Akubra Riverina safari-ized

[Badluck Brody]

...?

BTW: where do we pick up the pugaree to wrap??

 

[Donato]

BTW: where do we pick up the pugaree to wrap??

I think Mike said he picked it up at a local fabric store - cotton twill ribbon or tape. It comes in a herringbone pattern but I am not sure what size he used. I am sure he will tell us when he gets around to posting again. This copycat sure wants to know.
You might also check out eBay here for off white pugaree:
http://cgi.ebay.com/OFF-WHITE-Pugar...hZ013QQcategoryZ88433QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem

 

[RockBottom]

BTW: where do we pick up the pugaree to wrap??

Are people not using the puggaree band like David Morgan sells?

 

[Badluck Brody]

????

There is a fished band?? Does this mean you don't have to wrap the thing???

And if nothing else... while I was going through some old gear I was going to swap or sell, I came across an old Rockmountwestern wear lid which was nothing short of trash...

Long story short, on a whim I took an iron to the brin and steamed and reshaped the crown, then put an old ribbon on her and ended up with a pretty sharp drover style lid....

Maybe I can just add a pugaree and have her stretched a hair??

 

[Mike K.]

Mike,
Did you use a 1 inch cotton twill tape or and then wrap it around to the height you wanted? Was it lightweight or heavyweight twill? (Both are available in white or natural colors.) How high do you recommend the band to be for this hat? I was thinking 1 1/2 to 2 inches. Thanks for your help with this.

Yes, 1 inch twill tape is what I used. Wider would've been okay too. I'm not sure what weight the ribbon was. Height of the pugarree is strictly a matter of personal taste. I started the first part of the wrap about half way between the ventilation eyelets and the brim. Actually this entire thing is all about adding personality and flair to your hat. Make the pugarree as wide or narrow as you wish, whatever color you wish, however many pleats, etc. Make it your own!! Now that I have a second Akubra Riverina (identical to my first), I was thinking about going with something entirely different. Perhaps a pug of a different color or even a zebra skin hatband. Maybe add some croc teeth or lions claws. Who knows what it will become (or what new trends it might start ). Have fun!!

 

[Donato]

Thanks Mike. I was also looking at a crocodile band that I think would make this hat very interesting...we'll see.

 

[Mike K.]

Guys, here is the link to the original thread.

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=18199&highlight=safari

 

[Mark G]

Nice hat Mike.

I made my pug out of muslin that I dyed with tea and that worked out great too.

By the way, nice to meet you at the Museum in November.

 

[Mike K.]

By the way, nice to meet you at the Museum in November.

The honor was mine Mark. It was a privilege being able to chat with you about your trips to Africa and just to meet the man who actually makes his own safari hats from scratch! Cheers!!

 

[Mojave Jack]

Yet again I'm on my way to the dog house, because I have to have one!!!

And as far as the safari venture... That's another reason I've been looking into fez, turbans and keffiyehs. You see I've been trying to network some of the RAF and German WWI and WWII reenactors together for some summertime events and a vintage live-fire.

Thanks again for the leads!!!

Yeah, Mike, it's all your fault! All of us poor broke blokes... lol

Gents, I'd beware of the type of pug that has the hooks like David Morgan sells. To put them on you anchor one end into the felt with a steel hood, pull the band around the hat and re-anchor it to the felt where it overlaps on the side. The hooks tend to rust over time, damaging your hat, not to mention punching holes into the felt!

If you want a pre-made pug, I'd highly recommend getting one from Lawrance Ordnance. They offer the current issue pug for a very reasonable price, and they are fast with their shipping. It comes pristine, of course, but you can weather it a bit by tea dyeing it. They offer them sized specifically for your hat, so just order the same metric size as your Akubra and it'll fit perfectly.

 

[Steve27752]

Yeah, Mike, it's all your fault! All of us poor broke blokes... lol

Gents, I'd beware of the type of pug that has the hooks like David Morgan sells. To put them on you anchor one end into the felt with a steel hood, pull the band around the hat and re-anchor it to the felt where it overlaps on the side. The hooks tend to rust over time, damaging your hat, not to mention punching holes into the felt!

If you want a pre-made pug, I'd highly recommend getting one from Lawrance Ordnance. They offer the current issue pug for a very reasonable price, and they are fast with their shipping. It comes pristine, of course, but you can weather it a bit by tea dyeing it. They offer them sized specifically for your hat, so just order the same metric size as your Akubra and it'll fit perfectly.

Now, My Akubra Drover is a size 56 I am going to stretch it to a 57. Should I order a 56 or a 57 Puggaree?

 

[Edward]

Question re pugarees: Is there a specific purpose behind this design? I mean, I know in day to day civilian use all hat bands pretty much form over function, but is there a specific reason why the pugaree was such a popular style for safari hats?

I like the look of that LO one. The Morgan option looks good too, though it's only available in grey, dark green and navy blue. I can see what they're shooting for (I actually still have a wool fedora I bought back about 1991/2 which has a charcoal grey pugaree for a band), but it doesn't strike me as quite idea for a safari style. [huh]

 

[RockBottom]

My Riverina just arrived. What a great tip this was! Absolutely perfect flyfishing hat.

 

[BellyTank]

Question re pugarees: Is there a specific purpose behind this design? [huh]

Tradition, Edward.
The pug on a slouch hat points to the Indian sub-continent, the Empire.
The slouch hat replaced some traditional Indian headwear(in Indian Regiments), the pug remained as a tradition. Pugs can be seen on Pith Helmets too.

B
T

 

[Mike K.]

...and to follow up on what BT said, many officers of the Crown served in India and adventured in Africa (or vice versa) according to Safari: Chronicle of Adventure. It was fairly easy for styles, inventions, etc. to carry over from one continent to another.

 

[Mojave Jack]

Now, My Akubra Drover is a size 56 I am going to stretch it to a 57. Should I order a 56 or a 57 Puggaree?

Steve, I think you'd probably want a 57. They don't flex a lot because they have a fabric backing that the pleats are sewn to, so I wouldn't expect it to stretch much. I wear a 57, too, and my issue pug is the perfect size for my hat.

 

[NonEntity]

Pug Talk

Bellytank wrote:

The pug on a slouch hat points to the Indian sub-continent, the Empire.
The slouch hat replaced some traditional Indian headwear(in Indian Regiments), the pug remained as a tradition. Pugs can be seen on Pith Helmets too.

I don't follow. Are you saying the pleated puggaree, with it's folded cloth design, is a vestige of turbans? If not, to what kind(s) of traditional Indian headwear are you referring?

Since I associate pugs with hats typically worn in the tropics, such as the various iterations of safari hats and pith helmets, I always thought the pug originally had a function, namely, soaking up sweat. As descibed in my post, "Akubra Slouch," that's just what the pug on my old campaign hat did--to the extent that it became permanently stained with mildew.

Mohave Jack wrote:

Gents, I'd beware of the type of pug that has the hooks like David Morgan sells. To put them on you anchor one end into the felt with a steel hood, pull the band around the hat and re-anchor it to the felt where it overlaps on the side. The hooks tend to rust over time, damaging your hat, not to mention punching holes into the felt!

Amen. Thank you MJ, as well as Mike K in his PM to me. I bought a nice-looking six-pleat silver-grey pug from David Morgan when I ordered my new charcoal Akubra Sidney. I love the hat as is, but got the pug to dress down the hat for casual occasions. I got it on Christmas Eve--just such an occasion--and was anxious to wear my new hat with the pug. But I was very reticent to punch holes in the smart black grosgrain band, not to mention the beautiful soft felt of my brand-spanking-new Sydney.

Since DM is on the west coast, they were still open, so I gave them a call to get advice on how to put on the pug. The guy was super-nice and extremely patient, and he got a Sydney with the same pub on display there in the store. He seemed to be struggling a bit with his advice, and when I asked if he'd ever actually put on a pug before and he said, "No," well, I stomped the brakes on that task.

I am SO GLAD I didn't, but, on the upside, he's the one who told me about this site, and everyone here has been so helpful on this and other topics, as well.

 

[Mike K.]

This from the digger history website:
The hat band of the Australian slouch hat is called a 'puggaree'. It has previously been spelt 'pugari', ' puggery' and 'puggari'. It is from an Indian (Hindi) word 'paggari' or 'pagri' which translates into something like small turban. One school of thought has it that the folds of the traditional Australian puggaree come from copying the British Indian Army's attempt to make the puggari look a little like a turban, even if only in stylised form.

As for those cheap pugs with the metal hooks, I suppose one could always take out the hooks and stitch the pug ends together then slide over the hat's crown.

 

[Donato]

My Riverina arrived yesterday. I love the hat just as it is, but will probably go with the pugaree from Lawranceordnance or maybe even a crocodile band. This was $40.00 very well spent. Thanks again for starting this thread, Mike.:eusa_clap

 

[Edward]

Tradition, Edward.
The pug on a slouch hat points to the Indian sub-continent, the Empire.
The slouch hat replaced some traditional Indian headwear(in Indian Regiments), the pug remained as a tradition. Pugs can be seen on Pith Helmets too.

B
T

Aha! Thanks, BT, I get it now. It all pointed towards India, but i didn't get why that specific style of band had been developed: the stylistic nod to a turban makes perfect sense.

Hopefully I'll have one of these hats soon, and I'll definitely modify the bash a little and add a pug. Who knows, it might make for a difficult choice between that and the Fed Deluxe to be the one hat that goes to China with me for three weeks in May/June...