A VERY special post for a VERY special HAT! (My 4th Penman!)

In-depth discussion of the Fedora of Indiana Jones and all other hats appearing in the Indiana Jones movies

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jnicktem
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A VERY special post for a VERY special HAT! (My 4th Penman!)

Post by jnicktem »

Just a few days ago I received my 4th Penman in the mail! This one was a long time coming- as this hat was styled after the hat that first began my interest in Indy Gear.

I first joined IndyGear just after Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull came out. I always liked the Indiana Jones movies as my father and I watched them a lot as I was growing up. Then as KotCS came out- my interest in Indiana Jones grew stronger. Honestly- I don’t go so much in depth with these movies as many people here do. But my interest mainly lies with the STYLE of Indiana Jones. I have always liked the outdoors look- and Indiana Jones personifies that look to the T. So I have always wanted that LOOK… and my search for the look eventually brought me to IndyGear.

The first thing I really wanted was the HAT. The hat was ALWAYS my main interest. I just loved the look of it! Although at first I didn’t realise there was a difference between the 4 movie hats. So I did a little research on them and studied the different styles. The Raiders hat came out on top! (Surprise?). That hat screamed to me everything I have been looking for in a hat. It had all of the characteristics of an adventure hat I could ever want.

So I ordered my first real Indy hat… an Akubra Federation IV Deluxe. When I got that hat I thought it was the bees knees! But after awhile I realised something just wasn’t right with it. It started giving off this purplish colour and it never looked all that good on me. I now attribute that to the low crown.

Since I was a little disappointed with my first Indy hat- I started looking for one that I could be satisfied with. I was well aware of Adventurebilt by this time. I have always thought those hats were the top of the pyramid when it came to hats… I MEAN THEY ACTUALLY MADE INDY’S HAT!!! So I saved up and ordered the very top of the line- an Adventurebilt Deluxe! I told Marc I wanted this hat to be a RAIDERS hat! Just like I always wanted! And the wait began.

As time went on I kept saving my money to purchase more Indy Gear. After a couple of months I decided to place an order with a newer hatter- John Penman. For everything I have heard his hats were every bit of quality as an Adventurebilt. That was enough for me to place an order for a grey Raiders Seaplane. My main reason for that was I really wanted a true Raiders hat- but I already had an AB-D on order for that… so how about the grey one??? I went for it and it exceeded my expectations! It was EXACTLY what I wanted! It was then I knew that if I wanted what I was looking for in a hat… it had to be custom.

I wasted no time in placing another order with John- this time for Last Crusade. I knew my AB-D was still a ways off and I really wanted a brown Indy hat. And The Last Crusade was always my favourite Indy movie (I guess it was the most family-friendly of the 3 when I was growing up). About a month went by before I ordered yet ANOTHER hat from John- a black “Penman.” I wanted a hat that wasn’t an Indy hat- and I fell in love with the hat on the Penman Hat Company’s welcome page. I wanted that hat- but in black.

At this point in time I was full blown in hat fever. I placed an order for an Adventurebilt with Steve and bought 2 Adventurebilts and an Adventurebilt Deluxe from other members for close friends and family members to wear (bad idea as it turned out- they like the hats but really aren’t hat wearers… so I will probably put those up for sale in the near future).

My Penman Last Crusade and black “Penman” arrived. Once again- I was blown away by John’s work! I could tell John really upped his game since my first Penman! The felt was smoother and softer than ever. I couldn’t believe the craftsmanship on these hats! Once again I wasted no time in placing another order with John.

As time went on I was still waiting on that Adventurebilt Deluxe that I ordered… and I grew more found of the Crystal Skull hat. I decided to change my order with Marc to a CS hat (after all- who better to make the Crystal Skull hat than the man himself?!?) and changed my order with John for a Raiders hat. I still wanted that Raiders hat. It was still the hat that I have been wanting since I was a kid… and I felt comfortable knowing that John Penman was the man who was going produce for me the hat of my dreams.

Well- I have it! Even though this is now my 4th Penman- my hands were as eager as ever opening that box! Upon opening the box I was greeting with the familiar Penman Hat Co logo on a beautiful leather hatbox (my 3rd Penman hatbox). Inside I saw the underside of my hat- inside of which was one of the many quality products that John offers- the “Perfect Fit” hatjack. I knew that if I wanted to take good care of all of my hats I would need one eventually- so I had John mail it with my Raiders hat. After looking it over for a bit I realised this hatjack was built to last as long as John’s hats would- a lifetime.

So now we get on to the hat itself. After taking off the plastic wrapping I was disappointed to see that the bash had COMPLETELY come out during shipping. I will admit that I am not the best at bashing a hat- but I do know I am not all that bad either. So after working the bash for a few minutes my Raiders hat was finally coming to life! It was PERFECT! I had spent so much time worrying whether or not this hat would live up to the image of it that I had in my mind. To me- the Raiders hat is a complex hat… and is not one that is easy to get just the way people want it to be.

With that said- JOHN NAILED IT!!! He got just the look I was looking for with the Raiders hat! I knew I should not doubt him- but after waiting nearly 2 years for this hat and wondering whether or not it was going to turn out just like that image in my mind was almost painful! But John came through for me with flying colours! But enough talk from me- judge for yourself by looking at the pictures (sorry no head shots yet… I need a photographer first! And yes, the Penman Hatjack is holding that hat!) Oh… and I have already placed an order for my 5th Penman!

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y257/j ... G_4488.jpg

Also- in case you have been wondering why I haven’t posted much of late… there is a good reason for that. I wanted this post to be a special one-because it was for a very special hat. This is my 1,000th post here on COW!!!
Last edited by jnicktem on Mon Jun 28, 2010 12:06 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: A VERY special post for a VERY special HAT! (My 4th Penman!)

Post by Texan Scott »

Fine piece o' work from the bendable oak tree! :tup:

...sounds like a continuation of an obsure thread that I used to post in.... :-k

I know its around here somewhere...? :?

:P

Enjoy it, J! 8)
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Re: A VERY special post for a VERY special HAT! (My 4th Penman!)

Post by Tremolo »

Congratulations! It looks really wonderful and these are some great pictures !
I´m sure you will enjoy this sweet looking hat!
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Re: A VERY special post for a VERY special HAT! (My 4th Penman!)

Post by Indyzane »

Very nice story! Thanks for sharing and yes I've wondered where you've been!

Cheers
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Re: A VERY special post for a VERY special HAT! (My 4th Penman!)

Post by Deputy Jedi »

Penman strikes again... Fabulous Hat !!
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Re: A VERY special post for a VERY special HAT! (My 4th Penman!)

Post by jnicktem »

Thanks everyone! I tried getting some head shots today... it's tough when the weather is bad and you have no one to hold the camera. Hopefully this will suffice:

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y257/j ... G_4504.jpg
Last edited by jnicktem on Fri Jul 02, 2010 1:35 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: A VERY special post for a VERY special HAT! (My 4th Penman!)

Post by fenris »

Now that's a really loooong barrel...
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Re: A VERY special post for a VERY special HAT! (My 4th Penman!)

Post by Macobyte »

Great post and excellent hat! I've got my first Penman order on the way in a few more months (Raiders-styled; I guess great minds think alike) and this just makes me all the more excited about receiving it. I've been wearing an Akubra Fed IV for the past few weeks and have been extremely satisfied with the look and feel of it but John assures me the custom will be an order of magnitude of quality above that, and everything here makes me inclined to believe him (although I already did, haha).

Just a note here for anyone considering buying their first "Indy" fedora or their first custom from John Penman: DO IT. His customer service has been beyond incredible. I initially emailed him with questions about his product at 11PM in the middle of the night. He called me back on the phone 10 minutes later and for 40 minutes he answered my questions, and we talked about cigars, cars, etc. I was extremely impressed and decided right then to use him for my custom hat needs. I'm 100% sure every customer and potential customer receives the same level of personal service from John. :H: Both the hat and the service are on a level you simply don't find anymore.
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Re: A VERY special post for a VERY special HAT! (My 4th Penman!)

Post by Indiana Jake »

Wouldn't it have been cool if Indy shot a Colt Peacemaker? BTW, Nice hat!

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Re: A VERY special post for a VERY special HAT! (My 4th Penman!)

Post by Ian »

Dude!! That's is awesome!! :clap: That new block of Johns is bang on IMO.

Great look for you dude....Never take it off.. :D

Will this replace your LC as your 'to go' hat?

Mine's due very soon, can't wait!! :D

Ian
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Re: A VERY special post for a VERY special HAT! (My 4th Penman!)

Post by Mitch LaRue »

A great story & GREAT Review for a GREAT Hat... Thank you so much for putting that together, it made for a very entertaining read!
:) :tup:

That hat is gorgeous!
Let no one doubt that John has become a master of his craft!
(Also, I've gotta tell you... I'm VERY jealous of you having one of those amazing Penman Hat Jacks! I intend to own one of those for every one of my hats one day... but for now, I just drool when I see pictures of them or read references to them!) =P~

Congratulations on your 1000th Post, jnicktem!
You sure wrote a wonderful Post to celebrate it!
:TOH:
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Re: A VERY special post for a VERY special HAT! (My 4th Penman!)

Post by Noah »

VERY nice hat and review! John's work is top notch. Congratulations! :clap:

Now I really can't wait for my Raiders hat from John :D
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Re: A VERY special post for a VERY special HAT! (My 4th Penman!)

Post by Indiana Croft »

Thats one sweet lid my friend, wear it in good health.
And as far as jealous goes, man four Penmans, I can't wait for my CS travel hat from John.

Once again Congrats on the hat and yiur 1,000 post.

Croft. :mrgreen:
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Re: A VERY special post for a VERY special HAT! (My 4th Penman!)

Post by crismans »

One quickly runs out of superlatives to describe Penman's hats. Each one seems better than the last!

Terrific looking hat, Jnicktem. It is such a nice feeling when you grab that Holy Grail that started for you as a kid!
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Re: A VERY special post for a VERY special HAT! (My 4th Penman!)

Post by kwad »

jnicktem wrote:I tried getting some head shots today...

Image
Ummm, you meant pictures, right? :-s


Beautiful hat!! I hope to get myself a Penaman some day (and a Peacemaker).
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Re: A VERY special post for a VERY special HAT! (My 4th Penman!)

Post by crismans »

Nicely played, Sir! :clap: :D

I tried getting some head shots today...


Image

Ummm, you meant pictures, right?
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Re: A VERY special post for a VERY special HAT! (My 4th Penman!)

Post by Indiana Jeff »

jnicktem,

Does the top of the hat sit on your head? It seems to be sitting very low.

Regards,

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Re: A VERY special post for a VERY special HAT! (My 4th Penman!)

Post by jnicktem »

Yeah- that's just how hats sit on me. If it were any higher up it would just fall off.
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Re: A VERY special post for a VERY special HAT! (My 4th Penman!)

Post by Indiana Jeff »

Thought I'd ask since this one seems particularly low compared to other hats you've shown. Even the one in your avatar seems to be sitting an inch higher.

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Re: A VERY special post for a VERY special HAT! (My 4th Penman!)

Post by jnicktem »

The hat in my avatar is my Penman Last Crusade. My photographer is several inches shorter than me so the angle is probably making it look like it sits higher on my head.
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Re: A VERY special post for a VERY special HAT! (My 4th Penman!)

Post by mcmanm »

You know I thought the same thing as well. The Raiders almost looks like it is a little too big compared to the LC in your avatar pic.

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Re: A VERY special post for a VERY special HAT! (My 4th Penman!)

Post by jnicktem »

Here is a picture I took today. I think it shows where the hat sits on my head a lot better.

Image
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Re: A VERY special post for a VERY special HAT! (My 4th Penman!)

Post by Mitch LaRue »

Truly, it must ALL be in the angle.
(I'll tell ya, perspective is EVERYTHING!)
:)
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Re: A VERY special post for a VERY special HAT! (My 4th Penm

Post by tekors »

IT's indeed a very special hat, a beauty!!!

congrats!!!
;)

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Re: A VERY special post for a VERY special HAT! (My 4th Penm

Post by PsychicsAndSwords »

Nice! I know what you mean about the search for the hat - I was around Indyfan and here (under a different name) years and years ago. Always wanted a perfect Raiders fedora. Had an old Peters Bros (back when they used the swanky red liner in their Indy hats) and the first version of the Federation, and neither one of them looked right to me (or on me). Then I kind of gave up on the gear for a long, long time...

But I've placed an order for a Penman Raiders and I'm completely confident that I'll have finally found my hat. In fact, I'm so confident that I'm probably gonna end up ordering a second before I even see my first. And I'm bloody excited. :tup: :tup:
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Re: A VERY special post for a VERY special HAT! (My 4th Penm

Post by DanielJones »

Great story and a fantastic looking lid. :clap: John has done it again. With every one that I see lately it gets me more excited for when my Penman Raiders will show up. Not long now, but it will seem like an eternity. Congratulations on your hat! :clap:

Cheers! :TOH:

Dan
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