Keppler Fedora

indy89 · Post by **indy89** » Thu Aug 03, 2006 10:10 pm

Does any body know if the Keppler fedora is a good adventure hat. I know it looks good in photos, but is it also good to wear while im traveling the world searching for rare antiquities?

indy89 · Post by **indy89** » Thu Aug 03, 2006 10:12 pm

Also, what do these little grey fedoras mean to the left of the screen?

Mulceber · Post by **Mulceber** » Thu Aug 03, 2006 10:19 pm

the more brown fedoras you have, the greater the number of posts you have made. Your title also changes with the number of posts you've made. eg, I've made 1144 posts, so I'm a Professor of Archaeology and have 7 brown fedoras, wherease you're a grail recovery volunteer because you've made 3 posts and have 0 brown fedoras. Its just a way of labelling the people who are really regular posters and have been here a while. :junior: -IJ

indy89 · Post by **indy89** » Thu Aug 03, 2006 10:37 pm

Oh I see, thanks Indiana!

Kaleponi Craig · Post by **Kaleponi Craig** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 12:02 am

Indy89, I have a Keppler fedora, and while it is a fine hat, I wouldn't say it's an adventure hat. It is mostly rabbit, I believe, so it doesn't hold up well in wet weather. The Adventurebilt is a much better adventure hat, in all. I've taken mine many places, including a four day hike on the Inca Trail (see my avatar, that was a rainy day at Machu Picchu). The AB held up wonderfully...KC

Dr._J · Post by **Dr._J** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 12:08 am

Actually, I think the Keppler is mostly Beaver. It's 6X Beaver to be specific.

Mulceber · Post by **Mulceber** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 12:13 am

Although keep in mind, Dr. J, that the fact that it is 6x beaver means nothing. The x system hasn't been definitive in a LONG time. :junior: -IJ

Marc · Post by **Marc** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 2:29 am

I was told, that it's 15-20% beaver, but take that with a grain of salt. The reason why neither the AB nor the AB-Dlx. use the X system, is due to the fact that the amount of the X's say NOTHING about the quality or the beaver content of the felt. If I remember correctly, Beaver Brand (that's where the Keppler Fedora comes from) recently came up with a "20X Beaver Quality" - with ZERO Beaver in the felt

I've seen hats go up to 5000X... and that's why Steve and I let the AB and AB-Dlx. speak for themselves - in opposite to make a 100,000X, we call 'em what they are: pure beaver.

Regards,

Marc

indy89 · Post by **indy89** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 3:44 am

So the AB would be the best hat to go with, correct?

Strider · Post by **Strider** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 3:49 am

If you listen to everyone else, I guess. I own an AB and I really like it, but I haven't owned every hat there is to own. Who knows? One of these days, I might get an Optimo, and like it more.

indy89 · Post by **indy89** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 3:52 am

I've seen the AB and i'm impressed on how good it looks and what i'm reading about it i don't think i can be more impressed. i think i've found my hat.

Strider · Post by **Strider** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 3:58 am

Good luck, it's a keeper.

indy89 · Post by **indy89** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 4:01 am

Thanks!

Post by **Ken** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 4:54 am

I have slept in/on my Keppler, been dragged behind trucks (yes literally), dived around the desert, jumped off waterfalls, gone swimming, had it blown across the Sahara desert (I spent about 3 minutes chasing it - I was sure I was going to lose it)...

Trust me when I say, thats one tough hat.

Ken

VP · Post by VP » Fri Aug 04, 2006 6:47 am

Indiana Ken wrote:dived around the desert

So you can swim in sand like Uncle Scrooge can swim in cash? Pretty good.

Post by **Mike** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 9:03 am

One man's sand is another man's fortune.

While the AB seems to be the 'flavor of the month', there was a time when it was the Keppler.

I don't think you'd go wrong with either offering. I've have/had and valued both.

QuantumGirl · Post by **QuantumGirl** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 9:14 am

when deciding on what to get, you may also wanna keep in mind that ordering a Keppler is quite a task. I gave up on it because I can't call that guy all the time from Germany. I placed my order over a year ago and already gave him my CC information but never heard back from him afterwards. So I'm going with an AB now.

Kt Templar · Post by **Kt Templar** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 9:21 am

QuantumGirl wrote:when deciding on what to get, you may also wanna keep in mind that ordering a Keppler is quite a task. I gave up on it because I can't call that guy all the time from Germany. I placed my order over a year ago and already gave him my CC information but never heard back from him afterwards. So I'm going with an AB now.

QG is tht a Akubra in you avatar?

Strider · Post by **Strider** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 9:56 am

I believe that's her Dorfman Pacific.

indy89 · Post by **indy89** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 2:27 pm

I have a Dorfman Pacific, it may not be made of the best material but it gets the job done.

Dr._J · Post by **Dr._J** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 2:34 pm

I have a Dorfman Pacific, it may not be made of the best material but it gets the job done.

Sure does! There was a time when I saw the DP and said "Now, THAT's the Indy hat!" Those were simpler times. Before I became obsessed with Indygear.

indy89 · Post by **indy89** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 2:46 pm

I thought the same thing when I first saw the DP, than I realized it wasn't authentic enough. So now I'm searching for a more authentic hat.

Rundquist · Post by **Rundquist** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 3:22 pm

There have been several “Top Dogs” throughout the years. Luckily you can still get most of them if you were inclined to. The Akubra Federation and the Peters Brothers hats are still available. You can still get an Optimo. At this point in the game I’m not sure if Lee Keppler is still selling hats (or Indy gear). Although you can’t tell from most of these pics, Kepplers hat had the best Indy color of any hat, hands down.

The man himself (much better color reference).

The infamous "Indiana Dan" - Keppler hat stomping pictures. (Do not do this to any of your hats. Indygear staff are not accountable).

After shots.

My old Optimo. The Optimo was the only (and still is the only) Indy hat able to emulate the “crinkles” (ripples in the felt) found in hat in the Peru (Hawaii) scenes. Look at the top of the “Camel Humps”.

Most people here today are probably best off with an AB. Fedora really has it down to a science. Although I’ve never owned one (for that matter I don’t own any “Indy” hat anymore), I’ve seen several incarnations up close. And I will say that they’ve gotten better over time. His first ones were too tall in my opinion. I believe that over time he’s brought the crown down a bit since he’s changed his evaluation of the hat. He really has the crown shape done right. His felt is a little dark for my taste, but he’s always believed the hat to be darker. His felts are of really high quality. They’re too thick for an Indy hat, in my opinion, but that hardly matters to most people. The real downside to that (at least for me) is that thicker felt can get hot. I live in Southern California. I almost never wear thicker felt fedoras. And with global warming, it aint getting any cooler. The price of an AB is very reasonable.

I still say try out everything (within reason). That used to be the fun part of the hobby. Cheers

Mulceber · Post by **Mulceber** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 3:27 pm

actually, if I recall, Fedora offers his hats in both medium and light felt. So you can get his hat in the right thickness, but most people just go with medium, I think. :junior: -IJ

Rundquist · Post by **Rundquist** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 3:29 pm

IndianaJones wrote:actually, if I recall, Fedora offers his hats in both medium and light felt. Most people just go with medium, I think. :junior: -IJ

Light enough for hat crinkles?

Mulceber · Post by **Mulceber** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 4:14 pm

perhaps, perhaps not. But definitely lighter than your typical AB. :junior: -IJ

Post by **Michaelson** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 4:57 pm

Folks, everyone needs to bow down and worship at the feet of our old friend Rundquist.

Seriously!

For those who do NOT remember, or weren't here when it was going on....HE was the first to present the fact that the Indy fedora was a floppy, soft felt that gave easily with use and handling. HE presented example after example as proof, and many did not believe. I admit, I was one.

I have publically apologized before, and I'll do so again. I was TOTALLY wrong. He was right ALL along, and now we're to the point no one even TALKS about a 'stiff' felt Indy hat. 4 years ago you were hard pressed to FIND a soft felt fedora. My, how times have changed!!!

All hail, Rundquist!!

HIGH regards! Michaelson

Mulceber · Post by **Mulceber** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 5:03 pm

No disagreements there, I'm just saying I think the AB can be made thin, like the Indy is supposed to be. :junior: -IJ

Rundquist · Post by **Rundquist** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 6:00 pm

Michaelson wrote:Folks, everyone needs to bow down and worship at the feet of our old friend Rundquist.

Seriously!

For those who do NOT remember, or weren't here when it was going on....HE was the first to present the fact that the Indy fedora was a floppy, soft felt that gave easily with use and handling. HE presented example after example as proof, and many did not believe. I admit, I was one.

I have publically apologized before, and I'll do so again. I was TOTALLY wrong. He was right ALL along, and now we're to the point no one even TALKS about a 'stiff' felt Indy hat. 4 years ago you were hard pressed to FIND a soft felt fedora. My, how times have changed!!!

All hail, Rundquist!!

HIGH regards! Michaelson

You’re making me blush. The real heroes of this hobby are Michelson and Lee Keppler. Many people don’t know that they were the first guys to go digging up information on Indy gear, pretty much immediately following Raiders of the Lost Ark. This was years before there was Club Obi Wan, or computers for that matter. They were the first to ascertain what the gear actually was. They also trail blazed what has today become a paved superhighway to Indiana Jones Gear. Lee even produced his own gear to sell to fans.
Here’s an original add from 1987.

Both have worked with gear manufactures on getting the gear details right. The benefactor in all this has been the fans. I’d also like to note that there have been others (_ for instance) who came along and really worked tirelessly as well. Fedora today works hard to get the fans what they want. All I did was complain that I couldn’t get the hat I wanted (at the time). I guess my main gripe today is that the fans take it for granted that they can get all this top quality authentic gear. There’s a reason for it. Cheers

Hemingway Jones · Post by **Hemingway Jones** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 6:21 pm

Rundquist,

Thanks for dusting off those classic IndyGear pics. It warms the heart to see those images that I haven't seen since I was a lurker around here!

And I hardly recognized Dan and forgot that hat test has his.

Dr._J · Post by **Dr._J** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 7:25 pm

Folks, everyone needs to bow down and worship at the feet of our old friend Rundquist.

There you go again Michaelson, now his head's gonna swell and his Optimos won't fit. Seriously, Rundquist is just a Regular-Joe. He puts his pants on one leg at a time...only he buys 'em at Costco! BWAH! Just kidding buddy!

Regards, Dr. J

Indy30 · Post by **Indy30** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 8:26 pm

Mike wrote:One man's sand is another man's fortune.

While the AB seems to be the 'flavor of the month', there was a time when it was the Keppler.

I don't think you'd go wrong with either offering. I've have/had and valued both.

I second that!!!!

Post by **Dalexs** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 9:42 pm

Michaelson wrote:Folks, everyone needs to bow down and worship at the feet of our old friend Rundquist.

All hail, Rundquist!!

I'll second that. AND he has way better taste in music then the guys who book the QM lounge!

And, oh my god, is that our little Dan? Now I really do feel old!

Dalexs

BendingOak · Post by **BendingOak** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 12:52 am

rundquist, thanks for posting all those pics.

Do you mean like this???

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y101/j ... C01455.jpg

hanson · Post by **hanson** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 1:00 am

Just for anyone interested; Lee called me this morning on an Indygear related topic and in our conversation he mentioned that he had a really nice brown,beaver fedora, in my size: 7.25. I passed only because I got a HJ from him back in Jan. 90. and an Akubra fed delux earlier this year. regards, hanson

Shamus · Post by **Shamus** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 2:11 am

I never put Soldier of Fortune and Indy together, but the more I think about it, the more I guess it makes sense...

Great pics. I esp. like the ones stepping on the fedora! That's what I think they call tough love.

binkmeisterRick · Post by **binkmeisterRick** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 9:52 am

It's nice to have a reminder of the roots of this hobby, especially since so much is easily looked over and forgotten these days. Well done, Rundquist!

VP · Post by VP » Sat Aug 05, 2006 9:55 am

http://indygear.com/gearstory.shtml

GoneSolo · Post by **GoneSolo** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 10:15 am

WOW! I never realized how nice the Keppler fed is. I always thought it was more of a tan color. Too bad I have heard so many problems to order though.

VP · Post by VP » Sat Aug 05, 2006 10:20 am

Yeah the pics on Lee's site don't make it much justice.

GoneSolo · Post by **GoneSolo** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 10:25 am

Even the picture on indygear has a different color (at least to me).

VP · Post by VP » Sat Aug 05, 2006 10:28 am

Yeah it's kinda lighter than in the pics Rundquist posted. Haven't seen one in person so can't comment on the accuracy.

Fedora · Post by **Fedora** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 10:32 am

Great to see Rundquist post here again. He did the first study in crown height, with pics, the best to my recollection. And I enjoyed seeing all of those old hat pics, as I recall each and every one of them.

I am also flattered that he recalled my own opinion of the original hats in so far as the lightness or darkness is concerned. I always thought the Raiders fedora to be darker than the Keppler, but I certainly have no proof of that. I may very well have been wrong. But, with that said, I could have gotten a lighter color for my own line but I knew how a hat will fade over the years due to sun exposure, and the elements and did not want my hats to be washed out in color 10 years down the road as the felt I use will outlast high percentage rabbit felted hats. So, I went with a little darker brown, and used the sort of felt that I thought would be the most durable. There are certain tradeoffs one must consider when providing a hat intended to outlast other brands. So, I was shooting for durability in felt and color while trying to provide an accurate look. I knew that if you kept your AB and wore it outside, the color would lighten up without becoming washed out the way lighter browns tend to do. Of course, I stated this when I first started to offer my hats for sale. You can blame that on my stinginess when it comes to spending money-for anything. I am obsessed with durability and quality, and basically want what I buy to outlast me. Whether or not I have found this in my own line, only time will tell, but I did put forth my best effort in trying to achieve this. This is not to say other brands do not do this, but only that this was a major area that I tried to address. As to the fading issue of all hats, let me see if I can find that pic I saw of an AB that has faded, in this case due to salt water and I will post it here, to give you an idea of the method to my madness.

Ok,here is it, and I stole it from another site that Pagey is a member of nowadays. Thanks Pagey, and I hope you will not be angry due to my thievery.

Both of the hats above are ABs, with the one of the left, a faded AB.
I apologize if this seems to be a hijack of the Keppler thread. It seemed like a good place to address the great color of the Keppler, while showing a very important thing that you should take into consideration when buying any hat. All hats will fade and darker hats are the way to go if you are planning on keeping the hat a lifetime. Fedora

IndyBlues · Post by **IndyBlues** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 10:40 am

VP wrote:Yeah the pics on Lee's site don't make it much justice.

That's DO it justice, not 'make it much'

Sorry VP, always wanted to do that. I thank you for that opportunity.
'Blues

VP · Post by VP » Sat Aug 05, 2006 10:42 am

Whoops.

GoneSolo · Post by **GoneSolo** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 11:02 am

I have been reading posts that have ongoing grammar wars. Is this true?

VP · Post by VP » Sat Aug 05, 2006 11:04 am

Not exactly.

Just some friendly nitpicking.

IndyBlues · Post by **IndyBlues** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 11:12 am

Yes, it's just a joke. VP has excellent grammer,..in more than just one language. He reminds us every chance he can. So, I was just returning the favor. It's all in good fun.
'Blues

VP · Post by VP » Sat Aug 05, 2006 11:15 am

IndyBlues wrote:grammer

Grammar.

IndyBlues · Post by **IndyBlues** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 11:16 am

VP wrote:
IndyBlues wrote:grammer
Grammar.

See?
'Blues

Keppler Fedora

Keppler Fedora

Lee Keppler's fedora

hat