Got my Fed IV..... and I don't think it fits :(

[VP]

It was too wide for my face, http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/I ... lt/etu.jpg

[Holt]

let me ask, how wide is it really? when I got my fed 4's they were too wide for me too..when I shaked my head like you say 'no' it wiggled alot. today they are perfect. they sit tight and secure on my head. what I did was I soaked the sweatband and speed dried it. I did this several times. then I soaked it one last time and put it on my head and let it dry naturally. perfect fit.

[Ian]

Hi everyone!

I've got the Akubra Fed IV in a 60cm, but I really need a 59. It was very loose and I had to use all the foam in order for it to fit. After a few weeks wear and plenny 'o' steam, it fit perfectly without the foam. I've now got the moonstone and the same thing happened with that. If I get any more Feds, then I'll order the 60cm knowing that it'll shrink down a size. That's just my experience though and I dunno if it's the felt or the sweat that shrinks.

[JRabbit]

Well, after taking y'all's advice, I kept the 57 and added a little foam to the sides inside the sweat band. I also set the hat on the top of a lamp to warm it up then wore it for a few hours. It seems to fit pretty good now. I hope that it will continue to shrink slightly so that I can remove the foam, I still don't like the way it makes the hat look from the underside.

I haven't worn the hat out in public much, I'm still getting used to the look of it verses my stingy brim. But I do love the hat and will wear it more and more I think.

[generalFROSTY]

My Henry was fitting a little loose in the sides just like your Fed4. I used double-sided foam tape (scotch brand, found at any hardware store or Walmart) and doubled up the tape on the sides (total tape thickness added is 1/8") and now the hat fits exactly the way I want it to - nice and snug. Pics coming soon...

[Texan Scott]

I just wanted to follow up and see how the hat was fitting, J ?

[Indy35]

One point on Akubra's....never assume the label inside is the 'last word' on size. Take your tape measure and actually measure the circumference around the inside of the sweatband, THEN determine if the hat is the correct size.

I have said it more than once over the years.....when ordering a Fed, ask them to please physically measure the inside of the hat they're going to ship you, rather than just grabbing a marked box and putting it in the mail. The QC at Akubra is fantastic, but it's been a common thing to find the sizing tends to wander a bit from hat to hat.

I wear a size 59, and in the beginning have had marked Akubra's come in my door that either fit perfectly, sat on the top of my head, or slid over my ears....and all tagged size 59. Since I started requesting a physical measurement be made of the hat to be shipped, I have never had that problem again.

Like I said, NEVER assume.....

If you discover that the measurement is correct, and matches your head measurement, it's not the hat size, but the shape....and you can move forward with the reshaping as advised above. Going 'down a size' won't fix a thing. If it's larger than your supplied head specs, send it back.

There...I've said it again. I'll go back under my blanket now. It's cold here.

Regards! Michaelson

I hate to agree here, but he's right. I've got three akubra's and they are all "59"s and they all fit differently to some extent. However, my brown hero hat shrunk after about a months use, and some sweat on the band. My grey lid started out quite large, foam all the way around, now theres no foam at all and it fits like a glove. I Can't explain it, I just learned to live with it, they're factory hats, not custom. I bought my Borsalino larger than usual, then shrunk the band down, knowing that the band wasn't pre-shrunk, like most of our resident hatters do here. This rambling probably didn't help at all...sorry

[Indiana Bugs]

I wear a 59. I bought a 59. It was a little big on the sides. Used some sizing tape for a coopla months. Now it fits perfectly w/o the tape. Couldnt be happier.

[Michaelson]

I hate to agree here, but he's right.

Why do you hate agreeing with me? You're allowed!

Regards! Michaelson