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Indy Vs. Quatermain - The Comparison

MDFrench

A-List Customer
Hey everyone,

I just wanted to share with all of the fine folk here that I have come to a strange epiphany about the iconic Indy hat in a rather strange way. I am the proud owner of Fedora's Adventurebilt, truly the best and most accurate Raiders hat of all time - this is not news to anyone here, of course. Well, I also had another hat quest which indirectly made me end up appreciating the detail of the AB even more.

I had always wanted another adventure hat, worn by Stewart Granger in the 1950 film King Solomon's Mines, with a distinctive double-brim. The film is set in the 1890s and his safari hat is very distinctive. With some help from another hatter, Art Fawcett, I was able to get this hat done in grand style. Well, obviously I am not going to wear this hat about town. However, the AB is well-suited for that.

We have all talked about around here how the Raiders hat was really a dress fedora worn under conditions usually suited for other headwear. My experience with the KSM (King Solomon's Mines) hat proves this. This robust, double-brimmed job is much heavier and rugged than the Indy fedora. After I wear it for a few minutes and switch back to the Indy hat, the Raiders lid feels even more refined, twice as light and 1000 percent more pliable. Granted, the KSM hasn't broken in yet, but even with that it is now more clear to me than ever that the Raiders hat was a duck out of water in the deserts of Egypt and jungles of Peru.

The fact that the Raiders hats stand up so well to the punishment is a testament to the quality of the hat's materials and construction, and upon wearing the KSM, I suddenly appreciate the accuracy of the AB even more because suddenly I could FEEL the floppiness and pliability that the AB recreates from the movie hat, and I felt it more than ever before with the KSM as a comparison. What was already the best Indy hat was made better by the presence of another "animal" so to speak.

However, the KSM is definitely the hat better suited to rugged, outdoor adventuring. I can already tell this hat is going to be hard to kill and a real companion in the outdoors once in breaks in a little bit. It feels more solid when worn - more substantial I guess. The wider brim also makes more sense out in the sun as well.

My only problem now is deciding which hat to take on adventures and which to use day to day - which I think only the AB can do. The Bwana just isn't an around town kind of hat, you know?

bwanaindy-600x450.jpg
 

Kaleponi Craig

A-List Customer
Messages
418
Location
Just North of San Francisco
Great review, MD. I would think that your KSM hat would be way to heavy on most adventures, especially in hotter climes. When I hiked the Inca Trail in Peru, the Adventurebilt was the perfect hat. It held up through all sorts of climates, from very cold to hot. It held up very well in the rain. Plus, if you are hiking around a lot, I would think a heavy hat like your KSM would slow you down.

Just my 2 cents worth...KC
 
Messages
11,579
Location
Covina, Califonia 91722
Coin Toss

Personally I would review the movies and see what circumstances each specific hat seems more appropriate.

However, unless you are actually going to the exotic locales shown in the films, I'd say get a coin from and exotic local and toss it.

Heads = Indiana Jones
Tails = Alan Quartermaine
 

binkmeisterRick

A-List Customer
Messages
477
Location
The Island of Misfit Hats
You mean it wasn't brown? (Ducks for cover from fellow C.O.W. members)

If it were me, I'd probably wear the Bwana as a weekend hat, or if I was on horseback, or if I was working outdoors and needed the extra brim... I'm not sure, really. It's a great looking hat, I'm just not sure how it'd fit in with my wardrobe if I had it! :fedora: Either way, wear it proud!
 

Fedora

Vendor
Messages
828
Location
Mississippi
And isn't there a rumor that one of the Cairo Nazis wore it with the bash popped out?
__________________


You can zoom in on the hat the Nazi was wearing, and actually see the Raiders crease, or where it was pinched into the hat,at some point in time. We, I, assumed this was the same hat worn by Ford on the plane. But, blood has flowed over such assertions. Probably safe to bring this up here though. :eek: Fedora
 

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