Indy's Hat

[RJR]

Hi, again, Kermit. Many valid points made and opinions debated in the thread following your post. A few things to keep in mind:

1- The Fed IV really was developed by Hats Direct and Akubra with design input from knowledgeable members of Indy Gear and the Club Obi Wan forum (including hatter Steve Delk, who created the legendary Adventurebilt hat line and made the hats for KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL), intended as an affordable Indy-style hat. (The brim is slightly smaller on the sides than THE hat.) Read through the comments in the Fedora section on COW and you'll generally find great praise for the Fed IV.

2- I bought a David Morgan Adventurer first, before I knew of the Fed IV. The Adventurer is indeed a nice hat, made of a lighter, floppier felt. But it's also a lighter color, and I don't think the crown is as square and boxy as the Fed IV, so to my eye it yields a bashed shape that looks less like a RAIDERS or CRYSTAL SKULL hat than the Fed IV. After I got my first Fed IV, I actually sold my DM Adventurer.

3- Personally, I preferred the slightly heavier (though by no means TOO heavy) felt of the Fed IV. It feels sturdier and more likely to hold its shape over time, but it will soften with wear, time -- and a few adventures!

4- How much do you want to spend? The Fed IV (and Akubras in general) are designed to be affordable, sturdy, high-quality production hats. While I'd love a more expensive custom hat (even though I'd do my own bash from an open crown because it's fun), I couldn't justify the extra cost.

5- The only time I ever had any stranger say, "Hey, Indiana Jones hat!" to me was when I wore my Fed IV to the actual "Indiana Jones & The Adventure of Archaeology" Exhibition at the National Geographic Museum in Washington DC. Most people don't know or care. If you like the hat and style, just have fun wearing it

Interesting observations,my DM Adventurer is at least as dark as either my Penmans or Delk's AB.

 

[H Weinstein]

Interesting observations,my DM Adventurer is at least as dark as either my Penmans or Delk's AB.

I was only comparing my own DM Adventurer to the Fed IV. And while the Fed IV wasn't much darker, it was noticeable. I don't know how the Fed brown compares to Penman or AB hat colors. Mostly, I just thought the Fed IV shape looked closer to the Raiders/Crystal Skull crown shape, and the Fed IV felt (subjectively) like a slightly higher-quality hat.

 

[Fed in a Fedora]

Has anyone dealt with Steele & Jones? Their site looks to have fedoras heavily influenced by the Indy movies. http://www.steele-jones.com.ar/en/sombreros.htm
This popped up on my radar from a vintage and vintage inspired clothing site, but I know nothing more about this company, but have seen them mentioned by people with no actual reviews. Was wondering about their quality. Was thinking of buying a gray travelling hat.

Fed

 

[JackieMatra]

I don't see any crown or brim measurements given for their hats.
The two sentences below would make me wary as well. Would Indy himself buy a hat like that? He'd have had no such worries with an Akubra.
"All our fedoras have a water repellant treatment. They will resist some rain exposure, but we recommend to avoid getting them wet, when possible"

 

[Fed in a Fedora]

I don't see any crown or brim measurements given for their hats.
The two sentences below would make me wary as well. Would Indy himself buy a hat like that? He'd have had no such worries with an Akubra.
"All our fedoras have a water repellant treatment. They will resist some rain exposure, but we recommend to avoid getting them wet, when possible"

I had a bit of the same thought about the treating, but only partly. I was really hoping to get some feedback from an actual owner/wearer of one.

And you have a great point about Akubras. Huge Akubra fan - especially the CampDrafts. Got 3 of just that style and another enroute shortly. You do not protect Akubras - they protect you as good hats should. Love all of mine.

 

[TheDane]

"All our fedoras have a water repellant treatment. They will resist some rain exposure, but we recommend to avoid getting them wet, when possible"

Seems like pretty sound advice to me. I guess, you'll hear the same from most experienced loungers - and hatters.

 

[Fed in a Fedora]

Seems like pretty sound advice to me. I guess, you'll hear the same from most experienced loungers - and hatters.

Yes, most good felt hats have some waterproofing in them, but some can handle the wetness well and others not.
I do not want another hat which I have to babysit. They exist to protect me.

The only production hats which measure up for me so far have been Akubras.

"Akubra as a rain hat

Your Akubra makes a great rain hat. However if it becomes wet it is important that it be cared for correctly. Do not force dry the hat if it has become wet. The inside leather band will shrink and once this happens it is hard to stretch back to its original size. Akubra hats are shower-proof and include a water proofing solution. As the hat ages the water proofing during manufacture may break down and the felt will absorb water. However, generally your head will remain dry."

And they do the job extremely well. I was hoping that someone might chime in with comments indicating whether the Steele & Jones hats can meet that mark.

Might need to ask that question in a separate thread...

 

[Benzadmiral]

Long story short. Yes. Yes it was, or rather would have been. Look at the examples in movies and TV shows. Jimmy, Cagney, and Bogart all had hand bashed Fedora's and it showed. In fact post war examples still shows hand bashing as well - Dragnet and All in the family.
. . .
Johnny

One imagines the young Henry Jones Jr., ca. 1933-34, stopping in a haberdashery in New York or London or Chicago, selecting a wide-brimmed fedora in his size, pinching and bashing the crown, and wearing it out of the shop. Eventually it developed its patina and trademark brim swoop. . . .

 

[Frunobulax]

According to "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles," which is canon, he was given the hat by another treasure-seeker named Garth. This was related in the first episode of the series. It was supposed to be 1912 at the time.

 

[Benzadmiral]

According to "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles," which is canon, he was given the hat by another treasure-seeker named Garth. This was related in the first episode of the series. It was supposed to be 1912 at the time.

Ah! I never got to see much of that series, which as I recall looked grand.

 

[scottyrocks]

According to "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles," which is canon, he was given the hat by another treasure-seeker named Garth. This was related in the first episode of the series. It was supposed to be 1912 at the time.

It was also (previously?) shown at the end of the opening sequence in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989).

 

[cm289]

Has anyone dealt with Steele & Jones? Their site looks to have fedoras heavily influenced by the Indy movies. http://www.steele-jones.com.ar/en/sombreros.htm
This popped up on my radar from a vintage and vintage inspired clothing site, but I know nothing more about this company, but have seen them mentioned by people with no actual reviews. Was wondering about their quality. Was thinking of buying a gray travelling hat.

Fed

There's 12 pages of pics and reviews over at Club Obi-Wan.

The EXPLORADOR fedora - photo gallery
http://www.indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?t=49231


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Benzadmiral]

I'd forgotten that sequence. Though looking at it now with an FL-trained eye, I see that the 1912 hat has what we call a narrow ribbon, and his 1938 hat has one quite a bit wider. Either he would have bought another hat in the same wide-brimmed style but a wider ribbon in the intervening quarter century, or had the original refurbished. I always took the scene to signify that this was how Indy's signature style began when he was a youth, not so much that he kept the same hat for so many years.

Though, as we've seen, with care a well-made felt hat can last decades.

 

[Frunobulax]

YIJC was pretty good, in my estimation. I ate it up with a spoon when they ran it.

 

[Fed in a Fedora]

Yes, but for me, the first travelling hat was the best of all the Indy hats. I would not mind finding a source for a good one at a reasonable price.

 

[RJR]

Yes, but for me, the first travelling hat was the best of all the Indy hats. I would not mind finding a source for a good one at a reasonable price.

I suggest you visit with John Penman or David Garrison.

 

[Altiori]

David Garrison made an excellent Raiders hat for me a few years back...fun to wear...lots of compliments...wears well, looks good, and tough.