Akubra Campdraft Question

[gtdean48]

With Stetson still selling the Open Road in the US, I am not surprised that the CD is not offered here given the past licensing relationship with Akubra. I've bought a couple of CDs from EA & 1 from Hats Direct, the only way to get the colors I have. I am a dead on 7 5/8 Long Oval & the 61 fits me nicely. HTH

 

[Atticus Finch]

I have 4 Campdrafts & love them all. Compared to a modern Stetson Open Road, they are not stiff at all. Recently I bought a Stetson Road Master & the Campdrafts are comparable in softness. I had 2 of them blocked to Long Oval & won't do that again. These hats "conform" to your head naturally thru regular wear. They seem to be oversized when you first get them, need some sizing tape behind the sweat but after a few wearings, fit nicely. The 2 I did not get blocked to Long Oval fit as good if not better than the 2 I did get blocked LO. HTH

I've had a similar experience with my Camp Drafts. The one I had blocked into an oval still doesn't fit quite as well as the one I just let conform to my head. But there's a bit more to the story.

When I purchased my second Camp Draft, a silverbelly one, I relegated my fawn Camp Draft into service as my foul weather hat. It took the place of a pitiful, old Quaker Marine fedora that I had worn for years. Since then, I've worn that Camp Draft in snow, sleet and rain so heavy that water streamed off of the brim like a river in front of my eyes. For a while I was worried that continued exposure to that sort of weather would reduce the hat to a shapeless pile of fur. But, no...the opposite happened. Now that Camp Draft has become the softest, best-fitting Open Road style hat that I own. Whatever stiffener was in it has been washed away...it is now softer than even my Stylemaster. And even though it has held its shape, it fits like a glove...it has somehow exactly conformed to my oddly shaped head.

So my advice is to forget about having Akubras “stretched” into a particular shape. Instead, just take 'em out of the box, plop 'em on your head and wear them in the worst weather you can find.

AF

 

[RBH]

What AT said.. also I might add....
CREASE IT YOURSELF!!!!
Its really easy and the hat will take many such stylings that you may want to give it.

 

[SGT Rocket]

ok, ok, you guys have almost talked me into creasing it myself.

I was looking at the Campdraft thread and there are some really cool gray ones in there. However, I already have a gray hat. The Silverbelly is awesome, but I think I'm going to get the taupe fawn (it looks super versatile).

 

[CRH]

My Campdraft is not stiff, but the felt is thick and sort of loose.

I'll take my felt a little easy any day.

 

[T Jones]

I have a question for you guys. I was reading somewhere that Stetson contracted Akubra to make their 'Open Road' hats. Is there any truth to this seeing that the Campdraft is identical to the Open Road. Both are very nice looking hats and I would love to purchase one. Thank you.

 

[jlee562]

Yes. The Campdraft was originally produced under a license from Stetson.

 

[Atticus Finch]

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?52809-Stetson-Akubra-Open-Road

AF

 

[John in Covina]

Don't forget that the Open Road has changed in specification as to dimensions and such over the last 60 plus years. So with a Campdraft (I am actually wearing mine as a write this) is an earlier style Open Road.

 

[Rogera]

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?52809-Stetson-Akubra-Open-Road

AF

Thanks for sharing that link Atticus! That is really cool to see.

 

[danofarlington]

Is there any truth to this seeing that the Campdraft is identical to the Open Road.

There is one major difference I think between Campdraft and Open Road--haven't Open Roads always been stiff hats, whereas Campdrafts come with flexible felt?

 

[gtdean48]

There is one major difference I think between Campdraft and Open Road--haven't Open Roads always been stiff hats, whereas Campdrafts come with flexible felt?

I think Open Roads got stiffer thru the years. I had a pristine vintage one that was every bit as flexible as a new CD.
Also, I think that Akubra adjusted the crown height of the CD. I have never seen a vintage OR with a crown over 5 1/2".

 

[frussell]

Tom's right as usual. The few vintage ORs I've found in my size were every bit as soft as a Campdraft, maybe more. The newer they were, the more western-style stiffener they seemed to have in them. You could guess that the stiffener wore or washed out of the old ones, but one was NOS, and had never been worn, and was soft as any fine beaver fedora. Only real OR I have left is 60s - 70s, and it's stiff as a board, with a really non-stretchy sweatband that needs to be kept on a stretcher, or it goes back to round in a hurry. I only kept it because it's a 7 7/8, hard to find in vintage hats. Frank

 

[Rogera]

My mid fifties OR is quite soft (of course it has seen some wear). It is way softer than my CD which has a very stiff brim. I do get a very good feeling that my CD is practically indestructible though. My campdraft also has a taller open crown than my OR.

 

[danofarlington]

My first OR, a flea market model, was totally floppy and I thought they came that way. Carouselvic of Kansas City wrote later that all ORs come stiff and always have. I bought a 1952 7x clear beaver OR on EBay from the son of the recipient (that's how I know the year), which was an end-of-career presentation hat. Stiff as a board. So I've come to accept what CarouselVic said a few years ago--they all come stiff. But others may correct me.

 

[jlee562]

Hmm, my 50's OR looked in pretty good condition when I got it (it did have some wear, but not a lot), and it was pretty soft, about average for a vintage dress hat. Of course, I cannot say definitively whether or not it was reblocked anywhere along the way. My '63 Stetson 100 is much more stiff, but nothing like a modern Open road, it is definitely pliable enough to reshape at will.

 

[Abraham]

Akubra Campdraft w/ Cattleman's Crease on Large Head?

Does an Akubra Campdraft sporting a Cattleman's Crease look good on someone with a large (7 7/8) head? My face is fairly tall and wide as well. When I see photos of Stetson ORs, they sometimes look like 10 gallon hats and other times they look tiny -- depending I would guess on the size of the wearer's head given they all have the same bash?

Would a Squatter be a better candidate for a large head using a Cattleman's Crease?

Also, is the Campdraft "Deluxe" worth the $39.00 more than the regular Campdraft? Thanks much!

 

[LuvMyMan]

Hello. Without seeing a picture of you wearing a hat with the cattleman's crease, it would be sort of hard to develop am opinion about how well it would suit you between one hat or another.

I would hope you have the ability to not be swayed by how you look in a hat per what anyone else would think....if you like how you look in any hat, then wear it and feel good about your choice of wearing the hat.

Akubra hats have a fine reputation for their hats. I would imagine the extra $39.00 for a higher quality felt should be worth it.

 

[Dan Allen]

I have an Road, age unknown but having a silk and oilskin liner and has a very thin, soft and very pliable felt. I don't know for sure when Open Roads came out but it has to be an early one

 

[Bad Co]

My thoughts are the Cattleman's creased Campdraft looks better on a larger head
My head and face are small ,for some reason I can pull off the Open Road but not the Campdraft with that crease
Not sure about the Squatter, it's one of my favorite hats , I have 5 but none with a Cattleman' crease . Might have to try that
Folks here swear by the Deluxe version of Akubra's
Personally I don't understand the hype or see much difference and I have several of each in various models
I think that I like the sweat band a bit better, Maybe ,but to me Akubra has the best sweatband hands down of any production hat
With currency exchange the way it is now opting for the Deluxe isn't as much an issue as in the past
Good luck in your search it's never ending