Fed IV a little too big, fine with foam...advice?

[FurFeltFedora]

I'm hoping the knowledgeable users of this forum can help me with a little hat dilemma. BTW, this is my first post, long time lurker

I just got my first Akukra today - a Fed IV. I'm normally about a 59 (7 3/8 LO) and on the advice of Jenny at Hats Direct I ordered my Fed IV in a 60. When I put the hat on I can stuff my ears up it's so loose, so I figured I would have to send it back for a 59. However, I thought I'd better just try the adjusting foam first so I placed it under the sweatband (just tucked there, I didn't use the adhesive back in case I did return it) and found that it fits fine - a little tight if anything.

So, the $64,000 question is should I send it back for a 59 (60 being too big without the foam) or keep it (60 being just a little tight with the foam - I suspect with a little wear the foam will compress to fit me just right).

Oh wise ones, give me your sage advice

Thanks in advance.

 

[johnnycanuck]

Keep it. The sweat band will shrink with regular use. When it does, you can remove some of the foam if you want a looser fit. I have a 7 3/8" LO hat size. My first Akubra was a 59 and over time it shrank to the point it was almost uncomfortable. All Akubra's since then have been a 60 and have fit like you describe right out the box but. Some foam and one or two days wearing it around the house should have it fitting fine.
Johnny

Photo's?

 

[gtdean48]

You can speed up the process by wetting the sweatband & drying it rapidly. Also, wet the felt around the sweatband as it will draw in some as well. I usually flip the sweatband down & spray the backside with distilled water, getting it good & wet. I then spray the bottom of the crown along the brim. Some folks will stick it in a car on a sunny day as long as it doesn't sit in direct sunlight. Some folks use a hair dryer. I usually just put in on my head & let body heat help it dry. Good luck.

 

[FurFeltFedora]

Thanks for the advice so far, I believe I will keep the 60 and use the foam. I've got another Akubra (a Traveller) coming too and that one is a 59 so although the Traveller has an elastic sweatband, it will give me some idea on the correct size from Akubra - there are many more hats to buy

What about using the foam? Would you suggest running it the whole way round and allowing it to conform to my head? Or should I put it in in sections? A front, back, left and right strip? In theory that might provide me greater control over fit, but I suspect that being foam it won't really make a difference.

 

[gtdean48]

Since you say you are a long oval, I'd think the front & back may match up before the sides. Having foam in sections would help you to remove front & back & leave the sides in. I often have hats that only fit front & back & use felt spacer until the sides come in. HTH...

 

[FurFeltFedora]

gtdean48 - I would say you are right. I did some sample tests with strips and sides or sides and back work fine so I think I'll start with strips on the sides and then add as I need.

BTW - if anyone didn't already know the foam supplied with the Akubra hats is just open cell foam insulation available at most hardware stores (I happened to have some on the table next to me to compare from a home project).

 

[J.T.Marcus]

You can also speed up the process by simply leaving the hat on the seat of a closed car, for a few hours, on a hot day.

 

[Goose.]

First of all, welcome

I have a couple of Akubra hats. Wear a size 60.

You didn't mention if you have a Fed IV Standard or Deluxe.
My Deluxe (Heritage) hats, I order to my size...60. They still fit great. No apparent shrinkage yet in felt sweatband (knock on wood).

Other Akubra (Imperial) hats, I have ordered size 61 due to shrinkage and use a portion of the foam to have them fit a bit better. Amount of foam varies...for example, on my C.E.O., I use a half of strip...on my Bogart hats, about four inches of foam.

The two centavo answer from me for your $64K question: I would hang on to it.

About the felt, and not the sweatband, but what the heck...From the Hats Direct site:
The Heritage Quality
... It is more stable over time and less prone to shrinkage and distortions such as the tapering of the crown.
http://hatsdirect.com/federation/felt.html

 

[scottyrocks]

Like the OP, I am a 7 3/8, 59 LO, exactly 23" around. I ordered my Fed IV true to size. When I got it, it fit front to back, but was a little loose on the sides. I put some of the foam in it, a little more than I thought I would end up with, and then eliminating a 1/2" at a time as I felt pressure points over the first couple of weeks I wore it.

I now have it, I dont know, a month (?), it still has some foam in the sides, and it feels perfect.

Just my .16 bit.

 

[FurFeltFedora]

Thanks Goose and I did hang on to it. In fact I spent the evening bashing my first hat. After bashing I found the fit to be much better. Before bashing I had 4 sections of foam in (front, back, left right). After bashing the front had to go ASAP and the back just went too leaving only the sides.

It's a Standard Fed, not the Deluxe (not yet) and I think for future Akubra orders (another Fed in black and a Fedora in carbon) I'll go with the 60 and use foam as needed. Picture below - it's my first bash so be gentle. I went with a high crown (4 3/4 on the sides) a slight slope at the back (4 1/2) a sharp crease in the front and hopefully a fairly obvious teardrop crease.

 

[carter]

Nice job on the initial crease, FFF. Give it a bit of time and that Akubra will fit like a glove. I have 7 and they all started out a tad large. Now they all fit fine without the sizing strips.

 

[FurFeltFedora]

FFF I never thought of that when I picked my tag. It's gonna haunt me I can tell.

Thanks for the kind words on the crease. I'm still tweaking it but I know the hat needs to be worn for a while before finalize anything.

I'm looking at another Fed IV and a Fedora both in either black or carbon grey with a Traveller already on it's way. Did I mention I want a Campdraft too? This place is worse than a crack house

 

[carter]

Now gaze into the crystal ball...

With your coloring, I see a Tawny Fawn Campdraft in your future.

FFF I never thought of that when I picked my tag. It's gonna haunt me I can tell.

Thanks for the kind words on the crease. I'm still tweaking it but I know the hat needs to be worn for a while before finalize anything.

I'm looking at another Fed IV and a Fedora both in either black or carbon grey with a Traveller already on it's way. Did I mention I want a Campdraft too? This place is worse than a crack house

 

[Dewhurst]

Keep it. Wear it in while you keep sizing strips in place.

Decent hats are like decent shoes, once you break them in they feel really good. Also, since you are a LO, you definitely don't want to get a very close fitting SO that you have to stretch. Stretching a felt hat is just no fun at all.

 

[Belegnole]

FFF I never thought of that when I picked my tag. It's gonna haunt me I can tell.

Thanks for the kind words on the crease. I'm still tweaking it but I know the hat needs to be worn for a while before finalize anything.

I'm looking at another Fed IV and a Fedora both in either black or carbon grey with a Traveller already on it's way. Did I mention I want a Campdraft too? This place is worse than a crack house

FFF, it's looking great! I have a deluxe in moonstone and like you plan on getting another .....and yes many of us will shorten your name, at least it's not KKK....lol

 

[jazzncocktails]

Thanks Goose and I did hang on to it. In fact I spent the evening bashing my first hat. After bashing I found the fit to be much better. Before bashing I had 4 sections of foam in (front, back, left right). After bashing the front had to go ASAP and the back just went too leaving only the sides.

It's a Standard Fed, not the Deluxe (not yet) and I think for future Akubra orders (another Fed in black and a Fedora in carbon) I'll go with the 60 and use foam as needed. Picture below - it's my first bash so be gentle. I went with a high crown (4 3/4 on the sides) a slight slope at the back (4 1/2) a sharp crease in the front and hopefully a fairly obvious teardrop crease.

Great job with that bash, FurFeltFedora. My Fed IV std was a bit big, too, so the foam went in under the hatband. Wearing it around, I slowly discovered it getting snugger and snugger as it conformed and shrunk to my head. Now there's only a little piece of foam in the back and it fits like a glove. Wear it around and you'll likely find this happening for you, too. Welcome!

 

[Chinaski]

Nice Fed IV, Triple F, and an excellent first bash! I'd be interested in what you think of the Traveller when it arrives. I've looked at it and it's got quite a wide brim - neat looking hat!

A question for the group: So are all of you saying hats shrink? They don't expand? Is this the felt shrinking or the sweat?

I have an Akubra Lawson (Heritage) that I ordered in size 58. I would say I'm between a 7 1/8 and 7 1/4 and definitely LO. When I initially got the Lawson, I could stick my index fingers up into the hat on the sides, and it was perfect front to back. Now I can't stick my index fingers up into the hat at the sides, and it feels a tad snug front to back. It seems it has tightened up. There's still enough room side-to-side I can push in the sides and the hat relaxes front to back. What's the best way to stretch front-to-back to relieve the snug fit?

 

[Dewhurst]

Chinaski, felt hats, along with many other hats made from many types of materials, due tend to shrink up over time. Usually it is just contraction in the sweatband, if you notice it rather quickly, but the felt will usually shrink down a bit eventually.

To relieve pressure front and back, just buy a hat jack or hat stretcher (you can get them at local western stores, or most any hat shop online). It will come with directions on how to use it. Others will provide advice on size of stretcher and any of their personal experiences. I am a standard oval, so I have no actual experience with stretching for a long oval head shape.

 

[Goose.]

FWIW FFF (couldn't resist), great job on that FIV. Looks fantastic. Nice pics. You'll be glad you kept that hat...looks like it's gonna shape to you just fine.

My two FIVD hats have settled into a "perfect" fit for my not so perfect head with no shrinkage. This week I hope to receive my Standard...which, not being a Heritage, I ordered a size larger. So that's gonna be interesting, at least to me, to see how it compares overall.

You got a lot of smart gents giving you some great advice, so enjoy

And, a point made by Dewhurst that I think is worth repeating, get a hatjack. I do not use them (have a 1" and a 3") for stretching, but to maintain. After a hot day where the brim gets sweaty, I pop the lid in the gizmo and put just enough tension to keep it where it was when I took it off. This, to me, keeps the sweatband in form to how it was on my head (with the intent of minimizing shrinkage).

Well, thanks for the pics and update! Post a profile pic of the lid if you can. I like to see that view to get a perspective of the crown rake and brim curl.

 

[FurFeltFedora]

Goose I'll get a side shot done up tonight when I'm back home and set it as a profile pic.

As for stretchers I've got them all over the place. I used to be a furniture maker in a past life and so I got a loan of a Hat Jack, copied it and I've made about a half dozen since then including a couple contoured to my head. The problem I've found is that on my other hats ( a Robert Hall from Montreal and a DP Indy - please no snide remarks it was my first hat and I didn't now, at least it was the fur felt one) I could stretch them out, but they always seemed to shrink back a little. I think that's why I was willing to try this Fed IV a little large and take my chances with the foam.

And given the possibilities, I'll take FFF as my name just fine - I've been called worse