Questions about the Akubra Snowy River

[Doc Glockster]

I've been tempted to order one of these for some time now, but due to budget concerns I settled for a Stetson Hutchins, which has been a good hat but I'm sure the Akubra Snowy River is better.

Some questions for you Snowy River owners:

1. Does the hat tend to ride a little uncomfortably high on the head compared to an American cowboy hat? Some pics and reviews I've seen on the net make me suspicious this is the case.

2. How stiff is the brim? I owned an Akubra Angler and thought it was a little soft for my tastes. In retrospect I probably could have lived with it but I'm used to American hat brim stiffness that makes a definite 'thump' when you pluck it.

3. If I decide to replace the hat band, is the Akubra hat band removable with reasonable care, or will it ruin the hat to try to remove it?

4. Is the hat more or less better used as a "winter" hat, or is it cool enough and lightweight enough to wear in the hot desert summer sun?

Thanks for any replies.

Feel free to interject other comments if you think of something I did not ask.

 

[pbekkerh]

1. No, mine sits where it should, a slight push will even push it down so my head touches the top.
2. I think its very stiff, I've formed it with steam, and it stays in shape. I don't know about the "thump" as I don't have any "thump" cowboy hats
3. There are only 4 single stitches around the hat, easily cut.
4. Dunno, I've only had it 1 month.

 

[johnnycanuck]

1. If you are used to synching your hat down to your ears then it does sit high. Mine goes to about 1cm above the ears when pulled all the way down. I don’t find it uncomfortable though. But that’s just me.
2. The SnowyRiver is not as stiff as most American made cowboy hats but brand new it is still very stiff. It will soften up over time, mine was worn daily for three years and still holds its shape very well. Brim doesn’t move in a stiff Alberta wind. I flicked mine today and it still makes a thump noise.
3. The band is tack stitched on so pop the stitches and remove the band
4. Depends on yourself. I wore mine daily for three years solid. I would sweat threw the felt on hot summer days mowing the lawn but I overheat very easily. A casual summer walk I didn’t get too overheated.
Hope that helps.
Johnny

 

[Doc Glockster]

Thanks for the replies. I think you guys answered my questions. My alternate choice was the Stetson Seneca.

I'm not 100% satisfied with Stetson: I've gotten Stetsons that were "lopsided" so the crown was canted under the brim (meaning they never look quite symmetrical on my head). So I'm ready to try another Akubra since the Angler I used to own was largely issue-free as far as quality control.

 

[H Weinstein]

I don't have a Snowy River (I was tempted, but the crown seemed a little low for me). But I do have 11 Akubras (10 western, 1 fedora) and all fit well (allowing for small variations in off-the-rack sizing).

I've replaced the hatbands/ribbons on all of mine, and found them easy to remove with a little careful snipping of stitches holding them in place.

Depending on your climate and activities, a fur felt hat might generally be a little warm-ish for summer wear.
I tend to switch to straw for summer, though I've worn western Akubras on 2 trips to Arizona when the temps ranged from 60-85. Even in the dry AZ climate, my head was probably warmer than I'd prefer on the hottest days.

 

[Doc Glockster]

Depending on your climate and activities, a fur felt hat might generally be a little warm-ish for summer wear.
I tend to switch to straw for summer, though I've worn western Akubras on 2 trips to Arizona when the temps ranged from 60-85. Even in the dry AZ climate, my head was probably warmer than I'd prefer on the hottest days.

Good to know. I wear the Jaxon safari hat from Village Hat Shop in the summer. It's about the lightest weight hat you can wear that still holds up in rain and wind, etc.

I was curious about the Akubra Snowy River's suitability for summer because I've read some blog posts where people have worn it during hiking trips and whatnot. I also like to always keep in mind 'what if' I could only have one hat year-round.

 

[johnnycanuck]

The one thing I find a bit annoying about the SnowyRiver (As well as the Down Under and the Croc for that matter) is the brims back shoots straight back so it hits my trucks headrest. So I have to remove it when driving or lean forward. I also have the Cattleman and the Coolabah that have curved brims so they don't hit the headrest. Just something to consider.
Johnny

 

[Doc Glockster]

The one thing I find a bit annoying about the SnowyRiver (As well as the Down Under and the Croc for that matter) is the brims back shoots straight back so it hits my trucks headrest. So I have to remove it when driving or lean forward. I also have the Cattleman and the Coolabah that have curved brims so they don't hit the headrest. Just something to consider.
Johnny

That's an interesting observation. Looking at the 360-degree pics on David Morgan's website you wouldn't think there would be that much difference.

How is the stiffness of the Cattleman brim?

The fit of the crown looks like it would be the same as the Snowy River. Is it?

I like the idea of the cooling holes in the sides of the Cattleman. Out here in the desert we don't have much of a winter so I would need it for warmer weather most of the year.

 

[Doctor Strange]

That's why I have both a Stockman - the Snowy River with a shorter brim - and a Cattleman. The Stockman is Glen Grey (i.e. dark) and lined... and I wear it in cool conditions. The Cattleman is Sand (i.e., light), unlined, and has those ventilation grommets... and I wear it in warm conditions.

Neither hat is quite as stiff as my Resistol western hat, but they have retained their shapes perfectly through eight years of frequent wear. The only Akubra hat I have that's actually soft is my Stylemaster. (I also have a Federation III I got way back in 2002 that wasn't ever soft, and remains nearly as stiff as the two outback hats, despite lots of wear through rain and snow. Also, its sweatband never shrank enough despite lots of wear; it's my only Akubra that still has some foam padding under the sweatband. All four hats are the same size, 57.)

 

[Brother cavefish]

for me the crown hits my hair but not uncomfortable , above my ears around a 1/2 cm, i love the hats , but do wish the crown was higher, the felt is very nice and strong ,a good work hat, older ones i think have thicker leather sweatbands, but never the less it is nice leather, personally you can get a nice one on Ebay, for half the cost, snowys move around.
Snowys shape come from the factory round and most people don't know how to shape a hat for their head so they sell them, for me i fully wet the outside and shape it to my head and it fits great

 

[Doc Glockster]

for me the crown hits my hair but not uncomfortable , above my ears around a 1/2 cm, i love the hats , but do wish the crown was higher, the felt is very nice and strong ,a good work hat, older ones i think have thicker leather sweatbands, but never the less it is nice leather, personally you can get a nice one on Ebay, for half the cost, snowys move around.
Snowys shape come from the factory round and most people don't know how to shape a hat for their head so they sell them, for me i fully wet the outside and shape it to my head and it fits great

For my Akubra Angler, I just ordered what I considered a "size up" and let the hat get sweaty and shrink to my head. I'm one of those people who can get by with two hat sizes.

I'm a "long oval" in 7 1/4, but I can wear a round 7 3/8 without the hat feeling too big.

I ordered my Angler in 7 3/8 and after it got used a couple of times it had shrunk to conform to my head perfectly. That's what I like about Akubras: I didn't need to take the hat stretcher or the felt shims to my Angler; it just sorta fitted itself to my head after a wearing or two.

If I buy from a custom hat maker and I can specify that my head is "long oval", then I always order 7 1/4. Upsizing to 7 3/8 for a hat that is not made "long oval" usually lets the hat conform to my head as it shrinks and wears in.

I like a hat to fit just above my eyebrows. I noticed my Stetson Hutchins in 7 1/4 fits above my ears by a half inch or so, and I reshaped the crown to a pinch-front telescope instead of the tycoon crease that it came with, so my Stetson is halfway to being a Snowy River anyway!

What I DO NOT like is for the brim to look floppy and distorted, and that's why I've stuck to hats with a stiff brim.

I've seen some pics of people wearing Snowy Rivers and other Akubras and the brim is distorted on one side like the hat is crooked on the person's head and the brim isn't stiff enough to not distort. That's just my speculation.

That makes me consider the Akubra Stockman because of the shorter brim, but I also want the brim wide enough to keep the sun off.

Maybe I should just get the Stetson Seneca and be prepared to send it back if it comes "lopsided."

 

[johnnycanuck]

As said before the stiffness of an Akubra does not compare to the stiffness of a American western hat. I have a Snowy River I bought brand new and a cattleman I bought off eBay. My cattleman is softer then the Snowy river but I don’t know if that’s because the cattleman is potentially older. As for losing its shape it is because people don’t care. If you keep your hat on a stand or place it on its crown when not wearing it, it will keep its shape. These are people that throw the hat down all willy nilly wherever they please. So the brim get all distorted.


The cattleman crown is a bit taller and more square then the Snowy River. It can be snugged down to your ears if you wanted to. I think the extra room allows for more air flow.

Comparing the two hats. The Cattleman has better sun protection with the flat brim. The Cattleman has a larger crown, It can sit lower on your head then the Snowy River. I think the felt is thinner as well. All the Akubra hats I have seen with bound brims (Cattleman, Military, Coober Pedy) I think have thinner felt. The Cattleman also keeps its original shape, it looks just about the same as it did when I bought the thing. I think it may have something to do with the brim binding. The Snowy River has “relaxed” over the years. Brim has changed its shape from the factory. You can manipulate its shape then it gets wet. I have flattened the brim out and re curled it a few times over depending on my mood after a walk in the rain.

Johnny

 

[Doc Glockster]

The cattleman crown is a bit taller and more square then the Snowy River. It can be snugged down to your ears if you wanted to. I think the extra room allows for more air flow.

A lot of people, myself included, tend to "size up" slightly on an Akubra since they tend to shrink after a few wearings, especially if you get them sweaty.

I've read a couple of reviews around the net where people complained about the size of the Snowy River being a tad too large and the short crown doesn't allow it to snug down enough to fit right until it shrinks.

I've had the identical problem with my Stetson Hutchins hats: the felt is so stiff that you can't really snug the tycoon crown low enough to really wear it properly until you get it sweaty and it shrinks a tad. In other words, my first few wearings of the Hutchins involved the hat sitting on top of my head with way too much looseness until it shrank. I actually had to wet the crown and deliberately force it to snug down to get it to fit properly.

Will I have to do the same with a Snowy River?

As I said in another post, I had an Akubra Angler that felt too big until it shrank, but the crown was tall enough to not require me to wet it and force it down.

With that in mind, would I be happier with a Cattleman or other Akubra?

I've been tempted to order the green military slouch hat instead of the Snowy River.

 

[Jerm]

Im wanting my first akubra. Im down to the snowy river or the cattleman. I prefer the snowy river but it looks better with the brim flat, like the vintage ones I'm seeing. How hard is it to flatten the brim on one?

 

[Jerm]

Id like it to look this way

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Id like it to look this way

It’s very simple to iron a brim flat. Of the two you’re looking at I only have the cattleman. For me, the crown is too low and too tapered, but the felt is easy to work with.

 

[johnnycanuck]

Im wanting my first akubra. Im down to the snowy river or the cattleman. I prefer the snowy river but it looks better with the brim flat, like the vintage ones I'm seeing. How hard is it to flatten the brim on one?

I have one. Brand new the brim was quite stiff and the sides were darn near vertical. Wearing it every day helped break the stiffener down and working the brim every time I wore it in the rain helped flatten it out. Not sure about forcing it flat from brand new. Older hats (second hand) I have soaked with cold water then flattened the brim on a flat surface. But never a new hat. If you want to give it time you can achieve this look in a few months. Especially in the rainy season.
Johnny

 

[Jerm]

I have one. Brand new the brim was quite stiff and the sides were darn near vertical. Wearing it every day helped break the stiffener down and working the brim every time I wore it in the rain helped flatten it out. Not sure about forcing it flat from brand new. Older hats (second hand) I have soaked with cold water then flattened the brim on a flat surface. But never a new hat. If you want to give it time you can achieve this look in a few months. Especially in the rainy season.
Johnny

Yea they are straight up and down on the sides. I think I'll just get a used vintage one thats already been broken in

 

[Lean'n'mean]

Im wanting my first akubra. Im down to the snowy river or the cattleman. I prefer the snowy river but it looks better with the brim flat, like the vintage ones I'm seeing. How hard is it to flatten the brim on one?

It's pretty easy to flatten a brim. You can steam iron it flat but always put a piece of cloth between the iron & the felt or you can do it do it with steam. Simply hit a section of the brim with steam & then flatten it with your hand on a hard flat surface until it cools, working your way around the brim. You may need to go around a few times if you want it perfectly flat. You can also soak the brim, flatten it & then let it dry on a flat surface, some use weights such as books to keep it flat while it dries.
One word of caution, if the hat fits perfectly or is a little tight, flattening the brim may reduce the head size a little so it is advisable to keep something like a hat stretcher in while you're doing it. I've always found Akubra's outback hats very cooperative when it comes to shaping them.

 

[Edward]

I've never owned a Snowy River, but I have bought another 'Western' from Akubra - the Campdraft Deluxe. I completely reshaped the brim from new as part of an overall reworking to shape it like a fedora. It was very easy just steaming it over the kettle (just watch where you put your fingers re the steam!) to give the brim the look of a snap-brim fedora (down in front, up at the back). I should have thought it would be similarly straightforward to take some of the extreme out of the SR brim bends from new.