Questions from a hat newbie

[email68]

Newbie hat questions

I recently purchased a Indiana Jones wool hat on ebay. Now that I'am learning more here about hats, I'd like a nicer one. Its my first Fedora and I was not sure I'd wear it, but I like to....

Is the Fed IV deluxe worth paying extra for over the standard. I want a nice hat with a liner and don't want to feel like I should have gotten a better one.

The Fed IV deluxe is about $200 w/shipping and the AB Henry is around $300. Is the Henry that much better?

Finally, how do these fur felts handle the rain? I like the fact that using my wool hat in the rain is great w/o having a hooded jacket or an umbrella.

Thanks for any info.

Tim

 

[jlee562]

If you've got the money for the Henry, go for the Henry. The Henry is an 80/20 (I think, don't quote me on that) rabbit/beaver blend and thus is more durable.

The Standard Fed does have a liner, the difference is the felt and the sweatband mostly. The Deluxe uses Akubra's heritage grade felt, which uses Australian wild hare. It is a bit more durable than the standard Imperial felt, but that having been said, the Imperial felt is some of the best felt offered on a production made hat. In fact, I'm wearing my standard Fed IV today and it's pouring rain, I don't even have second thoughts about dragging my Fed in the pouring rain.

Both the Akubra and the Henry will stand up to the rain just fine. The AB folks have good reason to believe that the Henry is made on "the" same block as the original Herbert Johnson used in "Raiders of the Lost Ark."

For all things Indy hat, you may want to register at Club Obi Wan (www.indygear.com/cow), although they take a holiday hiatus from about Christmas to the New Year.

And oh, FYI, John Penman is the official stateside retailer of the Henry, and if you buy from him, you get a great hatbox designed exclusively for the Henry. www.penmanhats.com

 

[azhiker]

Well, it seems we share the same path to fedoras! I too purchased a cheap wool hat. Actually it is a Scala outback type, which I purchased at crazy Al's in Fairbanks AK. I wore this hat all over, and got so many compliments on it, I decided to get a nicer fur felt hat. My first felt Fedora was a Biltmore Royal Ark from Hats-Plus in chicago. what a grat bunch of guys. I soon realized that just one hat was not going to do me. I had purchased a black Biltmore, so my next purchase was a brown Georgio Cellini collection 'Astaire' also built by Biltmore. It is the hat I'm wearing in my avatar.

Quality fur felt hats hold up real well in the rain. That is what they originally were designed to do. Just set them either on their crown upside down, or pop down the sweat band and let it dry that way. Try to reshape it if it starts drooping before it drys out. That being said, I myself have several 'beaters' two of them converted westerns which I wear around the house in rain or snow. If I am going out though, I don't hesitate to wear one of my Biltmores, rain or snow. A Federation is a very fine hat. I'm looking for something like that right now. Look at the different forums here, there is a wealth of knowledge on this site. BEWARE it IS addictive!

 

[Not-Bogart13]

I might be repeating the others a bit, but consensus is always good, right? The wool hat... I would be careful about wearing it in rain, unless it says it's water repellent. Then, when the water doesn't run off the way it used to (after a while), you may want to switch it to a fair weather hat.

Akubras are great, and they handle water, ice, and snow very well. Personally, I don't see a reason to get the deluxe, unless you prefer a deluxe-only color. But that's me. As for the Henry, you're looking at a notch higher in quality from the Akubra.

If time is not an issue, and you can wait a few months, you could also go custom. John Penman, who sells Henry's, can make you an Indy or Non-Indy rabbit felt for less than the Henry. The upshot is, you can get exactly what you want instead something close, will all the quality and more that you'll get from a factory hat. I have two of John's lids already, and he does great work.

 

[Wolfwood]

The above advice is all good, so I try to avoid repeating it here and add something new. If you are really going for and Indy hat, you should definitely choose the Henry (or one of their customs). However, if you want to get a hat that's in the classical 40's style and you don't necessarily aim to look exactly like Indy, then I'd go for Akubra. They are less expensive, which leaves you with enough money to purchase some of their other colours soon afterwards.

I prefer the Deluxe felt - it is smoother to the eye. And I love the Heritage Fawn colour (the brown one is my winter hat).

 

[frussell]

I recently got my first Deluxe from Hatsdirect. I've had many examples of their Imperial hats, and mostly ordered a Fed IV Deluxe because that's what they had in my huge size in black at the time. As much as I love Akubras and I'm a very loyal Hatsdirect customer, I think the difference for me was pretty minute. I just took off my Deluxe, and I have a Campdraft on right now in the same size, and the felt doesn't feel any more pounced, and the supposedly better grade sweatband feels exactly the same. I used to do a lot of leather work, so I've got a pretty good feel for quality leather, and I'm not a hat newbie by any means. If I did it again, I'd save money and get a standard Fed IV. Then again, if I had the $$ for an AB Henry, I'd be sorely tempted, as I've only seen them and felt them, never owned one. Nice thing about Akubras, they are easy to replace, and with Hatsdirect, only a week or so away from being on your head. Frank

 

[scottyrocks]

I have three Feds, a III in Heritage, and two IVs in Imperial. I wear the brown Imperial IV most often, not because of the Imperialness, but because I feel the IV looks better on me than the III (bigger - you eventually reach a point when bigger is nit better). If the III was a IV, Id probably wear them the same amount. So basically, I feel that the Deluxe (Heritage) while probably a touch nicer than the standard Imperial, is not worth the extra money. But thats just me.

 

[email68]

Now you got me thinking. I could get both the grey and brown Fed IV standard for the price of Henry.... Now I'm more undecided than before.

Another newbie question arises while I ponder my purchase: Can you were these in the summer time like in the mid 80's to 90's?

 

[danofarlington]

Another newbie question arises while I ponder my purchase: Can you were these in the summer time like in the mid 80's to 90's?

I wouldn't. It's just too hot and looks funny. To me, wearing a dark felt hat in such temperatures is like wearing a flannel shirt in that weather. You wouldn't do it for the same reasons.

 

[email68]

What kinda fedora do you wear in the summer?

 

[danofarlington]

What kinda fedora do you wear in the summer?

I've adopted the longstanding traditions. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, I go with Panama or straw hats. Also could use sometimes a light-colored felt fedora like a Stetson Open Road in silverbelly. When Labor Day comes, it's back to the felts.

 

[Jedwbpm]

Now you got me thinking. I could get both the grey and brown Fed IV standard for the price of Henry.... Now I'm more undecided than before.

Another newbie question arises while I ponder my purchase: Can you were these in the summer time like in the mid 80's to 90's?

You can wear felt when ever you like. It is up to you whether you can handle the heat. I tend to move to straw once the warm weather hits. I will still wear my black felt Borsalino to Church. How much you spend to me depends in part to how you will wear the hat. My Borsalino is my most expensive hat. I goes to Church and home and that is about it, or with a suite to an event. It is truly my Sunday go to meeting hat. Next in line are my Stetson's they are suit hats and at time office casual hats. Next is my Federation III out and about with jeans and stuff. I have my outdoor hats like my Akubra Slouch, Biltmore Campaign, and Mexican Western hat they go into the snow and sweat and work hard. I have some real beaters too. I also have some canvass beach and pool hats that I even swim with on. So look at it like your cloths you will spend more on a suit then jeans and there are things that you will do in jeans that you won't in a suit. My two cents.

Jeff

 

[fmw]

I think it gets down to application. One of my hobbies is flying radio controlled airplanes. I recently bought two cheap panamas on Ebay for the purpose that I will start wearing when the weather warms. Both were brand new Stetsons, one for $24 and the other for a whopping $45, both with shipping included. When flying, my major interest isn't fashion. It is keeping the sun off my head. It wouldn't occur to me to wear a $200 hat to the flying field or to mow the lawn. What you pay for a hat depends not only on your preferences but on your application, I think.

 

[jlee562]

Well, in San Francisco, it's just as often foggy during the summer as it is during the winter, so I wear a fur felt whenever I feel like it! Really, there is no rule against wearing a fur felt in the summer. But you might be more comfortable in a straw/panama. If you want an Indy styled straw hat, Peter Bros has got the hook up: http://pbhats.com/INDY_CUSTOM/Default.htm

 

[scottyrocks]

I wear my Feds all summer, with cargo shorts, Ts and my photo vest during the day, and a shirt with a collar and long pants if its cool at night.

 

[Lloyd]

It all depends on your personal tolerance for heat. I wear felt until about 90 degrees or so and then I break out the Panamas

 

[email68]

How do you manage keeping track of your $200-$300 or more hat in public. I know some places like our church have hat racks near the entrance. Do you just leave your hat there? Put your name in them?

Is there a site with hat manners like when you wear your hat and when you shouldn't? Like I know you should take it off in an elevator, etc.

I came across this story tonight and thought it was interesting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zGYmClj9Qo

 

[Mulceber]

I make a general rule of never letting my hat out of my sight when I'm not at home. Keep it at arm's length - you'd be surprised how easy it is not to leave it behind, especially when you get in the habit. Also, with regard to hat rules, I'm pretty casual: I take it off if I'm entering an indoor personal space (including homes/apartments, restaurants, people's offices, the like), and keep it on whenever I'm outdoors or in a public space that happens to be indoors.

Oh and for what it's worth, my vote is for the Henry - John Penman is a great guy and you will not regret doing business with him. -M

 

[T Rick]

Here's a really long thread on hat etiquette I ran through recently.

As to leaving you hat, here is a thread where a Member lost a hat he'd left with a hat/coat check. Another in the thread lost a hat from a church coat rack. That one mysteriously reappeared a few months later.

 

[email68]

Thanks T Rick. I see that etiquette thread has risen to the top again, I just missed it before ;-) Sounds like keeping your hat with you is best. I've been putting my $32 DP on chairs next to me, I'm sure I can keep doing it with another hat.

Mulceber - I'm leaning toward the Henry. Actually a little more than leaning ;-) I've already emailed John and he said that he is out of my size until after the holidays. He offered me to email someone named Stefan to see if he has one. I'm not sure who that is, but I shot him an email. Unless something else comes along, I can wait for John, he sounds like a nice guy.

I'm a size 23" as far as I can tell, which I think is a 59. I've been reading that these run bigger, so maybe I should go with a 58?

-Tim