Adventurebilt Henry - Any one got one?

[FurFeltFedora]

Any opinions from the owners of an Adventurebilt Henry? Not necessarily in comparison to an AB Deluxe but just general opinions. Tks.

 

[Garrett]

While I don't own a Henry, I have seen several in person - two of them in Penman's shop. They do live up to their reputation of the best factory hat in existence and are priced accordingly - Around $300 which puts you into the custom hat range and given the choice, I'd rather spring the extra few bucks for a hand made custom hat as opposed to the Henry. Having said that, if you don't like the wait for a custom the Henry will definitely get the job done. It is also worth mentioning that the box John arranged for the Henry is a work of art itself.

 

[Firemanpc]

HEY FFF,
I dont have the hat you are asking about hoever, I am curious to know what is the hat you display for your profile picture? Its perfect.

 

[FurFeltFedora]

Firemanpc that is a standard Akubra Fed IV with my own Indy bash. You can see more about how I did it here:

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showpost.php?p=812778&postcount=344

And thanks for the compliment

 

[Ian]

Well, not got one yet, but any day soon - Fingers crossed. I'll report back when it arrives.

 

[theinterchange]

Well, not got one yet, but any day soon - Fingers crossed. I'll report back when it arrives.

Did you order it from AB Deluxe [Europe] or Penman?

My only complaint about them finish wise [from what I've seen in pictures] is the plain white liner. I mean, for THAT kind of price on a factory hat, couldn't they have went ahead and given them an Adventurebilt liner, most likely a special one signifying you own the Henry.

Otherwise, I know folks who own them generally swear by how nice they are. I don't think you can go wrong with one.

Randy

 

[Harry Street]

I recently acquired an AB Henry from John Penman at the beginning of the year.

The only hat I can compare it to is an old (and now lost, sad story) Akubra Snowy River. That was a great hat, which seemed somehow sturdier than the Henry. However the Henry impressed me, because it seems so "soft' (not a great word), but the beaver / rabbit blend always take the bash again, and has survived several serious rain storms.

The sweatband is remarkably soft, and fits me perfectly (I'm an almost perfect 57 or 7 1/8), which is good because the Henry only comes in full sizes.

When I ordered it from Penman, it was on sale $250, and I had him treat it with his water repellant on the advice of Steve Delk from a posting over on Club Obiwan.

It is a very nicely made hat. I took it with me on a two week trip to Peru. It handled the muggy warmth of Lima, the rain of Cuzco, and the high Andes of Arequipa / Colca with no problems at all.

It is remarkably rugged, and did not seem to be bothered by being stuffed on the floor at my feet during airplane flights, bus rides, etc.

I have made no effort to treat it gently, and it has now formed nicely to my head and developed a little character. I now feel like I'm wearing the hat, instead of it wearing me.

Personally, I can't imagine how much nicer a custom hat would be, but I will probably visit John and get a fedora made by him to my own specifications.

 

[grey ghost]

Where did you order the Henry, is there a web site?????

Ghost

 

[jlee562]

Where did you order the Henry, is there a web site?????

Ghost

The Penman Hat Co is the US retailer for the AB Henry, and if you buy from John he includes a really nice hatbox for it.

You can also order direct from AB Europe via the Adventurebilt website, but no hat box!

 

[FurFeltFedora]

Any pics to share Harry Street?

 

[Harry Street]

AB Henry while at Tambo Machay, Cuzco, Peru

Not a great photographer, but here you go...

 

[Tone]

What are the differences between the Henry and something like the Uptowner Indiana Jones hat from Todd's Costumes to justify the price difference? Paying more for basically the same hat? Anyone have a real clue?

Are the specs on the Henry identical to those designed for the Fed IV? They seem different for some reason. Did they design the Henry before or after the Fed IV?

 

[jnicktem]

My only complaint about them finish wise [from what I've seen in pictures] is the plain white liner. I mean, for THAT kind of price on a factory hat, couldn't they have went ahead and given them an Adventurebilt liner, most likely a special one signifying you own the Henry.

I believe the reason behind that was because the Indy IV hats had plain white liners, and they wanted to make a SA factory hat.

 

[Tone]

What are the differences between the Henry and something like the Uptowner Indiana Jones hat from Todd's Costumes to justify the price difference? Paying more for basically the same hat? Anyone have a real clue?

Are the specs on the Henry identical to those designed for the Fed IV? They seem different for some reason. Did they design the Henry before or after the Fed IV?

Anyone?

 

[fenris]

The Henry is a rabbit - beaver blend which ultimately means it will be more durable. I'd love to own one, but it's really not in my price range.

 

[Tone]

So, the ratio of beaver/rabbit felt in the Henry? Is it about the same as something like the Keppler has then? How 'bout those spec comparisons?

 

[bendingoak]

There is a big difference. Uptowner is a rabbit felt where the Henry is a blend 80/20 rabbit/beaver. The felt is a much higher quality in the Henry. The parts are also a higher quality and there is a lot better constructed than any other factory made hat. There is steps taken to make the henry that factory's don't normally.

 

[Tone]

Akubra's factory made imperial felt rabbit fedoras hold up notoriously well for great lengths of time. What's the benefit of choosing the Henry over one of Akubra's well-renowned open-crown fedoras for half the price?

Incidentally, in terms of beaver's praise, what's the Keppler like in terms of 100% factory beaver?

 

[bendingoak]

The akubra is a great hat for the price but is not a Henry.

 

[Tone]

How does the Keppler compare to the Henry then?
Well, wait - let's ask, if someone were to order a 100% custom beaver fedora - in the exact same specs as the Henry - or something even like the FED IV specs - what is the benefit of the Henry's 20/80 Beaver/rabbit blend over the custom 100% beaver fedora since both would be in roughly the same price range at that point?