Borsalino Astuccio (from Bencraft)

[Brent Hutto]

I had asked in a couple other threads about "rollable" Borsalino hats that I could take with me on my occasional trips via airplane. After a bit of online shopping and discussion I settled on the Astuccio that I believe is a specifically Bencraft model. Here's their photo of it in Navy Blue.

The UPS man just brought it a couple hours ago and I think I'm going to like it OK, assuming it survives rolling. Haven't had the nerve to do that yet. Mine is Steel Gray which in some cases implies a slight bluish cast but to my eye under sunlight this hat is just a straight, neutral gray. Same tone (lightness/darkness) as my Taupe Alessandria just without the warm color cast.

Two surprises. Most of these "rollable" hats are unlined but mine has a normal Borsalino white, synthetic liner. I don't think that'll make it not roll but I won't know until I try. The bigger surprise was the fishing lure...err, I mean feather that came stuck in the hatband. What's up with that? I guess it can be plucked, definitely too much of what you might call an "urban" look for me.

It's certainly no Alessandria but I knew that. A bit lower and less blocky crown, I guess that's what you'd call a slight taper. And with the grosgrain sweatband I'm glad I went down one size to a 61 or 7-5/8" instead of my usual 7-3/4" as I think a bigger one would settle so low that the center dent would rest on my head. It has an unbound brim which is good for a "rollable" hat but boy it sure wants to settle into some wavy shapes if you don't smooth it down every so often.

The upside is that even with the liner it is lighter than my Alessandria, which is really saying something. I guess it's the combination of slightly smaller crown, slightly narrower (2-1/2" instead of 2-3/4") brim and especially not having a leather sweat. Plus it rides a little higher on my head so overall it hardly feels like having a hat on at all. I wear the Alessandria just barely "one finger" above my ears with the front of the brim turned down which is a very different experience.

I hate to do it but here it is sitting on my noggin about 90 seconds after it came out of the Bencraft box. Not much of a photo, it was taken with my cell phone, but then again I'm not much of a model.

 

[Blackthorn]

Did it come with that metal container for carrying after folding?

 

[Brent Hutto]

No, it didn't come with the metal thingy. I think this is basically a modern hat something like a Como that Bencraft orders with a grosgrain sweatband so it can roll up. Not necessarily part of Borsalino's special-purpose travel hat range. Or something like that, maybe besdor will correct me if I'm wrong.

But no carrying tin. Pity, although in my case it would just be one more thing to schlep around England for a week. I'm planning on wearing the hat except for literally the 7+ hours I'm sitting on then plane when I want to be able to roll it up and slip it in my carryon bag.

 

[Blackthorn]

No, it didn't come with the metal thingy. I think this is basically a modern hat something like a Como that Bencraft orders with a grosgrain sweatband so it can roll up. Not necessarily part of Borsalino's special-purpose travel hat range. Or something like that, maybe besdor will correct me if I'm wrong.

But no carrying tin. Pity, although in my case it would just be one more thing to schlep around England for a week. I'm planning on wearing the hat except for literally the 7+ hours I'm sitting on then plane when I want to be able to roll it up and slip it in my carryon bag.

Thanks, Brent. I guess the real test will be whether or not it goes back into shape after the trip. I have a Christy's that has done well in that regard, but of course it doesn't have the looks of a Borso. I'm thinking of getting one now, and you get to be my test pilot.

 

[Brent Hutto]

I considered the Christy's and I think it might have been ideal for my needs. But while I hemmed and hawed for three weeks trying to convince myself I could make do with a flat cap instead of a fedora (unsuccessful) it got too close to my departure to order the Christy's from Hornet's.

But what they hey, I'm pretty much a Borsalino guy. So your guinea pig I will be!

 

[Blackthorn]

I considered the Christy's and I think it might have been ideal for my needs. But while I hemmed and hawed for three weeks trying to convince myself I could make do with a flat cap instead of a fedora (unsuccessful) it got too close to my departure to order the Christy's from Hornet's.

But what they hey, I'm pretty much a Borsalino guy. So your guinea pig I will be!

Thanks, Brent. Btw, the hat in my avatar is the hat I picked for a travel hat, my Christy's foldaway. So far so good.

Do you have several modern Borsolinos, Brent? If so, I'm guessing the quailty is uniformlyh good these days?

 

[Brent Hutto]

No, in fact I'm a newcomer to hats these last 6-8 months. Just my Alessandria which as far as I'm equipped to judge is of totally excellent quality. And now the Astuccio which seems to be cut of the same cloth, so to speak, but with the unbound edge and ribbon sweatband it doesn't quite give off the same immediate "Woah, that's a nice hat" impression.

But still that's 2-for-2 (so far) that are true to size, constructed properly and of the sort of felt that I like. Really lightweight, flexible and a bit breathable even.

I briefly owned a Christy's Marlborough (my first good hat) that was too shallow-crowned for my big old head. I thought it was well constructed too but the whole vibe was different. It gave an impression that the shape it was blocked to was immutable, you know what I mean? The felt is just more solid and less floppy than Borsalino's. Handling both hats, my wife actually thought the Christy's was at least as well built. I think the solidity of it fit her notion of how a hat should hold its shape and it certainly had a nice, dressy finish on the felt. I hated the liner, though (presumably your travel hat does not have the clear vinyl liner).

 

[Blackthorn]

No, in fact I'm a newcomer to hats these last 6-8 months. Just my Alessandria which as far as I'm equipped to judge is of totally excellent quality. And now the Astuccio which seems to be cut of the same cloth, so to speak, but with the unbound edge and ribbon sweatband it doesn't quite give off the same immediate "Woah, that's a nice hat" impression.

But still that's 2-for-2 (so far) that are true to size, constructed properly and of the sort of felt that I like. Really lightweight, flexible and a bit breathable even.

I briefly owned a Christy's Marlborough (my first good hat) that was too shallow-crowned for my big old head. I thought it was well constructed too but the whole vibe was different. It gave an impression that the shape it was blocked to was immutable, you know what I mean? The felt is just more solid and less floppy than Borsalino's. Handling both hats, my wife actually thought the Christy's was at least as well built. I think the solidity of it fit her notion of how a hat should hold its shape and it certainly had a nice, dressy finish on the felt. I hated the liner, though (presumably your travel hat does not have the clear vinyl liner).

Very interesting, Brent, thanks for the input. You're right, it has no liner at all. I wonder if all other Christy's have vinyl liners. That sounds weird.

 

[analogist]

Folding Borsolinos

I own many Borsos and I love the lightweight Astuccio. I does roll pretty well but for rollability, the Viaggio is the one to get. The grey tritone with the midnight blue 6 ligne ribbon is even pocketable.

analogist

 

[Brent Hutto]

How do you like the finish on the Viaggio? Isn't it sort of a longhair?

 

[Blackthorn]

I own many Borsos and I love the lightweight Astuccio. I does roll pretty well but for rollability, the Viaggio is the one to get. The grey tritone with the midnight blue 6 ligne ribbon is even pocketable.

analogist

Thanks, analogist, I was just getting ready to ask if there were other rollable ones available. Where's the best website to buy them, analogist?

 

[Blackthorn]

I had asked in a couple other threads about "rollable" Borsalino hats that I could take with me on my occasional trips via airplane. After a bit of online shopping and discussion I settled on the Astuccio that I believe is a specifically Bencraft model. Here's their photo of it in Navy Blue.

The UPS man just brought it a couple hours ago and I think I'm going to like it OK, assuming it survives rolling. Haven't had the nerve to do that yet. Mine is Steel Gray which in some cases implies a slight bluish cast but to my eye under sunlight this hat is just a straight, neutral gray. Same tone (lightness/darkness) as my Taupe Alessandria just without the warm color cast.

Two surprises. Most of these "rollable" hats are unlined but mine has a normal Borsalino white, synthetic liner. I don't think that'll make it not roll but I won't know until I try. The bigger surprise was the fishing lure...err, I mean feather that came stuck in the hatband. What's up with that? I guess it can be plucked, definitely too much of what you might call an "urban" look for me.

It's certainly no Alessandria but I knew that. A bit lower and less blocky crown, I guess that's what you'd call a slight taper. And with the grosgrain sweatband I'm glad I went down one size to a 61 or 7-5/8" instead of my usual 7-3/4" as I think a bigger one would settle so low that the center dent would rest on my head. It has an unbound brim which is good for a "rollable" hat but boy it sure wants to settle into some wavy shapes if you don't smooth it down every so often.

The upside is that even with the liner it is lighter than my Alessandria, which is really saying something. I guess it's the combination of slightly smaller crown, slightly narrower (2-1/2" instead of 2-3/4") brim and especially not having a leather sweat. Plus it rides a little higher on my head so overall it hardly feels like having a hat on at all. I wear the Alessandria just barely "one finger" above my ears with the front of the brim turned down which is a very different experience.

I hate to do it but here it is sitting on my noggin about 90 seconds after it came out of the Bencraft box. Not much of a photo, it was taken with my cell phone, but then again I'm not much of a model.

Brent, this appears to be extremely tapered. Am I seeing that right?

 

[Brent Hutto]

Hard to beat Bencraft's prices of Borsalino hats. I'm in South Carolina and they get hats to me on the third day after I place the order (i.e. I ordered on Monday and it came today, Thursday). In other locations the default shipping wouldn't be as fast, perhaps.

FWIW, the fellow I talked to at Bencraft concurs with analogist that the Viaggio is the pick the lot among the rollables. I like the narrow ribbon and lack of a gold "Borsalino" logo on the bow. I went with the Astuccio mostly because I thought it would be slightly cooler and a less-smooth finish is not generally my first choice.

P.S. It's hard for me to judge taper but I would not say "extremely". I think the bad camera angle (and somewhat distorted lens) exaggerates it. If a Vintage Silhouettes is a 0 for taper and my Alessandria is maybe a 1 then I'd put the Astuccio at a 4 and my Christy's Marlborough at a 5. Or something like that, with 10 being a super-modern, trendy looking hat that you'd see on some hipster.

 

[Blackthorn]

Hard to beat Bencraft's prices of Borsalino hats. I'm in South Carolina and they get hats to me on the third day after I place the order (i.e. I ordered on Monday and it came today, Thursday). In other locations the default shipping wouldn't be as fast, perhaps.

FWIW, the fellow I talked to at Bencraft concurs with analogist that the Viaggio is the pick the lot among the rollables. I like the narrow ribbon and lack of a gold "Borsalino" logo on the bow. I went with the Astuccio mostly because I thought it would be slightly cooler and a less-smooth finish is not generally my first choice.

P.S. It's hard for me to judge taper but I would not say "extremely". I think the bad camera angle (and somewhat distorted lens) exaggerates it. If a Vintage Silhouettes is a 0 for taper and my Alessandria is maybe a 1 then I'd put the Astuccio at a 4 and my Christy's Marlborough at a 5. Or something like that, with 10 being a super-modern, trendy looking hat that you'd see on some hipster.

Very informative, thanks Brent.

 

[metropd]

Could we see accurate pics of the steel grey in the natural light?

 

[analogist]

Borsolino Viaggio

I would not categorize the Viaggio as a long hair or Pelouche but rather a more rustic finish than a well pounced felt. It goes well with casual clothes and is very water repellant.

You can get them at Bencraft (a very fine place for caps and hats) and if you visit there, be prepared to be overwhelmed by the selection.

analogist

 

[Blackthorn]

Could we see accurate pics of the steel grey in the natural light?

I was going to ask the same thing.

 

[Brent Hutto]

I'll work on getting a photo in indirect mid-day sunlight with my real camera...

P.S. I weighed my size 7-5/8 Astuccio. Just 79 grams! That's well under 3 ounces. And I had thought of my 113g Alessandria as feather-light.

 

[Brent Hutto]

OK, about the color. When I hear "steel" or "steel gray" I tend to expect some hint of a bluish cast. On taking my hat out of the box (indoors) yesterday I remarked that there was not a hint of blue about it. Just a neutral gray.

After seeing it outdoors in natural light later yesterday I wasn't so positive. And this morning I took it out to grab a few snapshots just an hour or so after sunrise (a very cool morning light in other words) and if there's any blue in the ambient lighting it definitely picks up on it. But I must admit these photos, viewed on my laptop screen, far over-exaggerate it. The hat still looks much more neutral/less blue in person to me than these pictures. But here they are, the new Astuccio side by side with my everyday Taupe Alessandria (sorry for the mangled bash on the latter, I have to do a little "fix up" each morning which hasn't been done yet).

Overall View

Inside/Sweatband View

I think the color of the brims in the second photo is a pretty good approximation to what my eye sees. Definitely much better than the color in this last one which is way off but the picture captures two things I want to comment on...

Taper View

I'll retract yesterday's comments about the hat only having minimal taper. If you look from above and compared especially to the Alessandria it is definitely a tapered looked. I think the taper makes the brim look wider than it is and with the brim width the overall effect is slightly less "modern" than some tapered hats. But it is a long way from the blocky crown of an Alessandria/Open Road type hat.

The other thing to note is that the ribbon has not a hint of that tendency to reflect any blue cast to the ambient light. The ribbon is a slightly warmer shade of gray than the felt, it's much more subtle in person than in this photo but I like the effect. I don't care for hatbands that blend in 100% with the hat itself.

P.S. I'll reserve the right to replace/update these pictures at some point. The color really is not right, still. In particular both hats look about two or three shades lighter than they are in reality. They are about the same overall tone, somewhat darker than an 18% gray card but on the screen they look medium-toned.

POSTSCRIPT:

Here's what it looks like later in the day, in direct (rather blinding) sunshine...

 

[Blackthorn]

Thanks Brent, this helps a lot.