Too Small?? Too big? Just right? or How to wear a hat!

[MattJH]

The reason why I ask is because of how my Akubra Federation sits on my head. It's definitely the right size because I have a workable amount of space on the sides of my head, and the back feels fine because it's buffered by my hair. However, the front, where the sweatband has contact with my forehead skin, feels a bit tight. When I remove the hat, I always have a 2 inch vertical red line across my forehead.

I emailed Ron Lilburne at HatsDirect. He said:

Your head is likely to be tending what is "long oval", hence the tightness front to back. The hat has a memory wire in the sweat band which will assist in eventually shaping to your noggin.

To help this process on its way, place the hat (front) on your knee and using both hands stretch the hat back. You cannot hurt the hat. Give it plenty of muscle. Try it on and repeat as needed. Do not worry about the sides, they will be ok, just pushing in will make the sides indent, but stretching the hat front to back will not.

After this you may require a little steam to put the hat back into shape but generally not. It should be ok - if you still have room on the sides the 61 will be fine, occasionally hats are just plain stubborn, it will adopt your head shape in time. Let me know how you get on...

So, I've done this, the knee-stretching bit. I use nearly all of my force. It helps for a short time but retracts back to where it was initially. I know that my solution is a hat stretcher -- in the meantime, is this indicative that I'm actually a 7 5/8 LO? Is this how you tell when you're a long oval?

 

[Mr. 'H']

My Federation Deluxe was exactly like this. It came stiff open crowned like a bowler/derby! I litterally had to beat it up before the felt became really soft (too soft on the brim now - it flaps in the wind).

However with time it will definitely conform. I helps if you push the two sides together alot.

Don't worry too much about it. Wear it in the rain and that will definitely help too.

 

[scotrace]

If you are wearing the correct circumference size, and it presses front and back while leaving gaps at the sides, you are a LO.

In any soft vintage hat, you are going to be a hard head to fit. 7 5/8 is hard enough to find, but 7 5/8 LO will be even tougher. If you get a 7 5/8 regular oval, the sides of the brim will pucker and never be a sharp, swooping line from back to front snap. You might do ok with a size 8 regular oval, but again, good luck, pal...

Luckily, a custom hatter can fix you up wth exactly the right size and shape.

 

[Joel Tunnah]

My head is 23", a perfect "7 3/8", but all 7 3/8 are like a vise on the front and back - just as you describe. That's a long oval. I have been able to stretch 7 3/8 hats somewhat using a "Hat Jack", but they never quite feel right. So, now I only buy size 60 (7 1/2) and then either shrink the hat a bit with water, or regular use, or pad the sides a little with some felt strips. Now I enjoy wearing my hats.

Of course, you could go the best route, which is to have a master craftsman like Art make you a hat. Nothing store-bought fits me like those.

Joel

 

[MattJH]

This may explain why Akubra's Lifestyle collection of hats fit me so well. The Casual and Traveller both have elastic sweatbands, so they conform immediately to my head. This is all good information for me. When I order the Akubra Sydney Fedora within the next few weeks, it sounds like I should go with a size 62 as opposed to my size 61 Federation. Hopefully the Federation eventually conforms to my head.

 

[Rooster]

I'm a 7 3/8 LO. Any hat that is 7 3/8 and isn't a LO gives me the problems you describe. I'd get it wet and wear it till it dries. Or get one of those hat stretcher thingys and wet it and stretch it oval.

 

[Mr. 'H']

This may explain why Akubra's Lifestyle collection of hats fit me so well. The Casual and Traveller both have elastic sweatbands, so they conform immediately to my head. This is all good information for me. When I order the Akubra Sydney Fedora within the next few weeks, it sounds like I should go with a size 62 as opposed to my size 61 Federation. Hopefully the Federation eventually conforms to my head.

Get a size 62, wear it in a downpour several times and it will fit you much better when it dries out.

 

[Fletch]

Somebody say 7 5/8 LO?

And Akubra Fed?

Just got mine. It's a 61 and yes, a bit big on the sides. But I put the sticky foam tape inside the sweat and it's not bothering me much.

Don't look too bad either. Here. See for yourself. Please excuse the morning face.

 

[MattJH]

What about the forehead? Is it leaving a red line across it after wearing it for a few minutes?

 

[Fletch]

Nope. Not tight anywhere. Just feels good.

 

[MattJH]

I don't get it. If I'm a 7 5/8 LO and you're a 7 5/8 LO and we both have an Akubra Federation in 61, does that mean that:

01) Our Federations are slightly different?

OR

02) I'm a 7 3/4 LO?

OR

03) You're a 7 1/2 LO?

My head measures 24" in circumference to the millimeter.

 

[Fletch]

01)

 

[scotrace]

04) Every head shape is different. One of you is long oval, and the other is extra long oval.

 

[s7eng]

I had the same problem with my Akubra Fed. I'm a long oval and my size in between 7 and 7 1/8, so I had some more break-in time than most. After a year of almost daily wear and it fits great.

 

[HDRnR]

My head measures 22 1/4 but I usually wear a 7 1/4 where based on that measurement I should be between a 7 and a 7 1/8. A size 7 would just sit on top of my head while a 7 1/8 is tight. Also I have Stetsons in both sizes that fit me really well yet some Stetsons in 7 1/8 are too tight. I'd say that I'm between a 7 1/8 and 7 1/4 since some 7 1/4's ride just a tad low on me. I always wondered if there was variation in sizings or if it was my head. Also how should a hat properly fit ? Should it feel tight at all ? Obviously if it sinks down to your ears its too big but how far above the top of your ear should it sit ? Or is it when you put it on your head and it " fits like a glove" its the right size ? I have a Royal Stetson stingy brim that is like that in 7 1/8 (go figure) that just fits like a glove.

 

[Topper]

Through my research I have concluded that:

Round oval is 5/8 inch longer than it is wide
Regular oval is 1 3/8 inches longer than it is wide
Long oval is 2 1/8 inches longer than it is wide
X-Long oval is 2 7/8 inches longer than it is wide
XX-Long oval is 3 5/8 inches longer than it is wide
XXX-Long oval is 4 3/8 inches longer than it is wide

Though interesting enough, an article (I thing from Hatters Gazette about 100 years ago) stated that the "Long-oval" varies in the different inches between German, France and England, so in the past there was no standard format. The above X, XX, and XXX are merely to asssist the hatter, to the general public they would mereley be a "long oval" no matter how long"er" the oval would be.

 

[cooncatbob]

That's interesting. I just took calipers to my head and I'm half way between an oval and a long oval.
Bob.

 

[wenestvedt]

I got my first hat yesterday, an Akubra Cattleman, and I'm not sure it's the correct size -- oris it just the way I wear it?

So just how snug should the hat fit? Should it feel loose if I shake my head? If I walk briskly across the room, should I feel it shifting? Or is it a matter of wearing it perfectly level so it grabs properly? Will the sweatband shrink a little over time to fit me?

I measured my head three times and then ordered the hat that was said to accomodate that size. (I got a 59.) I admit that my head is narrow "ear-to-ear" but otherwise pretty big, and the hat does hold tight when I tilt it down to where the brim is perfectly level -- but it looks better (and I can see better!) when it's back a little on my head. (And I put in both of the foam trips, one on eaither side, so now the sweatband actually touches the sides of my 'uuuuge 'ead.)

Does it sound to you like the hat's too big, or am I just wearing it wrong?

Thanks for your opinions.

- Will

 

[RBH]

I think it sounds about right. You may need to get used to wearing it.
And yes after wearing it awhile it WILL shape to your head a little better.
My advice is keep on wearing it and post us some photos of it on your head!

 

[MattJH]

This is my own personal experience:

Every head is shaped differently. There's really no way to wear a hat "wrong." It really depends on where on your head it feels comfortable sitting.

I feel the most comfortable when the front of the hat is just above the brow-slope above my eyebrows, the back of the hat is around the bulge at the back of my head, and the sides of the crown are about one-and-a-half fingers above my ears. Because of this, I absolutely require a 7 5/8. I could probably get away with a 7 1/2 Long Oval, but it wouldn't sit where I'd want it to sit on my head.

As far as the "tightness" goes, ideally, the hat will not shift if you turn your head abruptly, but if a particularly good gust of wind comes along, you should have to hold your hat down (or wear a wind trolley - blech!) in order to keep it from flying away. In short, it shouldn't leave a mark on your forehead, but there shouldn't be space between your forehead and the sweatband, either.

If it's a bit tight on your forehead, simply wearing it will stretch it out over time. If you're feeling particularly confident and brave, you can stretch it over your knee, but I'm not responsible for any sweatband-tearings that could happen as a result of it! It's a common recommendation from Akubra dealers is all. If it's loose, you've done the right thing with the foam strips, and you'll probably find that the hat will slowly shrink to conform to your head to the point where you'll be able to remove the foam strips.