Choosing D.M. Adventurer or Akubra Fed

[Tone]

The option of trying one on when you can is sound advice. It's cool that you have a store nearby that carries some Akubras.

Can't add much regarding the feel of an Adventurer's composition. Same Imperial felt, and yet...different. Kao and Johnny describe it very well. (I do wish the Adventurer came in a few more color options, too, cause the hat's basic shape and specs are great for a variety of styles - including a center dent.)

Johnny's got a nice c-crown in his (I believe that's also the slightly different prototype from David Morgan's showrooom?)

Here's one with a center dent in comparison to another of my all time favorites. I usually trim the brims on these just a fraction to get them to where I like; though, I do prefer having that bit more brim to work with on these particular models in addition to their having the shorter 5 1/2" crown. For certain styles I actually prefer the Adventurer's capabilities in terms of shape (with a darker ribbon, it'd be quite nice) for that; though the lighter ribbon isn't ideal for it, it works in remaining just outside of fandom.

 

[JohnnyB53]

So what's the current Akubra equivalent to the Fed III with the higher crown... one without a dimensional brim and no vent holes or strap hooks.

If you're looking for a higher crowned Indy-type hat at a non-quite-custom price, you might want to look at this one. Notice that that's a 5-1/4" bashed crown height, and it's available in black, chocolate, pecan, and (ta-da!) grey!

There may be a waiting list for these; I'm not sure. Price sits squarely between an Akubra and an Adventurebilt.

 

[JohnnyB53]

...I do wish the Adventurer came in a few more color options, too, cause the hat's basic shape and specs are great for a variety of styles - including a center dent.

You got that right! The DM Adventurer is really versatile--you can really mess with the perceived crown height depending on the bash you choose, and it comes with plenty of brim in case you want to trim it to other proportions. If it were available in colors, you could easily have five of them looking like entirely different hats.

My mfr's prototype seems to have a shorter, somewhat tapered crown compared to the final version, so the C-crown I put in makes it lower still. Combined with the wider brim, it's like a poor man's Borsalino. It has that Italian country fedora profile. Lots of Borsalinos today have 3" to 3-1/4" brims. The Adventurer is a dimensional ranging from 2-3/4" to 3-1/8".

That's why I wish they came in more colors. I'd *love* to have an Adventurer in moonstone or carbon grey--to capture that old world Borsalino look.

The felt may not be as soft as a Borso, but it's tough as nails and you can really use the Adventurer for ... er ... adventures.