Want to buy or sell something? Check the classifieds
  • The Fedora Lounge is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

Campdraft vs Bushman

frussell

One Too Many
Messages
1,409
Location
California Desert
I like the Bushman, and owned one briefly, but I can't tolerate grommets in a felt hat. Just a personal preference. I wasn't aware that David Morgan was the "exclusive" dealer for the Bushman, last time I checked they could be had at The Bluewater Group (kakadutrader.com), and at Yates Menswear. If I need a wider brim than the Campdraft, my Silver Spur works well, and has none of those pesky grommets. Frank
 
Last edited:

monbla256

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,239
Location
DFW Metroplex, Texas
I like the Bushman, and owned one briefly, but I can't tolerate grommets in a felt hat. Just a personal preference. I wasn't aware that David Morgan was the "exclusive" dealer for the Bushman, last time I checked they could be had at The Bluewater Group (Kakadu Trading), and at Yates Menswear. If I need a wider brim than the Campdraft, my Silver Spur works well, and has none of those pesky grommets. Frank

David Morgan is the EXCLUSIVE importer/distributor of Akubra's in the US and these other retailers in the US get their Akubra's from DM. He does get different colors of some models to other retailers than he sells. ie, Mid-Brown and Green Stylemasters at Jon Helmers but not from DM :) From what Akubra and DM has said, the Bushman is EXCLUSIVE to DM and he looks to sell it to these other retailers here in the US. As far as the "grommets" since I don't have eyes on the top of my head and the hat is up out of sight so tospeak, if I can't see 'em they don't bother me :)
 

Dasmoeturhead

Familiar Face
Messages
91
Location
East Tennessee Mountains
Well I agree the grommets are not for everybody. Definitely not something a person would want on a dress hat, but they work just fine for what I believe this hat was meant for. Outdoor versatility.
 

monbla256

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,239
Location
DFW Metroplex, Texas
A Bushman is a wider brimmed hat avilable in 1 color only and NOT from any Aussie suppliers . Same Imperial grade felt, same crown hght. , shipped open crown and has a 3 1/4" bound brim all similar to the Camdraft. If you like the looks of it, get one, if the CD does it for you, get that one. They BOTH are Akubra's and share ALL the qualities of being an Akubra :)
 

Sam Craig

One Too Many
Messages
1,356
Location
Great Bend, Kansas
Lol... reminds me of an OT story (I'll keep it short). Building composite trusses on the ground for a salt storage barn. Me, to apprentice on the other end of the center section: "What is your measurement?". Apprentice: "A little less than a half inch" (we are centering this piece, so will nail it with equal meaurements on each side). Me: "YOU GOT THOSE LITTLE MARKS ON YOUR TAPE??". Apprentice: "Yeah". Me: "Well, what does it read?". Apprentice: "Three sixteenths". Me: "THANK you".

Getting them to read the LITTLE marks is what it's all about, isn't it Rick?
Thanks for the reminded ... watch the little marks.

Sam
 
Messages
11,579
Location
Covina, Califonia 91722
The Bushman has the grommets on the sides to hook a chin strap to if you want.
The Bushman is even more of an outdoor hat than the Campdraft.
I have both and the Campdraft really is tops on my list of hats.

My Bushman I use nearly weekly more so in the Summer time for sun protection.

There is another reason I got mine, at the time I got it, the Bushman was one of the hats that people would convert into an Indiana Jones hat by cutting the brim dimensionally and replacing the ribbon, then it was a matter of shaping brim and crown. The ribbon hides the grommet. This was before you could order an IJ from the various makers. Well I haven't done the conversion and probably won't either.
 

Tone

A-List Customer
Messages
440
Location
Firenze
The Bushman has the grommets on the sides to hook a chin strap to if you want.
The Bushman is even more of an outdoor hat than the Campdraft.
I have both and the Campdraft really is tops on my list of hats.

My Bushman I use nearly weekly more so in the Summer time for sun protection.

There is another reason I got mine, at the time I got it, the Bushman was one of the hats that people would convert into an Indiana Jones hat by cutting the brim dimensionally and replacing the ribbon, then it was a matter of shaping brim and crown. The ribbon hides the grommet. This was before you could order an IJ from the various makers. Well I haven't done the conversion and probably won't either.

Hi. There's never been a single Campdraft to ever look right as an Indy, but...in light of the topic (since you mention it) what conversion are you speaking of in terms of the Bushman? I haven't seen a single instance of a Bushman with a ribbon switch ever shown on this forum. Do you have an example, JICovina? As you speak with an expert's tone on how that all works, what does a Bushman look like having undergone this process of conversion that you'll never willingly do on your Bushman, exactly? (And I don't blame you. It's an awesome hat 'as a Bushman' for all of the two members owning one on this forum, it seems!)

Where can we find more information on this forum about this "trimming the brim, changing the ribbon thing" on the Bushman that you're speaking about? I can't seem to find any useful info about it here as all that's ever shown is the Bushman with the bound edge. Please link the sections where we can learn further on the Bushman conversion. I imagine a Bushman would look pretty darned good as an "indy hat" but I've never seen it done here.


Would love to see examples from the people you're referencing who'd done so here in the past. Thanks!
 
Last edited:
Messages
11,579
Location
Covina, Califonia 91722
Hi. There's never been a single Campdraft to ever look right as an Indy, but...in light of the topic (since you mention it) what conversion are you speaking of in terms of the Bushman? I haven't seen a single instance of a Bushman with a ribbon switch ever shown on this forum. Do you have an example, JICovina? As you speak with an expert's tone on how that all works, what does a Bushman look like having undergone this process of conversion that you'll never willingly do on your Bushman, exactly? (And I don't blame you. It's an awesome hat 'as a Bushman' for all of the two members owning one on this forum, it seems!)

Where can we find more information on this forum about this "trimming the brim, changing the ribbon thing" on the Bushman that you're speaking about? I can't seem to find any useful info about it here as all that's ever shown is the Bushman with the bound edge. Please link the sections where we can learn further on the Bushman conversion. I imagine a Bushman would look pretty darned good as an "indy hat" but I've never seen it done here.


Would love to see examples from the people you're referencing who'd done so here in the past. Thanks!

I don't recall where I read about the conversion, I am pretty sure it was not here in the Fedora Lounge but someplace where there was discussions on making your own replica of the iconic Indiana Jones hat. So in some film or Indiana Jones type forum there was some type of reference to the IJ hat and a long ago Google search turned it up. I may not remember specifically where what forum but my memory of the general description as I listed it, is what was described there. Some time and a google search may turn it up. At the Indy Lounge there are some discussions where people were using several different Akubras to fashion IJ hats.

Here is a link to one but it's not the one i recall reading.
http://indylounge.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=fedora&action=display&thread=333
 

Tone

A-List Customer
Messages
440
Location
Firenze
This was before you could order an IJ from the various makers.

? The thread you link here is from 2007. Was the Akubra Federation not available at that time? Nobody was making Indy hats in 2007? (I bought a Bushman in '06, but...) I do believe the Federation was available back then, too. So was the Keppler? When did Indy hats other than the Bushman become available exactly, according to your info? Up until 2007, that is.
 
Messages
11,579
Location
Covina, Califonia 91722
What ever I read was prior to 2007, i posted that thread as an example of what people were doing in the past. It may have also been that some people were offering IJ models that I was not aware of I can't say that i have been slavishly watching all of the IJ hat news and developments with the idea of creating a detailed report with dates and other information.

I can't say as (to) what I did not know if I did not know it. All I recall was that while on a break at work at some point when I was working at GMB which means prior to April 2005 I had looked up Indiana Jones hats on the internet and found some info on people making their own replicas as i recall from Akubra s and as i recall that the Bushman seemed to be one they liked.

I don't recall much on there being other (IJ) hats available (at the time I read it), it may have been that I saw some (IJ Fedoras) from the better hat makers but thought the prices were way too high at the time and because of that did not recall them in my post above. To me I recall people making Akubra Bushman models into IJ hats and that it seemed that was no vendor for one or it is posible that it may have been that no one was making the IJ fedora they would buy.

Is it possible that the website is no longer on the internet? Does some information eventually disappear? I don't know.
 
Last edited:

Tone

A-List Customer
Messages
440
Location
Firenze
I can't find any instance of the Bushman being so popular as an "Indy" hat. Searched here in that time-frame and all I see is prior to 2007 (your Bushman example from Indylounge.com (that is a great looking Bushman on that page, btw!) that people were buying up the Akubra Federation III at that time as the ultimate Indy hat.

Speaking of the Campdraft, it doesn't seem to become popular at all around here until mid 2007, too; just Akubra Federation references for an Indy hat. But the Bushman - no trace of it being referenced among the FED III and Optimo mentions of that time. Was it really so popular as an Indy hat even during the Federation III craze?
 
Last edited:
Messages
11,579
Location
Covina, Califonia 91722
I recall there was a series of posts and there was somewhat more detail instructions as to the dimensional brim trimming and more info on the right ribbon to use.

Question: What is the most popular hat to convert to replicate the IJ?

I do like the picture where the one guy has the 3 hats lined up, it is nice to see the workmanship, be able to look and compare them where there is parity.
 

Tone

A-List Customer
Messages
440
Location
Firenze
...was somewhat more detail instructions...I do like the picture where the one guy has the 3 hats lined up, it is nice to see the workmanship, be able to look and compare them where there is parity

Can't really tell the workmanship differences between them there, only that they all hold the same "Indy" crease in them easily enough. Well, I see "a" post about a Bushman on another forum; but still can't find all these references about the Bushman's popularity as an Indy hat that you're speaking of. Anyone here have a DM Bushman as an "Indy hat"? Anyone have a Campdraft in one, for that matter, come to think of it? The Bushman, I believe (undoubtedly) would hold one pretty well. But a Campdraft? I don't think anyone's been able to get one right for that particular look - 'least they've always chosen, "not to try", maybe. Is there a link that you can recall for that one? I can't find anything on a Campdraft as one of these. Any links for that?
 
Last edited:
Messages
11,579
Location
Covina, Califonia 91722
Read my post You seem to be reading into my words more than what I wrote or meant.

I wrote that it was the one that they liked -my reference only to the thread I had read.

I did not write that the entire forum had voted on it as best liked hat to convert to the IJ hat. No popularity contest here.

All I wrote was they liked it -meaning the thread i had read the guys that wrote about it and had done it, liked it be cause it turned out well. It was not meant to infer some sort of world wide phenomenon as to people recreating the IJ hat delivering a fan wide endorsement as to what hat to use. I don't think we'll find an announcement saying Akubra Bushman voted best hat to convert to Indiama Jones Adventure Fedora.

There were other threads on the net where there were discussions regarding how to make a good IJ replica by converting an existing hat & other hats were talked about not just Akubras.

I do recall the mention of the Bushman, there were details on the dimensional brim trimming, selection of the appropriate ribbon, discussion as to the grommets and that the ribbon hid them. Someone may have suggested the removal of the grommets so there wouldn't even be a bump under the ribbon. And that the general liking of how it had turned out from more than one person posting. Where is this thread? i don't know i did not bookmark it. I can't reproduce it word for word for you but can give you the jist of what was written in a post i read over 5 years ago. Maybe it was on a website that was taken down. All I know is that a google search this evening of "indiana jones akubra bushman" gets over 7500 hits -it may be in there or it may be gone. The link i posted was just to show that it has been done and they liked the outcome. After 5 years it may be possible that i have put together information from different threads and my recollection is an amalgam several threads read with one thread being read during a 15 minute break over 5 years ago. I do not have a photographic memory for chapter and verse on this. What I wrote is is in fairly general terms, i know that there was more specific information connected to this but could not say exactly what the details were.

Can you post a time line for the various IJ hats offered? (I can't!)
I do recall that there were several changes to the Fed but when each edition was released is not something i really know. I can't actually say when i became aware that the Fed had been released.
I do recall a time that it seemed to me most people were getting their IJ hats as more a custom order from a hatter because any "production" models were not worth the money.

I recall that there was some problem with the initial name of the IJ hat David Morgan had released but i could not tell you exactly when -it seems like a few years ago but I can't say as to a month and year. I just remember doing the search at GMB because I had not had internet access at work before and it was kind of a guilty pleasure to surf the web while at work even if i was on a break.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
107,279
Messages
3,032,907
Members
52,748
Latest member
R_P_Meldner
Top