I want an Akubra but need some advice

[BJC]

Hello all,
I am looking to get my first nice hat before heading to Africa in August. I really like the Akubra Country line, but am having a hard time finding one that looks good on me. I tried my father-in-laws Cattleman last night - it looks great on him, but not on me. The hat appears to "swamp" my face.
I've read the "suggested style" chart regarding which hat styles fit certain faces better. Unfortunately, my face is a mixture. I have a long, "slenderish" face with a long nose and big ears that stick out. Any advice on a style that might work well would be greatly appreciated! Also, one quick question - can I re-bash a pre-creased hat to adjust the height of the crown?

Thanks in advance for the help,
BJC

 

[Spats McGee]

Welcome to the Lounge, BJC!

Unfortunately, I don't have the answer to your questions on style, but I suspect that if you post a picture of yourself, someone around here can help you out.

As for re-bashing a pre-creased hat, well, I've only done it a few times, but it worked pretty well. If the crease has been in the hat a long time, the hat may continue to show where the old crease was, but a good cleaning might take care of that. However, there are guys around here who are much more knowledgeable than I when it comes to that.

 

[Doctor Strange]

Sometimes it's the brim that's too big, rather than the crown or the overall hat.

You might want to stick to the smaller brims, for example, the 2.75-inch/70mm on the Stockman. That 3.25-inch/83mm brim on the Cattleman can be overwhelming.

I've got one of each, but I'm far more comfortable in the Stockman than the Cattleman. (I only wear the Cattleman in the summer when I need serious sun protection.)

 

[johnnycanuck]

Have a look at these

Coober Pedy Hat
http://everythingaustralian.com.au/shopexd.asp?id=7

Coolabah Hat
http://everythingaustralian.com.au/shopexd.asp?id=8

Drop the name with "Akubra" in front of it into Google and you should come up with a few pictues of people waeing them. Maybe Flickr as well.

Johnny

 

[daizawaguy]

The `safari` is very `africa`. But that brim is so wide. If, like me, you are partial only to smaller brims, the hampton is the only akubra that suits me, but its not very `africa`. Why not try a non-felt - see hatsdirect for their range of non felts - ironically I think they have narrower brims than the felts...

 

[Rick Blaine]

Always worthy of re-posting (maybe it ought to be a sticky?)

Enjoy Africa, ya' lucky b@stard! Take a good camera... biggest skies you'll ever see.
Bon voyage! :cheers1:

 

[danofarlington]

I think the sticky is a good idea. Some people come to this forum for basic information, and many could benefit from it. I think listing basics is helpful.

 

[1961MJS]

Hi

I wear one of these regularly:

http://onlinemilitaria.net/shopexd.asp?id=987&bc=no

It's the less expensive Bush Hat from What Price Glory. It's good wool felt, you can bash, trash, and re-bash until you're happy. It looks safari, but not "snotty" like you spent too much on it. I've had mine for two or three years, and sweat through it regularly.

Later

 

[BJC]

UPDATE on hat search

Thanks for all the input on the hat. Today, I had an opportunity to try on a few different hats to get an idea of what might work. The first hat I tried on, a Tilley Airflo, provided some very important information for my hat search.

The whole time I've been looking online, I've been thinking it was the crown that was the problem - I needed to find a short crown. Well, when I tried on the Tilley with its 2.75" brim it looked pretty good. In fact, I liked the way the hat looked a lot. So, I measured the brim and crown, and came home to check the Akubra offerings. Lo and behold, there is the Akubra Stockman with a brim measurment of 2.75" and a crown just a tad taller than the Tilley had.

I'm liking the looks of this one, especially with the black/brown horsehair hat band from Noggintops. Anyone have any experience with this hat in particular? What about the hat band? Also, the website shows the Stockman have an upward curve to the brim - this can be flattened, right?

Thanks again for the help and any further information.

BJC

 

[swisslet]

I'm just back from a trip to south Africa / Namibia / Botswana / Zambia, and I wore my akubra federation iv deluxe Fedora (from hatsdirect) all the way, and it was brilliant. It has a pretty high crown and a "stovepipe" look to it, but the brim and crown are actually pretty much the same as my tilley TH5 when I compare them side by side.

One thing's for sure: next to all the other people wearing floppy sunhats and baseball caps, you are definitely going to be the snappiest dresser around in an akubra! (the hatsdirect service, by the way, is second to none - ask them a question and they'll be most helpful!)

 

[swisslet]

Incidentally, I have a long, thin face and a prominent hooter as well. In addition, I'm six foot five, so in a hat I tend to stand out a mile! Luckily, i'm told I have a head for hats. I hope that's not the same as a face for radio!)

 

[Doctor Strange]

I definitely dig my Stockman... it's an outstanding hat! I really like that it looks sort of like an outback/fedora hybrid from some angles.

Mine was a special order for the Glen Grey color, but it has the standard woven-leather band on models from Australian dealers. Akubra's rabbit fur felt is very tough - I've now worn it through three or four years of cool-weather hiking, and despite rain, sweat, branches, briars, etc., it looks practically new. (It actually was new in the picture below.)

But I find the Stockman to be too hot in the intense sun with awful humidity that our summers here feature. (It's probably fine in dry heat, but we don't get that!) During the summer, I pull out my Cattleman, as the light color ("Sand"), lack of a liner, and six ventilation holes make it WAY more comfortable.

But yes, it's a huge hat... it's too big to wear comfortably in this part of the world, though it wouldn't stand out in cowboy country. (I mostly wear it in the woods; if I'm going to be in civilization, I wear my Panama hat.)

But anyway, I think the Stockman is a great choice... which is why I mentioned it earlier in this thread!

ADDENDUM: I just noticed that asked about flattening the brim. I have to warn you that the Stockman is the least flexible of my four Akubra hats: it is permanently shaped, like a cowboy hat. You probably could reshape it with effort, but it WON'T be a simple operation - you'll have to soak it for a long time to get the siffener out of the felt... Honestly, I would only get the Stockman if you like its preshaped look. Otherwise, look to open crown Akubras like the Campdraft that are designed to be shaped as you desire.

 

[1961MJS]

Hi

Your addendum kind of begged a question to those of us who sometimes re-shape hats:

"ADDENDUM: I just noticed that asked about flattening the brim. I have to warn you that the Stockman is the least flexible of my four Akubra hats: it is permanently shaped, like a cowboy hat. You probably could reshape it with effort, but it WON'T be a simple operation - you'll have to soak it for a long time to get the siffener out of the felt... Honestly, I would only get the Stockman if you like its preshaped look. Otherwise, look to open crown Akubras like the Campdraft that are designed to be shaped as you desire."

What's the stiffener made out of, and can you buy some and put it "back in" after you re-shape the hat? I might be inspired to buy some and buy a blank from one of the civil war sutlers.

Thanks

 

[Doctor Strange]

I only know from hanging around here, but I believe hat stiffener is a shellac-like compound in powder form that's added to felt blanks before they are shaped/blocked, and activated by heat (i.e., steam). Once it cools, the shape is set. Submerging and soaking a hat can sometimes get most of the stiffener out.

I seem to recall that it can be purchased from hat-supply places. I'm sure some of the real hands-on enthusiasts, and custom hatters, here can provide more detail. (In the meantime, a Google search for "stiffener" here in the FL would be a good start.)

 

[1961MJS]

Hi

I'm at work, so I'm NOT searching for "stiffener" until I get home.

In Wichita, the big Cardboard box manufacturer is owned by the Love family. I needed to get some cardboard for back stops for BB-Gun Classes, so I BRAVELY searched for Love Box Company at work.

I got the cardboard and I still work here too.

 

[carldelo]

What's the stiffener made out of, and can you buy some and put it "back in" after you re-shape the hat? I might be inspired to buy some and buy a blank from one of the civil war sutlers.

Thanks

Scout felt hat stiffener, about 2/3 of the way down the page here:
http://www.wardrobesupplies.com/store/m2_mjsupp.html

and Noggintops has it too (and many others too, I'm sure):
http://www.noggintops.com/page.cfm?p=88

 

[Rick Blaine]

getting stiffner OUT of hats

fftopic:

I have had very little luck with this & I have used denatured alcohol,white gas, you name it. [huh]