Akubra Campdraft

[Atticus Finch]

Nice hat Atticus. Can we get a similar shot of your rebashed CD, shorter crown version?

Thanks, Duper. I just looked in my photobucket and found that I don't have a post-rebash 'noggin shot of that hat. But I have these photos. The first shot is of the fawn Camp Draft before the re-bash. In the second shot, the re-bashed Camp Draft is in the left foreground. For comparison, the hat to the right of the fawn Camp Draft is a 3X Open Road and behind that OR is another silverbelly Camp Draft...also an Atticus-bashed teardrop.

AF

 

[illumin8em]

Thanks, Duper. I just looked in my photobucket and found that I don't have a post-rebash 'noggin shot of that hat. But I have these photos. The first shot is of the fawn Camp Draft before the re-bash. In the second shot, the re-bashed Camp Draft is in the left foreground. For comparison, the hat to the right of the fawn Camp Draft is a 3X Open Road and behind that OR is another silverbelly Camp Draft...also an Atticus-bashed teardrop.

AF

What is the hat sitting on the goose, OR? I like the rounder taper of the front of the crown, the vertical...ness of the OR crown that i have seen in pictures seems more abrupt.

 

[CRH]

My bluegrass green Camp Draft arrived today. I realy like to color and look forward to some cooler weather to be able to enjoy this addition. here are some pictures.
...

I was planning on Silverbelly next but my GhAS has been acting up something fierce lately and this isn't helping matters .

 

[RBH]

My bluegrass green Camp Draft arrived today. I realy like to color and look forward to some cooler weather to be able to enjoy this addition. here are some pictures.

That looks great on you!!! :eusa_clap

And a very nice crease!

 

[Atticus Finch]

What is the hat sitting on the goose, OR? I like the rounder taper of the front of the crown, the vertical...ness of the OR crown that i have seen in pictures seems more abrupt.

Indeed it is. Its a late 'sixties or early 'seventies OR. Other than the two Camp Drafts, all of the hats in the photo are Stetsons.

AF

 

[shodan]

One of the great things about a Camp Draft is that it is so darned easy to bash and re-bash...even for a complete novice like me. This my first one. After this photo was taken, I decided that I wanted the crown a bit shorter. With almost no effrort...and with very little steam...I was able to re-bash it into a shorter-crowned teardrop. I've worn it that way since and it has held the bash nicely, through sun and rain.

AF

AF,

Thanks for the reply. What is the "official" color listed for the hat in this photo? Also do the Campdrafts run "true" to American sizes?

 

[Atticus Finch]

AF,

Thanks for the reply. What is the "official" color listed for the hat in this photo? Also do the Campdrafts run "true" to American sizes?

As I recall, it is "Fawn". I liked it so much a few weeks later, I bought another in Silverbelly.

All modern Akubras seem to run large. This seems especially true in Camp Drafts. But they also tend to shrink with wear. Just buy your normal size and wear it in all kinds of weather....the wetter, the better. I believe that your Akubra will conform nicely to your head and soon be your most comfortable hat.

AF

 

[kaosharper1]

Here's my Campdraft. I bashed a diamond in it. The trick is to raise up the inside of the dome. Then you can bash it as low as you'd like.

 

[jpbales]

honestly, to me, the campdraft is sort of big- but it's not so much the crown as much as the brim. I love the hat, don't get me wrong, but it does get a little getting used to. The crown isn't that big of a deal because you can bash it to adjust the height/width appearance, but the brim doesn't really adjust unless you cut it

If you own hats already, consider the ones that you find look/feel good/right on you and take the brim/crown dimensions. Look for hats that have similar dimensions. I find for me that brims from a minimum of 2" and a maximum of 2.5" look best on me. The campdraft brim is a little bigger, but I can get used to it. For crowns, I measured from the brim to the front crease and found that most of the ones that look right are right around 4 1/4" to 4 1/2", which is where I bashed my Campdraft to (4 1/2"). Just that 1/4" alone can make a difference in how it looks.

The size/shrinkage is an interesting issue too. Mine is a 7 1/2 just like my Fed IV, but it fits much, much bigger! I'm sure it will shrink down though, and when it does it will fit my head like a glove! I look forward to more cooler days when I can wear it, and more rainy days to break it in!

Here's me in my campdraft:

Here's the bash I put in it, which is a teardrop with the "tugboat look". The tugboat is basically how the rise in height towards the front of the crease is described, obviously because it resembles a tugboat shape.

Had I bashed it level, it would lower the height of the crown in the front.

Anyhow, I always manage to go on a tangent,
Good luck
Jim

 

[Tone]

Has anyone put a center dent in a Campdraft and kept a center dent in their Campdraft? I have to agree, it's always looked a bit "crown heavy" even with the standard C-Crown.

Any pics of the Center-dented version being worn?

 

[jpbales]

...because the felt is so incredibly stiff. Being a LO, right now it feels like wearing a cardboard box...

You did a great job on that crease, it fits you well, and I know what you mean about "wearing a cardboard box" because that's how mine feels too (although it's gotten better). Mine is a 7 1/2 just like my Fed IV, but it is much larger than my Fed IV. It's a lot stiffer too. I've read in some threads people say theirs are soft and pliable, but mine is rather stiff. I'm sure the stiffness will work itself out and shrinkage will take care of the size issue- just hang in there!

 

[shodan]

My bluegrass green Camp Draft arrived today. I realy like to color and look forward to some cooler weather to be able to enjoy this addition. here are some pictures.

Do you have a photo of the Bluegrass green CD beside different colors of CD?

 

[Jauntyone]

Any pics of the Center-dented version being worn?

 

[Dundee]

Do you have a photo of the Bluegrass green CD beside different colors of CD?

I do not but will try to make some soon.

 

[CRH]

Same hat

"Old Wrinkle Tail"

High crown

Low crown

 

[memphislawyer]

Like that low crown much better.

 

[CRH]

Like that low crown much better.

Thanks, so do I.

And I'd like to point out that I decided to do this after a good rain soaking. It took about 15 minutes to lower it, raise the dome and touch up the wrinkles - this on a crease that had been set with minor touch ups here and there for about seven months .

Just make sure Lefty doesn't find out how good these Koobers handle .

 

[jpbales]

Black Campdraft

Has anybody ever thought about a black campdraft? I was wearing my Campdraft a couple weeks ago and my fiancee said that she wished I had a black cowboy hat. I'm no cowboy and the Campdraft is as country of a hat as I have. But I was just wishing that they had a black campdraft available. It reminds me of the movie "Apaloosa" where Ed Harris' character wears a black open-road-like cowboy hat. It has a much wider brim than the campdraft of course, and the crown higher, but it looked cool with the center dent and thin ribbon, and not too cowboy. I bet they would special order one, but then I'd have to wait three months (and I'm poor as heck too!).

 

[gtdean48]

I've got a black Open Road & can very much see how appealing a black Campdraft could be. Mine had the ribbon modified so I went with a 2 ply when returning it to its thin ribbon roots...

 

[Dundee]

I do not but will try to make some soon.

Here are some pictures of my Bluegrass green, Silver Belly, and Mid Brown Camp Drafts.