Akubra Overload

[Frunobulax]

That's how I remember it. @RJR used to sport one occasionally.

 

[tropicalbob]

Zombie_61, I seem to recall that there was a special order run of Bluegrass Green Campdrafts with the shorter brims made a while back, perhaps shortly before you joined? It was instigated by some folks here once they managed to come up with enough orders for the factory to do it - a "Fedora Lounge Special" - and it was through Sam at Everything Australian.

I don't want to search for the old threads, but does anyone else remember this?

I do. It's what got me into Akubras.

 

[Zombie_61]

Zombie_61, I seem to recall that there was a special order run of Bluegrass Green Campdrafts with the shorter brims made a while back, perhaps shortly before you joined? It was instigated by some folks here once they managed to come up with enough orders for the factory to do it - a "Fedora Lounge Special" - and it was through Sam at Everything Australian.

I don't want to search for the old threads, but does anyone else remember this?

I do remember the occasional "Fedora Lounge Special". It was quite a while after I received the hat before I realized the brim was 1/8" narrower than the normal Campdrafts (including my other two), but once I discovered it, combined with the orange liner, that was actually my first thought. By then so much time had passed since I ordered it that I thought it was a bit silly to bother the nice folks at Everything Australian, especially since I liked the hat so much and it's unique qualities were nothing more than an extremely minor curiosity.

 

[milandro]

Just got hold of a “ Snowy River” in need of some TLC and some heavy resizing. The sweatband and the leather band couldn’t resist the heavy stretching but the had did with honors. Too early to take any pictures and it will receive a different leather band, and sweatband, but I plan to stick back the vintage Akubra sticker back in once I am done.

 

[Wyldkarma]

Akubra Snowy River

 

[milandro]

The rather old Akubra Sony river that I got came with a simple sticker and no lining (in fact that lack of lining I saw was quoted as a difference with other models, so it has to be an option now) but yes, it is the same model, I have ruined the original sweatband in the process of stretching but I couldn’t have been using that one. The felt is very elastic it really stretches a lot but it also quite rapidly shrinks back although it it now way bigger than it was originally.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I’ve avoided Akubras with the grommet vents; however, I recently bought a Cattleman because the price was right and I needed hats to practice curling brims using a new tool I acquired.

The hat is what I was expecting. My only complaint is that the crown is much lower than I prefer. Even giving it a very shallow crease didn’t help much.

I continue my streak with Akubra: my long oval head does not fit well and I would have been better served with a size larger. A couple days in my band block helped, but I still feel that a size 62 would still have been better.


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[J Williams]

I’ve avoided Akubras with the grommet vents; however, I recently bought a Cattleman because the price was right and I needed hats to practice curling brims using a new tool I acquired.

The hat is what I was expecting. My only complaint is that the crown is much lower than I prefer. Even giving it a very shallow crease didn’t help much.

I continue my streak with Akubra: my long oval head does not fit well and I would have been better served with a size larger. A couple days in my band block helped, but I still feel that a size 62 would still have been better.


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Putting that new curler to work! Nicely done.

 

[J Williams]

My Moonstone Campdraft arrived the other day. The brim is a little curled and I still need to work on it some.

I’m one of the lucky ones I guess. It’s pretty soft - this is just a dry bash.

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[Zombie_61]

My Moonstone Campdraft arrived the other day. The brim is a little curled and I still need to work on it some...

I really like it as-is and I think it's current shape (both the brim and the crown) suits you very well; it has a great casual look about it.

 

[J Williams]

I really like it as-is and I think it's current shape (both the brim and the crown) suits you very well; it has a great casual look about it.

Thanks Zombie, I'm not going to do anything with it until it starts to shrink a little just wear at as is for a bit and see how I like it.

 

[milandro]

The rather old Akubra Sony river that I got came with a simple sticker and no lining (in fact that lack of lining I saw was quoted as a difference with other models, so it has to be an option now) but yes, it is the same model, I have ruined the original sweatband in the process of stretching but I couldn’t have been using that one. The felt is very elastic it really stretches a lot but it also quite rapidly shrinks back although it it now way bigger than it was originally.

I am still in the process of renovating the hat, the stretching of the felt went very well (aside from the details mentioned above).

Now is permanently jacked waiting for the sweatband to come (I ‘ve ordered one in England which is taking way longer than it should) and to be attached. As for the hatband, I have found a number of solutions some practically the same as the original (at the time Akubra had this simple plaited leather band no Akubra brand on it) but I have started to wonder whether it would be a good idea to use a Puggaree instead? After all this is an Australian hat and the resulting look would be an interesting crossover between a Safari hat and reminiscence of a military slouch. Naturally, purists only accept the hat as it was, but this is no longer an option. So , a certain “ conversion’ limited to hatband and sweatband has to happen.

 

[dkstott]

Where'd you get a Campdraft in Moonstone color? I haven't seen it listed on any of my usual website searches..

My Moonstone Campdraft arrived the other day. The brim is a little curled and I still need to work on it some.

I’m one of the lucky ones I guess. It’s pretty soft - this is just a dry bash.

View attachment 186150


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[Boomerang]

Where'd you get a Campdraft in Moonstone color? I haven't seen it listed on any of my usual website searches..

The Hattery has the Camp Draft Deluxe in Moonstone. Just picked one up a couple of weeks back, along with a Fed IV in Black.

 

[dkstott]

Ah, I forgot to look at campdraft deluxes. Thanks

 

[dkstott]

1960's vintage Akubra Stylemaster advertisement

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[milandro]

How old is actually the snowy river model? Does anyone know? Mine should be at least from the ’80 but could be older.

 

[BulldogsRBtrThnPeople]

Hi guys. I was wondering if anyone has any thoughts regarding the regular Akubra felt vs the deluxe (heritage felt). Is the deluxe version worth the extra money, in your opinion? Thanks!

 

[milandro]

So this is what the refurbished snowy river looks like now.

The sweatband was replaced by my wife. I put a new hatband in the form of a belt and put a porcupine quill through the loop, which is a sort of Chutzpah since there are no porcupines (the echidna is not a porcupine) in Australia.
I am rather happy. I have noticed that the hat needs jacking, no other of my hats started its life much smaller, like this, and was stretched at least two sizes, so I don’t really have any comparison, but it seems to me that rabbit felt has a springiness of his own (which is funny when one thinks of it). click to expand if you so wish

 

[J Williams]

Hi guys. I was wondering if anyone has any thoughts regarding the regular Akubra felt vs the deluxe (heritage felt). Is the deluxe version worth the extra money, in your opinion? Thanks!

Someone with more Akubra knowledge will most likely reply but from what I have read and experienced by visiting David Morgan and feeling / trying on some hats that it's a bit of a luck of the draw scenario. Some people have had great soft felt in both heritage and standard ( imperial ) and some have had very stiff felt in both grades. I own a moonstone campdraft which only comes in heritage grade and it's a pretty soft hat that I can dry bash to a casual crease but it's a little furry for my liking. The imperial grade I handled at David Morgan had a nicer hand and finish but the felt was fairly stiff. I know they soften up with wear.

If memory serves from what I have read people have been happier with imperial vs heritage especially considering the price bump. Hopefully a few other members chime in. Either way they are great hats for the price.

When I order another it will be a bluegrass green campdraft which only comes in imperial.