The Akubra Squatter

[frussell]

Stylemaster/Squatter

I've owned both, and the crown sure seemed different to me. I couldn't get the Stylemaster bashed in any shape tall enough to suit me, but the Squatter had a bit more crown to work with. I'd have kept the Squatter, but it was a David Morgan grommet model, and the grommets didn't do it for me. Great hat though. Frank.

 

[Tone]

Love the Squatter's Range

Another cool style Squatter:
Individually Modern; Poetically Vintage; Hollywood Flavored; all at the same time.
http://yarrr.de/hats/squatter/9.jpg

 

[Zombie_61]

Keep a vague eye across ebay.com.au for a cheap Squatter. They do seem to come up pretty regularly down here but usually in the smaller sizes. Postage might be a killer but still cheaper tha a new one [huh]

Thank you for the suggestion. Unfortunately, it's the "usually in the smaller sizes" that does me in--I wear a size 60. But I'll take a look.

 

[Mahagonny Bill]

I'd have kept the Squatter, but it was a David Morgan grommet model, and the grommets didn't do it for me.

I saw someone post that the David Morgan Squatter is made from thicker felt as well. Is there really big difference (other than color) between the David Morgan and Hats Direct Squatters?

 

[gtdean48]

I saw someone post that the David Morgan Squatter is made from thicker felt as well. Is there really big difference (other than color) between the David Morgan and Hats Direct Squatters?

My understanding is David Morgan's is not a featherweight grade. It has a lining where OEM Akubra model does not.

 

[John in Covina]

Here's from the David Morgan website

The Squatter is a classic Australian town and country hat. The brim is 3 inches wide, bound edge, and may be worn snapped down in front or as a drop brim down all around. Imperial Quality pure fur felt, 1-1/4 inch ribbon band, fully lined, with chin strap hooks set inside the crown for attachment of a chin strap. 5-1/4 inch open crown. Reeded roan leather sweatband. Made in Australia.

The Squatter takes its name from the men who took up large blocks of pastoral land in the outback under government license when Australia was first settled. These large landowners were often the rich and influential men of the district and the Squatter, made by Akubra, reflects a little of this life style.


More on Akubra construction from DM:

About Akubra Hats
Australians needed hard wearing hats with wider brims than the usual European brims, to protect them from the sun and rain. Akubra soon became known for the durability and comfort of their felt hats, and recognized throughout the world for the Australian styling with a flair that reflects the independent, confident, and sometimes adventurous spirit of the dinkum Australian.

Akubra is the only major hat company making fur felt hats from start to finish, beginning with the raw skins through all the processes of preparing the fur, forming the hood, dyeing, blocking and pouncing the hat to the final trimming. Their control of the entire process allows them to produce an exceptional quality of fur felt. The quality of Akubra's felt is attested to by the fact that they have no need for the colored powders used by many manufacturers to even out the color and hide flaws in the felt. The reputation of Akubra hats is built on the long lasting quality of their fur felt and the comfort of their reeded leather sweat bands.

Akubra is an owner-operated company with an up-to-date plant, and a long term dedication to quality. Some of the distinctive features of Akubra hats are described below.

Fur Felt
The prime factors in the quality of fur felt are the quality of the fur used and how tightly it is worked together in the felting process.The basic fur in a felt hat is the under-fur of rabbits, and the quality of this fur is a prime factor in the quality of the hat produced. Fur from wild rabbits gives the best quality. Akubra not only uses more wild rabbit fur in their hats than any other hat company, but also a better fur, as they cut their own fur from the skins, keeping control of quality of the hats from start to finish.

The quality of the felt in American hats is often designated by a number of X’s, an arbitrary value differing between manufacturers. Akubra does not use X’s. They produce four felt qualities. Their standard quality, with a world-wide reputation for durability, is offered in two finishes, the Imperial Quality, used in most of the standard hats we offer, and the Superfine, used in the Slouch hat. The Sydney is made from a lighter weight felt, using a finer fur, with a finish similar to the Imperial Quality. Their premium quality, developed recently for the Heritage Collection, is very much in the Akubra tradition, a stronger, more dense felt for even greater durability, which also allows a finer pouncing for a superb finish. Pliofelt is the new pliable fur felt used in Akubra’s crushable Lifestyle Collection .

Reeded Leather Sweatbands
The leather sweatband inside the hat is the only part which touches the head and hence is the key to a comfortable hat. Good leathers are breathable, soft and absorbent. In the best hats the leathers are "reeded" in order to conform better to the head. A reed, once a thin piece of rattan, but now commonly a plastic fibre, is encased in an impervious ribbon of oiled silk or synthetic material, and attached to the bottom of the leather. The ribbon helps to keep perspiration from staining the body of the hat. The reeded leather sweatbands used by Akubra are made of the finest roan sheepskin, specially tanned to ensure comfort.

 

[John in Covina]

From the Akubra site:

Squatter Imperial Quality Colours: Steel Grey, Deep Fawn, Nigeria Brown, Black and Willow Green Description: A very traditional hat worn on rural properties.

 

[John in Covina]

from Everything Australian:
Superfine Quality
Squatter was the name given to early Australian sheep farmers. The Squatter is an Akubra Country Style hat with a 1 1/4" hatband and bound edge brim. This is our Akubra hat of choice that can be modified to look like the fedora worn by Harrison Ford in the "Indiana Jones" movies. This hat is generally accepted as the original Australian Akubra.

Brim: 73 mm (3.25")
Crown height: 10.5 cm (4.12")
Due to the large variety of Akubra hats, we are unable to keep in stock every hat in every colour. All special order hats will take approx 3 months for delivery.

 

[Mahagonny Bill]

Here's from the David Morgan website

Thanks for the research John. That opens up some other questions for me.

Does the Everything Australian hat have chin strap hooks and grommets?
What is "Superfine Quality" felt? Is it different than "Imperial"? I don't see a mention of "Superfine Quality" on the Akubra site.
Has anyone been able to compare a DM squatter with a EA or HD model?

 

[gtdean48]

Thanks for the research John. That opens up some other questions for me.

Does the Everything Australian hat have chin strap hooks and grommets?
What is "Superfine Quality" felt? Is it different than "Imperial"? I don't see a mention of "Superfine Quality" on the Akubra site.
Has anyone been able to compare a DM squatter with a EA or HD model?

No chin straps on EA model & Superfine is the featherweight which is a lot less dense than Imperial.

 

[John in Covina]

All I can add is that my DM model may have grommets for a chinstrap but on th outside they are under the ribbon so they're hardly noticable. I like my DM version alot

 

[DRB]

Here are a few pictures of my new Squatter. I trimmed the brim to a dimensional brim of 2 3/4 x 2 1/2 inch. Color is moonstone. I sat the uncut Squatter on top of my Fed IV and traced the brim with a pen. Then I took my kitchen shears to it. I don't feel an urgent need to take sandpaper to the edge just yet, perhaps later. It turned out better than expected.

And here is a pic of the Fed IV, brown

 

[Neophyte]

My willow green Squatter and my favorite hat.

Oddly, it looks like the DavidMorgan Squatters have less brim curl than HatsDirect Squatters.

At any rate, I'm seriously considering another one in Fawn.

Also, remember this: You can't stretch a brim, but you can trim one.

 

[Tone]

Not supposed to leave the default brim on a Squatter as it comes out of the box. You shape them. Part of the fun.

 

[Neophyte]

Here are a few pictures of my new Squatter. I trimmed the brim to a dimensional brim of 2 3/4 x 2 1/2 inch. Color is moonstone. I sat the uncut Squatter on top of my Fed IV and traced the brim with a pen. Then I took my kitchen shears to it. I don't feel an urgent need to take sandpaper to the edge just yet, perhaps later. It turned out better than expected.

That's genius! I just put my FEDIV over my Squatter, and I found that I could trim it myself if I wanted to. If I ever get tired of the 3" brim, I'm gonna take a knife to it.

Like I said just a moment ago:
"You can't stretch a brim, but you can trim one."

If any of you have the brown/fawn Squatter, can you post some pics?

 

[Neophyte]

Not supposed to leave the default brim on a Squatter as it comes out of the box. You shape them. Part of the fun.

When the brim comes with severe curl in the first place (enough curl to give it a really, really Aussie look, rather than the fedora shape I'm going for) it's really damn hard to shape. Soakings and soakings and soakings later, and it's finally starting to calm down a bit. I must say, though, that the 3" brim looks really good on me.

 

[Tone]

Well, there're the breakpoints in a brim like the Squatter's that should be checked before soaking. (Seriously, I have no idea where all this "water it down" advice has come from lately. Most hats can, and should, be styled without water, initially). The brims should have some breakpoints in spots that you can manipulate and see how they affect the curl. Just push your fingers here and there on the brim and bend it; push it; see how it causes a change. If it still isn't showing any response then maybe water. But it seems like people are resorting to water as their initial means of hat-shaping lately when they don't have to at all.

 

[Neophyte]

I'm not quite sure what you mean by breakpoints, but I kinda grasp the concept. Watering the hat, for me, serves to soften the hat at a faster rate, rather than shaping.

I don't really treat the brim to a soaking, it never occurred to me.

 

[Chuck Bobuck]

The Squatters brim Should curl up all around by default, then you can snap down the front. I think of an Aussie style as the back of the brim snapped down to keep the sun off the back of your neck, like the CEO. Mine curls up in the back easily, the brim binding assists in that.

I will say my ebay Squatter, sources unknown, gave me a fit at first because the brim was just out of whack. I clipped a thread or two that was somehow sewn to the leather sweatband. Never had seen that. Then I stretched the hat over my knee. That fixed my problem.

 

[Neophyte]

Yeah. That's wierd.

Nix that comment about Aussie brim curl.
It's just that, if the brim wouldn't snap so much up front and curl so much in back, I could wear it at less of an angle.

But I don't care, cause I love this hat. I'm definitely going to get another one. I like the look of the FedIV, but not the dimensional brim. My Square face looks great with a mostly straight-sided hat with some roundness, which is exactly what my Squatter is...