Akubra vs Jacaru hat

Ryan's Hat · Jan 1, 2021

Hello there. This my first post here. I've been a lurker for sometime.

Now, I'm going to be buying a hat. I can't decide between one of Akubra's fur felt hats, or one of the Jacaru hats such as the Walleroo. I've settled on that much.

I really like both types of hat, and I know about the difference in materials and construction. It's a tough decision.

If any of you have worn both, or either, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thanks!

belfastboy · Jan 1, 2021

Ryan's Hat said:
Hello there. This my first post here. I've been a lurker for sometime.

Now, I'm going to be buying a hat. I can't decide between one of Akubra's fur felt hats, or one of the Jacaru hats such as the Walleroo. I've settled on that much.

I really like both types of hat, and I know about the difference in materials and construction. It's a tough decision.

If any of you have worn both, or either, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thanks!

Stick around here in The Lounge and you will end up with both! Never owned a Jacaru but do have multiple Akubras.....the oldest is approaching 25 years now. It looks like the Jacaru offers wool hats rather than fur felt unless I am missing something. I suggest do not buy a wool hat as you will likely be soon disappointed.....they don't wear well. Spend the few extra dollars and get an Akubra. In my opinion they offer one of the best hats...dollar for dollar in the market. They wear well, handle the elements and keep looking good. Check out Everything Austrailian or Hats Direct...both great suppliers.

Ryan's Hat · Jan 1, 2021

belfastboy said:
Stick around here in The Lounge and you will end up with both! Never owned a Jacaru but do have multiple Akubras.....the oldest is approaching 25 years now. It looks like the Jacaru offers wool hats rather than fur felt unless I am missing something. I suggest do not buy a wool hat as you will likely be soon disappointed.....they don't wear well. Spend the few extra dollars and get an Akubra. In my opinion they offer one of the best hats...dollar for dollar in the market. They wear well, handle the elements and keep looking good. Check out Everything Austrailian or Hats Direct...both great suppliers.

Hey thanks for the info. That's interesting to hear about the age of your Akubra. I've seen many people post their praise for the brand.The Jacaru hats I'd consider are the suede or oiled leather type. I definitely won't get wool anything, the general consensus seeming to be that they are inferior, and have multiple issues. I'll check out both of those suppliers, thanks again!

johnnycanuck · Jan 1, 2021

What style of Akubra are you considering? I have never had a Jacaru hat myself. I have a friend that came back from Australia with a leather Barmah. If they are the same/similar they do get sweat stained and eventually shrink down to toque, form fitting shape. If you wear them daily in rain and shine. I would say they have a two to three year life span. If they are the same/similar to the Barmah. My two cents worth.
Johnny
Let us know on what Akubra you are interested in.

Lean'n'mean · Jan 1, 2021

I've had a few Akubras & more than a few Jacarus. ( a couple of Wallaroo oils, a Kangaroo & a Wild Roo & my daughter had a Wallaroo suede when she was younger)
I don't think you can compare them as they are very different. It all depends on what you expect from a hat. I would say that Akubras are more versatile as you can wear them all year round whereas the leather hats are unbearable during the summer months. Quality wise too, Akubra beats Jacaru & although I prefer Jacaru's styling over the other brands of Aussie leather hats, with the exception of the jacaru kangaroo styles, the leather they use isn't the greatest of quallity (split leather mostly) nor are they consistant & to be honest, the workmanship is sometimes a little sloppy.
Jacaru uses a flexible coiled wire in the brim (it can't be reshaped) which makes the brim bob a little when you walk & wobble in strong winds. It bothers some people but not others.
A waxed leather hat though ( provided you wax it yourself) will perform better than a felt hat in heavy prolonged rain.

Seb Lucas · Jan 1, 2021

From what I have seen, Jacaru hats are mainly sold to tourists here and while Akubra sells most of their hats to overseas customers and tourists, there are still a lot of people in bush areas here who wear Akubras - although the once ubiquitous Squatter has almost vanished from the bush. They are still reasonably well made, although not near the quality I remember from even 30 years ago. As LnM says above, leather hats are terrible in warm weather.

belfastboy · Jan 1, 2021

Ryan's Hat said:
Hey thanks for the info. That's interesting to hear about the age of your Akubra. I've seen many people post their praise for the brand.The Jacaru hats I'd consider are the suede or oiled leather type. I definitely won't get wool anything, the general consensus seeming to be that they are inferior, and have multiple issues. I'll check out both of those suppliers, thanks again!

leather and fur are two very different hats so it really comes down to your preference.

scottyrocks · Jan 1, 2021

belfastboy said:
leather and fur are two very different hats so it really comes down to your preference.

I was going to run with this theme before I read this post, so here goes.

Leather and felt hats that are even shaped the same are completely different hats.

Leather hats are both hotter, and physically heavier than felts.

I don't live in a tropical, or even sub-tropical climate, and I can wear many of my felts right through the summer. If I pop on a leather hat during that time I might as well just add seasoning because my brain will begin to cook in short order.

Leather and felt hats convey different images, at least to me. I won't go into my own perceptions (coming from a motorcycling background), but the two different looks, to me, are not at all interchangeable.

My leather hats are physically heavier than my felts of similar size and design, which for me, can be significant. The less weight resting on my head, the better.

Now, you (the OP, in particular) may have very different tolerances for weight, temperature, and visuals than I do. But ultimately, regardless of anyone's opinion, you will have to weigh the options that are important to you, and make yer choice(s).

Hopefully this will be some help to you.

scottyrocks · Jan 1, 2021

And now that I've looked through the Jacaru website I feel confident in saying there is nothing there I would wear on my head.

belfastboy · Jan 1, 2021

scottyrocks said:
And now that I've looked through the Jacaru website I feel confident in saying there is nothing there I would wear on my head.

I was going to say this as well but for once decided to shut up. Well said, in this and your prior posting.

Zombie_61 · Jan 1, 2021

I have zero experience with Jacaru hats, but I currently have eight Akubra hats--three Campdrafts, three Federation IVs, and two Hamptons. Not the finest fur felt hats available even in the modern market; they can be a little rough around the edges. But that's what I like about them 'cause I wear all of my hats casually. For the price, Akubra makes a damn good hat.

scottyrocks · Jan 1, 2021

belfastboy said:
I was going to say this as well but for once decided to shut up. Well said, in this and your prior posting.

Thank you. Hopefully, the main point of that statement is apparent without being offensive - that I am not as much of a fan of the leathered-up look as I may once have been.

That doesn't mean, however, that I have abandoned it completely. Black leather hats are either boxed-n-buried, or gone, but I still have this, from the Winfield Cover Company, that I purchased back around 1990:

The conch band is not original to the hat, although it was purchased the same day. The brim shape, pinches, dents, and patina developed over time.

I had, coincidentally, just a couple of days ago, given it a little love, in the way of a good cleansing wipe-down, and then a light coating of shea butter, as it had been getting a bit dry from many years of storage. After so long, I had been planning to wear it out somewhere.

So, to the OP (again), pick whatever hat that speaks to you, and rock it. You're the only one you really have to make happy (because what's gonna happen, in time, is that you're gonna wind up with more hats, anyway).

Seb Lucas · Jan 2, 2021

Zombie_61 said:
I have zero experience with Jacaru hats, but I currently have eight Akubra hats--three Campdrafts, three Federation IVs, and two Hamptons. Not the finest fur felt hats available even in the modern market; they can be a little rough around the edges. But that's what I like about them 'cause I wear all of my hats casually. For the price, Akubra makes a damn good hat.

True, but for the price they used to make a better hat.

Ryan's Hat · Jan 2, 2021

johnnycanuck said:
What style of Akubra are you considering? I have never had a Jacaru hat myself. I have a friend that came back from Australia with a leather Barmah. If they are the same/similar they do get sweat stained and eventually shrink down to toque, form fitting shape. If you wear them daily in rain and shine. I would say they have a two to three year life span. If they are the same/similar to the Barmah. My two cents worth.
Johnny
Let us know on what Akubra you are interested in.

I'm considering a Snowy River. There's a few others that are nice as well.

Ryan's Hat · Jan 2, 2021

Seb Lucas said:
From what I have seen, Jacaru hats are mainly sold to tourists here and while Akubra sells most of their hats to overseas customers and tourists, there are still a lot of people in bush areas here who wear Akubras - although the once ubiquitous Squatter has almost vanished from the bush. They are still reasonably well made, although not near the quality I remember from even 30 years ago. As LnM says above, leather hats are terrible in warm weather.

The unbearable leather in warm weather keeps popping up everywhere.

Ryan's Hat · Jan 2, 2021

scottyrocks said:
I was going to run with this theme before I read this post, so here goes.

Leather and felt hats that are even shaped the same are completely different hats.

Leather hats are both hotter, and physically heavier than felts.

I don't live in a tropical, or even sub-tropical climate, and I can wear many of my felts right through the summer. If I pop on a leather hat during that time I might as well just add seasoning because my brain will begin to cook in short order.

Leather and felt hats convey different images, at least to me. I won't go into my own perceptions (coming from a motorcycling background), but the two different looks, to me, are not at all interchangeable.

My leather hats are physically heavier than my felts of similar size and design, which for me, can be significant. The less weight resting on my head, the better.

Now, you (the OP, in particular) may have very different tolerances for weight, temperature, and visuals than I do. But ultimately, regardless of anyone's opinion, you will have to weigh the options that are important to you, and make yer choice(s).

Hopefully this will be some help to you.

Thank you for your input, it was quite helpful. The weight factor is an important one, very important.

Ryan's Hat · Jan 2, 2021

Zombie_61 said:
I have zero experience with Jacaru hats, but I currently have eight Akubra hats--three Campdrafts, three Federation IVs, and two Hamptons. Not the finest fur felt hats available even in the modern market; they can be a little rough around the edges. But that's what I like about them 'cause I wear all of my hats casually. For the price, Akubra makes a damn good hat.

They do seem to be well made.

Ryan's Hat · Jan 2, 2021

scottyrocks said:
Thank you. Hopefully, the main point of that statement is apparent without being offensive - that I am not as much of a fan of the leathered-up look as I may once have been.

That doesn't mean, however, that I have abandoned it completely. Black leather hats are either boxed-n-buried, or gone, but I still have this, from the Winfield Cover Company, that I purchased back around 1990:

View attachment 297018

The conch band is not original to the hat, although it was purchased the same day. The brim shape, pinches, dents, and patina developed over time.

I had, coincidentally, just a couple of days ago, given it a little love, in the way of a good cleansing wipe-down, and then a light coating of shea butter, as it had been getting a bit dry from many years of storage. After so long, I had been planning to wear it out somewhere.

So, to the OP (again), pick whatever hat that speaks to you, and rock it. You're the only one you really have to make happy (because what's gonna happen, in time, is that you're gonna wind up with more hats, anyway).

Hey thanks, I'll definitely get what makes me happy. Also that's a very nice hat.

1967Cougar390 · Jan 2, 2021

My vote is for Akubra. Dollar for dollar they are a great hat. I wear an Akubra almost daily and I never worry about the elements. Rain or shine, cold or hot, Akubra’s hold up well.

Steven

johnnycanuck · Jan 2, 2021

Ryan's Hat said:
I'm considering a Snowy River. There's a few others that are nice as well.

Here is my Snowy River in Sandtone Fawn. Bought in 2003 so 17 years ago. I still wear it regularly.

Any questions please feel free to ask. I have quite the collection of quite a few Akubra styles and colours
Johnny

Akubra vs Jacaru hat

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