Raider's Fedora

[Rhys Darklaser]

I'm new to this forum, and I was wondering which place makes the closest replica to the Raider's hat. Exact dimensions, color, and shape.

[jnicktem]

Oh man that is a question that is completely up to opinion. Most people agree that Adventurebilt and Penman are two of the closest/best made hats out there. But to best answer the question; you would have to search through the forums and look at the different kinds of Raiders hats out there and make the decision based off of what you think looks best.

[APL]

I'm new to this forum, and I was wondering which place makes the closest replica to the Raider's hat. Exact dimensions, color, and shape.

There's some FAQ info and suggested vendors in "The Fedora" forum as sticky threads that will help, specifically this one:

http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=10903" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The prices listed are a little out of date, but that should help get you started. Personally, the two best machine made fedoras that look the part are the Akubra Fed IV in brown, or the Adventurebilt Henry. Anything else will cost you more, but look even better, since the others are custom made.

Keep in mind that everyone has their own opinions about which hats look the best, but you have to keep in mind how much you'll be wearing it. If you'll be traveling to the ends of the earth with your hat on, you'll need a better made fedora. If you might wear it to the office once a week, or even once a month, you don't need something made to last quite so well. All up to what you want to get out of it, since they all get the job done at the end of the day.

[lovemyfedora]

As he said everyone has their opinions...

And I suppose I am gonna give you mine. I love my AB Henry. For the money, the quality is amazing. And so far I have taken it to the ends of the earth and it has done quite well. That being said, if I had the time and funds for a Penman or AB custom, I would definitely consider it.

But for a budget friendly Indy fedora with quality you can see and feel, The Henry wins my vote. Hands down.

[jlee562]

IMHO Garrison.

[Sammy]

Not that I have much experience. Been an Indy fan ever since Raiders came out and have always wanted a TRUE fedora. At a young age I was able to see a "true" Indy fedora in a country western store but of course was just a kid with no money (probably a stetson). Got older, went to Disneyland, thought that the Dorfman's sold there were the real deal. Then discovered the IndyGear site when Crystal Skull was being filmed in Fresno and read as much as I could about the history of the fedora. Information I had NO idea even existed about the lid. And I was hooked! In all the reading of this and other forums I found one consistent theme amongst the gearheads: The Search For The "Truest" Fedora.

From size, to bash; felt behavior, to screen accuracy, we all have our own opinions. Some of us are really fastidious when it comes to screen accuracy (and depending on which "screen" your talking about, that further complicates things) down to the exact crease and fold. Others have gone through so many hats and bashes and reblocks trying to emulate "the" hat, that they've said, "you know what, I've done it all, I'm not trying for SA, I'm happy the way it is." So it all depends.

I think a good starting place for most newcomers would be the Fed IV and just work from there. But I'll warn you, this is an addictive hobby! Once you have one hat, and you read the reviews of others, you'll want to add to your collection. And the only problem you have then won't be "what's more SA" but rather, "which hat should I wear today."

Anyway, welcome aboard hope you enjoy the information throughout this forum!

[Indiana Bugs]

There are a few Raiders hats in RotLA. They are commonly known as the Temple (opening sequence), the Raven Bar, the Well of Souls, and the Streets of Cairo. For a really good SoC hat, there is a member here who goes by the name Fedoraiders who makes ( or made?) his hats with the same name, and for all intents and purposes, his hats look like they jumped right off the Streets of Cairo set.

A lot of us here are cool with what I call being screen-reminiscent.' That is, you know it's a Raiders hat, but it's not specific to any one scene. A Raiders hat has the tight front pinch that extends almost all the way down to the ribbon, and the hat may or may not have 'the turn.' A turned hat is rotated very slightly to the right so that the bow moves forward in relation to the left ear. The front pinch is re-centered accordingly. On a hat with similar material and construction to the original, this results in the brim getting a bit wonky, a trait very valued here by many.

Some of us are happy with a SR Raiders hat, and others want a SA hat, accurate down to the most minute detail from a given scene.

Is that enough to think about?

[Rhys Darklaser]

Well I was looking for the Hero version from Raider's. Would Adventurebuilt work?

[BendingOak]

Well I was looking for the Hero version from Raider's. Would Adventurebuilt work?

Adventurebilt would be the very besy. Period.

[Rhys Darklaser]

Well I was looking for the Hero version from Raider's. Would Adventurebuilt work?

Adventurebilt would be the very besy. Period.

Thanks

[jnicktem]

Psssst: John Penman ALSO does very good work. BendingOak just won't say so because he doesn't like to brag.

[BendingOak]

The simple fact is...... If there was no Steve Delk not any of these that followed him would be even close at replicating the Raiders hat. That includes me. Steve raised the bar and raised it very high I might say. He set the standard. You want the very best in Indy hats "Adventurebilt."

[Bigfoot]

My .02 cents worth, I went with an Akubra since I didn't have a lot of money or time to invest in getting a fedora. However, here is a good list of vendors that should have what you are looking for; viewtopic.php?f=1&t=53440" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I believe it all comes down to if you have the time and money you can get a screen accurate one from any of the custom vendors, Penman, Adventure built, etc. If you want to spend less and want it quicker there are pre-made hats that are more screen reminiscent than screen accurate, but with some work on your part can get real close. JMHO.

[jlhampton]

The simple fact is...... If there was no Steve Delk not any of these that followed him would be even close at replicating the Raiders hat. That includes me. Steve raised the bar and raised it very high I might say. He set the standard. You want the very best in Indy hats "Adventurebilt."

I couldn't agree with this more and I'd like to say that I am a proud owner of both an AB and a Penman. I love them both. If I purchase another, I would have to put my money on a Penman. Top notch all the way and worth every penny. Plus it is, under the circumstances, a little easier to acquire a Penman these days than it is the AB. I will brag just a little more and add that I got my AB when it was only $232 brand new and took just under 5 months to receive it.

jlhampton

[youngjedi71]

The simple fact is...... If there was no Steve Delk not any of these that followed him would be even close at replicating the Raiders hat. That includes me. Steve raised the bar and raised it very high I might say. He set the standard. You want the very best in Indy hats "Adventurebilt."

WOW..you being a competitive hatter and giving such good marks on another vender? That says a lot right there..AND I havent received my AB yet, but Steve has been quite pleasant in all the emails we've exchanged.

[backstagejack]

WOW..you being a competitive hatter and giving such good marks on another vender? That says a lot right there...

We're all friends on COW. Try to help each other any way we can. Why we're here really......