Adventurebilt Status Update Anyone?

jnicktem · Post by **jnicktem** » Tue Jan 19, 2010 10:59 pm

Sounds exciting! The only other Indy hat I would order anymore is that AB grey CS train hat. I'm sure you feel the same way- there's only so many Indy hats you can have! It's nice to branch out and have some variety.

I can't wait to see it! It sounds like you are trying to keep with the adventurous look- which sounds right up my alley!

jlee562 · Post by **jlee562** » Wed Jan 20, 2010 4:01 am

Oh, if I only had the money for the CS train hat.....I think I actually prefer it to the CS hero.

Me on the other hand, I ordered a CS "Jungle" hat....because I ordered one 5 1/4" open crown height....while I don't think the "standard" Indy height is "too big" for me, I think I would look better with a slightly smaller hat. And so I guess Steve had made a sample hat that was 5 1/4" open crown and it somehow ended up in the jungle sequence while shooting in Hawaii.

So I still get to say it's SA

Kokopelli · Post by **Kokopelli** » Fri Feb 12, 2010 8:35 pm

Beuhler... Beuhler...Anyone...

Chewie Louie · Post by **Chewie Louie** » Tue Feb 23, 2010 9:59 am

What's the latest news? Has anyone gotten a hat recently? The two year anniversary of my order is coming up on the 27th and I was wondering if Steve was on 2008 orders yet.

interbak · Post by **interbak** » Tue Feb 23, 2010 4:01 pm

I just ran past 27 months, Nov /07, still waiting.

Brian

MustangLoverMex · Post by **MustangLoverMex** » Sun Feb 28, 2010 10:07 am

interbak wrote:I just ran past 27 months, Nov /07, still waiting.

Brian

I order mine on Sept 08... I wonder when shall I receive mine?

gwyddion · Post by **gwyddion** » Mon Mar 01, 2010 1:28 pm

MustangLoverMex wrote:
interbak wrote:I just ran past 27 months, Nov /07, still waiting.

Brian
I order mine on Sept 08... I wonder when shall I receive mine?

Steve said that the amount of orders dropped off dramatically once 2008 came along. So while it'll still be quite some time, It'll be sooner than you fear

Regards, Geert

MustangLoverMex · Post by **MustangLoverMex** » Mon Mar 01, 2010 1:31 pm

gwyddion wrote:
MustangLoverMex wrote:
interbak wrote:I just ran past 27 months, Nov /07, still waiting.

Brian
I order mine on Sept 08... I wonder when shall I receive mine?
Steve said that the amount of orders dropped off dramatically once 2008 came along. So while it'll still be quite some time, It'll be sooner than you fear

Regards, Geert

Thanks for your answer my friend... There's nothin' to do, but wait.
Regards,
-Alfonso

Zach R. · Post by **Zach R.** » Mon Mar 01, 2010 3:18 pm

I ordered mine in April of '08, and I'm sure it'll pick up once Nov and Dec of '07 have been shipped out and people will be surprised at how quick they come.

bigrex · Post by **bigrex** » Tue Mar 02, 2010 1:19 am

I had to resolve an issue of an address change for where my hat should be shipped, and Steve mentioned that he is on Jan. 08' hats right now. (Mine was ordered in Feb. 08'

Hope that helps.

Zach R. · Post by **Zach R.** » Tue Mar 02, 2010 1:25 am

I had to change my address too, but it took a while for the email to go through and I had to send it a few times.

Chewie Louie · Post by **Chewie Louie** » Tue Mar 02, 2010 4:57 pm

bigrex wrote:" . . . and Steve mentioned that he is on Jan. 08' hats right now."

YES!

MustangLoverMex · Post by **MustangLoverMex** » Tue Mar 02, 2010 8:42 pm

Chewie Louie wrote:
bigrex wrote:" . . . and Steve mentioned that he is on Jan. 08' hats right now."
YES!

$\:D/$

IndianaChris711 · Post by **IndianaChris711** » Wed Mar 03, 2010 9:52 am

bigrex wrote:I had to resolve an issue of an address change for where my hat should be shipped, and Steve mentioned that he is on Jan. 08' hats right now. (Mine was ordered in Feb. 08' Hope that helps.

What

........ Yeeeeeeeesssssss!!!!!!! $\:D/$ Sorry I am a January order or at least I hope I still am.

Sweet. Very good news bigrex, thanks for sharing.

IndianaChris711 · Post by **IndianaChris711** » Wed Mar 03, 2010 9:55 am

interbak wrote:I just ran past 27 months, Nov /07, still waiting.

Brian

If he is on January 2008 orders you should probably e-mail him interbak if you have not gotten your hat and put Urgent in the subject line. Maybe you have gotten your hat or an e-mail from Steve. Just a thought.

IndianaChris

interbak · Post by **interbak** » Wed Mar 03, 2010 10:39 am

Hey Chris,

I sent Steve an email yesterday, I'll wait and see if I hear from him before starting to call and bug him.

Brian

IndianaChris711 · Post by **IndianaChris711** » Wed Mar 03, 2010 3:56 pm

interbak wrote:Hey Chris,

I sent Steve an email yesterday, I'll wait and see if I hear from him before starting to call and bug him.

Brian

I would definately consider a call if he has not sent you a hat nor a confirmation e-mail. Unless your hat is on the way. I hope Steve gives you an answer soon. Be persistent, took me a while to get through to Steve about a change in my order.

IndianaChris

joeyofarimathea · Post by **joeyofarimathea** » Wed Mar 03, 2010 6:41 pm

speaking of confirmations....................does Steve typically send out a confirmation email before he actually ships the hat?

IndianaChris711 wrote:
interbak wrote:Hey Chris,

I sent Steve an email yesterday, I'll wait and see if I hear from him before starting to call and bug him.

Brian
I would definately consider a call if he has not sent you a hat nor a confirmation e-mail. Unless your hat is on the way. I hope Steve gives you an answer soon. Be persistent, took me a while to get through to Steve about a change in my order.

IndianaChris

Post by **Michaelson** » Wed Mar 03, 2010 6:54 pm

Not that I'm aware of. Hats show up when they're finished.

Regard! Michaelson

crismans · Post by **crismans** » Wed Mar 03, 2010 9:19 pm

Well, I ordered in April of '09 so I don't even think about the hat.

But I remember he said that once he got into '08, the orders really went down so everyone might be pleasantly surprised.

IndianaChris711 · Post by **IndianaChris711** » Thu Mar 04, 2010 10:16 am

joeyofarimathea wrote:speaking of confirmations....................does Steve typically send out a confirmation email before he actually ships the hat?

I don't know exactly, usually you just see the box at the door most times, but I have heard from a few members here that he has sent them a confirmation that it is on the way. But maybe they ask for one?

I don't know, but if he is in 2008 order I'm not that far along. Seems like its been forever since I even ordered. All I know is once 2008 orders are starting according to Steve there was not many orders after January 2008 like there was in 2007 I guess that is what he is saying. So hopefully lead times will go down. You would have to hear from the man himself.

IndianaChris

Kim Hoffman · Post by **Kim Hoffman** » Thu Mar 04, 2010 4:29 pm

I am curious as to how many orders Steve received. I guess I shouldn't be surprized that so many people sought out the fedora as made by the master - vintage styled fedoras are hard to come by. But I wasn't expecting so many customers inf ront of me. Good luck to us all.

Post by **Michaelson** » Thu Mar 04, 2010 4:33 pm

Well, keep in mind, we aren't his ONLY customers out here. He received hundreds of orders through his website from all over the world, and from other venues. We just got the special deal at the time due to being 'COW' members, and that, of course, skyrocketed the order numbers as well!

Regards! Michaelson

Fedora · Post by **Fedora** » Thu Mar 04, 2010 5:14 pm

Well, keep in mind, we aren't his ONLY customers out here. He received hundreds of orders through his website from all over the world, and from other venues. We just got the special deal at the time due to being 'COW' members, and that, of course, skyrocketed

I seldom visit this thread. Mostly because it makes me even more stressed.

As most know, my involvement in Indy 4 drew alot of attention, from all over the world. And alot of folks bought hats. This occured from Aug 07 and ended when I went up in price in the early summer of 08. Oh, I still sold hats but it dropped down to a couple scores a month, where up until then I was selling hundreds a month.

Many here bought hats after they heard of me in Indy 4. But many, many more who were not members here also bought hats. And they bought many more than the members here. I am always glad when I run into a name that I know is from here.

I have been wading through this surge of orders since late 07. Hindsight is always 20/20 and if I could do it over, I would have went up to 650.00 at that time. Instead, I sold many hats here for the 225 price and others at the 250 price. Every hat I have made has been one at that low price.

Anyways, I appreciate the patience most have given. And all will recieve the hat they ordered, so not to worry about that. I made a big mistake in pricing and me along with you are suffering because of this error in judgement. At the time, I still had the hobby mindset, and wanted to give everyone a bargain. That is how I ran my hobby.

All I can say is I ship out 15 hats per week. And have done so for a long time. And if Indy 5 happens, I won't find myself in this position again. It really isn't fun being a popular hatter. Especially one who priced his wares too low for too long. But I learned from this experience if that is worth anything.

I guess the long wait will be worth it. But probably only for the ones that are keen on owning a hat just like Indy wore in the last film. Being a fan myself, I would wait for one, although I would also be somewhat impatient as well. That is just so natural. So, again thanks for the extreme patience and I guarantee you will have this hat. I feel pretty strongly that I will have almost all of the orders filled this year. It looks that way from the count. Good lord willing, and the health stays good. Fedora

Chewie Louie · Post by **Chewie Louie** » Thu Mar 04, 2010 5:41 pm

Thanks for the update Steve. I think everyone pretty much respects your work as an artisan, so you shouldn't have to feel stressed about venturing into threads like this. I think the frustration people sometimes exhibit isn't towards you or the mistaken belief that you aren't working fast enough, I think it's mainly because they want one of your hats to finally call their own. We're all like kids on Christmas Eve waiting to see what Santa left for us. The wait can sometimes be unbearable . . . but in the end soooooo worth it.

BendingOak · Post by **BendingOak** » Thu Mar 04, 2010 7:51 pm

Just wanted to pop in here and say at 15 hats a week. This man must be super fast or puts in a very long day. Remember, he has no help and does these hats by hand. He does not just stamp the word " hand made" on his hats. Steve, I don't think there is another hatter that can produce as many hats as you do by hand and with the high quality you do. Bravo my friend, bravo.

Johnny Fedora · Post by **Johnny Fedora** » Thu Mar 04, 2010 10:14 pm

Here, Hear John!!!

Johnny

bigrex · Post by **bigrex** » Fri Mar 05, 2010 3:12 am

Chewie Louie wrote:Thanks for the update Steve. I think everyone pretty much respects your work as an artisan, so you shouldn't have to feel stressed about venturing into threads like this. I think the frustration people sometimes exhibit isn't towards you or the mistaken belief that you aren't working fast enough, I think it's mainly because they want one of your hats to finally call their own. We're all like kids on Christmas Eve waiting to see what Santa left for us. The wait can sometimes be unbearable . . . but in the end soooooo worth it.

Definitely, were paying for the first-rate craftsmanship and the knowledge that a hat made by Steve is a work of art, something very rare today. I guess it requires patience on our end, but really it's a rather small price to pay if you look at it from that perspective. Heck, you could wear it with even more pride when you tell the story with a wide-eyed nephew on your knee..."This hat was made by the same guy who made hats for the last Indiana Jones movie and...I waited two years for this hat". Priceless.

IndianaChris711 · Post by **IndianaChris711** » Fri Mar 05, 2010 10:01 am

bigrex wrote:Definitely, were paying for the first-rate craftsmanship and the knowledge that a hat made by Steve is a work of art, something very rare today. I guess it requires patience on our end, but really it's a rather small price to pay if you look at it from that perspective. Heck, you could wear it with even more pride when you tell the story with a wide-eyed nephew on your knee..."This hat was made by the same guy who made hats for the last Indiana Jones movie and...I waited two years for this hat". Priceless.

I can't agree more, I think this is the only time that you can own the hat from the guy who made it. I think that is really special, and Steve goes out of his way to make us these hats.

Thanks Steve for working hard every week and churning out 15 hats a week by yourself.

That is literally two hats a day, three hats a day if you take the weekend off. I know you don't like visiting threads like these, but I hope you don't get too stressed out. I hope you have a great 2010 and I can wait a while longer before I get my hat. Thanks again for making the hats for us COW members and non COW members. Thanks again.

IndianaChris

Mitch LaRue · Post by **Mitch LaRue** » Fri Mar 05, 2010 10:47 am

As one of your customers who still has an order tucked away somewhere in your stack (and despite the fact that I'm cursed with what is likely a pretty "common" head size) I've always felt this whole process (specifically the wait that comes with it) would not only be worth it in the end, but would also be fondly looked back on in the future - by me anyway - as something that I saw through to the end and shared in common with a lot of your customers, Steve (especially my Brethren here at C.O.W.)

Heck, I kinda' felt that way even BEFORE I ordered from you simply because I'd read so much great stuff about you and your beautiful hats that I accepted the inevitability of the now well-known Proud Tradition of Patience that must be undertaken by an Adventurebilt Customer!

But there's something else that I already know, too:
I know that the day you post a Thread called "Just FINISHED the LAST of my Adventurebilt Hat Orders!" I'll be throwing out a BIG cheer for you.
Oh, I realize you'll probably never let a day by in your life without having your hands on an actual hat (maybe re-blocking an AB for a former customer, or whatever) and I sincerely HOPE that you'll be no stranger to THESE forums ... but to have that huge LIST of Orders no longer looming over you... I just really look forward to the day that happens for you.
And I just know that as sad as some might say they are to see you retire (and I sorta' AM one of those guys, too) there'll also be a lot of us that'll just be really, really happy for you.

Cheers,
Mitch

interbak · Post by **interbak** » Fri Mar 05, 2010 3:22 pm

Hey All,

Just heard back from Steve, no problems, I wasn't forgotten, misplaced or ignored in any way, it just wasn't my time yet. Steve said he is still working on cleaning up the tail end of the '07 orders and had jumped ahead to some Jan '08 orders to fill up his blocks, as he has said he does many times before. I suspect I'll see that eagerly awaited "white box" on the door step in no time.

Thanks Steve, didn't mean to stir it up,

Brian

IndianaChris711 · Post by **IndianaChris711** » Fri Mar 05, 2010 5:38 pm

interbak wrote:Hey All,

Just heard back from Steve, no problems, I wasn't forgotten, misplaced or ignored in any way, it just wasn't my time yet. Steve said he is still working on cleaning up the tail end of the '07 orders and had jumped ahead to some Jan '08 orders to fill up his blocks, as he has said he does many times before. I suspect I'll see that eagerly awaited "white box" on the door step in no time.

Thanks Steve, didn't mean to stir it up,

Brian

Sweet, glad the man could answer himself. I figured he was not all the way into Jan 2008 orders i figured some 2007 had to be lingering still. You must have a popular size. Me I hope my big head size will be lucky enough to get on a block soon.

Well I am glad he got back to you interbak.

IndianaChris

hulkamad · Post by **hulkamad** » Sat Mar 06, 2010 12:54 am

I have been ill these past few days, and whenever I get sick I have the most awful dreams. Well, last night I dreamed that my adventurbilt arrived in the mail! $\:D/$ But when I opened the box, out folded 2 of the ugliest pairs of blue-jeans I've ever seen!

Why jeans were in the box I've no idea. Stomach flu and a fever must have done a real number on my unconscious mind...

DR Ulloa · Post by **DR Ulloa** » Sat Mar 06, 2010 8:41 am

What a peculiar dream. Its not the first AB dream I've read. I've had my own as well. Its all part of the wait. Personally, I love the wait. It builds up anticipation. I love the wait so much I can't stay off of it!

Dave

BendingOak · Post by **BendingOak** » Sat Mar 06, 2010 9:30 am

Oh boy, here comes the David dream again. Everyone run.

DR Ulloa · Post by **DR Ulloa** » Sat Mar 06, 2010 1:24 pm

At least mine was G rated. That dream with Steve you told me about last week was most definately NOT G rated!

Dave

AVbat · Post by **AVbat** » Sat Mar 06, 2010 1:31 pm

Hey Steve, I am a late May 2008 order, and while the two year mark is drawing near on my wait, let me tell you:It is really ok. Obviously people all over the world want a handmade hat from you and that is a huge compliment to you and your incredible talents. The wait is all part of the game, we all knew it going in, and it will be well worth it. I don't know that anyone here could really be "worried" about not getting their hat, I know I am not. I have done many dealings like this in the fan-prop community and have my share of problems with it. But waiting for one of your hats never worried because of your incredible track record with your customers. No one could possibly have a bad thing to say about you or your work, and even people who aren't artists can respect that. People know when they are dealing with a truly good, hard-working guy, and Steve thats you! Don't stress man!

BendingOak · Post by **BendingOak** » Sat Mar 06, 2010 1:37 pm

DR Ulloa wrote:At least mine was G rated. That dream with Steve you told me about last week was most definately NOT G rated!

Dave

again, that was you.

The Librarian · Post by **The Librarian** » Sat Mar 06, 2010 4:34 pm

Current Adventurebilt status update: Day 1825 of wishing I had one.
Sorry. Was feeling left out.

Marty

DR Ulloa · Post by **DR Ulloa** » Sat Mar 06, 2010 4:59 pm

BendingOak wrote:
DR Ulloa wrote:At least mine was G rated. That dream with Steve you told me about last week was most definately NOT G rated!

Dave

again, that was you.

Dave

Madnik · Post by **Madnik** » Sun Mar 07, 2010 3:28 pm

Just another Nov 07 orderer with a pretty bad doorstep scanning habit.

lantzn · Post by **lantzn** » Tue Mar 09, 2010 4:07 pm

Fedora wrote:
Well, keep in mind, we aren't his ONLY customers out here. He received hundreds of orders through his website from all over the world, and from other venues. We just got the special deal at the time due to being 'COW' members, and that, of course, skyrocketed
I seldom visit this thread. Mostly because it makes me even more stressed.

As most know, my involvement in Indy 4 drew alot of attention, from all over the world. And alot of folks bought hats. This occured from Aug 07 and ended when I went up in price in the early summer of 08. Oh, I still sold hats but it dropped down to a couple scores a month, where up until then I was selling hundreds a month.

Many here bought hats after they heard of me in Indy 4. But many, many more who were not members here also bought hats. And they bought many more than the members here. I am always glad when I run into a name that I know is from here.

I have been wading through this surge of orders since late 07. Hindsight is always 20/20 and if I could do it over, I would have went up to 650.00 at that time. Instead, I sold many hats here for the 225 price and others at the 250 price. Every hat I have made has been one at that low price. Fedora

OH MY GOSH! You were selling Indy 4 hats for $200-$250 when Indy 4 was hot in the media! Wow, my heart goes out to you. I happened to be one of those who AFTER being re-inspired by the new movie wanted to buy my first REAL hat, for I had only had a couple cheap nothing much before this. I was never a hat wearer. So I went to the internet and found your site in late '08 and ordered my CS fedora for the incredibly reasonable price of $400. It was through our emails that I asked for a good forum to talk Indy stuff that you pointed me to COW. I thank you for bringing me into the fold, it's been enjoyable.
Cheers Steve, and stay healthy.

CS Brown Fedora (So. American village scene) ordered Nov '08, 22-5/8" long oval. $\:D/$

sphughes · Post by **sphughes** » Sat Mar 13, 2010 11:03 pm

I'm a 12-07 order and patient as heck here. When the hat gets here, I will be a happy AB owner. I think I said in my last post back in August, to pass the time I went out and bought a new Harley. Can't say that will work for everyone, but it sure worked for me. As a matter of fact, I'll take it out from under the cover when it stops raining as riding season in MA is close enough for me to start going on scoots. Later this spring I hope to have an AB to put on my squash when I take off my helmet when i stop somewhere.

All the best to you Steve and stay healthy my friend.

-Scott

JulianK · Post by **JulianK** » Mon Mar 15, 2010 12:18 pm

The way I figure it, Steve's schedule benefits the entire hat industry. Steve's was the first fedora I ordered but it'll be the 3rd I'll receive! Ended up getting 2 Federations in the meantime to tide me over until the pièce de résistance arrives hopefully later this year.

afterthedog · Post by **afterthedog** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 10:34 pm

I'm new here, but saw this thread and had to comment. I just got my AB today after only a three and a half week wait! Did I just get lucky and order at the right time? I don't know, but my hat looks great

.

jnicktem · Post by **jnicktem** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 10:39 pm

Welcome to COW!

The reason why you received your hat so soon is because you paid the $650 price (if you got a beaver hat). Many of the people here that have been waiting for roughly 2 years paid the original $250 price... and others paid $400 (me included). Hats that are bought for the new price of $650 are made by Steve on his days off.

By the way- what hat did you order?

Rook · Post by **Rook** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 12:54 am

Still kicking myself for not jumping on the opportunity when I had the chance.

Ah well...

Russ

afterthedog · Post by **afterthedog** » Sun Mar 21, 2010 12:41 pm

jnicktem wrote:Welcome to COW!

The reason why you received your hat so soon is because you paid the $650 price (if you got a beaver hat). Many of the people here that have been waiting for roughly 2 years paid the original $250 price... and others paid $400 (me included). Hats that are bought for the new price of $650 are made by Steve on his days off.

By the way- what hat did you order?

I ordered a Crystal Skull Beaver fur but had Steve make it to Raiders dimensions. I love the crown height and brim width of the Raiders, but really liked the looser pinch in the front of the CS. Since they both have that straight sided stovepipe, it seemed like a good mix.

AVbat · Post by **AVbat** » Tue Apr 13, 2010 12:31 am

bump. . . anyone?

interbak · Post by **interbak** » Fri Apr 16, 2010 9:24 am

Since I stirred up some of this mess back in Feb. I'll update my report. My order from the end of Nov./07 has arrived and she's a beaut! Perfect fit, incredible hat.

Brian