I love the Fed IV!!

[xbeatles4x]

Guys I love the hat. I will be honest I initially wanted Tawny Fawn and found this hat on the forum for sale for less than a new tawny fawn. I figured it would be close enough. Now versus tawny fawn i can not say as I have not seen a tawny fawn in person but the color of the hat is exactly as I thought it would look like and maybe even closer to what I wanted. I did not want the dark brown because it looked too much like Indiana Jones and I thought tawny fawn would be far enough away. To be this heritage fawn looks more brown than tan and it is perfect.

It also feels great. Now I do live in miami so I will see how bearable or unbearable a fur felt hat will be in the humid sun.

I highly recommend the color.

 

[xbeatles4x]

That's just part of the packaging of the hat, BUT, it's also the same material they make the foam strips out of. The only difference between them is the foam strips have had double sided tape stuck to one side, so that you can stick them in place inside your hat. The foam strips are also cut thinner (width wise), you'd get about 3 or 4 foam strips (1cm wide each) from that one thick strip you have there if you decide to cut it.

Some people receive white foam/felt strips. I think the hatttery sends out different styles to different people, but I've bought 4 hats from them now (2 Feds, 2 campdrafts) and they've all had the foam strips I describe above.



The crown doesn't look too high to me. Its got pretty deep dents, it might feel lower if you pop those out a bit, but personally I think it looks good as it - maybe a touch more curl at the front but that's just me.

I am sorry but I am having a tough tim visualizing what the strips would look like. Could someone post a photo of them so I can cut what I have down to size to slip in the band?

 

[carranty]

As I mentioned back in post # whateveritwas, I'm seriously considering the purchase of another Fed IV, this time in Tawny Fawn. Since I live nowhere near Katoomba, I thought I'd use a little quick and dirty Photoshop sleight of hand to "try one on"

....................

The color is nothing more than a best guess based on the few photos I've seen of the Tawny Fawn in direct sunlight. I think I made it a bit more yellow than the actual color, and I know in more subdued/indoor lighting the Tawny Fawn is definitely more tan, but this was just for kicks and grins to get a rough idea of how the hat might look once perched upon my coconut.

So...judges?

Great photoshop work there zombie, looks really authentic. I'm not sure it matches the tawny fawn colour though. When I first saw it I thought for a second Akubra had started selling Feds in whisky felt. Doing a quick google image search, even indoors the tawny looks a lot more sand/tan coloured to my eye.

 

[carranty]

I am sorry but I am having a tough tim visualizing what the strips would look like. Could someone post a photo of them so I can cut what I have down to size to slip in the band?

I'm afraid I don't have any photos, but like BlackMaskPulp said, they're about 1cm wide by 45cm long, same thickness as the strip you have. The only difference being the lack of double sided tape. Most people don't use the whole 45cm though, you just use how much you need until the hat feels snug, but not too snug.

 

[BigFitz]

I am sorry but I am having a tough tim visualizing what the strips would look like. Could someone post a photo of them so I can cut what I have down to size to slip in the band?

The strip is as others described. It's one strip, white (the one sent with mine was), about a foot long and about 3/8" wide by 1/4" high. I imagine that it wasn't sent with your hat because it would be obvious if it was there.

My opinion is the hat looks good on you, not too tall at all and the color looks great. Congrats.

 

[gtdean48]

I am sorry but I am having a tough tim visualizing what the strips would look like. Could someone post a photo of them so I can cut what I have down to size to slip in the band?

Something like this but white = http://www.amazon.com/Size-Reducer-Disposable-Sweatband-Foam/dp/B00B7QIJUO

Details = http://www.hatsunlimited.com/Hat-Sizing-Tape/

 

[xbeatles4x]

Alright I just cut up that thing you guys said was for packaging. I made it exact to the dimensions you guys said. This is the result I had. It definitely fits more snug but I am not sure if it suppose to make the band look like this. Thoughts?

 

[BlackMaskPulp]

Alright I just cut up that thing you guys said was for packaging. I made it exact to the dimensions you guys said. This is the result I had. It definitely fits more snug but I am not sure if it suppose to make the band look like this. Thoughts?

Mine did that too and I didn't like it either. I realized that I only needed to put two strips of felt behind the "Made in Australia" and the Akubra insignia. Eventually the rest of the leather band smoothed itself out.

 

[carranty]

Yeah, foam tape of any kind will tend to do this I'm afraid, especially if you use a lot. I guess the more you wear it the more the foam will compress and this effect may lessen.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[gtdean48]

Since the back of my head has hair on it & doesn't "feel" the sweat like my forehead, I always pad in the rear of the hat, not the front. JMHO

 

[Zombie_61]

...fed looks great though Id like a smaller brim 2 5/8" vs 3" (not end of world)...

I think you might be confusing the Campdraft, which has a 2-7/8" brim, and the Fed IV which has a dimensional-cut brim, 2-1/2" on the sides and 2-3/4" front and back. As much as I like my Campdraft, I prefer the dimensions of the Fed IV slightly more myself.

...2) My head tapes out at 23 5/8" Im in - between a 7 1/2 and a 7 5/8...

23-5/8" converts almost exactly to 60 cm, which is a size 60 in Australia. That's my hat size as well, and I'll explain why I'm mentioning it.

I'm currently in the process of ordering a Fed IV myself. I own one in dark brown that was purchased in 2008. At that time, I was advised beforehand that the hat would be large when I received it, but would shrink to a good fit once I started wearing it; more specifically, once I started wearing and sweating in it, as the sweat would cause the leather sweatband to shrink and conform to my head shape. But that was five years ago, and I've read several posts here on The Fedora Lounge that stated the Fed IV actually runs a little on the small side now, and advised ordering a size larger than one would normally wear. I contacted Hats Direct for their advice since they sell the hat and must surely deal with this issue on a regular basis, and was informed the Fed IV does indeed run .5 cm small--essentially half a size. I'm waiting for a response from them after further communication, so I'll let you know what the final outcome is. Edit: See post #1253 for the follow-up.

Of course, the shape of your head (i.e., regular oval, long oval, wide oval) can also affect how hats fit you. I have a wide oval head, so if yours is a long oval we might not wear the same size.

...Looks like to me you've captured it. Suits you.

Thank you. I wasn't sure if I'd like it, and since "a picture is worth 1,000 words" I thought I'd give it a try.

Guys I love the hat. I will be honest I initially wanted Tawny Fawn and found this hat on the forum for sale for less than a new tawny fawn. I figured it would be close enough. Now versus tawny fawn i can not say as I have not seen a tawny fawn in person but the color of the hat is exactly as I thought it would look like and maybe even closer to what I wanted...To be this heritage fawn looks more brown than tan and it is perfect...

As I mentioned above, I'm currently in the process of ordering another Fed IV, this time in Tawny Fawn. Based on the number of photos I've examined and posts made by members here, I'd say the difference between the Tawny Fawn and the Heritage Fawn is so slight that it's almost not worth mentioning.

Great photoshop work there zombie, looks really authentic. I'm not sure it matches the tawny fawn colour though. When I first saw it I thought for a second Akubra had started selling Feds in whisky felt. Doing a quick google image search, even indoors the tawny looks a lot more sand/tan coloured to my eye.

Like almost every other hat seen on this forum, photographing the Tawny Fawn color accurately is difficult because it changes considerably depending on the lighting conditions. Indoors, in more subdued lighting, it's definitely more of a sand/tan color as you described. But in the few photos I found of the Tawny Fawn in direct sunlight it takes on a much warmer hue similar to the Whiskey you also mentioned. Since the photo I edited was taken in direct sunlight, that was the color I was aiming for. I'm sure my "colorization" isn't accurate; it's probably not even close. But it did give me a fairly good idea of how a lighter-colored hat with a darker ribbon would look on me, so it served it's purpose.

By the way, if Akubra ever does make the Fed IV in Whiskey, I'll sell a kidney to get one if I have to.

 

[xbeatles4x]

Interesting you mention size. When I measured I think I was around 23 and 1/4 or 59.3cm. I ended up with a size 60 fed 4 and with a few pieces of foam it fits great. I just need it to shrink a little to be perfect.

 

[Zombie_61]

Interesting you mention size. When I measured I think I was around 23 and 1/4 or 59.3cm. I ended up with a size 60 fed 4 and with a few pieces of foam it fits great. I just need it to shrink a little to be perfect.

Wear it. More specifically, wear it and sweat in it. Assuming the previous owner didn't wear it enough to shrink it down to it's absolute minimum diameter, it should fit nicely in less than a week without the foam padding.

Speaking of size and measurements, out of curiosity I measured the inner diameters of the sweatbands on my Fed IV and my Campdraft. Twice. After three weeks of wear the Campdraft measures 58.5 cm, and after five years of wear the Fed IV measures 59.4 cm. I haven't received a response to my second e-mail to Hats Direct, but in her response to my first e-mail Trudi wrote, "You know they shrink a little and take on your unique head shape - I would still probably recommend ordering a size 60." Taking all of this into consideration, I've followed her advice and ordered a size 60; we'll see what happens. ray:

 

[carranty]

By the way, if Akubra ever does make the Fed IV in Whiskey, I'll sell a kidney to get one if I have to.

You and me both!

I didn't realise the tawny looked so much warmer in sunlight, you're making me reconsider my upcoming moonstone purchase.....

By the way, how do you go about measuring the circumference of your actual hat? I've tried doing this, but can't get an accurate measurement. I keep dropping the tape inside the hat, or it slips against the sweatband and I have to start again etc. Is there a trick to it?

 

[Zombie_61]

...I didn't realise the tawny looked so much warmer in sunlight, you're making me reconsider my upcoming moonstone purchase.....

This is one of the photos I found online, showing a Tawny Fawn Fed IV basking in the sun in all of it's golden goodness:

The notes accompanying this photo stated only that it was a Tawny Fawn Fed IV. But another photo I found of a different Fed IV had a note that stated the color was accurate, and the color of the hat in that photo was almost identical to this one. This is probably as close as I'll ever get to owning a Whiskey-colored hat, so I'm hoping they're right.

Considering the colors of the clothes I wear on a regular basis I probably should have gotten one in Moonstone or Carbon Grey. lol But for whatever reason right now I'm diggin' on the brown and tan hats, so I followed my gut. [huh] And in my twisted logic, since my brown hats don't match anything I normally wear, they match everything I normally wear.

By the way, how do you go about measuring the circumference of your actual hat? I've tried doing this, but can't get an accurate measurement. I keep dropping the tape inside the hat, or it slips against the sweatband and I have to start again etc. Is there a trick to it?

I don't know if there's a "proper" way to do it, but I used the seam at the back of the sweatband (where the ends meet) as a starting point. I placed the end of a tailor's tape on the seam and s-l-o-w-l-y made my way around the inside of the hat, making sure to hold the tape flat against the sweatband until I reached the seam again. I did this twice with each hat, and since I arrived at the same measurement both times with each hat I assume it's reasonably accurate give or take a millimeter or two; certainly close enough for my purpose.

 

[ManofKent]

Zombie_61 - that photo is pretty accurate. The warmth of the colour comes out in sunshine - it looks a lot more neutral in shade. Personally I really like the colour.

 

[Zombie_61]

Zombie_61 - that photo is pretty accurate. The warmth of the colour comes out in sunshine - it looks a lot more neutral in shade. Personally I really like the colour.

I was hoping you would comment on this issue, particularly since your photos of you wearing your Tawny Fawn Fed IV out and about were what drew my attention to the color more than anything else. Now I'm really looking forward to receiving and wearing my new hat...I just hope it fits. lol

By the way, I saw the photo of you wearing your Moonstone Fed IV in your most recent post on the "What Hat Are You Wearing Today?" thread and, I must say, I'm constantly astounded by how well the dimensions of the Fed IV suit you; it's almost as though Akubra designed the hat with you in mind. Mind you, I can't recall ever seeing any of your photos and thinking, "That hat's not quite right for him," but in my opinion your Fed IV's top them all. :yo:

 

[ManofKent]

Thanks. I liked the Tawny so much I had to get the Moonstone and Brown. If I wasn't waiting on a steel Squatter, I d be ordering a Carbon grey too

 

[nigeloscar]

Thanks. I liked the Tawny so much I had to get the Moonstone and Brown. If I wasn't waiting on a steel Squatter, I d be ordering a Carbon grey too

I'd order the grey to be safe too ... I love my grey one!!

 

[Crazy Dave]

Back from holiday and have been wearing my brow Fed IV a lot. Haven't noticed any shrinking, but it feels better and better on my head. My grey one, which stayed at home and which was a tad bigger than the brown now for some reason feels too tight with the foam added, so I took most of it out. I've continued the bashing for a more pronounced look. Piccie of the latest additions to the family:

Babycart Jones.