Christys' Adventurer

[Rick Blaine]

There has been alot of buzz about this hat over at COW lately. I recently obtained an example & must say I am really impressed. For a hundred dollar hat it truly exceeded my expectations. My sole beef would be the glued in liner (c'mon!). The felt is very nice as is the sweat. The brim has a killer swoop as it measures 2.5", sides & 2 7/8" front & back. And although I was suffering from a lack of imagination and went for a Sable (Indy) brown, they claim to be able to build it in any of 16 felts and even be able to alter the ribbon width/color on request. I already prefer this to my Akubra Federation, (previous generation) although it is clearly not as rugged and todays Stetsons do not come close, IMO. I am already eyeballing one of the "heathered" (mixed) grays for my next one.

 

[MDphoto]

I've been debating about getting one of those, but for some reason, I just can't get over that bow or the stitching (whatever is there on every corner)

Sorry for my ignorance on the vocabulary [huh]

 

[tonyb]

Looks nice enough, Blaine, although I have to wonder how those COW guys could even tolerate a hat with that relatively low and tapered a crown.

MDphoto: Yeah, I'm right with you on those conspicuous stitches securing the bow to the body. But that's to be expected on a hundred-dollar hat. On hats priced at more than double that, one might expect better. But, alas, one's expectations might not be realized. That bow was made and attached in a matter of seconds, I'd guess. Doing a better job of it is among those labor-intensive steps Graham Thompson of Optimo alludes to in that Business Week video featuring him and his company. Apparently, the big hat factories rarely go to the trouble because they've determined that, for them, it just doesn't pay.

 

[MattJH]

What is it about the ribbon that's turning people off?

I'm speaking out of absolute ignorance. I actually don't know.

 

[Tango Yankee]

What is it about the ribbon that's turning people off?

I'm speaking out of absolute ignorance. I actually don't know.

The stitches that hold the bow and ribbon in place are very obvious, even in that photo. I imagine that in person they'd really stand out.

It's preferred that the stitches be unobtrusive or hidden. Hidden is, of course, more difficult and labor-intensive as you need to catch the ribbon with the needle without going all the way through it. Other ways to make it unobtrusive would be to a. use a thread that matches the ribbon color, b. use very small stitches, c. use as few stitches as possible, and d. tuck the stitch up along the edge of the ribbon.

Note: These are just my ideas/opinions, not necessarily an authoritative answer.

Cheers,
Tom

 

[tonyb]

What is it about the ribbon that's turning people off?

I'm speaking out of absolute ignorance. I actually don't know.

See those big, clunky, conspicuous stitches securing the bow to the body? There's nothing particularly out of the ordinary in it, sadly. A much better way to do it is by hand, running the needle and thread UNDER the outer (visible) fold of material, or at least making much smaller stitches right at the very edge of the ribbon material, and with a thread carefully matched to the ribbon color. But this takes considerably more time and care than just about anybody other than the higher end specialty makers will put into their products.

 

[tonyb]

Tango Yankee beat me to it, Dumbjaw.

 

[Art Fawcett]

The stitches that hold the bow and ribbon in place are very obvious, even in that photo. I imagine that in person they'd really stand out.

It's preferred that the stitches be unobtrusive or hidden. Hidden is, of course, more difficult and labor-intensive as you need to catch the ribbon with the needle without going all the way through it. Other ways to make it unobtrusive would be to a. use a thread that matches the ribbon color, b. use very small stitches, c. use as few stitches as possible, and d. tuck the stitch up along the edge of the ribbon.

Note: These are just my ideas/opinions, not necessarily an authoritative answer.

Cheers,
Tom

Sounds authoritative enough for me Tom...DITTO

 

[Not-Bogart13]

Looks nice enough, Blaine, although I have to wonder how those COW guys could even tolerate a hat with that relatively low and tapered a crown.

I believe, that the photo above is slightly misleading. Based on pictures I've seen on COW, the crown's taper isn't quite so dramatic when viewed from the front. It is enjoying a very warm welcome as a budget Indy hat because it can be had through some vendors UNDER $100, and with the lame dollar the Federation isn't as attainable for some anymore.

The best part about this hat; like the Federation of old, it's only Indy if you bash that way.

 

[Marcus Brody]

Yeah it's not actually that tapered, but it's no stovepipe. Also, there is also plenty of proof that some of the Raiders hats weren't perfectly stovepipe, but rather appeared that way because of numerous factors such as turning the hat, long oval head in regular oval hat, or hidden dents as a result of crushing the hat for distressing.

The hat ain't that low either. General consensus right now is that the Raiders hat was 5.5" open crowned not 6" as previously though.

 

[kiltie]

Here's a Christys'...

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj290/safdkiltie/IMG_0295.jpg

... in an Indy style. No crown mods, and only a slight brim sanding.

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj290/safdkiltie/IMG_0312.jpg

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj290/safdkiltie/IMG_0305.jpg



Sorry 'bout the shoddy camera phone pics. The humidity vs air conditioner makes for crummy shots.

 

[MAB1]

Very nice indeed, IMO. Too bad no one is selling them stateside to save on shipping costs.

 

[David Conwill]

Kiltie, thanks for the pics. It appears the "official" pic in the original post doesn't do the hat justice. I initially was very turned off by the apparently low crown (could be the wide brim that's making it look that way) and the taper (especially in the back - do you have a pic of the back?). I could see that looking good with the brim cut down to 2.5" all the way around and bound and a diamond bash. Perhaps a wider ribbon as well, 1 3/4" perhaps.

-Dave

 

[DanielJones]

According to Aeris_Canon over at COW the Christy's Adventurer has "that thing" that makes it an excellent hat for the Raiders look and Kilties images show that. Good job!

Cheers!

Dan

 

[Two Gun Bob]

Here's a few pix of my Adventurer after I flattened the rear brim a bit using cold water and my hands. I've since ironed it flat (see 'Nazis' pic below) and am working on a 'Crystal Skull' bash at the moment, with a bit of turn up around the rear brim.

Granted this is not an Adventurebilt, it's a great hat for the money and for experimenting with! I'm going to get the grey version before long.

- TGB

Supplemental: Those Nazis didn't have a clue who they were dealing with!:

 

[Colby Jack]

There sure are a lot of "Adventurer" hats out there...
The Nazi pic looks like you were having a fun time!

 

[cybergentleman]

stitching

Kiltie's shots show a decent stitch job ...don't see the shoddy ribbon work so well. yet two gun bob's pics show the sweatband stitching underneath the ribbon.

this is common to a lot of pics of these christy hats on this forum. i can see why people prefer the akubra- i emailed christy's about this issue, but they didnt address it directly.

Does anyone know if it is possible to order a christy's adventurer with ribbon work that doesn't look like it was done half-assed?

 

[Topper]

1) The adventurer hat come in open crown as std. You have to bash it yourself or request hatter to do it for you.

This is similar to the Chrstys Homburg. Which also comes in open crown.

2) Stitching is standard, though if you want something different then can get your supplier to ask for something different for you - Christys' deal through resellers, not direct sales.

3) Yes available in 16 Colours

 

[cybergentleman]

other retailers?

1) The adventurer hat come in open crown as std. You have to bash it yourself or request hatter to do it for you.

This is similar to the Chrstys Homburg. Which also comes in open crown.

2) Stitching is standard, though if you want something different then can get your supplier to ask for something different for you - Christys' deal through resellers, not direct sales.

3) Yes available in 16 Colours

i was under the impression that hornetshats were the only retailer out there for the christy's adventurer. i have done a lot of googling only to find them. they dont want to do the ribbon any nicer; so who else sells christy's adventurer hats, AND is willing to clean it up a bit?

 

[billyspew]

i was under the impression that hornetshats were the only retailer out there for the christy's adventurer. i have done a lot of googling only to find them. they dont want to do the ribbon any nicer; so who else sells christy's adventurer hats, AND is willing to clean it up a bit?

I think yer man above at Ascots was insinuating that he is a Christys supplier...