Akubra sizes: true to the numbers?

[xbeatles4x]

Alright so when I buy my tawny fawn ill get the 60. But what about a campdraft or squatter... I am inclined to get it in 60 and apply felt as needed. I would wear it everyday in Miami so rain is almost a guarantee.

 

[Glenville86]

I have four Akubra hats in 58cm. The first 3 fit fine without any issues. The Leisure Time hat I just received was very snug. Have been wearing it today in the house and it seems to be relaxing somewhat. Stetson hats also fit me in size 58cm (7 1/4). Have a few of them with no fitting problems but got a new one a few weeks ago that fit front and back but was very tight on the sides. I finally just wet the whole hat and wore it all day as it dried. Fits fine now. I suppose there are some differences in the same marked sizes from the same makers. Of course I have a Charlie Brown "block head" shaped head.

 

[RJR]

I'd guess that your 60 +felt is the way to go.

 

[ingineer]

I should contribute to this thread as I found it very helpful when I was lurking'
I am 23 5/8 inch head 60.3 pretty much a round head, a long oval is a head clamp.
All my Resistols westerns are loose bow to aft , LO even if not marked as such.
A Stetson new 7-1/2 is a near perfect fit out of the box.

A new Campdraft at 61 takes all of the foam for a few months, all foam removed in a year.
My few month old Bushman I purchased from David Morgan I requested from them a smaller 61 and I got it, it only has two one dollar bills as filler and I suspect it will need the hat jack after some time.
My conclusion is go big as the Akubra's shrink a half size.

I am always reminded of my first high quality western an open crown Bailey that I found in OKC, something like a twenty x that the saleslady said was too big for me and insisted on a cattleman’s crease, after a year no longer was any filler required. Wish I had the info from this forum long ago that I could have saved it from all the divots in the brim.
The people at the Clipityclop in OH10 were not helpful, not hatters.Grrr

I hope this of some help, thank you all for sharing your experiences
Richard

 

[Brother cavefish]

oh yes, they do shrink 1/2 size------i usually get a 60------ but, i have a 59 too and it fits great , Akubras usually come form fitted to a semi round head, i fully wet the outside and form to my head, slow dry and they fit right up (oval/teardrop)

 

[cybergentleman]

I ordered a size 60 Campdraft to be on the safe side, and it is spacious, so I pad it down. My opinion is that if I was going to mail order an expensive item, that really is not economical to return or exchange, err on the large size and pad it down- no complaints here, and I can remove the padding depending how thick or thin my hair gets!

 

[Brother cavefish]

I ordered a size 60 Campdraft to be on the safe side, and it is spacious, so I pad it down. My opinion is that if I was going to mail order an expensive item, that really is not economical to return or exchange, err on the large size and pad it down- no complaints here, and I can remove the padding depending how thick or thin my hair gets!

if you really want it to fit soak the complete top of the hat and then wear it , ( no need for the inside or underside) squeeze it to your head, it will tighten up nicely

 

[philosophy101]

Alright so when I buy my tawny fawn ill get the 60. But what about a campdraft or squatter... I am inclined to get it in 60 and apply felt as needed. I would wear it everyday in Miami so rain is almost a guarantee.

My head measure in between a 56 and 57. On the advice of the hat dealer, Everything Australian, I bought my Squatter in a size 57. After two weeks of wear, it shrunk down to a perfect fit, just as they said it would. No water, just normal wear. I also have an Akubra Sydney. Same thing.

 

[PHIL1959]

I've never had a problem with akubra hat sizes. im a 57, they all (stylemasters/downunder) have fitted like a glove. with no shrinkage issues.
the only problem i've had is I LOVE the stylemasters,but dont care for the downunder. i'm more of an old style fedora man..

 

[Zombie_61]

I currently have four Akubras--two Fed IVs, and two Campdrafts, all size 60. Out of the box, both of the Fed IVs were rather loose but snugged down to what I consider to be a perfect fit after only a day or two. The Campdrafts were only slightly loose out of the box, and by the time they snugged down they were a little too tight for my liking, but suitable use of a hat jack corrected that and now all four hats fit comfortably.

Based on my experience I'd say Akubra's sizing is more art than science, but if there's ever any doubt you should contact the vendor and follow their recommendation(s).

 

[CurlyW]

what is the correct way to determine you hat size. I have an old fedora style hat I worn in the woods for over 30 years that is pretty well shot and wanted to find another. after this site (there really is a forum for everything) I found this site and all the good words about the campdraft and decided to order one. this site has been awesome for discovering the hat i wanted.
however, I can no longer remember what size I wear and since i'm going to have to order it from Australia I really would like to get the size right the first time. so can you tell me the correct way to measure heat size.
also any thoughts on where's the best place to order the hat or things to consider would be greatly appreciated.
thanks

 

[RJR]

what is the correct way to determine you hat size. I have an old fedora style hat I worn in the woods for over 30 years that is pretty well shot and wanted to find another. after this site (there really is a forum for everything) I found this site and all the good words about the campdraft and decided to order one. this site has been awesome for discovering the hat i wanted.
however, I can no longer remember what size I wear and since i'm going to have to order it from Australia I really would like to get the size right the first time. so can you tell me the correct way to measure heat size.
also any thoughts on where's the best place to order the hat or things to consider would be greatly appreciated.
thanks

1.My best suggestion is to look at Everything Australian and exchange a few emails.The Hattery is also very helpful.
2.Take a cloth tape measure and place it around your head at the place you wear your hats;measure three times and take the average.If the tape has CM as well as inches,I'd use the CM number.
3.Good luck,I believe you'll be pleased.

 

[Michael R.]

If your between sizes , go to the next up . Use the foam to pad the sweat until it shrinks to fit . But I think they actually come larger to accommodate for shrinkage . That's my thoughts , though I measure 58.5 cm , ordered a 59 cm , if I cut my hair , its still a bit big , but the foam is out . Eventually it will finish shrinking . But mine it Taupe Fawn , ... it came a little stiff , but it was Super Soft , now .

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I know this is an old thread, but I want to add my two cents:

I have several Akubra hats, including the StyleMaster, Federation IV, and Balmoral. They all run at least a full size small on my head. I'm a comfortable 61 in most hats, but a definite 62 in Akubra. The worst was the Balmoral where I could almost wear a 63! Crazy. Then again, I have some vintage size 7 1/2 hats (60) that also fit perfectly. This is the most frustrating part of dealing with Akubra or buying any hat online. If you can't try it on first it's a guessing game. I can't tell you how many times excitement turns to frustration upon opening a box only to find the hat does not fit.

I had planned on ordering a couple of Campdrafts, but I've been burned by Akubra sizing too often to try again unless I can try the hat on first. There is so much to like about them, but they are a gamble in my book. Not to say that other brands don't also have these issues, it's just that Akubra has been very inconsistent in sizing in my limited experiences.

 

[Bob Roberts]

They been consistently small so I always order one size up.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

I have 9 different Akubras all bought to size. Only 1 which was a special order due to color was slightly tight. My band block took care of that in just a couple of days. None of mine have shrunk thru wearing them. If I have a need or occasion to buy more I will continue to buy them to size.

 

[Doctor Strange]

I've had five Akubras over the last 15 years, all size 57 (7-1/8). Four of them (Stylemaster, Campdraft, Stockman, Cattleman) were about a half size too big at first and I put some padding behind the sweatbands, then after some weeks/months of wear the sweatbands conformed and I removed the padding. The other one - a Federation III - never shrank to size, it remained too big despite lots of wear over 12 years, and the padding stayed in.

Reading accounts of Akubra owners, it seems there's some variation in both initial sizing and shrinkage. In my case, getting my true size worked four out of five times. If I were to get another one, I'd confidently order another 57.

Anyway, that's my experience.

 

[Doc Glockster]

I'm not sure quite how to analyze the situation, but I bought a Stetson Hutchins in 7 3/8 that needed my head to stretch the crown just a tad. I later bought one in 7 1/2 that I had to shim with felt strips because it was too big.

Every Akubra I've bought in 59 cm (approx. 7 3/8) has fit with just a hair of being oversize. So far they've all shrunk to fit as long as I kept my hair short.

So, for now I order Akubras in 59 cm because I think it means my head is just a tad under 59 cm and the shrinkage makes up the difference.

Now if I could just get a Stetson to fit...

 

[Doc Glockster]

Question:

Do any of you store your hats in a hat jack on a daily basis?

If you DO, do you still experience shrinkage?

If you DO NOT, do you find the hat doesn't shrink?

 

[Benzadmiral]

I'm normally a 7 (21.75"), but The Hattery folks advised me to get a 57 when I ordered my Federations. The carbon gray still has the under-sweat spacing stuff in it, and it fits firmly on my skull. The Moonstone, now that I've removed the foam that Mr. Sam of Meyer the Hatter fastened in it, is a tad loose at 57, and I've slid a folded portion of paper towel under the sweat to make sure it rides well. So I'm inclined to say the 57 (7 1/8) size should be, and is, a hair large on me.

On the other hand, I don't wear them for long periods, and they've never had a chance to shrink-to-fit.