Akubra Adventurer

[T Jones]

Hello everyone, I'm new here....
I'm thinking of buying the Akubra Adventurer pretty soon, (one reason being that the Akubra is a quality made hat), but I'm not fond of either its brim size, and the fact that it's not a snap brim...I also thought about buying the Christys Adventurer but was turned off by its seeming poor quality....Here's my questions...I could tolerate the Akubra Adventurer's brim width if it were a snap brim, Is there anyway to work with brim to make it that way?....and, Am I wrong about the Christy Adventure's quality? It definitely has the color and the dimensions that more closely resembles the ROTLA fedora, (which is what I'm looking for)...Thanks for any suggestions...

 

[DJH]

T - I don't have either of the hats you mentioned, but if you are looking for a ROTLA style, you might be better with either the Akubra Fed IV from Hats Direct or the custom Raiders from Garrison Hatters.

I have a Garrison hat - maybe the best custom Indy hat deal around.

 

[T Jones]

Thanks D, I checked out your link to the Garrison site and the price seems pretty reasonable and it has the ROTLA styling I'm looking for....how's the quality of your Garrison? I didn't see any information about the hat on their site, (aside from pictures),...such as lining, the sweat band inside the hat, and the hat's dimensions...

 

[DJH]

The photo's on David Garrison's site don't do his hats justice. Here's a couple of photos of mine:

Mine is the $175 rabbit felt version - I wouldn't buy his beaver one to be honest, I'd get a Penman or Adventurebilt in that price range.

I believe David Garrison is a friend of Steve Delk (the Adventurebilt guy) and Steve helped him get set up with accurate blocks for the hats - the Garrisons are pretty good Indy reproductions, or so I'm told.

The quality of David's work is excellent though, very good value for money. I've worn mine as my go to outdoor hiking hat in heat, rain, snow and it is still as good as the day it arrived - other than a little dirt and the occasional sweat stain.

It you are a member of the COW Indy Gear forum, you find a long thread there with examples and comments on David's hats.

 

[T Jones]

Thanks D, I'm glad you posted those pictures, (especially of the inside of the hat),...they answered some questions for me...looks like the hat is put together really well too....For the money he's asking, I'm definitely considering that hat.

 

[KY Gentleman]

I have the Akubra Adventurer. It's the hat I'm wearing in my avatar. It has been a great fedora for me and it's held up great.

 

[jlee562]

That Garrison really is a good looking lid! At that price it's very competitive with an Akubra.

 

[Edward]

I'd have expected some Indy hats to not have a snap brim.... If memory serves, the original didn't? Very happy with my Fed, either way.

 

[T Jones]

No doubt it, the Akubra's one tough hat that's put together very well....probably the best off the shelf hat around....it has some of the very same features found in custom made hats, and at a lower cost....(but i definitely like that Garrison Indy Fedora though. The cost is very reasonable too)....Do you have more pictures of you wearing your adventurer....that would give me a better idea how it actually looks being worn....the only concerns I have with the hat is, 1). It's not a snap brim to where you can easily get that Indy turn...2). The brim width and the fact that it looks more similar to an out back style than an Indy look, (although it does resemble the fedora worn by Charleton Heston in Secret of the Incas),...3). The color and matching ribbon. If you look at my avatar the Adventurer looks too similar to my DP wool felt....I would like to see how the Adventurer looks on someone....

 

[fenris]

Why not just buy an Akubra FedIV if it's an Indy lid you want?

 

[T Jones]

I like the Akubra FedIV from what I've read and seen about it...But is Hats Direct the only place I can order it from? I was going to email them for more information on the hat but I don't know how to set up a 'wizard account' to send one...If I'm not mistaken, the FedIV is around $130. (American)....I can't remember the shipping cost though....I heard that some people had to wait a good while before they received their Feds after ordering it....but the FedIV definitely seems to be along the line of what I'm looking for, and it being an Akubra there would be no questioning its quality...

Does anyone have an opinion on the Christys Adventurer? That was going to be my hat of choice until I saw a few things that made me question its quality and durability.

 

[Chuck Bobuck]

Yes the Fed IV is exclusive to Hats Direct. They have great service and can be easily contacted by email. Just go to the contact page and grab their email. You may have to right click and copy the email address into your webmail. They have always been very helpful and answered any questions I've had regarding sizing, shipping eta's, etc. I have a few Akubras and have purchased all of my new ones from them.

 

[John in Covina]

If there is a nearby hat maker / rennovator they have the brim thingy that can make the brim a snap brim so you can have it changed.

 

[T Jones]

Thanks Chuck, I believe I found it, .....I'll send them an email and get details on the FedIV....I think that would definitely be the way to go if the price and shipping cost are reasonable....I just looked at their site and they list the FedIV at $119. (American), which is cheaper than I originally thought....hopefully the shipping cost won't be too outrageous....how long did it usually take for them to ship their hats to you?

 

[Lotsahats]

I'm in the same boat, T: I'm trying to decide between a Garrison or a Fed IV. Mind if I ride your coattails here?

Aaron

 

[DougC]

I just bought a Fed IV from a COW member--very nice hat!

 

[Chuck Bobuck]

If it was in stock, maybe 10 days. If you put in the cart it should calculate shipping. Shipping from Hats Direct is expensive, but the total cost is reasonable for what you get, IMHO.

 

[Lotsahats]

Comes out to about $160 US.

A

 

[Chuck Bobuck]

BTW, the Fed IV is based on the last IJ movie, KOTCS, not ROTLA, if you are particular about that.

 

[jlee562]

Well, the block for the Fed IV, which is a vintage Akubra block, was selected because of its resemblance to a sample hat that Steve Delk of Adventurebilt (who made the KOTCS hat) sent to Hats Direct.