Akubra size

[Achille]

Hello,
I've just received my stylemaster from Hatdirect.com. Perfect service !!!!
I love my new hat (same as Joel). But it's a little bit over-sized and I used one of the strip they have sent with.
My questions are :
- Do you think that the use of one strip mean that I can, for the next order, ask for a 60cm instead of a 61cm (like mine)? They advised me to stay with the 61+the strip.
- The strip behind the leather sweatband makes it fold a little bit. Is that a problem ? Do you think I have to reduce it length ?


Thank you for all

JM

 

[The Outlaw Kyle]

I think, and this is just my guess here, unless it is really loose, I'd stay with the 61 +1 strip. It should snug up with wear. Didn't it come with 2 strips? If so try one front and one back I guess. Good luck. I'm waiting on my Akubra Fedora. They were out of 61's in grey, so I have to wait till May. Boo.

 

[Achille]

Hi TOk,
Really sorry to read that you have to wait .
Your answer is wise but so i will have to reduce the sweatband because the strip makes it fold and I'm not sure that the folds are good for the leather.

I think I will order soon a "federation" in brown .

JM

 

[Doctor Strange]

I recently got an Akubra Stockman (see new avatar!) that was a little big on me out of the box - almost a half-size, perhaps. I cut down one of the fabric/foam strips that came with it (I got this one from Aussie Bush Hats and Oilskins, and their sizing strip was different from the ones I had gotten in the past from HatsDirect: wider with plush fabric on one side) and put it behind the back of the sweatband, going nearly halfway around. After wearing the hat through only three moderately sweaty hikes, the sweatband shrunk to perfection and I took out the sizing strip! (Note that the sweatband did wrinkle in a bit in places, and without the strip, it's still a little deformed in a couple of spots - a small price to pay for the perfect fit.)

This is a different experience than I have had with my Akubra Federation, which is the same marked size... but even after four years of on and off regular wear, putting in strips and taking them out, sweating it up plenty of times, remains a little big on me...

 

[cooncatbob]

My Akubra is a little big also. I don't like the way the foam strips sit under the sweat band. So I took a paper towel folded it 4 layer thick and about an inch wide and cut them about 6 inches long and put one on either side under the sweat band. Fit fine and when the band shrinks as they always do I'll remove them.
BTW. anyone else have to periodically have to stretch their hats? I find applying Lexol to both side of the sweat band make it stretch easier and prevent spring back.
Bob.

 

[Spellflower]

Both my Akubras (Federation and Fedora) were a bit big at first, and so I used the strips. However, after a week or so of constant use in warm weather, they both shrunk down nicely and I took the strips out. Since you just got this hat, I'd hold off on worrying about your next order for now. Wear the Stylemaster regularly for a month, do some heavy lifting in it or something to work up a sweat. Then if it's still too big, you'll know it for sure, and you can consider the 60.

Still, my rule of thumb is to buy hats a bit large, since I don't mind the strip, and I find it's easier to put it in than to stretch out a hat that's too small. I also found that I could fine tune the fit by the amount of strip I used. At first I used about six inches on my Fedora, but as it shrunk, I took an inch or two off of that until I found I didn't need it at all.