Akubra Campdraft

[Terry "The Hat"]

If you need to fill in behind the sweat band to help cinch the fit up, some people use white felt from the fabric store.

What I have found to work very well and does not cause the sweat to wrinkle like so many that you see is about a six inch piece of paper towel rolled and creased maybe three or four times (depending on how loose the hat is) on each side. You can do about a three inch piece in the front or back if you need it. I always roll and crease it just a bit thinner than the width of the sweat so it does not show. If you use short pieces of felt or foam it will cause the sweat to get those ugly ripples.

 

[gtdean48]

I have a quick question. Has anyone had any luck pulling the liner out of a Campdraft for summer wear? I have decided I like my mine so much it's going to stay active when it gets hot.

Been doing it in Georgia for years. It does help your head heat escape better, even in this humidity.

 

[Rogera]

Thanks for all the help guys. I really didn't want to have to put the Campdraft up when it gets hot here as I have grown quite fond of it. We won't have the humidity though just 60 mph wind gusts all spring....yuuukkk

 

[Brian Niebuhr]

Got my Camp Draft a couple of days ago and shaped it. It took about a month to ship from HD. Kinda long wait for an in stock hat. I removed the wind button string thing. It kept "falling" upwards whenever the hat was upside down. Yuck. It looked neat though when in place. Wish it was better secured. I even thought about stitching it down. The brim is 2 7/8" and about 2 3/4 in one spot. Oh well. Not sure I like the snap brim. I have a very long oval head so you can imagine how a snap brim could end up too snappy when formed to an extra long oval. I ordered it a little big so it shrinks down to conform around my long head. That helps with that issue. I took out the liner for comfort and weight. Very light weight little hat. Lighter than my Silver Spur and I was pleased by how light that one was. I am getting used to the small brim. Yes the CD brim is pretty stingy to me! I'm liking it though. Might just get another one with my tax return. This time through EA.

 

[gtdean48]

Got my Camp Draft a couple of days ago and shaped it. It took about a month to ship from HD. Kinda long wait for an in stock hat. I removed the wind button string thing. It kept "falling" upwards whenever the hat was upside down. Yuck. It looked neat though when in place. Wish it was better secured. I even thought about stitching it down....

Wind trollies tighten around the crown by sliding the button backward, if it is properly looped. No need to stitch or remove. I have 5 CD's & all work the same plus a few vintage that act the same. They are a personal taste thing as well.

 

[DJH]

Seeing all these new Campdrafts around made me want to do something with mine. This was my very first hat and had the same crease for ages. Now a diamond.

Wet from a little shower to help the reshaping. When the CD arrived a couple of years ago, I though the felt was stiff like cardboard. Really nice and soft now.

 

[RBH]

Good looking diamond... shoot us a shot when it gets dry!

 

[Landman]

David,

Your Campdraft looks great in a diamond. I have several Campdrafts and always wet them down to shape them. It gives me more time to get the crease the way I want it than if I just steamed it. Like you mentioned, the felt does get nice and soft after wearing one for awhile.

Below is a picture of my new Bluegrass Green with a shorter brim next to a Silverbelly Campdraft Deluxe. I took this picture right after it dried from being creased. This picture was posted in the thread for the Fedora Lounge Edition Campdraft but I thought I would post it here too.

 

[DJH]

Both look good, Mike. I find myself tempted by an SB Campdraft from time to time.

Here's mine after drying out from the little shower.

 

[Preacher Man]

Landman, those are two great looking Campdrafts! I've got a question if you wouldn't mind. I've got a 24 1/2" head and my size 62 Campdrafts fit me perfectly and with my size head, I really like the 2 7/8" brim they have. My question; how do you like the narrower brim on the BG compared to the wider brim on the Silverbelly? I know head size makes a difference in the way brim width works on a given wearer, just wondered what you thought of the comparison. If we can get this going again with another color, I'd consider getting in if I thought the brim width would work for my big noggin. Thanks!

 

[Landman]

Preacher Man,

Normally I prefer longer brims like on the standard dimension Campdrafts but I have to admit I really like this shorter brim version. It is the shortest brim hat I have but I think it looks good. In my opinion, I think it looks better than most shorter brim hats because of the tall straight crown of the Campdraft. I think it would look good on you because of the crown. I don't think a short brim hat with a tapered crown would look good on a big fella. Of course that is just my opinion.

 

[Preacher Man]

Landman,
Thanks for the reply. I don't have a hat with a brim that narrow and I appreciate your opinion and feedback. I hadn't considered crown height and taper in the equation, but I can see now where it would make a difference. Thanks again!

 

[Rogera]

Just placed an order at EA for a bluegrass green Campdraft. Let the waiting begin!!

 

[Rogera]

David that diamond looks great. I am going to be more careful when my green one gets here than I was with my taupe Campdraft.
BTW I trimmed the bound edge off of that one just for the halibut. I am still sanding the edge to get it smoother which will just be a work in progress over the next few days.

 

[Landman]

Roger,

Your trim job turned out nice. What did you use to trim it with and how much did you cut off?

If you are planning to do a lot of hat trimming below is a link to a nifty little hat trimmer. I have one in both sizes and use them a lot. Mostly on wide brim westerns but it works great on any felt hat.

http://php2.secure-shopping.com/hawkeyetack/catalog/MF-Brim-Cutter-1002-p-2657.html

 

[Rogera]

Roger,

Your trim job turned out nice. What did you use to trim it with and how much did you cut off?

If you are planning to do a lot of hat trimming below is a link to a nifty little hat trimmer. I have one in both sizes and use them a lot. Mostly on wide brim westerns but it works great on any felt hat.

http://php2.secure-shopping.com/hawkeyetack/catalog/MF-Brim-Cutter-1002-p-2657.html

Mike I did it with my wife's crafting scissors. I just carefully trimmed around the brim binding. I have decided that this is my hat to experiment with. I have a green CD ordered so I figured what the hay. Thanks for the link I may look into those trimmers.

 

[Landman]

Thanks for the link I may look into those trimmers.

No problem. If you do buy one make sure you take the brim binding off of the hat or sand off any imperfections on the brim edge before using it. These cutters follow the brim edge and the bindings or any imperfections on the edge will cause problems with the cutter.

 

[gtdean48]

.... These cutters follow the brim edge and the bindings or any imperfections on the edge will cause problems with the cutter.

+1...these cutters take a uniform amount of brim off with each pass around the brim as long as the brim edge is uniform to start with..I like the 1/8th inch version since it takes a little at a time & you can always take a little more off. No way to put it back!!!!

 

[Rogera]

+1...these cutters take a uniform amount of brim off with each pass around the brim as long as the brim edge is uniform to start with..I like the 1/8th inch version since it takes a little at a time & you can always take a little more off. No way to put it back!!!!

Thanks for the info guys. That little gadget sounds cool!

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

M-and-F-Brim-Cutter