Akubra Campdraft

[Sam Craig]

I haven't EVER had to buy ANY Akubra two sizes big to fit after wearing in the rain in over 30 years. Buy your size

I've got 8 of the suckers now ... thanks to folks like the kind gentleman quoted above who encouraged me when I was considering a Squatter of a Bushman (get them both, he advised) ...

We have pretty much forgotten what rain is out here, so I could wear a construction paper hat without worry.

But I have reshaped several of mine using a mist-spritzer and that includes my Kokoda, on which I reflanged the brim so that it was less of a safari and more of a snap brim ... sort of like my Bushman. It's a Bushman Lite.

Anyway, even the Kokoda, which was wet down repeatedly during the shaping process, have failed to change in size. In fact, I have been very impressed with their versatility and the way they will take a reshaping ... a pretty servere one, in the case of the Kokoda.

I also recreased my Pastoralist so that it would mimic my Campdraft, which took a bit of doing, but, again, it didn't affect the size at all.

If it ever DOES start to rain out here, I've got all sorts of "super-fedoras" I've made out of former western hats that will take the rain just fine, but I certainly would not be concerned about wearing my Akubras out in it.

By the way ... the rain in Spain may stay mainly on the plain, but out here we could use some. I talked to a farmer the other day who was praying for hail just so he could get some moisture out of it.

Semi Serious Sam

 

[mattface]

well I done did it! I put in my order for a Bluegrass Camp Draft! Birthday present from my folks. Happy birthday to me! My entire collection of hats up to this point has been vintage. I sold my one contemporary Stetson shortly after picking up my first vintage hat, but the CD I think will manage to fill several holes I've felt in my hat collection.

1. I kinda like Open Roads, and Stratoliners, but I tried an OR, and it just didn't look right om me. Something about a light colored hat just doesn't work on me, but I liked the crown height (bashed diamond) and the brim width. I tried a new black Stratoliner on in Black at Henry the hatter, and my mom and girlfriend both thought it looked great on me, and they both dug the Stratoliner pin too.
2. I could really use a wide brimmed more casual hat, rain hat, etc.
3. hey I love vintage hats, but it's nice to have a new one too, as long as I can find one with the classic dimensions I like
4. Bluegrass Green!!! I've got browns a black and a greenish grey, but I want a really green green!

I'm very excited!

Oh yeah I also ordered a streling Silver reproduction Stratoliner pin!

 

[dawgvet]

Hey, DJH, any chance you could post some pics of the center dent on your CD? Ive been thinking of trying it with one of mine but want to see how it may look. I've messed around trying it before but the dent would always rest touching my head. Does yours do this?
Thanks
Jedidiah

 

[Marc Chevalier]

.
Really old Akubra hatbox. Ever seen one?


http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-DEC...U_AdvertisingCollectables&hash=item256894ffbe

 

[DJH]

Hey, DJH, any chance you could post some pics of the center dent on your CD? Ive been thinking of trying it with one of mine but want to see how it may look. I've messed around trying it before but the dent would always rest touching my head. Does yours do this?
Thanks
Jedidiah

Any excuse to post hat photos!

Nope, the crown doesn't touch my head - you can keep the crease pretty shallow if you need to.

I used my Rolling Pin method when I creased the hat.

I had a Hollywood brim thing going on back then

 

[monbla256]

.
Really old Akubra hatbox. Ever seen one?


http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-DEC...U_AdvertisingCollectables&hash=item256894ffbe

I posted these on the Akubra Overload thread some months ago

 

[Stinkykid]

It's about time I posted something...

I've been lurking here for a while and I thought it was about time I posted some pics of my Campdrafts. By the way, thanks very much to RBH, Colby Jack, and all who introduced me to the Campdraft. It's a very versatile and comfortable hat and there's something about creasing the hat yourself that makes it more special and personal. Surprisingly easy to do as well (with plenty of inspiration from this forum). I think it helps me to bond with the hat

Anyway here are my Campdrafts. I particularly like the crease I have on the Glen Grey. Both that and the Silverbelly (deluxe) have diamond creases, and the Taupe Fawn has a teardrop (which was my very first attempt at creasing a hat). All good colours too.

I've also got a couple of other Akubras which I posted in the Akubra Overload thread (link below).
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?33000-Akubra-Overload&p=1369428&viewfull=1#post1369428

Cheers, guys. This is a great forum.
:eusa_clap

 

[job]

Welcome S. Kid,

It looks like you did a great job with the crown of your Campdrafts.

 

[Stinkykid]

Welcome S. Kid,

It looks like you did a great job with the crown of your Campdrafts.

Jolly nice of you to say so, Job. Thanks for the welcome.

 

[Lights]

Awsome looking hats! I received my Silverbelly 3 days ago and my wife promptly wraped it up for my Christmas. I only got to look at and that was it.

 

[RBH]

...By the way, thanks very much to RBH, Colby Jack, and all who introduced me to the Campdraft. ...

glad to have you join us SK!
Really good creases on those Campdrafts, you will fit right in!

 

[mattface]

I've been lurking here for a while and I thought it was about time I posted some pics of my Campdrafts. By the way, thanks very much to RBH, Colby Jack, and all who introduced me to the Campdraft. It's a very versatile and comfortable hat and there's something about creasing the hat yourself that makes it more special and personal. Surprisingly easy to do as well (with plenty of inspiration from this forum). I think it helps me to bond with the hat

Anyway here are my Campdrafts. I particularly like the crease I have on the Glen Grey. Both that and the Silverbelly (deluxe) have diamond creases, and the Taupe Fawn has a teardrop (which was my very first attempt at creasing a hat). All good colours too.

I've also got a couple of other Akubras which I posted in the Akubra Overload thread (link below).
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?33000-Akubra-Overload&p=1369428&viewfull=1#post1369428

Cheers, guys. This is a great forum.
:eusa_clap

Those are all VERY nicely done! Did you dampen the crowns with water, or just use steam?

I'm looking forward to my Bluegrass coming in the mail any day now. Planning a diamond bash for it, but sometimes while creasing it, a hat talks to me and tells me what shape it wants to take.

 

[Stinkykid]

Ff

Those are all VERY nicely done! Did you dampen the crowns with water, or just use steam?

I'm looking forward to my Bluegrass coming in the mail any day now. Planning a diamond bash for it, but sometimes while creasing it, a hat talks to me and tells me what shape it wants to take.

Thanks for the compliment. You're very kind. I bashed them all dry and then used steam locally to set the creases or for any fine adjustments I wanted to make. I had to use steam too for the fine details like the creases on top of the crown for the grey and silverbelly. By the way, to do those I placed a finger underneath the crown, along the line I wanted to crease, and I pinched the felt around this finger with my other hand. Not sure if I explained that very clearly.

None of the hats took more than 20 minutes or so to complete, I'd guess, although I sometimes come back to them and make minor tweaks. I should learn to leave them alone, really.

The glen grey one was actually the quickest to do because the felt was much less stiff than the others. For that one I just needed a bit of steam to re-activate the stiffener so that some of the creases would hold.

 

[mattface]

It's here! It's here! My Birthday hat is HERE!

Birthday Hat! by mattface, on Flickr

Birthday hat profile by mattface, on Flickr

Crease by mattface, on Flickr

Sterling Stratoliner Pin by mattface, on Flickr

 

[Lights]

Awesome looking hat, Mattface. I noticed your earlier post about hatpins and checked out your link and found the price for the sterling pin to be quite affordable. My silverbelly will be on my head tomorrow morning.
Merry Christmas everyone.

 

[job]

Those are the best pictures of a glen grey Campdraft I've seen. I think that would be a great hat for next year. Hee.

 

[Neophyte]

Congrats Mattface! These pics are great. A Glen Grey Campdraft is one of my next planned Akubras.

 

[RBH]

Man Matt great hat!!!
I thought it was a bluegrass geen Campdraft????

 

[DJH]

I believe it is Bluegrass.

I would like to see some good pics of a Glen Grey though - if I were to get another CD, that's probably what I'd go for.

Looks good with the Stratoliner pin, Matt.

 

[Atticus Finch]

Here's something you don't see around here much. Its a Heritage Camp Draft with a cattleman's crease. I gave great thought to how I wanted to bash my new hat. I already have two Imperial CDs bashed as fedoras and I didn't really want another. And, truthfully, I wear my cattleman's creased ORs more than my fedoras...especially with suits.

So off to Optimo went the new CD. I think they did an excellent job of creasing the hat, even if they did shrink it a size. No worries, my hat stretcher brought it back to my size.

AF