Akubra Sydney

[Joel Tunnah]

This came in today. It's a really great hat, but probably won't please the reverse-taper crowd. 2.5" brim, open crown is under 5 1/2". The color is Regency Fawn, which is like an amazing brownish mouse gray.
The sweatband is thin, but really nice leather - very supple. The felt is soft in the crown, but the brim needs a dunking in the tub methinks.

 

[The Outlaw Kyle]

Well, that is one fine looking hat. I think I just found my choice.

Thanks for the post and the great pics.

 

[Razzman]

Nice looking lid. Congratulations:eusa_clap :eusa_clap Looks good on you too!

 

[Mike in Seattle]

Great minds must think alike...I bought one last Saturday and just haven't had a chance to take some pictures and do a write-up myself.

 

[Fletch]

It's intriguing. It won't make me look like a pinhead, will it?

 

[Simon82]

Joel -- Very, very nice.:eusa_clap

If you don't mind my asking, where did you buy it? I know that some hatters sell the "Fedora" by Akubra, others, the "Sydney," but if memory serves me correctly they're the same hat.

 

[Jerekson]

Nice hat.

Too much taper for me (as established earlier ) but regardless I really like that hat. The side profile looks awesome.

I think I may have a liking to the Squatter, myself. That seems like my kind of hat.

 

[Bebop]

Congrats on the new hat! I have a charcoal grey Akubra 'Fedora' that I purchased through Hatsdirect. I was at David Morgan and they tell me that the Sydney and the Fedora are the same hat except for the Fedora's windstring. I think Hatsdirect says that on their website also.
I went with the 'Fedora' from Hatsdirect.com because it comes with a windstring and the 'Sydney' does not. It is a wonderful hat that is soft and tough. It did make me feel a little 'pinheaded' when I first wore it but I soon figured out that 'stovepiepe' was not really that great for my face. It looks better on me than my non-tapered hats I was accustomed to wearing.

 

[Stoney]

Taper?? The taper on this one is not severe. Overall a great looking hat.
Congrats!

I've looked at them a few times and would get one if the ribbon was wider, but that's just my preference.

 

[Fletch]

Taper?? The taper on this one is not severe.

No, but after a few months in the dry-heat of my abode, it will be.

 

[Joel Tunnah]

I got it from David Morgan. As for the "pinhead" comment - as I already stated, if you're an obsessive complulsive about "taper", when you get your plumb line and level in place you will no doubt faint.

For the rest of us, it's a nice, good looking hat for the money, and I say that with three Art Fawcett hats sitting here (one of which I owe pics of).

Joel

 

[Wesne]

Nice looking hat Joel. How does this compare to the Stylemaster? Obviously the Stylemaster has a bound-edge brim and this one doesn't, but what are the other differences?

 

[Joel Tunnah]

Maybe it's just production variations, or something due to the factory bashing, but my Stylemaster has a slightly shorter crown height, and a more tapered block than the Sydney/Fedora.
The Stylemaster has the bound brim, as you mentioned, and also a thicker leather used for the sweatband. Maybe this is because of the "featherweight" designation of the Sydney?

Joel

 

[MattJH]

Taper?? The taper on this one is not severe. Overall a great looking hat.
Congrats!

I've looked at them a few times and would get one if the ribbon was wider, but that's just my preference.

Just a thought: You may want to reference this old thread when the Sydney was first introduced, when Michaelson was provided with one of three trial runs of it. Of particular note is Michaelson's follow up to his own complaint about the ribbon width, regarding the accuracy of the Fedora/Sydney being sold (at that time) as a pre-WWII hat:

I'm having second thoughts on the ribbon width on this new 'Fedora'. I was watching a 1932 Bela Legosi movie last night, and lo and behold the twin of my new 'Fedora' appeared on the head of one of the bad guys, COMPLETE with the narrow ribbon! I even held the hat up to a frame grab, and with the exception of the screen hat having more of a 'C' styled dent to my fore/aft bash, it was the same hat. So, I'm thinking it's just my being used to the Indy type ribbon width that made me not particularily like the narrower band. It's growing on me now, as it's period correct! Regards. Michaelson

 

[Mike in Seattle]

Joel, Bebop, Michaelson, me...sounds like we oughta start a Sydney wearers group or something.

 

[thomasrodd]

A great hat!

Good choice -- I've had a Sydney for about five years -- very soft and comfortable -- and available in my size (8). I think I'll get a Squatter next, if they have one that fits.

 

[Joel Tunnah]

Joel, Bebop, Michaelson, me...sounds like we oughta start a Sydney wearers group or something.

Yes! Commence work on the signature line immediately. lol

In other news: after a dunk in the bathtub, and a week of wearing it, I'm loving this hat. The sweat has conformed to my head, and the felt is really soft. It's even going with me to Dublin this weekend.

 

[Spellflower]

Count me in on the "Sydney/Fedora" club!

My "Fedora," pictured in my avatar, is my every day hat. I'm still searching for a vintage lid which meets my requirements, but the Fedora is doing an admirable job in the mean time. It's not a large hat, like my Federation, but it has enough brim to keep off the sun. And it's stood up well to all kinds of weather in the six months since I bought it. The other bonus is that, unlike a vintage hat, I don't have to worry that if it gets lost or damaged on one of my adventures, I won't be able to replace it. As for taper, it's true that the crown isn't gigantic, but I certainly never felt like a pinhead. Actually, I think it looks a lot better on me than my much larger Federation.

I bought my Fedora from Hatsdirect, and I can vouch for their admirable customer service (I also think their price ended up being a bit better than David Morgan once the shipping was figured into it- I believe it was around $125).

One last note on this hat: The first time I saw one, it was a on the head of a junk/antique dealer in Katoomba, Australia. I was wearing my first fedora, a crappy wool "Indy," which I'd bought after a nice, but ignorant clerk at a shop which will remain nameless in NYC told me that fur hats had to be very carefully cared for, and never allowed to get wet. The "Indy" got some sea-spray on it at the Great Barrier Reef, and became misshapen and stained. Wearing it, I'd felt a bit like I'd worn shorts on a cold day, or to a formal event, and I was envious of how well the junk dealer's hat fit him. His hat was green, with a feather in the side, and was so dusty and well worn that I assumed it was vintage. He wore a T shirt, jeans, and a flannel, and hadn't shaved in a while. The overall effect put me in mind of some great old films, or maybe a Flannery O'Connor character. He noticed me poking through his wares, and (kindly) complimented my hat. I returned the compliment, and he told me that his was an Akubra, "They call this one the 'Sydney.'" I bought a terrific brass box from him for far too little money, and walked out of his shop. A block down the street, I saw a shop called "The Hattery," and decided to stop in, hopeful that I might find a replacement for my sorry headgear. Little did I know that The Hattery was the only shop in the world where one can try on and buy a Federation, let alone that the Federation is one of the most highly regarded modern production hats. I bought one in short order, and happily hiked through the Blue Mountains in it. I stopped back in the junk man's shop to tell him that he'd convinced me to buy an Akubra, but he was gone. I still think of him when I wear my Fedora, though. If anyone ever meets him on a visit to Katoomba, you can let him know for me.

 

[MattJH]

That does it. This is a great forum. I know that my next order, within the next two weeks (pending eBay auction sales) will be the Akubra Fedora Sydney in Burnt Oak instead of the Akubra Federation in Tawny Fawn. I'm going to order it from HatsDirect but request they send it without the wind trolley.

I know wind trolleys typically indicate a higher-quality hat, but I guarantee you without question that I will never, ever use it and I don't think they look good -- a bit too old-fashioned for me. I'm not a film noir / vintage guy at all, so the wind trolley holds no appeal. If it's windy, I just hold my hat on my head or take it off. Besides, unless it's for work, I never wear shirts that a wind trolley would attach itself to. If I'm not on the clock, I'm not wearing lapels!

 

[Spellflower]

Dumbjaw, you can just take the wind trolley off yourself pretty easily, unless you'd prefer it goes to good use for someone else. I think it does look a bit odd, but there have been times I was glad to have it, since it was too cold to go hatless, and I would have lost my hat otherwise. Still, it's not the ideal solution. I'm considering sewing in my own neck cord for extreme situations when function must trump form. Ideally it will tuck under the sweatband until needed, then fit firmly under my chin.

Enjoy your new Fedora, though- it's every bit as good as the Federation, just not quite as much hat, and depending on your build, that might be a good thing. The Federation looks so big on me that it's often mistaken for a cowboy hat- certainly not what I'm going for. Also, the Fedora is less prone to "Hey Indy!" references. Unfortunately, there are people would call you Indy if you were wearing a black stingy brimmed straw hat, so any brown fedora is still going to make you somewhat susceptible to comment; but at least the Fedora isn't trying to make you look like Indy.