A different sort of question.

[Ranger36]

What to buy, Fed IV or the Uptowner? But wait, here are the conditions.

I am a younger teen and my head is supposed to keep growing. I don't want to spend more than $200 on a really nice fedora like a Penman or AB and outgrow it in two years. But I do want a hat now. Should I buy a Fed IV for a little less money or pay a little more have have the nicer Uptowner (or so its been said). Which should I get?

Thanks

P.S. I know I have already said I was going to get a Fed IV but as soon as I had earned enough to buy one, Todd came out with his new hat.

[binkmeisterRick]

I have no experience with the Uptowner to date, but I do have experience with both the standard and deluxe Akubra Federation. I can tell you from my experience the Federations are great hats. They've proven themselves well over the years in the field as a hat that can take plenty of abuse and come back for more. Heck, one even saved Steve Delk when his garage door fell on his head during a storm! Either way, you can't go wrong with a Fed. They are fantastic hats for the money and still one of the best bargains out there.

That said, are you a complete SA nut? There have been plenty of arguments regarding the total screen accuracy of the Federation, but then again, all you have to do is look at Holt's Federation and that argument seems to get thrown out the window.

On the other hand, the Uptowner is a new offering and has of yet to be reviewed over a significant period of time. That's not to say that these may not be great hats themselves, but they haven't been road tested nearly to the extent the Akubras have. Again, I have no experience with the Uptowner, so I can't really say much about it, but looks to be designed to be a true Indy fedora from top to bottom in design. I am eager to see how it stacks up over time.

If you are concerned with having a hat until your head stops swelling, er, growing, you may decide to buy based off of price alone. I'm not sure off hand where the two stand in regards to price points, but if they are that close together, my personal recommendation would be to go for the Federation based purely off it's track record and durability. That's just my two cents worth, though. Hopefully some folks who have the Uptowner – or better yet, both – can chime in.

[theinterchange]

Based on my ownership of both a Federation IV Regular, and Deluxe. I can say that in terms of being comfortable, and a really nice hat for the price, that my vote's for the Akubra. I prefer the Deluxe over the Regular, but I know several people who swear by their regulars.

I'm interested to hear reports of Todd's new offerings over a bit of time.

Randy

[Strider]

I am not voting one way or the other here, just throwing my experience into the mix.

I've owned two Akubras in my life, but both of them were the "regular" models; I've never owned a Fed Deluxe.

The first Akubra I bought in mid 2006 was a Fed III, and it's been through the best of times, and the absolute worst of times and remains, to this day, bulletproof. It's tapered, since it has never had a reblock, but by golly, it has been sat on, smushed, rained on, squeezed, squished, rolled up, kicked, punched, stepped on, rebashed, dirtied and cleaned at least two to three times over.

My second Akubra was a Fed IV in black. Easy to bash, looks great, feels great. I've no qualms whatsoever that the Fed IV will hold up the same as my Fed III.

[darthbish]

What to buy, Fed IV or the Uptowner? But wait, here are the conditions.

I am a younger teen and my head is supposed to keep growing. I don't want to more than $200 on a really nice fedora

Then don't.................
Spend under $200 and get a really GREAT Fed IV

Infact, the US/AUS exchange rate means that you could get a Deluxe DELIVERED for $179US

Just freakin' DO IT!!!!!!!

[Michaelson]

Both Akubra's are great hats, but I, too, prefer the Fed Deluxe.

Regards! Michaelson

[binkmeisterRick]

Ranger36, here's another question for you, if you don't mind my asking, but how old are you? I've had the same hat size since my high school years with the only variable factor being how much hair I have on my head. How much more do you expect your noggin to inflate? Still, the crux of the question is having a hat now below the $200 mark and choosing between the two hats you listed. I don't want this to veer off into a "go ahead and save up for hat X now" debate. I guess my point is that you may buy one hat now and find that when you are ready to buy that Penman or AB, you still may have the same hat size by then.

[Michaelson]

Agreed with bink. My hat size has not changed since I was 17 years old, and I'm a LOT older (emphasis on the word 'lot') now. My hair is a bit thinner on top too.

Regards! Michaelson

[Fedora]

You will never go wrong with the Akubra. It's still the biggest bang for the buck out there. Fedora

[Ranger36]

Ranger36, here's another question for you, if you don't mind my asking, but how old are you?

I'm fourteen about to turn fifteen.

[binkmeisterRick]

Gotcha. In that case, you very well may have a few more years of cranium growth in you, in which case your current plan of buying a "meantime hat" is a good one.

[blueoakleyz]

Buy an Akubra and a size up.. it comes with sizing tape.

[Blackthorn]

Ranger36, here's another question for you, if you don't mind my asking, but how old are you?

I'm fourteen about to turn fifteen.

Since you're still growing, Ranger36, I'd also add that it might be best to get the standard instead of the deluxe, since it may be too small after you grow another year or two. That way you haven't spent any more than necessary on a hat that you may need to replace soon.

Another idea, though, is to order it the next size up from what you normally would wear, use the filler tape to bring it down one size (the tape comes with every Fed IV anyway) and when you grow, you can take the tape out. It may be just the right size at that point.

[Ranger36]

Okay guys! I have decided to get a Fed IV.

Thanks!!

However I have a new problem. Neither my parents or I can make heads nor tails of the sizing chart. My head is 24 3/4", what size do I get? (Oh yes I will order a size up and use the filling tape)

[jnicktem]

24 3/4"?!? Are you sure about that? My head is HUGE and only measures 24 1/4".

[Ranger36]

That's what my dad measured. I'll ask mom to measure me to check.

[jnicktem]

Yeah I would double check on that... for a fourteen year old a 24 3/4" head is simply MASSIVE. I thought my 24 1/4" head was too big.

[jlee562]

That's what my dad measured. I'll ask mom to measure me to check.

Place a cloth measuring tape 1" above your eyebrows and measure that way.

[Ranger36]

Yeah I would double check on that... for a fourteen year old a 24 3/4" head is simply MASSIVE. I thought my 24 1/4" head was too big.

Well, I am six feet tall.

[jnicktem]

In that case, it is possible. However it is still pretty big, even for being 6 feet tall. It would be best to double check and be safe than place an order only to find out it is not the right size.

[Ranger36]

Check.

[Texan Scott]

The Fed. IV Deluxe was my first fedora and I have never regretted it.

..its all that and at least a partial bag of doritos.


Its helpful to have someone to measure with tape, just above the ear, 3 times. If you do it yourself, it most likely will not be accurate.

[Ranger36]

Ok, mom just measured me, and to quote her, "you're 24" and a smidge"

[binkmeisterRick]

Ranger, Ron and the folks at Hats Direct are great people to work with. If the hat comes in way too big or too small, they will take care of you. Just remember to try the hat on and make that decision BEFORE you shape it. You an even e-mail them your questions and concerns and they will take care of you. Good luck!

[IndianaChris711]

Ok, mom just measured me, and to quote her, "you're 24" and a smidge"

Dang and I thought 23" 7/8 was a big head. 24" a and smidge, probably 24" 1/8 or just 24" I don't know what smidge means, but still very large noggin like me. Anyway as far as a hat goes, you are probably fine with a Fed IV or an Akubra, both are great hats, I would probably lean toward the Fed IV. As far as your head growing, I am not sure how much your head is going to grow since your 14, I think I was 16 or 17 when I was pretty much a 7 5/8 baseball cap, worn the same size ever since. Big heads run in our families. It may grow some more, but I would not say too much more maybe another 1/4 inch to 1/8....depends on your family.

IndianaChris

[binkmeisterRick]

Anyway as far as a hat goes, you are probably fine with a Fed IV or an Akubra, both are great hats, I would probably lean toward the Fed IV.

Of course they're both great hats, because the FedIV is an Akubra! The Federation and Federation Deluxe (Fed, FedIV, etc.) are Akubra hats offered exclusively by HatsDirect.com, but they are Akubra all the way!

[Texan Scott]

Ok, mom just measured me, and to quote her, "you're 24" and a smidge"

That reminds me of one of Schmidty's anecdotes...a lady walked into his shoe store to possibly get some shoes for her son. When he asked what her son's shoe size was, she said, 'his foot is about as long as my purse'.

[Travelsonic]

Infact, the US/AUS exchange rate means that you could get a Deluxe DELIVERED for $179US

The price jumped, eh? I got mine for $135USD this past July.

[Ranger36]

Yeah, she said its closer to 1/8th. So I'll go with that.

24 1/8" is my head.

[Ranger36]

Alright, I just ordered my hat. I came out to be a 62 (with the upsizing). I paid $98 and some change plus shipping.

Oh yeah!!!! I can't wait for it to arrive!!

I am deeply grateful for all the help and suggestions I received.

[binkmeisterRick]

Good for you! Again, make sure it fits you well before bashing it. But once you've got your lid, post pics!