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AKUBRA FED IV / AKUBRA RM?

BIGG SHOW

Familiar Face
Messages
66
Location
Boston
Good day all,
I am torn between purchasing a Fed IV or the Akubra RM Williams hat. I have a few Akubra hats already and I am a huge fan. Wondering how stiff the Fed IV is/can be?

But, most importantly, I wish I could see a video and more pictures of the RM Williams RM Akubra.

There is a seemingly endless supply of videos on the Fed yet I can’t find a single video of the RM! Frustrating. It seems there is a lack of pics of that lid as well...

Any thoughts and or opinions? A vid of the RM would be gold! Haha. I think it may be a perfect fit for me. I love the color and I’ve read that it’s a rather sturdy, stiff felt and the brim is a tad shorter than the Campdraft if the online vendor measurement claims are in fact accurate. Any fans of the RM Williams Akubra?

Any and all thoughts and or information would be appreciated.

Cheers!
 

DaveProc

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,064
Location
Rhode Island
I have an older RM Williams Campdraft in Silver Belly. I don't believe they make it in this color any longer, but it is the hat I wear most. I have three Fed IVs and I definitely like the RM Hat much better. I also have three regular Campdrafts and the felt between all three is very different, from quite stiff, to almost to floppy, I have the same issue with Fed IVs, the hand of the felt varies considerably by color. I like everything about the Campdraft/RM hats more than the Fed IV. The bound brim and the round brim as opposed to the dimensional unbound brim.
 
Last edited:
Messages
18,915
Location
Central California
I have an older RM Williams Campdraft in Silver Belly. I don't believe they make it in this color any longer, but it is the hat I where most. I have three Fed IVs and I definitely like the RM Hat much better. I also have three regular Campdrafts and the felt between all three is very different, from quite stiff, to almost to floppy, I have the same issue with Fed IVs, the hand of the felt varies considerably by color. I like everything about the Campdraft/RM hats more than the Fed IV. The bound brim and the round brim as opposed to the dimensional unbound brim.


Does the Fed have a higher crown? I’ve always wished that the Campdraft and the now discontinued Bushman had taller crowns.
 

DaveProc

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,064
Location
Rhode Island
I have an older RM Williams Campdraft in Silver Belly. I don't believe they make it in this color any longer, but it is the hat I where most. I have three Fed IVs and I definitely like the RM Hat much better. I also have three regular Campdrafts and the felt between all three is very different, from quite stiff, to almost to floppy, I have the same issue with Fed IVs, the hand of the felt varies considerably by color. I like everything about the Campdraft/RM hats more than the Fed IV. The bound brim and the round brim as opposed to the dimensional unbound brim.
Apparently the Campdraft varies in height, 5 1/2 140 mm or higher.
The Fed IV crown height in 5 5/8 142 mm
 

BIGG SHOW

Familiar Face
Messages
66
Location
Boston
Thank you Dave,
I appreciate your thoughts and input.

Thanks for the link Johnny, I’ve actually read through that thread previously. Nevertheless, I appreciate it.

Hey Dave, would you say the RM is a stiffer one of your Campdrafts? Is the brim shorter than the plain ol’ Campdraft?

Cheers!
 

DaveProc

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,064
Location
Rhode Island
Thank you Dave,
I appreciate your thoughts and input.

Thanks for the link Johnny, I’ve actually read through that thread previously. Nevertheless, I appreciate it.

Hey Dave, would you say the RM is a stiffer one of your Campdrafts? Is the brim shorter than the plain ol’ Campdraft?

Cheers!
I will have a look in the next day.
 

DaveProc

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,064
Location
Rhode Island
Felt
Cedar Brown Imperial - very soft, almost too floppy for the brim to keep its shape
Moonstone Heritage - Soft, pretty stiff, holds its shape and doesn't move
Bluegrass Green Imperial - Soft, dense holds easily shaped, holds its shape

Silverbelly RM Williams - Soft, denser than the Bluegrass green but very similar qualities.
 

BIGG SHOW

Familiar Face
Messages
66
Location
Boston
Felt
Cedar Brown Imperial - very soft, almost too floppy for the brim to keep its shape
Moonstone Heritage - Soft, pretty stiff, holds its shape and doesn't move
Bluegrass Green Imperial - Soft, dense holds easily shaped, holds its shape

Silverbelly RM Williams - Soft, denser than the Bluegrass green but very similar qualities.
Thanks Dave!
The specs are helpful. My crystal ball is showing an RM hat in my future.

Cheers!
 

BIGG SHOW

Familiar Face
Messages
66
Location
Boston
“Cowboys and outlaws and right guys and southpaws,
Good dogs and all kinds of cats.
Dirt roads and white lines and all kinds of stop signs,
But I stand right here where I'm at,
'Cause I wear My Own Kind Of Hat.”

- Merle Haggard
 

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