What Hat Are You Wearing Today ?

[VoodooSan]

Again, luck was with me. Less than forty for this one....

 

[DonR]

A Pilgrim Panama

 

[dkstott]

Happy firewood stacking day in a Akubra Banjo Patterson

 

[Blare]

(Sort of) Thin Ribbon Thursday. Pre Stetson Mallory with velour like finish and a self felted thin band. The moths do love this type of felt.. guess I can’t blame em.

 

[RickP]

Happy firewood stacking day in a Akubra Banjo Patterson

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love me a nice Banjo! Banjo and Lightning Ridges are my two favorite big Akubras.

 

[VoodooSan]

A Pilgrim Panama

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Nice on, Don! Love the color pairing with the shirt!

 

[VoodooSan]

Happy firewood stacking day in a Akubra Banjo Patterson

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THAT, sir, is one solid day's work!!! (And nice hat, too!)

 

[VoodooSan]

(Sort of) Thin Ribbon Thursday. Pre Stetson Mallory with velour like finish and a self felted thin band. The moths do love this type of felt.. guess I can’t blame em.

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VERY nice, Joe, and an AWESOME interior!

 

[Blare]

VERY nice, Joe, and an AWESOME interior!

Thank you Mark.

 

[fabiovenhorst]

Melton & Co.

 

[The Lost Cowboy]

* nice to hear from The Lost Cowboy... enjoy your updates very much !

Ill chime in that it was good to see the Lost Cowboy resurface... guess the internet finally caught up with him over there!

Thank you, gentlemen - I appreciate the sentiment very much.

Not having full access to TFL has been a double-edged sword: obviously frustrating to not see any photos for the last three weeks. But also a bit liberating, since I've had no reason to spend time online. I've even taken to leaving my phone in my room (can anybody else remember the days when nobody carried phones with them)?

Obviously only having one hat (and a flat cap) with me means I don't want to bore you all with endless photos of it, but I definitely intend to post a few more interesting updates over the next few months. My mission over here is to heal up so I can get back to work next year, so I am not the typical tourist. I guess that's also a good thing since I don't have endless tourist photos to share ("And here I am with the FED IV at the very last Buddha stupa on the street. I know it looks just like the other 12 photos of Buddha stupas I showed already, but if you look closely you can see that the FED IV brim is bent slightly upward in this photo, giving it a more urban look." )

Peace!

 

[The Lost Cowboy]

Beautiful lid! For those of us relatively new to hats, what specifically about the 25 makes it feel so much better than the Akubra Fed?

Flipping through the thread I realize I never responded to your query. My apologies, I was very busy with a pack-out at the time you posted this.

Honestly, the difference is the same as any item of lesser quality compared to one of higher quality - until you actually handle the higher quality item, it's just very hard to understand or even imagine the difference. A PC versus a MacBook comes to mind (since I'm on a MacBook), a BMW versus a VW, a haircut with a very good quality pair of scissors versus one with the scissors your daughter uses to cut out paper dolls. A Scorsese film versus the ABC movie of the week.

I used to swim everyday at uni (I attended the University of Florida) and would often watch other swimmers pounding out their laps. Some of them were very good - or at least I thought so until one day an olympic athlete came in for his workout. He was in the line in front of me to sign in and had an Olympic tattoo on his ankle and I asked him if he was an olympian. He said yes, that he had competed at the last Olympics and that the athletes' pool was closed so he came to the plebeian one.

It was the only time I ever saw him but he was unforgettable. Watching that guy move was like nothing I have ever seen - especially his butterfly. In six strokes that guy was across the pool, and he kept doing it over and over and over. He was moving an incredible amount of water and yet created very little ripples or splashes. He was literally flying out of the water.

That's a similar feeling I get when I switch from an Akubra to a top-of-the-line vintage Stetson: The Stetson felt is denser but at the same time lighter. Even though he sweatband is wider, I hardly know it's there. The hand of the Stetson makes the Akubra feel like some kind of rough wool, but at the same time the Stetson feels even sturdier than the Akubra (which is pretty darn sturdy). Similarly the JBS hat liner is like a massage on the head whereas the Akubra's is like a penitence. In short, the Stetson is a breathe of fresh air whereas the Akubra is a hard day's work.

Sorry for the novel, but like I say, until you actually handle a top-line vintage lid, it's really very hard to understand the difference. And I like Akubras very much, just to be clear - I own a good number of them, I wear them, and the only hat I brought on my trip is an Akubra. But I miss my vintage JBS's (and Mallorys).

Hope this inspires you to try to find your own vintage JBS 25 or maybe even a 7XCB. They are well worth the effort to discover.

 

[VoodooSan]

Flipping through the thread I realize I never responded to your query. My apologies, I was very busy with a pack-out at the time you posted this.

Honestly, the difference is the same as any item of lesser quality compared to one of higher quality - until you actually handle the higher quality item, it's just very hard to understand or even imagine the difference. A PC versus a MacBook comes to mind (since I'm on a MacBook), a BMW versus a VW, a haircut with a very good quality pair of scissors versus one with the scissors your daughter uses to cut out paper dolls. A Scorsese film versus the ABC movie of the week.

I used to swim everyday at uni (I attended the University of Florida) and would often watch other swimmers pounding out their laps. Some of them were very good - or at least I thought so until one day an olympic athlete came in for his workout. He was in the line in front of me to sign in and had an Olympic tattoo on his ankle and I asked him if he was an olympian. He said yes, that he had competed at the last Olympics and that the athletes' pool was closed so he came to the plebeian one.

It was the only time I ever saw him but he was unforgettable. Watching that guy move was like nothing I have ever seen - especially his butterfly. In six strokes that guy was across the pool, and he kept doing it over and over and over. He was moving an incredible amount of water and yet created very little ripples or splashes. He was literally flying out of the water.

That's a similar feeling I get when I switch from an Akubra to a top-of-the-line vintage Stetson: The Stetson felt is denser but at the same time lighter. Even though he sweatband is wider, I hardly know it's there. The hand of the Stetson makes the Akubra feel like some kind of rough wool, but at the same time the Stetson feels even sturdier than the Akubra (which is pretty darn sturdy). Similarly the JBS hat liner is like a massage on the head whereas the Akubra's is like a penitence. In short, the Stetson is a breathe of fresh air whereas the Akubra is a hard day's work.

Sorry for the novel, but like I say, until you actually handle a top-line vintage lid, it's really very hard to understand the difference. And I like Akubras very much, just to be clear - I own a good number of them, I wear them, and the only hat I brought on my trip is an Akubra. But I miss my vintage JBS's (and Mallorys).

Hope this inspires you to try to find your own vintage JBS 25 or maybe even a 7XCB. They are well worth the effort to discover.

This, my friend, is an OUTSTANDING essay on the nearly-mystical nature of "quality."

 

[rogueclimber]

An evening out wearing one of my Borsalinos

 

[RickP]

Going to be a rough day. Have o drive down to Houston today to visit a friend whos fading away in Hospice. The new Open Road gets to go along

 

[TimmyV]

A few days ago I got a tip from Randall Renshaw about a veritable bargain in my size on eBay so I checked it out and boy am I happy that I did !

The Imperial by Stevens in Dove Gray with tone on tone brim edge binding and matching thin grosgrain ribbon hatband. I especially like the unreeded sweatband as it makes the hat super comfortable to wear.

* Thanks again Randall !

 

[VoodooSan]

Going to be a rough day. Have o drive down to Houston today to visit a friend whos fading away in Hospice. The new Open Road gets to go along



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My sympathies for your pending loss, Rick. May your drive be safe and eventless, and your visit be full of love and friendship.

 

[VoodooSan]

A few days ago I got a tip from Randall Renshaw about a veritable bargain in my size on eBay so I checked it out and boy am I happy that I did !

The Imperial by Stevens in Dove Gray with tone on tone brim edge binding and matching thin grosgrain ribbon hatband. I especially like the unreeded sweatband as it makes the hat super comfortable to wear.

* Thanks again Randall !
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That is a STUNNER, Timmy! And a hearty cheer of friendship to Randall for the alert!

 

[moehawk]

YOWZA!!!! That is all KINDS of sharp, John!!!!

Thanks Mark!

 

[moehawk]

Lookin terribly no good and villainous in that gangster hat, John!
Well, except for that usual toothy grin.

LOL!
Thanks Randall!