I was so delighted when it arrived! It was beautiful to look at and luxurious to hold. Seriously. I know how everyone talks about how soft the Henry is but my oh my, it was buttery.
Of course, I wore it out immediately! At first, I was very conscious of it. It felt bigger than my previous fedora (which had shrunk
) and it needed time to get used to being on my head. That is certainly something to consider with any of these hats is that they will eventually develop characteristics which are unique to you... The first "real world" wear of my hat was excavating in Orkney in 2012.
I wore it through a Canadian winter which is always nasty and when I moved London I wore it through, well, the rain!
The next real test I put the Henry through was going to Africa and the Middle East for 6 months.
Now, everyone here knows that flying with a fedora is tricky. They always get roughly handled through security and then spend many hours stuffed under your seat. Now, I know that the AB and AB Deluxe's are able to handle serious abuse and can easily 'pop' back into shape. For the most part, the Henry can do this. I do believe that the beaver in this hat really helps it keep its strength. And if you decided to use a hat as a working hat I would recommend at the very least getting a beaver blend! Travelling and excavating are very taxing to all gear and a good hat is an essential bit of kit, especially in the desert.
These are throughout the course of 6 months in east Africa and the Persian Gulf.
And so now, four years after I first bought my Henry, I still use it quite a bit when I am surveying. The worst damage it suffered was when it got slammed and crushed beyond recognition in the door of the truck. These things happen. But after a bit of tweaking and work on it, I got it looking like itself again. I have not had it properly reblocked. I have worked on it a bit with some steam but that is about it.
There is some taper, but, I expect that with a hat that is not 100% beaver. The white liner is quite dirty and should probably be replaced. The sweatband is incredible. The leather that they used on this was top notch. The ribbon is also amazing. The only problem that I had with it was that it kept riding up so I put a few stitches in the front of it to hold it down.
It is a marvellous hat and it more than worth the money. It is still buttery soft! When I first got it I thought it would almost be too luxurious for a site hat but this thing can take a beating and still look great. What the guys at AB did was something very special with this hat. I knew it was a great hat but I could not have anticipated how well it holds up. It is not entirely screen accurate with its shape and bash but it is a "lived in" hat.
If you are considering a Henry do not waste any time, buy it! I would love to get an AB deluxe one day but being a commercial archaeologist it is going to take some time before I have the money for one. At this point, I am bonded to this hat now. I would never consider going on any trip/expedition without it.
Thank you Marc, Stefan, Steve and John for making such a great factory hat. I hope one day to be able to get the Deluxe but until then I am happy and honoured to wear this product of yours.
Filled with academe, adventure, and dust. And those photos are just the cherry on the icing on the cake. Great post, Adam! And yes, I do remember these days in Cambridge (and the pubs 
