Club Obi Wan

Sorry for the double post. Tried to delete but was unable to.

Kwality dawg, there! Is that a moonstone fed?

Texan Scott wrote:Kwality dawg, there! Is that a moonstone fed?

Were you referring to mine? If so, it's a dark brown, I just have poor lighting in my room haha. If you weren't referring to me, disregard this reply

No, that's a nice hat and a good bash you put into it. Enjoy!

It's the color-shifting Clipper model!

Oildale Jones wrote:It's the color-shifting Clipper model!

, ! Great come-back ! W>

6years of beating the @#$% out of this amazing thing
Sorry for the face and the size of the pics, Ill correct that when Im not on my phone
[URL=http://s20.photobucket.com/user/im ... .jpg[/img][/url]
[URL=http://s20.photobucket.com/user/im ... .jpg[/img][/url]

I'm surprised I've not posted in this thread. Me with my Fed IV Deluxe...dang, I really need to work on the taper...

Looking sharp sir!

B

Hey- new member here- just started collecting Indy gear- and first time ever owning a fedora. I ended up purchasing the Fed IV, and I couldn't be happier! First time "bashing" a cover as well- it's still kind of a work in progress. Let me know what you think!

Solid work, sir!
Were you going for Last Crusade or Temple of Doom? If I had to guess, I'd say Crusade.

Welcome aboard, and down the rabbit hole:)

Best,
B

Bartram wrote:Solid work, sir!
Were you going for Last Crusade or Temple of Doom? If I had to guess, I'd say Crusade.

Welcome aboard, and down the rabbit hole:)

Best,
B

I was bashing while watching Crusade, so I think that's what I'm working on, lol!

It is certainly a rabbit hole.... I get my first new Wested tomorrow- I've had a second-hand one that I've had for some time now that's been a little tight. Figured I'd go big and get the fedora as well. Whip and Aldens will be the next purchase.

Welcome aboard! Good choice on the Fed IV and it looks natural on you.


Regards,

Indiana Jeff

Looks amazing.

I think you should leave the bash as is in the picture you posted. Not too tight like Raiders, and not too loose like Crusade. You even achieved an ever-so-slight reverse taper.

Maybe give a little curl to the side of the brim?

You're one of those dudes who look like they were just supposed to wear a hat like that. Congrats.

Thanks!! I really do love the hat- I'm finding more and more reasons to wear it- I'm lucky it goes well with my suits!

I'll have to take another picture soon- between the heat, rain and just shaping it, the hat has taken on a little more character!

Bring it;)

Bartram wrote:Bring it;)

Consider it brought!

It's definitely looking more experienced.

Looks great, man. I have to say, there are higher end hats of all stripes, but that Fed IV is really solid. Worn well, it can rival many challengers, and you wear it well.

I'll admit that the Fed was my first Indy hat, so I've got a soft spot for it. But there are some essences of the Indy fedora it consistently captures. Well done, and keep up the good work.

Best,
B

Hey all, I recently got a Fed III but I think it's just a bit too large--still loose even with the sizing foam strips. However, I also recently found a barely used Fed IV and it's ended up being a great fit, comfortable, and a nice structure (not too stiff, not too floppy). The Fed IV got a turned Raiders bash (rebashed since it had been given a teardrop dent).

Here are some pics of the Fed IV. Taken with a Nikon 7100 and kit lens at 70 mm (apparently Raiders was filmed with 70mm). All pics were taken after noon and before 3 pm, so the sun is more or less directly overhead. The more pics I take of the hat, the more I realize how important the lighting was to the look of the hat in the film.

Here's the Fed IV (front height is 4.25" and rear height is 3.75"):







And some other recent ones of the Fed IV with same camera settings:

Whoa! It's like ten years ago all over again!

Yup, I know that this Federation IV Display Page topic is "dormant," or maybe "dead," but... why? Is the Akubra Federation IV "old hat" at this point? Is acquiring a new Fed no longer exciting enough to merit a "Post 'Em Up" style topic? Has this forum become so Fedora Lounge-ish that only expensive custom-made "snob" hats merit photos and discussion and ?


Oh well, too bad! Some... or at least one... of us schlubs still think it's pretty exciting to get a parcel from Australia containing a brand new Indy style hat!

I recently (April 2018) purchased a new Federation IV Deluxe fedora style hat from Hats Direct, just like the one I bought almost ten years ago, in December 2008... and decided I didn't like... and ultimately sold.

Okay, it's not that I didn't like the hat; rather, I felt that it never looked quite right on me... which led me to "dislike" it, and finally to sell it.

Yet here I am, ten years later, buying another one. Why?

That's a good question... for which I don't really have a good answer, other than, I like hats, and I like "Indiana Jones" style hats, and I haven't owned an actual "Indy-style" fedora for quite a while now. Which I suppose is legit, but then, even if I like hats, and even if I want an Indy hat, why would I be buying... or re-buying... at hat that I know I don't like?

Well... okay, that's a good question, too. But here's my rationale: I think I was kind of afraid of my Fed IV the first time I owned it. It was my first "expensive" (for me) hat purchase. It was my first "good" hat. After my tentative, and largely failed, attempts to shape it, I kind of babied it, and I never really wore it much. I certainly didn't wear it enough for it to develop any character, or to really start fitting me well.

I also may have purchased the wrong size back then. The hat always felt too large. It dropped down and rode on top of my ears.

I've had more experience with hats over the past decade. I currently own a number of Akubras and a Stetson in various styles, and I've bought and sold several other hats. This time I ordered the size I know fits based on my other Akubras, and the new hat fits pretty well straight out of the box. Over time, if I actually wear it, it should come to fit even better, and it should eventually start to look like my hat, a real hat, and not a fancy costume let's-play-dress-up hat. Right? That's the plan, anyway.

Arright, how about a few pics? Perhaps a few too many pics, according to the original forum guidelines. But here's the thing; I've been re-reading this topic from the beginning, thirty-eight pages ago, and almost all of the original photos have disappeared. And seriously:



A lot of the original forum members have disappeared along with their photos. I've been clicking through to profiles to see when people last visited the site. Lots of people have disappeared over the last decade. Curiously, the stats indicate a surprising number of people continue to check in once in a while, or "lurk," but rarely post anymore, but that's perhaps a matter for a different topic.

So, Mods, if this is too many pics, let me know and I'll change some of 'em to links. Considering, though, that hardly anyone is bothering to even post photos to the forum anymore, and that most of the photos in this particular topic are long gone, and that I actually take the time to resize my photos and save 'em at a lower resolution to conserve bandwidth... which used to be a "thing" back in the dial-up days... okay, yeah, rules are rules, so as I said, let me know and I'll change the pics to links if necessary.

The New Arrival: an Akubra Federation IV Deluxe from Hats Direct aka The Hattery in Katoomba, NSW, Australia (I drove through Katoomba once, but it was before I became interested in Indy gear; man, I'd love to go back!):


The shipping box. Not as solid as I remember them being, but it arrived intact.
The parcel reached Los Angeles from Australia within three or four days of
placing the order. Then it sat in LA for ten days before being dispatched. It
bounced around through a couple of the local postal processing centers before
finally being delivered. Total time from order to delivery, about 2-1/2 weeks.


Opening the box! Hat, invoice, and a strip of sizing foam.


Awww... how sweet! A personalized note from Trudi and Naomi!


Ooh, look at that fanceh "Heritage Collection" liner! Classy stuff!


The sweat band is stamped "Pure Fur Felt" and not "Imperial" or "Heritage"


I'm sorry, but seeing "Made in Australia" still gives me a little thrill. The world is a much
smaller place now, but when I was a kid, Australia was still a distant, exotic, exciting land!


What's this? A bowler? A clown hat? A hobo hat?
Nope, none of the above; this is what "open crown" looks like.
I guess we have some work to do!

Has anybody else purchased a new Fed IV recently? If so, don't be shy, let's see 'em!

And if anybody still has a Fed IV they posted about back when this topic was new in 2008/2009, let's see those, too! How have they held up over the years? What adventures have they been on? Do you still wear 'em?

Wow, remarkable that this thread has been dormant for almost 2 1/2 years. When I first joined, the FedIV was the workhorse of the Indy fedora world.

Thanks for bringing this one back to the top with your unboxing.

I suspect you will enjoy your FedIV much more this time out. Get a bash into it, throw it on your head and get out into the great outdoors to break it in. Before you know it, it'll be your hat and not just an Indy hat.

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

davidd wrote:Whoa! It's like ten years ago all over again!

Yup, I know that this Federation IV Display Page topic is "dormant," or maybe "dead," but... why? Is the Akubra Federation IV "old hat" at this point? Is acquiring a new Fed no longer exciting enough to merit a "Post 'Em Up" style topic? Has this forum become so Fedora Lounge-ish that only expensive custom-made "snob" hats merit photos and discussion and ?


Oh well, too bad! Some... or at least one... of us schlubs still think it's pretty exciting to get a parcel from Australia containing a brand new Indy style hat! . . .

Has anybody else purchased a new Fed IV recently? If so, don't be shy, let's see 'em!

And if anybody still has a Fed IV they posted about back when this topic was new in 2008/2009, let's see those, too! How have they held up over the years? What adventures have they been on? Do you still wear 'em?

Davidd, I totally agree about the feeling of anticipation when a box arrives with a new hat -- exceeded when you open the box, hold the hat, and start thinking what that open crown will become.
So -- have you done any work on it yet?

Mine (not a Deluxe) is a couple of years old, and I changed the ribbon to the more accurate dark-dark brown. Bashed, more or less, as Last Crystal. I love mine, and expect you'll love yours. Have fun!

Indiana Jeff wrote:Wow, remarkable that this thread has been dormant for almost 2 1/2 years. When I first joined, the FedIV was the workhorse of the Indy fedora world.

Yeah, it was actually a lot of fun going back to the beginning of this topic and re-experiencing the excitement surrounding what was the first "screen accurate" high-quality Indy hat at a reasonably affordable price. Kinda sad that most of the photos have disappeared. Oh, those Photobucket users... they chose poorly!

Howard Weinstein wrote:I totally agree about the feeling of anticipation when a box arrives with a new hat -- exceeded when you open the box, hold the hat, and start thinking what that open crown will become. So -- have you done any work on it yet?

It's still "pristine," with the plastic wrap over the crown. The old fear of "messing it up" is starting to creep back. Although actually, I'm enjoying the idea of having a brand new Indy hat, and I'm waiting until I have a good, solid chunk of time in which to sit down with it and work on it slowly. I'm hoping to achieve a well-defined "twin humps" look like you did with yours. My idea is to go "generic Indy hat" and then wear it and let it evolve with real-world use.

davidd wrote:

Indiana Jeff wrote:Wow, remarkable that this thread has been dormant for almost 2 1/2 years. When I first joined, the FedIV was the workhorse of the Indy fedora world.

Yeah, it was actually a lot of fun going back to the beginning of this topic and re-experiencing the excitement surrounding what was the first "screen accurate" high-quality Indy hat at a reasonably affordable price. Kinda sad that most of the photos have disappeared. Oh, those Photobucket users... they chose poorly!

Howard Weinstein wrote:I totally agree about the feeling of anticipation when a box arrives with a new hat -- exceeded when you open the box, hold the hat, and start thinking what that open crown will become. So -- have you done any work on it yet?

It's still "pristine," with the plastic wrap over the crown. The old fear of "messing it up" is starting to creep back. Although actually, I'm enjoying the idea of having a brand new Indy hat, and I'm waiting until I have a good, solid chunk of time in which to sit down with it and work on it slowly. I'm hoping to achieve a well-defined "twin humps" look like you did with yours. My idea is to go "generic Indy hat" and then wear it and let it evolve with real-world use.

That's a good plan. Just play with it and you'll get it. I learned pretty quickly that Akubras are very forgiving, sturdy hats and bashing them (sometimes multiple times) is a fun, Zen way to pass an hour or two. I like to do it while semi-watching a baseball game...or listening to an Indy soundtrack CD

Thank you for bringing some life back to this thread.
My Fed IV was the first "real" Indy hat I purchased and will always have a soft spot in my heart because of it.
Plus, I have always really liked the Fed's lines, too. Gets most of the hat really right, to my mind.

Mine could use some love if its going to be wore out again, however.
Who has had success reblocking their Fed? Could be a fun undertaking.

Post some pics. Show us what it looks like now.

All the best friends,
B

As an experiment, I am going to try wearing my new Fed IV Deluxe in its "unbashed" state for a few days before tinkering with the crown shape to see if it starts to conform to my head. Then perhaps the bash and the overall fit will look more natural. Today I only wore it for a couple of hours while working on a deck-building project. I'm hoping to get in some longer stretches of time over the next couple of days.

I can get away with this because I'm working by myself, so I don't have to worry about looking too stupid.

When reading through the various topics about the Federation IV, I sometimes see comments along the lines of, "I'll have to get used to the wide brim" or "it feels like a cowboy hat." My response to that is: say whaaaat?


Compared to the hats I generally prefer, the Fed is definitely taking some getting used to, because, relative to what I usually wear, it feels like a stingy brim or a trilby. Right now, in fact, because I'm still letting it "self-fit" and haven't yet creased the crown, when wearing it I feel like either Oddjob from Goldfinger or Mr. Banks from Mary Poppins in their bowlers.

Or... does anyone remember an old Disney movie, The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin?


"You call this a wide brim?"



Anyway, here's a comparison photo of the Fed IV with some hats with real brims on 'em:



Clockwise from upper left:
Akubra Military Slouch with Montana Peak crease
Akubra Sombrero with an Indy-ish bash that has morphed into a Secret of the Incas / King Solomon's Mines safari style
Akubra Pastoralist with an Indy-ish bash – yes, the Pastoralist has a wider brim than the Fed IV
J. Peterman Co. "Hemingway" cap - even my only baseball cap has a bill longer than the Fed IV brim
Stetson "Tom Mix" western hat with a Montana-ish crown that is evolving over time
Center: Akubra Federation IV Deluxe, open crown at present

New here. Figured I'd throw my hat in the ring, so to speak. It needs work but it gets use.

http://imgur.com/a/aFthODJ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Parttimeteacher wrote:New here. Figured I'd throw my hat in the ring, so to speak. It needs work but it gets use.

Lovin' that ripple in the brim! I want my Fed to look like that some day!

I had to put some steam to it and even it back up a little. It was a good bit lower on one side where I pull it on with my right hand.

I added a couple of pics of it in daylight to this album as well as a gif to show the resilience of the hat.

http://imgur.com/a/aFthODJ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

After wearing my new Fed IV Deluxe for a couple of weeks while working outside I've started feeling comfortable with the fit, so today I decided to start working on a bash. I was going to start with only the top lengthwise dent, but I couldn't resist putting in a couple of side dents. I'm planning to work on this a little bit at a time and avoid rushing things, and to wear the hat as I work on it, tweaking it as I go.



The Mk VII satchel is an older Magnoli bag, a veteran of the Pillar of Darkness Expeditons of 1913 and 1915.

It is good to see the thread back on the road ...

Wearing the Fed IV while hiking in Red Rock Country

My experimental approach of wearing the hat "unbashed" for a couple of weeks before trying to shape it, and then shaping it gradually, seems to be working.
I'm finally managing to get the "humps" look to the top of the crown, which I've never effectively achieved with two previous hats, and the front dents are holding
their shape rather than working their way out. Shaping the crown is not affecting the fit, and having allowed the hat to "self-fit" lets the shaping work with, rather
than against, the fit. I'm still wanting a bit more downward curl to the front of the brim, and the front pinch could be tighter, but it's coming along.

Is anybody else still wearing Fed IVs these days?

Summer hiking hat: Akubra Federation IV Deluxe

davidd wrote:
Is anybody else still wearing Fed IVs these days?

Yup. I still wear mine during travels. This year marks my Fed4D's ten year anniversary

Regards

CJ

Chiliana Jones wrote: Yup. I still wear mine during travels. This year marks my Fed4D's ten year anniversary

Tough to top Petra for Indy hat cachet!

I have considered getting another Fed (like I need more) and not changing the crown. I have seen a few in older pictures of that style fedora without being bashed. Would still shape the brim.

Wonder how funky that would look?

midgettem1 wrote:Hey- new member here- just started collecting Indy gear- and first time ever owning a fedora. I ended up purchasing the Fed IV, and I couldn't be happier! First time "bashing" a cover as well- it's still kind of a work in progress. Let me know what you think!

Looks excellent. Where did you order yours?

Does anyone think the Akubra Imperial is softer than the Akubra Federation IV Deluxe?
Is there 2 versions of this fedora? Ive been researching it and more I see the more I want one.

Everyone looks great in there Hats. Does anyone know where to purchase the Federation IV? I am in belgium.

You can get it at hatsdirect.com. Had mine for 10 years. Looks as good as ever.

LRGS wrote:You can get it at hatsdirect.com. Had mine for 10 years. Looks as good as ever.

Yes I see it there. I see the Federation IV and the Deluxe. Is the regular Federation called the Imperial?

Imperial is the standard, I believe. Deluxe is a bit more expensive. Not sure what is different about the felt (more pounced on the deluxe?) but I hear that the sweatband is higher quality on the deluxe. Never owned the imperial so can't comment first-hand.

LRGS wrote:Imperial is the standard, I believe. Deluxe is a bit more expensive. Not sure what is different about the felt (more pounced on the deluxe?) but I hear that the sweatband is higher quality on the deluxe. Never owned the imperial so can't comment first-hand.

Yes I read the sweatband is wider to.
Does the Imperial have that plastic at the top of the liner like the deluxe version?

everyones hats look great.

I keep telling myself I ‘need’ one in tawny fawn. Perhaps this will be the week I pull the plug and get it. I think they’re about $118 currently.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I think I need a FedIv.

All the hats are looking good!

Which FedIV is the Indy fedora color? Dark Brown or Heritage Fawn?

D00R wrote:Which FedIV is the Indy fedora color? Dark Brown or Heritage Fawn?

Dark brown. It's actually darker than the movie hats, but it's the closest of the Fed IV colors.