Camptown Fieldmaster. Sweet.

[KY Gentleman]

The hat looks good on ya.
To those waiting though, considering that these hats are not custom made bespoke hats like VS, Mike Moore's, JPierce's, but are mass made for this seller it is beyond me why there are so many on here who wait months on end for these hats.
They are made by a mass manufacturer and the seller puts his logo inside and shapes the hat.

Thanks for the info- I really like the looks of these hats but I thought they were a custom lid!

 

[kaosharper1]

Thanks for the info- I really like the looks of these hats but I thought they were a custom lid!

I think expecting $175 for a custom lid is a little unrealistic. Camptown's are "semi-custom" as Ken says on his web site since they are created on-demand. While the hats are produced by a commercial hatter they are not machined like a modern stetson, and are in fact created by hand, as far as I know, with the use of machines. These machines date back to the 1930s so a Camptown is basically like buying a vintage hat since they're created in much the same way using the same techniques. Not many vintage hats were bespoke hats either.

So Camptowns are a step above production hats but a step below a VS, and the price reflects that.

I can only say that the hat itself reflects my expectations for it. It is a quality hat above the quality of my Akubras and the modern production hats I have seen. The felt is thick and feels great being a beaver/rabbit mix. The hatband is a quality roaned leather with perforations. Like I said, for $175 it's a good deal, though the wait is unfortunate.

Sorry, Warbird. This is a much better hat than you can get from Besdor or Akubra IMHO. Is it worth the wait? Only an individual can decide that. It's certainly a hat that will last longer than a regular production hat, and it is much nicer. I have both so I can tell.

 

[Lexybeast]

Lot of people passionate about their hats here! Very nice to see that.

I think I understand your point of view Warbird. However, my thoughts are more along the lines of Kao's. For the price, it's a lot of bang for the buck. Also, I wasn't exactly looking for a dressy hat (though this is very nice), but something a bit more rugged that I wouldn't be afraid to take out on photo hikes and whatnot. If I had wanted dressy, I may have shelled out a bit more for a completely custom hat, but I think that would be restricted to urban use!

The main gripe I think is the wait. It is unfortunate, but I think at this point it's just growing pains for Ken's business. I'm happy to give him my business to help him along, and I'm sure he'll become more efficient with delivery schedules down the line.

 

[kaosharper1]

Yeah. The delivery is the problem. I haven't heard anyone gripe about the product or say for the money I should've just bought an Akubra.

 

[indycop]

Yeah. The delivery is the problem. I haven't heard anyone gripe about the product or say for the money I should've just bought an Akubra.

First nothing against you kaosharper1 or Lexybeast, I am glad they worked out for you both and you look good in them.

I will go ahead and say I wish I bought an Akubra or 2 for the price.

First let me state up front that I did not contact Ken about any problems with the hat. Given that it took so long to get it I just chalked it up as a loss.

When I ordered mine over a year ago I was told "I am holding your 7 5/8 right now", Around 3 months later I got the hat. I was guilty of praising the hats myself but after living with it for a short while I chose to remain silent on any talk of them until now. Do not jump on Warbird for his feelings about the product, it was my hat that he got them from. I even thought maybe it is just my hat but I have talked to a few others who don't post much anymore and they said the same thing.

My Metro was my 2nd real hat purchase and not cheap at $200 with shipping. It was the stiffest hat I have ever had or felt. The liner seemed like it was for a hat much larger than mine and would fall down on to the top of my head. I believe someone here had that same problem recently, so that has not changed. I don't think that an almost $200 hat should have a decal stuck on the outside of the liner. My sweatband was seriously wrinkled and felt like sandpaper on my head. There was taper right off the bat that got worse. The styling that was done had a crooked crease that I ended up changing to straighten it out. For a beaver blend it had the texture of wool that would have been a lot different with a little pouncing. I know this because I have seen the difference.
If you look back through the what hat are you wearing today thread you can see where it became the yard mowing hat. It eventually proved too hot for that and at some point I ripped out the sweat, liner, and ribbon which had a lot of tape behind the bow. It eventually was just crumpled up and tossed in the bed of my truck.

So at least from my experience, yes I would get an Akubra or something production from our retailers.
Once again I am not trying to slam camptown, I just could not in good conscience remain silent anymore. For others that have one I am glad that you are happy with yours.