Akubra Overload

Zombie_61 · Jan 8, 2019

Beef said:
Hi Everyone. I am new to the forum and new to owning Akubra hats (cattleman). They are the first felt hats I have ever owned, and I am already very fond of them. I ordered one in Fawn, and although it felt just a teeny bit tight, after a few days it really softened up and felt pretty good. I liked it so much, I ordered a second one in Sand, but it feels much tighter. I searched around the forum and the web to see if anyone had already addressed my question, but couldn't find anything. I must have measured my head incorrectly. I measured my head several times before ordering the hats and my head was a perfect 59. When I remeasured my head after the fact, it shows slightly over 59. Not sure what happened because I have not gained any weight and my hair is kept quite short...

Frunobulax said:
Akubra is pretty well known for their inconsistent sizing. I have 58s that fit tight, and ones that are a little more roomy.

First, welcome to The Lounge Beef!

I agree with Fruno about Akubra hats and sizing. I have six Akubras; three Fed IVs and three Campdrafts, all size 60. After the expected "shrink to fit" period the Fed IVs all fit the same and the Campdrafts all fit the same, but the Campdrafts were approximately half a size more snug. Using a hat jack to stretch the Campdrafts a bit corrected that, but they're still just a little more snug than the Fed IVs. *shrug* That seems to be the nature of the beast with Akubra where sizing is more art than science, but I like my Akubras and can live with it.

Frunobulax · Jan 8, 2019

Fedster said:
Well, let's do some accounting:

Assets: high quality for price point, multiple styles and colours to choose from, affordable, durable
Liabilities: wire reed I find uncomfortable and I need to take out

I rest my case.

Hey, I'm an engineer, not an accountant.

What are your feelings on Jerry Reed? Donna Reed?

Sent directly from my mind to yours.

Fedster · Jan 9, 2019

Frunobulax said:
Hey, I'm an engineer, not an accountant.

What are your feelings on Jerry Reed? Donna Reed?

Sent directly from my mind to yours.

My feelings are the same as the ones that people have for wikipedia pages -- I had never heard of either person

For me, at the price of a 5 minutes cutters/pliers job I get to enjoy for the life of the hat the assets of Akubra hats without any of the liabilities.

Mark70 · Jan 9, 2019

Fedster said:
Cut off the wire inside the leather headband. It does have a wire and if you cut it off the band will conform to your head better, and you should have more stretching play. I personally do it first thing, because I hate the damn wire. The wire is where the reed of the headband is, you can best cut it where the headband is sawn together. Once the wire is cut, pull it out.

Regardless of whether you like or don't like the wire, its nice to know this is an option that may save unnecessary returns.

Thank you Fedster for providing this most useful information, that's what makes this forum awesome!

Beef · Jan 9, 2019

Fedster said:
My feelings are the same as the ones that people have for wikipedia pages -- I had never heard of either person

For me, at the price of a 5 minutes cutters/pliers job I get to enjoy for the life of the hat the assets of Akubra hats without any of the liabilities.

Fedster, Thank you tons for the information (and thanks to everyone who replied to the "new guy"). I am really happy to have found this forum. I am 97.6% sure I am going to try this on one of the hats to start, but before I did, I wanted to ask if in your experience the hat becomes "floppy" or misshapen after a while without the reed or does it reduce the life of the hat? Thanks again.

Fedster · Jan 9, 2019

Beef said:
Fedster, Thank you tons for the information (and thanks to everyone who replied to the "new guy"). I am really happy to have found this forum. I am 97.6% sure I am going to try this on one of the hats to start, but before I did, I wanted to ask if in your experience the hat becomes "floppy" or misshapen after a while without the reed or does it reduce the life of the hat? Thanks again.

My Akubra is *exactly the same* as it was before, after all the shape and feel are given by the felt, not by the wire.

If you do not want to sell the hat and you cannot return it, removing the wire and gentle stretching on a hat jack and your head *might* be enough. Keep in mind the leather tends to shrink, though I found that keeping the hat on a jack when not worn, and some friendly but firm stretching do wonders.

PS basically, if you see the hat as a 'sunk cost' you might as well give it a go, nothing to lose anymore.

Beef · Jan 9, 2019

Fedster said:
My Akubra is *exactly the same* as it was before, after all the shape and feel are given by the felt, not by the wire.

If you do not want to sell the hat and you cannot return it, removing the wire and gentle stretching on a hat jack and your head *might* be enough. Keep in mind the leather tends to shrink, though I found that keeping the hat on a jack when not worn, and some friendly but firm stretching do wonders.

PS basically, if you see the hat as a 'sunk cost' you might as well give it a go, nothing to lose anymore.

Thanks again. I really appreciate your opinion and will likely give it a whirl on one of the two hats, and if I like it, I'll do it on both since the hat jack and steaming are not quite doing the job. Thanks to everyone for the advice and for helping me to understand the risks and benefits.

Jedi5150 · Jan 10, 2019

Beef said:
Thanks again. I really appreciate your opinion and will likely give it a whirl on one of the two hats, and if I like it, I'll do it on both since the hat jack and steaming are not quite doing the job. Thanks to everyone for the advice and for helping me to understand the risks and benefits.

I may do the same thing, provided my hat even has the wire in it. One of my Slouch hats I've tried stretching and steaming on more than one occasion, and it still won't get quite loose enough for me to find comfortable. And although I have tried selling it in the classified section, the price has dropped (with no takers) to a point that I feel like I'm just throwing away money. If it has the removable wire, I might try giving that a shot.

scottslatton · Jan 10, 2019

My Fed IV

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Beef · Jan 10, 2019

Jedi5150 said:
I may do the same thing, provided my hat even has the wire in it. One of my Slouch hats I've tried stretching and steaming on more than one occasion, and it still won't get quite loose enough for me to find comfortable. And although I have tried selling it in the classified section, the price has dropped (with no takers) to a point that I feel like I'm just throwing away money. If it has the removable wire, I might try giving that a shot.

Well, I went for it. And just like Fedster said, there was an unstretchable wire inside. I honestly felt a difference immediately, even before using the hat stretcher for the night. When the wire was inside, it exerted a lot more pressure at the front and after a few minutes of wear I could feel my heartbeat on my forehead where the red spot would form. If I can feel the difference already, I am excited to see how it will feel after a night in the stretcher. I have attached a couple photos so you can see the actual wire, and the spot where I removed it. I'll probably see if I can throw a couple of stitches on it, but the spot is so tiny, I'm not sure I even have a needle small enough. After I see how this settles in, I am certain I will do the same thing to the Fawn Cattleman. Thanks Fedster!

Jedi5150 · Jan 10, 2019

Beef said:
View attachment 151569 View attachment 151570 Well, I went for it. And just like Fedster said, there was an unstretchable wire inside. I honestly felt a difference immediately, even before using the hat stretcher for the night. When the wire was inside, it exerted a lot more pressure at the front and after a few minutes of wear I could feel my heartbeat on my forehead where the red spot would form. If I can feel the difference already, I am excited to see how it will feel after a night in the stretcher. I have attached a couple photos so you can see the actual wire, and the spot where I removed it. I'll probably see if I can throw a couple of stitches on it, but the spot is so tiny, I'm not sure I even have a needle small enough. After I see how this settles in, I am certain I will do the same thing to the Fawn Cattleman. Thanks Fedster!

I appreciate the photos and your opinion on it. In looking closer, I don't believe my Slouch has that wire in it. I do, on the other hand, think my Cattleman does. I've been trying to shrink the size of my Akubra collection (without success). If I keep my Cattleman I might do the same.

Fedster · Jan 10, 2019

Beef said:
View attachment 151569 View attachment 151570 Well, I went for it. And just like Fedster said, there was an unstretchable wire inside. I honestly felt a difference immediately, even before using the hat stretcher for the night. When the wire was inside, it exerted a lot more pressure at the front and after a few minutes of wear I could feel my heartbeat on my forehead where the red spot would form. If I can feel the difference already, I am excited to see how it will feel after a night in the stretcher. I have attached a couple photos so you can see the actual wire, and the spot where I removed it. I'll probably see if I can throw a couple of stitches on it, but the spot is so tiny, I'm not sure I even have a needle small enough. After I see how this settles in, I am certain I will do the same thing to the Fawn Cattleman. Thanks Fedster!

My pleasure, glad I was of some help.

Jedi5150 · Jan 11, 2019

scottslatton said:
My Fed IV

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Looking very dapper, Scott, and welcome to the forum!

andrew_AU · Jan 11, 2019

Doctor Strange said:
Dude, there are a bunch of excellent Australian Akubra dealers. HatsDirect and Everything Australian are outstanding and carry the widest selection, I've had good buying experiences with both. Both dealers consistently get praised by the folks here. I've also had good buying experiences with a site called Aussie Bush Hats and Oilskins.

OTOH, I had a bad experience with Hats By The Hundred, which I think may be another "front" for Australian Gear. Just sayin'...

Yes Hats By The Hundred and Australian Gear are the same business. They have two retail shops
https://www.hatsbythe100.com.au/retail-store/

Streak · Jan 15, 2019

Streak said:
Well so far the Blue Mountains exclusive to Hats Direct appears to be the front runner. It's tough choosing a color now. Hard to actually tell the color from a photo. My wife said go for the Loden as all my other hats (not Akubra) look more like the Sorrel and she thought that the bluegrass green looked too green. My daughter commented that the Loden looked too dark!
This hat is not that common so not too many photos of people wearing it. I found a couple here on the forums. Looking at other Akubra hats in bluegrass green seems to look different depending on how the light hits it. Any comments welcome.

Well I eventually pulled the trigger on a Tablelands. I figured that the crown height on the Blue Mountains would also not suit my face. I have ordered the brown olive version. Due to the Xmas shutdown of the Akubra factory it has not shipped yet. So now I have to play the waiting game. I look forward to posting some photos after I get it. Thanks very much to all of you who helped with my indecisiveness!!!

DaveProc · Jan 16, 2019

Fed IV today on this beautiful sunny 40 degree New England day.

sila · Jan 17, 2019

andrew_AU said:
Yes Hats By The Hundred and Australian Gear are the same business. They have two retail shops
https://www.hatsbythe100.com.au/retail-store/

Not true, my friend!

D00R · Jan 21, 2019

Does anyone own both the Campdraft in Cedar Brown and the R.M Williams Fedora in brown?

Is there a difference in color and brim size and crown size? Im torn on which one to order.

rclark · Jan 22, 2019

D00R said:
Does anyone own both the Campdraft in Cedar Brown and the R.M Williams Fedora in brown?

Is there a difference in color and brim size and crown size? Im torn on which one to order.

Yes. The cedar brown is slightly darker than the RM but hardly noticeable.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Zombie_61 · Jan 22, 2019

D00R said:
Does anyone own both the Campdraft in Cedar Brown and the R.M Williams Fedora in brown?

Is there a difference in color and brim size and crown size? Im torn on which one to order.

Assuming you're referring to the "Akubra RM Hat" listed on the R.M. Williams website, I don't own one but I've read it's essentially a Campdraft with an unflanged/flat brim that arches downward in front and back like an "outback" style hat. If that's true, and someone here will likely correct me if I'm wrong, the brim and crown size are the same as the Campdraft.

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