Looking for the benefit of your experience --- Fed IV or Campdraft?

Again, thank you for the input.

Edward, thank you for posting the picture of the hat in use. I was just looking for pictures of either hat being worn. Yours gives a good sense of the proportion and color. To my mind the narrower ribbon gives the Campdraft a more casual feel, which is alright, as I am looking for an everyday hat that will be at home in town and on the trail while on vacation. As I have said, I would likely continue wear the graphite colored Stetson Downs to work as it is (again, to my thinking) a more conservative or traditional hat).

I appreciate all comments and opinions. very helpful.

Bob

jlee562 said:

Yeah the dimensional cut is less popular here than with the COW Indy crowd. I quite like it though!

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I think the dimensional brim gives the hat a swoopiness that non-dimensional brims lack. My Fed IVs are my go-to hats. My .16 bit.

Kbobrex said:

Again, thank you for the input.

Edward, thank you for posting the picture of the hat in use. I was just looking for pictures of either hat being worn. Yours gives a good sense of the proportion and color. To my mind the narrower ribbon gives the Campdraft a more casual feel, which is alright, as I am looking for an everyday hat that will be at home in town and on the trail while on vacation. As I have said, I would likely continue wear the graphite colored Stetson Downs to work as it is (again, to my thinking) a more conservative or traditional hat).

I appreciate all comments and opinions. very helpful.

Bob

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Ah! I missed that you have a grey hat already..... then an earthtone would be a good choice here. The Silverbelly is accurate represented in my photos (on my screen, at least). I agree that it has just a touch of the informality with the thin ribbon, which is fine in this colour (seems to me that if you wanted to go more 'formal' you'd be into a black, or a dark grey, and quite possibly a homberg at that anyhow). Looks like the Campdraft bashed as a fedora could be ideal for you.

The great thing about the Fed (and the CD, I assume, but I don't have one) is the fact that the open crown has enough material for you to crease it however you want. When I first got mine (tawny fawn) I punched in a quick, tall diamond and got many Indy comments. Now, I have a very different crease in it and only hear "nice hat" or "awesome fedora" comments, most recently from someone who couldn't have been more than 20. No Indy comments. With the blank canvas, tinker away! You'll find a crease that you'll love And suits you. And the dimensional brim...it's really not that bad.

I thought the dimensional brim on the Fed would bother me, but I finally broke down and bought a pre-owned one from a Lounger.

It quickly became my favorite hat. I left it in a cab at the airport and haven't been able to replace it, but I'd love to one day have one in every color.

I like the look of the CD, but the wider brim on that one scares me off.

skyvue said:

I like the look of the CD, but the wider brim on that one scares me off.

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Don't let it = the difference between the CD and the Fed in terms of brim width really is so minimal as to be not worth worrying about.

Edward said:

Don't let it = the difference between the CD and the Fed in terms of brim width really is so minimal as to be not worth worrying about.

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Exactly, the front and back of the Fed IV comes in at about 2 3/4", whereas the Campdraft is 2 7/8", it's an 1/8" difference.

OK. Hatsdirect said that they had 1 Campdraft in my size in both Silverbelly and Tawney Fawn. The Silverbelly appears to be the "classic" choice, so I ordered one. Will see if they still have it as of the time of my order.

Thanks for the help.

Bob

The Fed is dressier offering more of an urban look while the Camp Draft seems more country-ish, IMO. The CD appears bigger, on my head, the crown is slightly taller and the brim slightly wider.

Fed (Carbon Grey)





Camp Draft (Glen Grey)

I must "vote" for Fed IV Deluxe. But I own two of those and no Campdraft, so I may be a bit partial to it. In any case, I find the Federation an excellently versatile hat that goes with pretty much anything (especially if you have a couple of colours to choose from).

If you are worried about it being identified as an Indy hat, don't be. People unfamiliar with hats are likely to see _any_ hat as an Indy hat if they happen to feel like it, despite the shape and despite the colour.

Oh, and it is a Fed IV Deluxe that I wear in my avatar pic on the left.
<---

Well, on Feb 12th I ordered a Silverbelly Campdraft from HatsDirect. They shipped it on the 13th, and it arrived yesterday, eleven days later. I thought that was very good service and a quick trip to New Jersey from Australia, considering that there was a holiday in between.

Opening the box I found the hat unharmed from the trip. I had been curious just what the Akubra Silverbelly would look like. Must say, it was "better" than I expected. It is, as others have noted, a hard color to describe. It has no blue to it, but it isn't really brown either. The main thing is that it is in my consideration a perfect color for my intended casual, everyday use.

Next, I tried it on. My only other new hat is a Stetson size 7 3/8, which is a snug but comfortable fit. I expect the Stetson will be broken in in another month or so. The Campdraft in size 59, being just ever so loose right out of the box, was immediately comfortable and clearly the right size for me. Again, I am very happy. By all accounts it will snug up quickly. As a matter of fact, it is fine to wear as is, and a tighter fit will only add confidence on a windy day.

I gave it a 30 second bash. After reading several posts about using steam or water to bash these hats, I had been concerned that it was going to be too stiff a felt. Once more, I was pleasantly surprised. The crown is soft and pliable, while the brim is stifff enough. It is not a heavy hat at all. (I may have to refer to this as my Goldilocks hat... not too soft, not too stiff, not too heavy, not too blue...... etc etc). After the quick bash it was out the door and into the pouring rain. I figured I might as well find out right away. Donning the Campdraft and my rain shell I hit the woods at the end of the street. Normally if I walk in the rain I put the hood up on my shell. Today, the ample brim was perfect to keep the rain off of my glasses, and out of my collar. The added benefit was that I did not have the hood over my ears. I could hear the patter of the rain on the ground, and the babble of the stream that runs along the path. Bliss. (Also good to keep an ear out for the black bears that have become quite numerous in these parts).

I returned home and let the hat dry on my head.

All in all, I am most pleased with this hat. If it proves to be half as durable as is generally reported I can see it being a friend for some time. Once again, thanks to all who offered advice in aid of this selection.

Bob

Thanks for the very nice review. I'm glad you weren't eaten by a bear right after receiving your new Campdraft----that would have been bad timing indeed!

How about posting a pic or two?

Jason

Enjoy you will get a lot of nice comments. Most everyone says how great that Campdraft is when I wear mine.

Normally the bears are hibernating this time of year, but it has been unusually warm this winter. There has been "bear sign" on the trails already.

I don't seem to be able to post pictures because I do not have ennough posts yet (?)

Bob

Pictures have to be uploaded to an external site such as imageshack or photobucket.

I'm glad you're happy with your Campdraft. I, too, am looking forward to pictures of you in it.

OK, here's a try with photos. Took me a while to figure this out.

Here is the hat right out of the box.



The quick bash.



Trying it on.



Into the woods in the rain.



Since then I have found that the hat has a lot in common with my two dogs. It is reliable, it loves riding in my truck and it is hard to get out the door without it.

Regards,

Bob

Kbobrex, it looks great. Nice bash and good proportions. I am sure you will sending out for another sometime.

Kbobrex, I'm lovin' it. The hat looks really good on you and you look very happy with your purchase. A CD is definitely on the top of my list of lids to get.

Bob, looks great a CD is always a great hat.