Breaking in a new Akubra

[Zanzibarstar]

Hey folks,
I just received my new Akubra Cattleman in the mail...an Ebay win from someone in Australia...I love it immediately! BUT...the brim is super stiff, and basically has no shape to it at all. It looks like a saucer, I guess. So, can anyone school me on how to break it in, shape it, etc...? Sorry, this is probably something that's been covered many times over. If anyone can direct me to a thread, that'd be great!
Thanks much.

 

[jlee562]

It's their Imperial quality felt, yes?

The brim on my fed IV didn't want to hold anything until it got wet. I'd say hit it with steam, wait for rain, or distilled water in a spray bottle.

 

[johnnycanuck]

Nothing breaks in an Akubra like a good rain storm.

Second to that I would stick it in the shower. Pour water over it till it gets wet, man handle it till you get it looking the way you like. Do not force dry.

If you really want to get the hat looking and fitting right - and you have the entire day to kill. Dunk the entire hat in water. play with the brim till you get it looking right. Then wear the hat till it is dry. This way the sweat band will shrink down to you head size. I would personally do this on a weekend camping trip myself. That way the hat does not leave your head unless you are sleeping.

My two cents worth.

Johnny

 

[elvisroe]

Yeah man, that cattleman is by far the stiffest hat I've ever owned! Built for tough conditions I guess [huh]

In the process of reblocking and cutting mine down it did soften up a bit but remains on the stiffer side. I've dunked and reshaped it three times now and it particularly holds it's brim shape nicely. It's definetely a hell of a lot stiffer than my Fed iv which is bordering on floppy these days.

As suggested water will help. I gave mine a good soak in the bath, opened out the crown, gave the brim a tweak and then let it sit overnight. I use my BBQ for drying hats (not with any flame!) - the lid has a nice flat top and curved front that offers a nice swoop to the brim. I found I had no trouble giving the edges a slight curl and the back an upward kick as it was drying...

Obviously that brims a bit shorter than yours but it shaped up nicely.

Good luck!

 

[Blackthorn]

Nothing breaks in an Akubra like a good rain storm.

Second to that I would stick it in the shower. Pour water over it till it gets wet, man handle it till you get it looking the way you like. Do not force dry.

Johnny

Tap water (shower water) has chlorine and probably ammonia in it. That can ruin the color of any hat. If you don't want to wait for a rain storm, use a spray bottle full of distilled water.

 

[Zanzibarstar]

Hey thanks to all for the tips...I guess water is the solution! I can't imagine waiting till camping season to wear it, so I'll figure out a way over the weekend or something. This will be my all around camping, fishing, outdoorsman hat. In my Avatar picture, I'm wearing a Christys Foldaway, but I sold that because it was too big, and a stiff wind would promptly remove it from my head. I loved the style of it, but it was also way to flimsy and thin. I'm thrilled with the heft of the Akubra felt!

 

[Doctor Strange]

So I guess yours didn't come in the standard factory Cattleman shape, with the brim swooped down a bit front and back, and a teardrop with front dents?

I didn't see any reason to mess with the factory shape on mine (it's a great warm-weather hiking hat!):

 

[Zanzibarstar]

No, the brim came completely flat. Makes me think of a witches hat, or scarecrow or something. I'm also not used to the width of the brim, it'll take some getting used to!

 

[Doctor Strange]

Mine's the widest-brimmed hat I have too - apart from an old Resistol western model, and that one is simply too big in every dimension to get away with wearing in this part of the world: I've only worn it on Halloween.

Anyway, the Cattleman's 3.25-inch brim is definitely larger than I would wear normally (I typically wear 2.5 to 2.75 inches), but it certainly does provide a lot of shade from the brutal summer sun! As I said before, it's an outstanding summer hiking hat. I've had it for three years and it's handled enormous amounts of sweat, dust and dirt, branch-scratches, etc., and yet still looks virtually new, and has held its shape perfectly. Akubra's rabbit felt is some truly amazing stuff...

Best of luck with yours!

 

[johnnycanuck]

By the way Zanzibarstar what colour did you get? Any pictures?

Johnny

 

[Zanzibarstar]

JohnnyCanuck,

I'm not sure which Akubra color it is, since it was an Ebay buy and they didn't list it. It's a Dark Tannish color. I'll post some pics upon returning home from work today.

 

[Ian]

I got both Imperial and Heritage, the Imperial needed a good soaking and some steam to shape. It's still quite stiff though. The Heritage is floppy by comparison.

Ian

 

[Zanzibarstar]

Okay, here are some pics!