I love the Fed IV!!

[deadlyhandsome]

Thanks for that, Handsome. Never knew what the "turn" was. Now educated, I understand better why I never cared for the look.

Yeah, it’s not for me either. To each their own, but I don’t get why they like it.


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[RJR]

Yeah, it’s not for me either. To each their own, but I don’t get why they like it.


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+1

 

[raven5]

I'm always impressed with the tons of info and knowledge on here. Thoroughly confusing, but I love it!

So I've been looking at hats for a while now and I'll wade in gently before jumping in with both feet and lots of $$ to find what I truly like for myself. I think I'm ready to pull the trigger on a Fed IV but after reading everything about other hats I have a multitude of questions.

I'm 5'9" and about 200lbs; could certainly lose a few but I still have a generally stocky solid build. I've seen hats I fell in love with by looking at them on the rack but on my head they don't look so well. I figured out that I need a crown with very little if any taper, otherwise it looks like I have a pyramid on my head. If I was taller and slimmer it probably wouldn't look so bad (at least to me) or be as dramatic. Either way I don't like the look. I wear a 7-1/8 to 7-1/4 depending on the hat and haircut so I don't have an overly large noggin. So I'm pretty sure I need a fairly blocky, straighter crown and avoid those with lots of taper. I also like a center bash or (near) teardrop bash if that makes a difference in how high a crown I need.

I also noticed that even a small difference in brim width makes a large difference in appearance on me since I'm shorter, and this is exacerbated by different crown tapers. Wearing heavier jackets or none at all makes an obvious difference in perception of width as well.

After reading everything about Fed IV hats and then reading about Penman Indy hats and Adventurebilt hats I'm trying to find the best direction to head. I indeed may go with a Fed IV but I need help from the pros on here.

Cost and quality aside because that's an obvious difference, how do the various Penman Indy hats stack up dimensionally, along with their Adventurebilt Legacy lines? Their Everyman hats? I've no interest in doing the Indy turn so that's not a consideration.

What about Adventurebilt hats? What's different about directly from them and the Legacy ones from Penman?

There's such a multitude of brim width options it gets confusing. I think I'd want a dimensionally cut brim, but definitely a wider brim. I never liked the stingy brim hats. But, being on the shorter side I don't want to look like I'm wearing a sombrero if I'm ever not wearing bulky clothes.

Also, I'm confused about the differences in rabbit and beaver and combinations of both. I used to always think I only wanted pure beaver but from what I've read quality rabbit is just fine. Seeing that it's cheaper to boot was a small victory. So what about quality rabbit vs beaver, vs those 80/20 combinations and then again shrinkage?

Any other hatters I should consider?

I like the look of a silver/grey/granite for everyday wear and dress, but a darker tawny or brown for camping, hiking and hunting, etc.

I'll probably just need to have most combinations of colors, brim width and crown height for the winter/summer and beard/no beard times. At least that's what I'm going to tell my wife. [emoji6][emoji3]

Thanks for the help guys!

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[scottyrocks]

After the hat is turned, it does need to be recreased. You recrease it the way you would crease any hat, but this time with the front pinch off center so that it does line up with your nose when the hat is worn in its new position, about 1/2 inch to the right, or with the center of the bow above your left sideburn instead of above your ear.

When I took apart my Fed III to turn it around due to a hole forming in the front, after it was back together I decided to try a turn. After I got the brim to the desired wonkiness (a technical term), I literally kept the hat on my head to find the new front and rear to begin the center dent. Then it was matter of pushing in the side creases and fine tuning.

 

[scottyrocks]

Yeah, it’s not for me either. To each their own, but I don’t get why they like it.


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I have noticed how no one, including you, in the WHAYWT thread, for instance, has anything negative to say about any of the myriad hats and sometimes questionable styles posted there, but Indy hats seem to be fair game for questioning the 'why.' Well, here's the answer. We like the hat and the turn because we like the hat and the turn, same as anyone else who likes what they like.

 

[scottyrocks]

I'm always impressed with the tons of info and knowledge on here. Thoroughly confusing, but I love it!

So I've been looking at hats for a while now and I'll wade in gently before jumping in with both feet and lots of $$ to find what I truly like for myself. I think I'm ready to pull the trigger on a Fed IV but after reading everything about other hats I have a multitude of questions.

I'm 5'9" and about 200lbs; could certainly lose a few but I still have a generally stocky solid build. I've seen hats I fell in love with by looking at them on the rack but on my head they don't look so well. I figured out that I need a crown with very little if any taper, otherwise it looks like I have a pyramid on my head. If I was taller and slimmer it probably wouldn't look so bad (at least to me) or be as dramatic. Either way I don't like the look. I wear a 7-1/8 to 7-1/4 depending on the hat and haircut so I don't have an overly large noggin. So I'm pretty sure I need a fairly blocky, straighter crown and avoid those with lots of taper. I also like a center bash or (near) teardrop bash if that makes a difference in how high a crown I need.

I also noticed that even a small difference in brim width makes a large difference in appearance on me since I'm shorter, and this is exacerbated by different crown tapers. Wearing heavier jackets or none at all makes an obvious difference in perception of width as well.

After reading everything about Fed IV hats and then reading about Penman Indy hats and Adventurebilt hats I'm trying to find the best direction to head. I indeed may go with a Fed IV but I need help from the pros on here.

Cost and quality aside because that's an obvious difference, how do the various Penman Indy hats stack up dimensionally, along with their Adventurebilt Legacy lines? Their Everyman hats? I've no interest in doing the Indy turn so that's not a consideration.

What about Adventurebilt hats? What's different about directly from them and the Legacy ones from Penman?

There's such a multitude of brim width options it gets confusing. I think I'd want a dimensionally cut brim, but definitely a wider brim. I never liked the stingy brim hats. But, being on the shorter side I don't want to look like I'm wearing a sombrero if I'm ever not wearing bulky clothes.

Also, I'm confused about the differences in rabbit and beaver and combinations of both. I used to always think I only wanted pure beaver but from what I've read quality rabbit is just fine. Seeing that it's cheaper to boot was a small victory. So what about quality rabbit vs beaver, vs those 80/20 combinations and then again shrinkage?

Any other hatters I should consider?

I like the look of a silver/grey/granite for everyday wear and dress, but a darker tawny or brown for camping, hiking and hunting, etc.

I'll probably just need to have most combinations of colors, brim width and crown height for the winter/summer and beard/no beard times. At least that's what I'm going to tell my wife. [emoji6][emoji3]

Thanks for the help guys!

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

Wow, that is indeed a lot of questions! Welcome.

After reading everything you wrote, I suggest starting with a good inexpensive hat.

Get yourself a Fed IV. It has a dimensional brim and straight sided, tall crown. You can turn it or wear it straight. It'll take any top crease. They (the felt) don't shrink. All of mine started with center dents and have diamonds now. They are height adjustable without looking like something is wrong. All mine started out at 4 3/4" (creased) and now at about 4 1/4".

I also have a couple of Adventurebilts - a Henry (80/20 rabbit/beaver) and a handmade original style (beaver) in gray. These hats are in every way better than a Fed IV, but I still wear my Fed IVs just as much as my other hats.

But a first hat? Given what you wrote, I say Fed IV. Then, when you decide you like the overall style, go for a Penman, whether it be an Everyman or custom handmade piece.

 

[Just A Hat Rack]

I'm always impressed with the tons of info and knowledge on here. Thoroughly confusing, but I love it!

So I've been looking at hats for a while now and I'll wade in gently before jumping in with both feet and lots of $$ to find what I truly like for myself. I think I'm ready to pull the trigger on a Fed IV but after reading everything about other hats I have a multitude of questions.

I'm 5'9" and about 200lbs; could certainly lose a few but I still have a generally stocky solid build. I've seen hats I fell in love with by looking at them on the rack but on my head they don't look so well. I figured out that I need a crown with very little if any taper, otherwise it looks like I have a pyramid on my head. If I was taller and slimmer it probably wouldn't look so bad (at least to me) or be as dramatic. Either way I don't like the look. I wear a 7-1/8 to 7-1/4 depending on the hat and haircut so I don't have an overly large noggin. So I'm pretty sure I need a fairly blocky, straighter crown and avoid those with lots of taper. I also like a center bash or (near) teardrop bash if that makes a difference in how high a crown I need.

I also noticed that even a small difference in brim width makes a large difference in appearance on me since I'm shorter, and this is exacerbated by different crown tapers. Wearing heavier jackets or none at all makes an obvious difference in perception of width as well.

After reading everything about Fed IV hats and then reading about Penman Indy hats and Adventurebilt hats I'm trying to find the best direction to head. I indeed may go with a Fed IV but I need help from the pros on here.

Cost and quality aside because that's an obvious difference, how do the various Penman Indy hats stack up dimensionally, along with their Adventurebilt Legacy lines? Their Everyman hats? I've no interest in doing the Indy turn so that's not a consideration.

What about Adventurebilt hats? What's different about directly from them and the Legacy ones from Penman?

There's such a multitude of brim width options it gets confusing. I think I'd want a dimensionally cut brim, but definitely a wider brim. I never liked the stingy brim hats. But, being on the shorter side I don't want to look like I'm wearing a sombrero if I'm ever not wearing bulky clothes.

Also, I'm confused about the differences in rabbit and beaver and combinations of both. I used to always think I only wanted pure beaver but from what I've read quality rabbit is just fine. Seeing that it's cheaper to boot was a small victory. So what about quality rabbit vs beaver, vs those 80/20 combinations and then again shrinkage?

Any other hatters I should consider?

I like the look of a silver/grey/granite for everyday wear and dress, but a darker tawny or brown for camping, hiking and hunting, etc.

I'll probably just need to have most combinations of colors, brim width and crown height for the winter/summer and beard/no beard times. At least that's what I'm going to tell my wife. [emoji6][emoji3]

Thanks for the help guys!

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

I'll throw a wrench into things and mention the Akubra Adventurer. It's inspired by the Indy hat, although the dimensions aren't an exact match. I only mention it because you said something about wanting a wider brim, which this hat has in comparison to the Fed IV. It's more expensive than the Fed IV with the same Imperial quality felt, but still at a reasonable price. I've been debating between these two hats, but am currently leaning toward the Fed IV based on price and colors.

https://www.davidmorgan.com/shop/product/1128/adventurer-hat-open-crown

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[scottyrocks]

The Adventurer has been reported to be not as tough in the elements as the Fed IV.

 

[jlee562]

I'm gonna be the dissenter....

If you have the means, given your concerns about specs, I would choose a custom hatter over Akubra.

Adventurebilts are really not available, only the Legacy line from Penman.

Akubras are resilient hats, but relative to other options, they have a rough finish on the felt and use cheaper components (ribbon and sweatband) than other factory hats. As I've said before, Akubras are like the Honda/Toyota of the hat world. Perfectly functional and will last forever if you treat it right, but, if you are looking for luxury, it falls short. Some folks seem to get real touchy if you insist that Akubras are anything less than perfect. They probably are the best bang for your buck, but it's certainly not the best hat you can buy. Whether or not the difference in price is justified is up to you. For myself, I only have one Akubra, and I've been seriously thinking of parting with it, as I'm pretty sure it's been years since I've worn it.

YMMV, but I've really come to the belief that the "standard" Indy specs aren't the best for everyone and that some folks actually would look better with a slightly lower crown or a tiny bit of taper. Check out Northwest Hats, Art Fawcett, Alley Kat, Herbert Johnson, etc..

 

[RJR]

The Adventurer has been reported to be not as tough in the elements as the Fed IV.

I'm not trusting my memory 100% but there are/were TWO versions of the Adventurer.One for Morgan,the other I'm not sure.This is the Morgan and is several years old and plenty tough.

 

[scottyrocks]

I'm gonna be the dissenter....

If you have the means, given your concerns about specs, I would choose a custom hatter over Akubra.

Adventurebilts are really not available, only the Legacy line from Penman.

Akubras are resilient hats, but relative to other options, they have a rough finish on the felt and use cheaper components (ribbon and sweatband) than other factory hats. As I've said before, Akubras are like the Honda/Toyota of the hat world. Perfectly functional and will last forever if you treat it right, but, if you are looking for luxury, it falls short. Some folks seem to get real touchy if you insist that Akubras are anything less than perfect. They probably are the best bang for your buck, but it's certainly not the best hat you can buy. Whether or not the difference in price is justified is up to you. For myself, I only have one Akubra, and I've been seriously thinking of parting with it, as I'm pretty sure it's been years since I've worn it.

YMMV, but I've really come to the belief that the "standard" Indy specs aren't the best for everyone and that some folks actually would look better with a slightly lower crown or a tiny bit of taper. Check out Northwest Hats, Art Fawcett, Alley Kat, Herbert Johnson, etc..

I had suggested Honda or Toyota because going into something brand new, I wouldn't be dropping Rolls Royce money until I was sure I liked the whole concept to begin with. Otherwise, I like your analysis.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I have noticed how no one, including you, in the WHAYWT thread, for instance, has anything negative to say about any of the myriad hats and sometimes questionable styles posted there, but Indy hats seem to be fair game for questioning the 'why.' Well, here's the answer. We like the hat and the turn because we like the hat and the turn, same as anyone else who likes what they like.

I meant no offense.

I was just expressing an opinion. As for not being critical on the WHAYWT thread, I wore a custom Agnoulita in light flecked fur and several voiced their...er...not so positive opinions. I have also received kind but critical reviews on some of my conversions.

Others have expressed that they don’t care for the stingy brims I sometimes wear. As long as it doesn’t become a personal attack, I think you can express your opinion. I get that we all have different preferences and aesthetics, but when politely done, I think it’s alright to say that you personally don’t care for something.

I’ll also acknowledge that we owe the Indy hats a debt for helping rekindle interest in fedoras and even the creation of the Lounge. I certainly wasn’t trying to disparage Indy hats or their fans. I also think that they look great when folks are wearing them, but I just don’t prefer it for myself. I think its the “turn” as the rest of the hat is classic fedora.

 

[jlee562]

I had suggested Honda or Toyota because going into something brand new, I wouldn't be dropping Rolls Royce money until I was sure I liked the whole concept to begin with. Otherwise, I like your analysis.

I don't always recommend a custom as a first hat. There's something to be said for the feeling out process. It just seemed to me that Raven5 was concerned about the minor differences in specs perhaps having amplified effects on him. Part of the cost of getting a custom hat fitting is that someone as skilled as John Penman (or Art; Mike; Tim, etc) will take the time to navigate those concerns and make the right adjustment(s). Art knew what I wanted better than I did and gave me a higher crown than I asked for initially, so that I could end up with a really deep diamond crease that creased down to the perfect height. John cut a dimensional brim for me based on my height/weight and I think I might have sent him a picture too.

(And I'm sure I didn't need to explain that to you, Scotty, that was more for the OP)

 

[Fed in a Fedora]

I'll throw a wrench into things and mention the Akubra Adventurer. It's inspired by the Indy hat, although the dimensions aren't an exact match. I only mention it because you said something about wanting a wider brim, which this hat has in comparison to the Fed IV. It's more expensive than the Fed IV with the same Imperial quality felt, but still at a reasonable price. I've been debating between these two hats, but am currently leaning toward the Fed IV based on price and colors.

https://www.davidmorgan.com/shop/product/1128/adventurer-hat-open-crown

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

Be aware that there are two different types of Akubra hat under the name "Adventurer" One is similar to the Fed IV and the other is more like a "Coober Pedy."

It is not a happy thing to expect one and receive the other...

Fed

 

[Just A Hat Rack]

Be aware that there are two different types of Akubra hat under the name "Adventurer" One is similar to the Fed IV and the other is more like a "Coober Pedy."

It is not a happy thing to expect one and receive the other...

Fed

I posted a link in my original post to the Adventurer that I was referring to. It is through David Morgan. I've also noticed the different types of Akubras. They tend to differ between the Australian and US retailers from what I've seen.

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[Seb Lucas]

The Adventurer I know was originally a custom Indy style hat made for Gowings, a department store in Sydney that has now closed down. It was never a hat available through Akubra. It is now found in a range of places.

I normally wear a size 58 Akubra do I buy a size up in the Fed IV or a size down?

 

[scottyrocks]

The Adventurer I know was originally a custom Indy style hat made for Gowings, a department store in Sydney that has now closed down. It was never a hat available through Akubra. It is now found in a range of places.

I normally wear a size 58 Akubra do I buy a size up in the Fed IV or a size down?

Definitely not a size down.

I'm in between sizes (58.2 cm) so I got a 59 (three times) and the sweat shrunk down to fit. If you're a true 58 then maybe you should do the same.

 

[Zombie_61]

...I normally wear a size 58 Akubra do I buy a size up in the Fed IV or a size down?

I agree with Scott--if you've had good luck with size 58 Akubras, order that size in the Fed IV.

 

[scottyrocks]

I agree with Scott--if you've had good luck with size 58 Akubras, order that size in the Fed IV.

That's not exactly what I was suggesting.

Seb and I seem to be only 2mm difference in head size. I bought all three of my IVs in 59, almost a full size up, and they all shrunk to fit. In fact, my Tawny Fawn is bit snug. Maybe he would need to do the same - get a 59, but I am not completely sure.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I agree with Scott--if you've had good luck with size 58 Akubras, order that size in the Fed IV.

What?? Confusion with Akubra sizing? Say it isn’t so.



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