2 New Akubras

[D.W. Suratt]

Woo Hoo! Both my new Akrubras arrived today, the Adventurer from David Morgan, and the Riverina from Outback Outlet. Hows that for timing. They are both a little to big. Every hat I've ever owned was a 7 1/8, and I even tried on my other hats befor ordering to make sure that's still my size. The good news is that with the felt pads David Morgan sends out with their hats, they fit perfect. I love the Adventurer, it' my first fedora style hat.Now comes the anxiety of trying to bash it. I've never owned an open crown hat. I guess I'll just follow the instructions sent by David Morgan and go for it.

 

[RBH]

What style crease are you going for?

 

[Edward]

It has to be an Indy, right?

You and I are the same size - UK 7 / US 7 1/8. You'll find that the Akubras 'shrink to fit' within a reasonable time. I bashed my Fed Deluxe a couple of weeks ago and I've been wearing it round the house since (too damn windy here at the minute to wear a brimmed hat with no lapel cord...). It's starting to shrink up pretty good to fit me - nearly there. There's a noticeable difference in feel between that and the regular Fed that just arrived yesterday. FWIW, I also noticed a difference (might by psychosummatical, though so ymmv) between the unbashed and bashed hat in terms of fit. [huh]

Enjoy those hats!

 

[D.W. Suratt]

I'll go with the Indy bash on the Adventurer. Both hats have the exact same fit, they kinda set right on my ears without the pads. I'll have to go see if the local western store has any felt pads for the Riverina. I'm completely happy with both. From what I've read on the other post, and like Edward was saying, Akubras tend to shrink down. Maybe that's why they run on the large size.

 

[Kaosharper1]

Indy Bash

You can see my Raiders bashed Adventurer on my other thread. It was my first try. I looked at the Club Obi Wan site where they had better instructions than the ones David Morgan gave. Good luck. I've had my hat for a couple of weeks and I like it a lot. I alternate with the Federation which is Carbon Grey.

 

[D.W. Suratt]

Did the bash. I was going to post a pic, but I'm not sure how. I'm pretty happy with the results though. I just did the bash dry, and next time it rains I'll wear out for a little while, recheck the shape, and let it dry. I love this hat it's very light and comfortable to wear.

 

[citRon]

Woo Hoo! Both my new Akrubras arrived today, the Adventurer from David Morgan, and the Riverina from Outback Outlet. Hows that for timing. They are both a little to big. Every hat I've ever owned was a 7 1/8, and I even tried on my other hats befor ordering to make sure that's still my size. The good news is that with the felt pads David Morgan sends out with their hats, they fit perfect. I love the Adventurer, it' my first fedora style hat.Now comes the anxiety of trying to bash it. I've never owned an open crown hat. I guess I'll just follow the instructions sent by David Morgan and go for it.

Hey- did these ever 'shrink to fit'?

 

[NonEntity]

Two excellent choices, D.W.

There seems to be no consensus on Akubra sizing. I have three Akubras, a 35-year-old Slouch, a 10-year-old Banjo Patterson, and a brand-new Sydney, all of which fit true to size from the get-go and continued to fit perfectly through rain and sweat and you name it.

However, there are some of folks here like you who say their new Akubras are somewhat large right out of the box. Yet, they also say that they shrink with sweat and rain. This really bugs me, as quality is synonymous with consistency, and Akubras are otherwise among the highest quality pure felt hats currently being made.

My theory is that those who find the Akubras initially large have a head shape that is not in sync with the oval of the Akubras as manufactured, and it simply takes some moisture and time to make it conform and fit.

Whatever the reason, for those who find them large at first, the felt pads like David Morgan provides will make the hat fit in the short run until it conforms.

Does anyone else have other ideas why Akubras fit some true to size right out of the box while others must wait for them to shrink?

 

[KY Gentleman]

So far I have two Akubras with yet another in transit. Both of the ones I have fit great right out of the box and are consistant with other brands of hats I've bought in the same size. I don't have a clue as to why others have different experiences except to say everyone has a different idea of what a good fit feels like.

 

[Edward]

It may ell be a shape thing - I'd not thought of that. Oddly enough, my Riverina arrived over the weekend and it's the right fit out of the box, whereas my Feds both have had to be orn for a little first.

 

[RockBottom]

Did the bash. I was going to post a pic, but I'm not sure how. I'm pretty happy with the results though. I just did the bash dry, and next time it rains I'll wear out for a little while, recheck the shape, and let it dry. I love this hat it's very light and comfortable to wear.

Here's the Adventurer I got last month. As a compromise between a dry bash and a "wear it in the rain," I misted it with a spray bottle (available from Home Depot, Lowes, Bed, Bath and Beyond, etc)

For comparison, a Sydney I got about the same time and bashed with less of a tight crease.

These were the first two open crown hats I ever owned.

 

[D.W. Suratt]

Both hats were a little to big, the Adventurer from David Morgan of course came with the felt pads, which worked perfectly. On the Riverina I used some felt I cut off of my Wallet/Badge holder, that is supposed to protect the ID from my badge. This also worked great. So far no shrinkage on either hat, but with the felt inserts I'm happy with the fit. I ordered my regular size 7 1/8. I am just getting into wearing other style hats, but have worn cowboy hats for years, and have always been that size.