Akubra Campdraft

[1967Cougar390]

First, welcome to The Lounge! Second, welcome to the Dark Side! This is how it started for many of us. "Hmm, I kinda' like that hat; I wonder how it would look on me? I think I'll get one." Then it's, "Maybe I should get another one, but in a different color...or with a wider/narrower brim...or a wider ribbon...or a shorter/taller crown...maybe a Homburg this time. Oooh, vintage! Wait, summer's coming and I need a Panama. Wow, look at that custom!" The rabbit hole can get pretty deep, and before you know it you're considering adding a room to your house just to store your ever-growing hat collection.

Or not, it's up to you. But seriously, The Lounge is one of the best resources on the 'Net for information about hats. The members here are friendly, and many are knowledgeable and willing to share whatever they know. Ask a question and the responses might contain any number of different opinions, but they're all intended to be helpful and no one here will steer you wrong.

The Fedora Lounge Special Editions are few and far between, mostly because Akubra (or whichever company) has to agree to do a special run. I don't know what the magic number is, but they're more receptive to the idea if the number of hats we want is high enough for them to disrupt their regular production schedule.

I laughed at how true you post is. That’s just about my story and how I got started with hats. Then I found th FL and since becoming a member I’ve got two more hats. I’m hoping my Stratoliner will arrive today.

 

[Frunobulax]

Is there a link to purchase a Lounge Edition Campdraft?

The Lounge Edition was a limited run Everything Austrailian helped put together with Akubras several years ago. You can no longer get them, unless you could talk a fellow Lounger out of his.

 

[Wyldkarma]

Here I am again, Johnny come lately to the party! Guess I will throw it out there, if anyone needs to get rid of one I'm a size 58 or 7 1/4. Happy Trails...

 

[Zombie_61]

I laughed at how true you post is. That’s just about my story and how I got started with hats. Then I found th FL and since becoming a member I’ve got two more hats...

I started wearing hats regularly in 2008, so I came to it later in life than a lot of our fellow Loungers. Not by design or by plan, but I've somehow managed to show a great deal of restraint and my acquisition of hats has so far averaged a little over one per year (11 hats in 9.5 years, not counting a few flat caps).

...I’m hoping my Stratoliner will arrive today.

I've recently added a Stratoliner to my "want" list, but it would have to be the right color for the right price when finances permit. I've read a lot of complaints here about the quality of modern production Stetsons and believe they're at least a little overpriced (especially compared to Akubra's hats), but I could be convinced to part with a few extra dollars if the right hat comes along at the right time. I've looked on evilBay from time to time for vintage hats but, judging by the asking prices, the sellers seem to think they're made of gold.

 

[Telemaster]

My BGCD was delivered yesterday... the high crown both thrills and terrifies me. My first, hopefully passable but probably failed, attempt at a bash (cattleman) is drying as I type this. Conceptually, I like the dichotomy of the not-so-western BG color with the archetypal western crease. Practically, I have no idea if it will work. Tonight is date-nite with the missus, so wish me luck.

 

[Richard Morgan]

My BGCD was delivered yesterday... the high crown both thrills and terrifies me. My first, hopefully passable but probably failed, attempt at a bash (cattleman) is drying as I type this. Conceptually, I like the dichotomy of the not-so-western BG color with the archetypal western crease. Practically, I have no idea if it will work. Tonight is date-nite with the missus, so wish me luck.

I find a cattleman crease hard to do well, maybe just me, but if your avatar pic is the crease you posted about, it looks good. I would call it a success.
We live by pics here so posting larger ones is always helpful.

 

[Frunobulax]

My BGCD was delivered yesterday... the high crown both thrills and terrifies me. My first, hopefully passable but probably failed, attempt at a bash (cattleman) is drying as I type this. Conceptually, I like the dichotomy of the not-so-western BG color with the archetypal western crease. Practically, I have no idea if it will work. Tonight is date-nite with the missus, so wish me luck.

I'll wish you luck on the hat (post pics!), but you're on your own with the missus.

 

[Scuttle]

I started wearing hats regularly in 2008, so I came to it later in life than a lot of our fellow Loungers. Not by design or by plan, but I've somehow managed to show a great deal of restraint and my acquisition of hats has so far averaged a little over one per year (11 hats in 9.5 years, not counting a few flat caps).

I do admire your restraint(!).

My "I'll get one good hat" turned into a Starter Set® right quick, and I hit your numbers in a span of months, not years.

Time will tell if my upcoming Gannon remains My Custom Hat™, or morphs into a Custom Hat Starter Set®.

In case it isn't clear, I'm enjoying this adventure very much.

Specific to this thread, I love my Campdraft if regretting that my smaller noggin/face requires more felt folded into itself than I'd prefer in order to achieve the proportions I want. (Mine's a teardrop that's almost telescoped, and I'd rather have a lighter crease without ending up looking like Mugsy.)

Also?

I've recently added a Stratoliner to my "want" list, but it would have to be the right color for the right price when finances permit. I've read a lot of complaints here about the quality of modern production Stetsons and believe they're at least a little overpriced (especially compared to Akubra's hats), but I could be convinced to part with a few extra dollars if the right hat comes along at the right time. I've looked on evilBay from time to time for vintage hats but, judging by the asking prices, the sellers seem to think they're made of gold.

If Stetson made a decent modern Stratoliner, I wouldn't be looking at a custom hat; the Stratoliner's relative size and shape are exactly up my alley, and the Caribou SE with the lighter trim really speaks to me.

BUT.

I read the complaints about the Stratoliner here as well, but having other modern Stetsons in hand that I really like and consider worth the money paid (Royal Deluxe/Sovereign, and Royal, the latter of which the Stratoliner and Stratoliner SE editions are purported to be), I thought, "How bad can it be?"

My regular silverbelly Stratoliner is pretty bad, to me not worth even the sale price + an additional discount I paid because it's ... kinda gross.

Whether it's a function of the Royal quality felt/finishing not being substantial enough to hold together when thinned for the Stratoliner, or other factors, the hat looks the part but felt cheap and soft in the wrong ways from the get-go-- and then it got wet and really weird things happened to the felt cardboard.

So, if you go that route? I highly recommend seeing one in person first, or buying with the option of Return, and make sure you have a Rain rider in your home insurance.

Back on-topic: The Campdraft is a really great hat. I love wearing mine, and enjoy it almost most when inclement weather threatens.

Ha HAHA, says my Campdraft, as we head out into the storm.

~ S.

 

[Telemaster]

I find a cattleman crease hard to do well, maybe just me, but if your avatar pic is the crease you posted about, it looks good. I would call it a success.
We live by pics here so posting larger ones is always helpful.

Sadly, that is not the hat in my avatar... that’s a Sheplers OR that I bought too small. I tried to copy that crease though. I’ll figure out how and post pics “shortly”.

 

[Zombie_61]

I do admire your restraint(!). My "I'll get one good hat" turned into a Starter Set® right quick, and I hit your numbers in a span of months, not years. Time will tell if my upcoming Gannon remains My Custom Hat™, or morphs into a Custom Hat Starter Set®. ...

For many of us, hats are like potato chips--you can't have just one. It all starts innocently enough, but you soon realize there's no such thing as one single hat that meets all of our wants and needs, so we get another...and another...and...

...Specific to this thread, I love my Campdraft if regretting that my smaller noggin/face requires more felt folded into itself than I'd prefer in order to achieve the proportions I want. (Mine's a teardrop that's almost telescoped, and I'd rather have a lighter crease without ending up looking like Mugsy.)...

The good thing about a hat with a taller crown is that it allows you to crease it as tall or short as you want it. A hat with a shorter crown doesn't give you enough material to do that, so I'm convinced taller crowns are a better option regardless of how short or tall you like your crowns.

...I read the complaints about the Stratoliner here as well...So, if you go that route? I highly recommend seeing one in person first, or buying with the option of Return, and make sure you have a Rain rider in your home insurance. ...

Being able to inspect and try on a hat before you buy it is always preferable. But in this part of southern California it's hard enough to find a hat shop, let alone one that sells Stetsons. When the time comes I'll put some effort into it, but I have a feeling it will probably be a hat I'll stumble onto and that dumb luck will play a large part.

...Back on-topic: The Campdraft is a really great hat. I love wearing mine, and enjoy it almost most when inclement weather threatens. Ha HAHA, says my Campdraft, as we head out into the storm.

My Akubras love rain, and I'm convinced everyone should own at least one if for no other reason than to have a "dedicated rain hat".

 

[bluesforchallah]

BGGCD

 

[Zombie_61]

^ Great place to hang your hat, in every meaning of the phrase.

 

[glider]

My strat isn't very old, I purchased it directly from Stetson last year. I'm pretty happy with it, the felt is pretty soft and it's just stiff enough .

 

[gtdean48]

I find a cattleman crease hard to do well, maybe just me, but if your avatar pic is the crease you posted about, it looks good. I would call it a success.
We live by pics here so posting larger ones is always helpful.

Sort of a modified Alpine crease on a Sage Royal DeLuxe Open Road...

 

[Telemaster]

Finally think I understand pic posting... Here's my very first attempt at bashing a hat... ever. I deciding between calling it "Cattleman Extreme" or naming the style "Severe Cattleman"...

 

[Telemaster]

Did that work?... all I see is (IMG)...

 

[Zombie_61]

No, no photo, just the "IMG" placeholder.

 

[Telemaster]

There...

 

[TunedVWGti]

Sort of a modified Alpine crease on a Sage Royal DeLuxe Open Road...

Did you have any trouble rebashing that OR?

 

[ecleccentric]

I have a heritage campdraft. (I'm a newb)

I can't get the brim to snap down properly. I either have to steam it down, which then results in it not snapping up; or leave it curved up.

I'd like the options of being able to wear it snapped down for sun protection , then having it snapped up for indoor wear...

Any suggestions would be appreciated!