So what do I mean by ick-free? Excellent question, glad you asked. In my relentless journey for gear I have some items that are absolutely treasured. And not just because of it's SA-ness (whatever that is
), but it is because of the coolness of the gear piece in addition to the great people and friends I have met in pursuit of the gear. Hassle-free vendors completely devoid of any ego, malice, spite, or just plain ol' greed coupled with great friends on this fine board have led me to some of these "ick-free" pieces and I WILL NOT part with them. Some come to mind; 1. My relic raider ziplight. A gear piece almost completely non-SA, and yet one of my favorites. I carry it almost daily.
2. My Todd's Raiders holster, an outstanding value (no gouging there
) from a very cool guy.3. And now I have my AB Deluxe...
I have been searching for a Raiders lid for a few months now. I searched my options, and even though there are MANY out there for gear heads today, I wanted a beaver felt...and I REALLY wanted an AB. Sadly, I only came on these boards around 2008 so I really missed getting an AB at an affordable price, much less an AB deluxe!
Then a friend on these boards, who had been trying to help me find a hat, pm'ed me that an ad had popped up in the bazaar for an AB
...EXACTLY my size 
...And it was a Deluxe, made by Marc Kitter and reblocked by Steve Delk 
...and it was $400!!! 
So, I contacted the seller and the deed was done! Here she is. Sorry for the poor pics (Mitch, I need some camera lessons!)
The felt is INCREDIBLE! Softest I have ever seen! The ribbon is perfect. And the sweatband is made out of clouds (that's the only thing it can be...super light and SUPER soft!!!). And if floppy is a prerequisite for a Raiders lid, check this out. Here is a screen cap of the Raiders lid illustrating how floppy it was, followed by my hat after I pulled the brim down by lightly using my thumb and forefinger and letting it stay;
See how the wind moves the left side of Indy's fedora!
Using minimum force it flops down...and stays down!!!!
This hat really is awesome. Fits like a dream and is completely ick-free. Thanks to all that participated in helping me make this deal!
I will be buried in this hat! (unless I opt to be frozen in carbonite...in which case, I will be frozen in carbonite in this hat!!!)Travis
And Mitch and Nick, BOTH used the words "one sweet lid", and it is just that. I'll try to get better pics today, as its supposed to be sunny out. As good as it looks, these pics do this hat no justice whatsoever. 
