ThinkGeek's "Officially Licensed" Indiana Jones Fedora

[Tone]

I don't believe any of the trilogy hats were ever as tall as 5 5/8", or even 5 3/4" for that matter. The only one that looks that tall is the CS grey; though it looks to have a thinner ribbon on it, too. Could just be the effect of the taller hat (maybe a combination of both); but no...other than the elongating effect of the Raiders front pinch, the trilogy hats were all around 5 1/2" or under. So the DM is probably closer in that respect.

Is the Fed IV really 5 5/8" tall?! I remember hearing they designed the Fed to be more of a Swing hat. But didn't they shorten the crown when they redesigned it, or did they just move it to something closer to the Campdraft block, same height, only with a shorter brim than the Campdraft has?

 

[jpbales]

this is from IndyGear.com about the raiders fedora:

"The specifications for the actual hat Ford wore are reportedly as follows:
Size: 7 ¼ (size 58 European)
Crown: 5 ½ (5.5) inches
Brim (front & back): 2 ¾ (2.75) inches
Brim (sides): 2 5/8 (2.625) inches
Ribbon: 1 ½ (1.5) inches (39mm)"

And this is from Akubra:
"Crown height is 5 5/8ths inches. Made from an original wooden hat block set which have not been used for over 35 years.

The brim is dimensional cut to 2 1/2" on the sides and 2 3/4" front and back"

So the Akubra Fed IV crown is actually TALLER than the raiders fedora and the brim is actually WIDER around the sides too!

 

[Tone]

Weird. So it's still a taller crown AND the brim is spec'd smaller than the film hat.

Why was the Fed III changed again?

 

[MattJH]

Maybe Akurbra should have the license for the IJ hats. They are of good enough quality but more affordable than a Herbert Johnson or an Adventurebuilt. Do they have any hats resembling the ones from the films?

The Akubra Federation.

 

[John in Covina]

Akubra

One thing is when you buy an Akubra made hat you are getting an excellent value. They tend to be well made and are hardy hats that will stand up to use and even some outright abuse. If the exchange rate remains low then buying direct from Australia it a very enticing proposition. Even still, the David Morgan offerings are still a good value in comparison to other offerings in that general price range here in the US.

(I have a Squatter and a Bushman from David Morgan that are 2 years old and they are just breaking in still, the Squatter I wear a little bit more often and the Bushman I am considering to cut the brim down a little for a look more in line with what I like. Still the Squatter can be both dressy and outdoors and the Bushman is strictly the outdoorsman's hat. Both are excellent in construction, have been wet and dried and look very very good.)

So While I don't have a Fed yet, I know they garner many accolades as does the rest of the Akubra hat line up so it seems a safe bet that if you like the looks it will be a hat to enjoy for a long long time.

 

[JohnnyB53]

this is from IndyGear.com about the raiders fedora:

"The specifications for the actual hat Ford wore are reportedly as follows:
Size: 7 ¼ (size 58 European)
Crown: 5 ½ (5.5) inches
Brim (front & back): 2 ¾ (2.75) inches
Brim (sides): 2 5/8 (2.625) inches
Ribbon: 1 ½ (1.5) inches (39mm)"

Is that the open crown or bashed crown measurement? If you start with a 5-1/2" open crown, the bashed height will be between 4" and 4-3/4", and most of the hats in the films seem a bit taller than that to me.

Here are Indy replica hats with bashed crown heights of 4-1/2" and 5-1/4" respectively:

And this is from Akubra:
"Crown height is 5 5/8ths inches. Made from an original wooden hat block set which have not been used for over 35 years.

The Fed IV measurement is definitely open crown height.

The brim is dimensional cut to 2 1/2" on the sides and 2 3/4" front and back"

So the Akubra Fed IV crown is actually TALLER than the raiders fedora and the brim is actually WIDER around the sides too!

This would make the Fed IV 1/8" taller (assuming we're talking about open crowns in both cases) and the Fed IV's brim would be 1/8" narrower at the sides.

The DM Adventurer has a 5-1/2" crown and dimensional brim of 3-1/8 front & back, and 2-7/8" to the sides. So it's 3/8" wider front-to-back and 1/4" wider at the sides than the actual movie hat, and 1/4" wider all around than the Fed IV.

 

[MattJH]

Check out this beautiful official Indiana Jones Crystal Skull hat currently listed on eBay:

 

[MattJH]

I'm confused. This one is listed as official, too. Anyone else starting to get the feeling that this whole Adventurebilt thing is a big scam?

 

[Tone]

Hard to say. There are just so many "Officially licensed Indiana Jones hats" out there that they must all be accurate.

I don't know. Are the Adventurebilts 5 5/8" tall?


John, that's the first thing I did with my Bushman a couple years ago. Trimmed a bit off the brim and it's one of my all time favorite everywhere hats. The Squatter always looks great when it turns up and it's interesting to hear how many wear that one in particular, as an everyday hat.

 

[Mike K.]

This would make the Fed IV 1/8" taller (assuming we're talking about open crowns in both cases) and the Fed IV's brim would be 1/8" narrower at the sides.

1/8" difference?! That's about the thickness of the felt itself.

 

[avedwards]

The officially licensed hats are not made by Adventurebuilt. They are made cheaply by Dorfman Pacific and do not resemble the Indy's hat really (you only need to watch the film to see the difference). They are also much lower quality.

Adventurebuilt is not officially licensed to carry the name, but was used in the fourth film, and will therefore look the part, as well as being of very high quality and durability. So, if you want a proper Indiana Jones hat get either an Adventurebuilt or A Herbert Johnson (used in the first three films), or a custom hat. But do not get these officially licensed hats, as they do not look the part and will fall apart very quickly.

 

[MattJH]

The officially licensed hats are not made by Adventurebuilt. They are made cheaply by Dorfman Pacific and do not resemble the Indy's hat really (you only need to watch the film to see the difference). They are also much lower quality.

Adventurebuilt is not officially licensed to carry the name, but was used in the fourth film, and will therefore look the part, as well as being of very high quality and durability. So, if you want a proper Indiana Jones hat get either an Adventurebuilt or A Herbert Johnson (used in the first three films), or a custom hat. But do not get these officially licensed hats, as they do not look the part and will fall apart very quickly.

My Adventurebilt comment was sarcastic.

Loosen your shoulders, Lounge!

 

[Torpedo]

Please do not confuse those hats sold under official license, with the Indiaja Jones pin, labels and the like, with the Adventurebilts.
The former are just firms which pay the appropriate rights, and then are authorized to sell hats associated with the name, that can have an Indy Pin, a label and a box with the Indy logo, etc. Lucas films just takes the money. They do not have an interest in ensuring the hats have any real similitude with the movie hats. They could enforce it it they wanted, but they choose not to do.

On the other hand the hats used in the film (the fourth film, not the earlier ones) are Adventurebilts. This firm got the contract to supply the hats for the movie. These are quality fur hats. And, after the movie premiered, they sell this exact hat, too (well, two hats actually, one brown, one grey, because both appear in the film).

So, apples and oranges.

 

[jpbales]

my bad

So the Akubra Fed IV crown is actually TALLER than the raiders fedora and the brim is actually WIDER around the sides too!

yeah, I must have crunched the numbers wrong haha it is 1/8 smaller around the sides, not wider!

 

[jpbales]

Is that the open crown or bashed crown measurement? If you start with a 5-1/2" open crown, the bashed height will be between 4" and 4-3/4", and most of the hats in the films seem a bit taller than that to me.

I assumed that it was open-crown measurements. You're right, the way the hat is bashed would make a big difference on the crown's appearance.

 

[Tone]

Please do not confuse those hats sold under official license, with the Indiaja Jones pin, labels and the like, with the Adventurebilts.
The former are just firms which pay the appropriate rights, and then are authorized to sell hats associated with the name, that can have an Indy Pin, a label and a box with the Indy logo, etc. Lucas films just takes the money. They do not have an interest in ensuring the hats have any real similitude with the movie hats. They could enforce it it they wanted, but they choose not to do.

On the other hand the hats used in the film (the fourth film, not the earlier ones) are Adventurebilts. This firm got the contract to supply the hats for the movie. These are quality fur hats. And, after the movie premiered, they sell this exact hat, too (well, two hats actually, one brown, one grey, because both appear in the film).

So, apples and oranges.

No confusion really. I bought an Adventurebilt a while ago. Yes, I agree, it is made of beaver; I suppose if I wanted one that looked like what they used in the fourth film, I'd order another.

But I guess in terms of the $100 range - in comparison to the Officially licensed stuff - I still prefer the options available in a Christys'.

 

[jpbales]

...So, if you want a proper Indiana Jones hat get either an Adventurebuilt or A Herbert Johnson (used in the first three films), or a custom hat. But do not get these officially licensed hats, as they do not look the part and will fall apart very quickly.

Yeah, Herbert Johnson made the original "hero" fedora from the first film, but from what I've read, they no longer have the block, or the same kind of felt, that they made the original hat from, and the poet block is the next closest thing, but still not the same.

Here's what I found on the Gray Adventurebilt hat used in the film:
"Taller than the brown hats, having a 5 3/4" crown. They wanted it to have a different look than the brown hat. The brim is also larger at 2 7/8" by 2 5/8", but the creases are the same as on the brown."

Here's what I've found on the Brown Indy Adventurbuilt:
Crown height: 5,5" (13.97 cm)
Brim width: 2 3/4" x 2 1/2"

http://www.indygear.com/igfedora.html
http://www.indygear.com/igABstory.html
http://www.hallituskatu14.com/fedora/fedora.html

So the brim width on the Fed IV is closer to the Adventurbuilt Indy Fedora than it is to the Hero fedora, while the crown is still 1/8" larger (a pretty small difference, i'd say)

 

[MattJH]

If Adventurebilt is the true Indiana Jones hat for KotCS, then how come it looks nothing like these?

It's obvious to me that Adventurebilt and Herbert Johnson both have a significant amount of work to do to match the dimensions of the film-accurate hats shown above.

 

[Torpedo]

No confusion really. I bought an Adventurebilt a while ago. Yes, I agree, it is made of beaver; I suppose if I wanted one that looked like what they used in the fourth film, I'd order another.

But I guess in terms of the $100 range - in comparison to the Officially licensed stuff - I still prefer the options available in a Christys'.

Indeed, there are various hats in the market in the middle price range (rabbit or hare felt), some of which are very popular with fans: Both Christy's and Akubra fell here. In a way, the Christy's are more accurate for the earlier films than the Ab, because the hats in those films were rabbit.

Regards!

 

[Tone]

Yes, this "NEW" merchandising scheme they're pulling on the Indiana Jones fans is unheard of. I mean... what happened to the days when they slapped a name on it and you KNEW you were getting the real deal?

I mean, when they slapped the name Star Wars "LIGHTSABER" on that red flashlight handle in the 70's, you could count on the fact that that plastic tubing matched the film props without question.

They really cheat the fans nowadays. :eusa_doh:

the Christy's are more accurate for the earlier films than the Ab, because the hats in those films were rabbit.

A bit more to them than that; however, yes, the Akubras and Christys have rabbit felts. Akubra has a tougher grade felt and the Christys' is the softer, city felt. Both wear, fit, and move completely differently; though, yes, they are both often generalized conveniently under the same rabbit felt heading.