat, which, as you may be able to imagine, looks particularly ridiculous. The hat has not regained enough stiffness to return to the bash that fits this crease, so it looks kinda funny right now, and not the lol kind.

 

[Spats McGee]

You know, Neophyte, you might also shoot Hats Direct an email. They may know something that we don't. Everything that I've read around here tells me that they're very helpful.

 

[Neophyte]

Dean, I think you're on to something there. I lowered the front of the...well, whatever shape it's in, and the side bashes stayed in a little better. Thank you so much for the advice. It's still not as stiff as I'd like, but at least we're making some progress :eusa_clap

Spats, they are indeed. I'll contact them now...but being over in Australian, that's like......14 hours ahead? That means...12:04 am. It will be another 9-10 hours before I could even hope to get a response.


So I guess I better get right on it...

 

[frussell]

Priorities

Maybe I misunderstood your initial post, but you've got bigger worries than some taper/slow drying issues. I'd be worried about anyone who would abandon their mother and family dog in a dangerous situation just to save his hat. While you're waiting for your hat to dry, go out and get your mom some flowers, or do an errand for her to make up for your breech of gentlemanly etiquette. A hat can be replaced, maybe even a dog, but Mom?

 

[Yeps]

Maybe I misunderstood your initial post, but you've got bigger worries than some taper/slow drying issues. I'd be worried about anyone who would abandon their mother and family dog in a dangerous situation just to save his hat. While you're waiting for your hat to dry, go out and get your mom some flowers, or do an errand for her to make up for your breech of gentlemanly etiquette. A hat can be replaced, maybe even a dog, but Mom?

Hear hear.

 

[Neophyte]

I'm sorry Frussell, that I did not make this clear: My mother insisted on staying in some tree cover (not that the trees were helping much), so I gave her the hat, both to protect the hat from further torrential downpour and to allow her some small protection.

I, on the other hand, was assigned to run the remaining distance to the house and get a car to retrieve my mother and the dog. I ran the distance, fell in a ditch, ran some more, got the car, and went to retrieve her.......though she had already started walking down the road, and was close enough to the house that she wanted to walk the rest of the way and refused to get in the car (I believe she did not want to cause any water damage to my car, which, due to the lack of leather material in the seating, was a non-issue). The fact of the matter is, I did not place any importance on the safety of my hat because I thought it could take it. No code of gentlemanly etiquette was breached, no harm done except for some wet clothes (and my hat).

It's possible that I should have elaborated on the situation, explained it a little better...but at the time, I was a bit distraught. After nearly falling to my death in a deep ditch on the side of a road I could only see because of rampant lightning above, trying to help me mother get home safely by car, I'd think I'd have an excuse to be a little.......incoherent. As an afterthought, my hat seemed to be a little limp. Once we were home safe, THEN I worried about my hat. That ought to clear things up some.

No worries Frussell. I am a loving, dutiful son. I respect and admire my elders, and have been told that I'm very charming. The ONLY people that I can't seem to mingle with are my own peers (I'll be the first one to admit that I'm kind of selfish,especially about giving my time and thought to others that are not close friends or family, though I've been working on that) , but that's my problem.

At first I found your post insulting, but after reading my initial post, I found your statement both understandable and amusing . It DOES sound like I just abandoned her in the rain, because I forgot to mention both giving her the hat and getting the car.

 

[frussell]

You are forgiven

I was really just poking you a bit, as that was what your initial post suggested. I'm glad to hear you are a good son, and did right by your mom. I highly recommend the Campdraft, by the way, if you're still looking at one. And the comments by the others about getting it reblocked if you can't get it done yourself are wise. I've spent more time and money on hat stiffeners and steamers than I care to admit, only to find out that Optimo or Major Mike Moore could do a much better job for not much more money. In the meantime, I've had good luck with a plastic HatShaper and a spray bottle full of distilled water when I want to re-shape an Akubra. Don't stress, these hats really can take some punishment. Good Luck. Frank

 

[Neophyte]

I've been wondering about those plastic hat shapers, but I just don't know enough about them. I'll look further into them, and see what I can do. Thank you for the advice, and I apologize if I came off as hostile...

Also, I am indeed still looking at the Campdraft. I actually posted in the Campdraft thread asking about the difference in size between the campdraft and the fed. I try imagining a wide ribbon on it, and it doesn't look that much bigger.........though granted, imagination and internet pictures does NOT an accurate picture make.

 

[Neophyte]

After working incessantly at the front pinch, and then finally sprinkling some water on it, I have managed to salvage the original pinch (I think it looks better, now, with the reduced dome of the telescope bash).

Now I only need to figure out what to do with the back of the hat.

To all those that knew that the Akubra would bounce back, congratulations. I'm sorry I doubted you, for however briefly. Thank you especially those that recommended wetting it again (which I'll admit sounded crazy to me).

Thank you all for sticking with me this long. I am truly impressed and joyful that my hat has come back.

:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[tnitz]

Wet Akubra

The two sets of before and after pictures are great in showing exactly what will happen to a wet Akubra. Hats are made to protect from sun and rain but need to be reblocked to maintain their shape over time. At least of the hats I've ever own and actually worn do (with the exception of two old bowlers I own). When I wore hats as part of my working dress in Portland, Oregon, (and there were still local businesses who did it) I had them reblocked every three months. In the interim they would do exactly as you've discovered. If you look at old photos you will see that the old ones did too, at least in most of our families who didn't spend a fortune on hats. Over time the hats became hunting and fishing hats and became an entirely different beast.

This is my advice and others may disagree. First, don't steam a wet hat unless you have it on some kind of form. It will only increase the shrinking and tapering. You can try one of the ABS blocks from Hatshapers - they are OK for what they are - but if you don't remove the sweat you will only reblock with an odd kind of taper that kinda swells at top and bottom! Otherwise, find someone who will reblock your hats for a good price and just have enough that you can afford to ship one off for a while routinely. As for the stiffener, it's still in there, a reblocking is going to bring it back. Whether that's good or bad is up to you and your preferences. I've had the Fed III and IV in standard and Deluxe and the Camp Drafts and they've ALL done the same thing. Others have experienced better results with the Deluxe felt, but I haven't noticed any difference myself. Your Camp Draft will do the same thing as your Fed IV and it's likely whoever reblocks it will actually use the same block on them both.

Maybe the absolute best approach is to find a crease that looks good on you POST WETTING. If you can do it (I can't) then it won't be an issue to you in the future.

Also, enjoy your Camp Draft! If the crown looks too full to you at first, remember that it's going to do the same thing and so will look quite a bit smaller over time. Personally, I love the look when it's new, but it only lasts a few days!

Over time, you will find what you like and don't like about your hats. Then you can consider if a custom, top grade hat is for you. Alternatively, you can do as many do (and have done) and that is to have a "special" hat that you never wear except on clear, cooler days...

 

[tnitz]

There is one "magical" hat...

I keep forgetting to mention the one other class of felt hats I've owned and worn daily that do not shrink, do not taper, do not do anything at all. National Park Service Ranger hats, whether by Stetson, Biltmore, or Stratton as the newer ones, do not change at all over time except to fade. They are as uncomfortable 25 years later as the day you get them.

At one point, I've never owned one, they laminated the brims but in more recent decades they have used some kind of stiffener that doesn't break down. Ever.

All that said, I do not recommend them for comfortable wear and they look terrible on most of us.

 

[Neophyte]

Tnitz, thanks for the advice. It's good to have a reminder that most hats will do this, and that there are several solutions if you have a good plan.

I just didn't expect this to happen within one month of purchase. Oh well. I've finished wetting and bashing it...and while it may not be its former self, I think I like it better this way. I think I accidentally made it a smidge taller than the first bash, and I'm liking it. Actually, it is taller. Originally, it was 4'' tall in front, 3'' in back. Now, it's 4.5'' front, 3.25'' back. Nice!


As for the Campdraft...........I'm gonna hold off on it for now.
I'll soon be returning for my second year of college, and I just don't see the Campdraft as......campus-friendly. There's a reason Akubra list it in their Country section, rather than the Fashion section (essentially, the fedoras), and a fellow lounger pointed this out to me. Plus, it's just a big freakin' hat. I'll wait a while, bulk up a bit at the gym, and find some bulkier clothing, and then I'll hit the Campdraft.