Club Obi Wan

Mitch! I missed your new pics!! All I can say is, you're the most SA Indy-look-alike I know here.

Thank you, my friend...


...VERY kind of you to say that.

Garrison Hatters "The Raider" Review
By Nathan Sloan

First of all, so that no one may say this post is useless without photos:

For my entire album of photos with subtitled descriptions of some of the things I'll be bringing up in the review, use the following link:
http://s942.photobucket.com/albums/ad26 ... 20Hatters/

June 30th, 2010
After picking apart prices, wait times, and opinions all over the internet and COW for well over a month I found myself at a frustrating crossroads. Who will make the rabbit hat which will be "the hat" for my own personal adventuring? It had to be tough, beautiful, and screen accurate - a tall order for a tall crown fedora. Wanting a handmade hat on a budget had narrowed it down to two hatmakers - one whom I'm sure produces fine quality hats, but whom I didn't go with and the one whom I did: David Garrison of Garrison Hatters. It was no easy decision as there aren't many high quality photos of "The Raider" available out there, at least not compared to the other hat maker's offerings. His price was a selling point as was his estimated four week delivery time, but in the end it was his attentiveness and friendly manner that pushed me to take a "leap of faith." When the Fuller's Earth [read: dust] finally settled, I can say I'm glad I did.

The Bad, The Good, and the Bottom Line

The Bad
You guys don't know me but I'm the kind of person who would never give an "A+" to a student on a paper, even if they NAILED it. This is because I don't believe in perfection and because I know there is always something more to strive for. Since I'm so happy with my hat I'm going to go ahead and get these details out of the way because no review would be complete without them.
First of all, my estimated four week delivery time turned into five weeks and six days. The hat was ordered on June 30th and arrived August 10th. LLS had some issues come up that delayed the hat's production and delivery a couple of times. Not a huge deal but since his original estimated delivery time made a difference in my decision to purchase from him it's something worth bringing up. Those last 13 days were mildly irritating, but that's only because I was so excited about the hat and lacking in good patience. The good news is that David acknowledged the wait time and included a free baggie of Fuller's Earth as a way of saying, "thanks for waiting."
The second negative thing I noticed is that it was just a bit too tight. This is likely no fault of Garrison's but of my own; I've never taken hat measurements and did have a haircut just before sending him some updated numbers. With wear it has become more comfortable and I'd say it's a "good fit," though not a perfect one. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that LLS has offered to take the hat back and re-size the sweatband at no charge - but after only 5 weeks of wear I'm still on the fence about taking him up on it.
The third little detail is that the ribbon was damaged on the right side near the front. Looks like a hot iron may have hit it a couple of times and melted/seared a few streaks into it. Again, not a huge deal but something may need to be done to avoid that in the future.
Lastly, and this isn't even a negative really, is that the felt color is a really dark brown. In my pictures the hat is outdoors and it looks much lighter, perhaps the hats Indy actually wore were very dark at one time, but in person and indoors it is surprisingly dark brown.

The Good
Taking it out of the box it felt great. Soft but not too soft - it still feels like a rough wearing hat. It's floppy but not too floppy. The bash and turn that LLS put in was spot-on for the scene I had requested (though some of his handiwork has no doubt been altered inadvertently by myself since arrival). The ribbon material itself looks great and his bow work is fantastic as well. The hat liner looks cooler than almost any other liner I've seen; I really like the off-white material and the classic Staff of Ra headpiece logo. I am convinced the sweatband is made of a semi-magic leather because it is so unusually soft and smooth. No clue what kind of animal it comes from but it feels great. Stitching/pouncing/brimcut were all done very well. I was surprised to see how he cut the brim to a shorter width in the back - if you're interested you can see what I mean in one of the photos in my album. Regardless, it looks good on me so I like it. There can be no doubt from the time that you pull it out of the box that you're holding something that a lot of tender love and care has gone into. That sensation, my friends, is what makes a hat special from the start. Now I look forward to making it special with age and adventures. Speaking of adventures, it has already had a few. In four weeks I've been caught in a tremendous downpour, balled it up under my shirt to protect it from said rainstorm, camped at the beach with it and tossed it in the sand, and watched in horror as a 200 lb man threw his full weight on it, crushing it in the back seat of a Jeep. Through it all it has kept coming back, although it definitely has a "looser" and more broken in feel now as well as a new crease across the right "hump" and some ribbon wrinkles that won't go away (don't fold your hat up!).

The Bottom Line
Looking for a handmade hat at a great price? Look no further. Garrison hatters makes a great hat that will only get better as he continues to perfect his methods. I don't feel he's built the reputation that some other hat makers are fortunate to have around these parts, but I also think it is only a matter of time before he does. I'll likely post back on this thread in the coming months/years with updates and photos showing how it has held up. If some of the fedoras he's made for other clients are any indication, it should take a lickin' and keep on tickin' - just like Indiana Jones.

Indiana Sloan,

Congratulations on your new hat. It does looks great, LLS did a fine job.
I enjoyed the pics and review. The hat looks good on you.
Hope you have many more adventures with it.


Steve

Congratulation to you! And compliments to David for this terrific hat!
Your hat immediately reminded me this one:



Steerpike

Great looking lid! You can't go wrong with Garrison.

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

Hey Sloan,
Thanks for the great review. I am glad to see your posted review and the pictures. I always like seeing the hat on customers heads, because it helps improve my "minds eye" of the the whole look of the hat on various people.

I still am at around one month turn around time in production. My delays come when I have to go out of town for surveying projects. As much as I love making hats, keeping my employees in work is just as important. . When this happens, I do inform folks just to let them know that I haven't fallen off the face of the Earth. I am sorry this happens. I understand completely. Other delays are when I just plain mess up a hat. Got to break a few eggs to make an omlete. (with the turn, of course).
The color of felt will fade over time. Steve taught me this. The supplier does a wonderful job with the raw felts. I have been to the manufaturer and seen their entire production facility. Awesome! Different runs will vary in tones. I have been please overall. I noticed the same thing about the color of the hat in the film that Indiana Sloan mentioned. Different lighting brings out different tones on the hat. An example is the Raven Bar scene. The whole scene has a warm reddish affect on the hat. Dusting the hat does the same thing.
As far as the sizing goes, the offer still stands. I want you to be completely satisfied. I was so impressed with the sweatbands that I use. The moment I held one, I knew these would be the sweatbands going in my hats. It works so well with dress hats on many levels.

Your pictures look great. I can tell the bash I put in has softened up. What strikes me, in the pic you posted above, the crown looks like the crown from the swinging bridge scene in TOD. Yet, the brim says Raiders. For a teacher that doesn't give out A+'s, the Raiders hat is your hat. It is not a perfect hat. In my opinion it isn't a dress hat. It is just a hat that looks cool.

LLS

What strikes me, in the pic you posted above, the crown looks like the crown from the swinging bridge scene in TOD.

We have the same eyes LLS. I thought the exact same thing, must be the angle. And it's a great hat! Great work my friend. Fedora

Fedora wrote:

What strikes me, in the pic you posted above, the crown looks like the crown from the swinging bridge scene in TOD.

We have the same eyes LLS. I thought the exact same thing, must be the angle. And it's a great hat! Great work my friend. Fedora

Thanks Steve.

I believe this is the combination of angle and bash style. The front bashes are relaxed at the corners and causes more of the roundness of the crown roll to come into play. A feature all too obvious on the TOD hat. His other pics doesn't accentuate this as much. So, yes, both angle and bash style are in play here. Sheds light on my TOD block I am working on, though.

Something else, Sloan made an observation on the brim cut I use. Yep, I have my own camp on this detail. I do not use what is common practice. I believe the Raiders hat had its own brim trim that the other hats didn't. It is a detail that kinda helps accent the rakish, adventurous look that moves it a little bit away from looking like a standard 'dress hat, turned adventure hat' look. It is dimensional trim, just not the same as commonly discussed in the forum. Also, on my hats, you can drop the back of the center bash to 3-5/8" from the brim. No taper and it is unique to the Raiders hat.

LLS

You know, re-reading my original post its a shame that I went the whole "the bad the good" route because it seems to suggest I am not completely satisfied. In reality I am just a fan of the Clint Eastwood spaghetti western and making puns. "The Bad" would be more accurately title "the less than perfect but still not a big deal." The reason I haven't sent the hat back for resizing is ... well .. BECAUSE I LOVE IT TOO MUCH TO LET IT GO. I want to emphasize, it's my fault for screwing up the fit - I'm a dingus when it comes to tape measuring. Finally, the teacher analogy is to lend insight into my personality, it in no way carries over to suggest I have any idea what I'm talking about technically speaking - that would be ridiculous. I'm just looking at a hat and talking about the things I see.

Getting used to public hat wearing has been an adjustment but at least a couple of cute girls have complimented me on it. HECK YES.

P.S. I think I've fixed the bash. Good tips - looks even better!!! (and less TOD-ish)

Indiana Sloan wrote: Getting used to public hat wearing has been an adjustment but at least a couple of cute girls have complimented me on it. HECK YES.

Your hat looks great! Great job LLS!

I have Indiana Green's old Garrison and love it! All my other hats just don't look quite right on me, but the Garrison fits and suits me very well. I know, I should pics, and haven't said anything until now since I don't have any, but wanted to chime in here about sizing. The 59 Garrison is definitely my snuggest 59cm hat so far, and I thought it was actually on purpose. I think a tightly fitting hat helps to pull off the look; ie not looking "over-sized" and helping with the brim/crown distortion. It's loosened up a bit from use.

David's attention to detail is very clear in the final product, and I'm thankful to have one of his hats at a really good deal (thanks Indiana Green!) Ok, will have to post pictures now that I've outed myself as a Garrison owner!

That's RIGHT!

Hey, y'know Baldwyn if YOU post that emoticon here... y'know, the one it suggests that the value of a Thread is somehow diminished by the absence of a certain kind of additional feature... then you might set a record as perhaps the one time a Poster coaxed HIMSELF into adding a few snapshots!

Just an idea...

Baldwyn wrote:I have Indiana Green's old Garrison and love it! All my other hats just don't look quite right on me, but the Garrison fits and suits me very well. I know, I should pics, and haven't said anything until now since I don't have any, but wanted to chime in here about sizing. The 59 Garrison is definitely my snuggest 59cm hat so far, and I thought it was actually on purpose. I think a tightly fitting hat helps to pull off the look; ie not looking "over-sized" and helping with the brim/crown distortion. It's loosened up a bit from use.

David's attention to detail is very clear in the final product, and I'm thankful to have one of his hats at a really good deal (thanks Indiana Green!) Ok, will have to post pictures now that I've outed myself as a Garrison owner!

;0

YEAH!!!
THERE ya go!


Now get to work on this and do like Baldwyn says!




(In all seriousness, though... lookin' forward to seeing those photos whenever you can manage it!)

Yeah. You can't bait us like that without posting up the pics...?

we demand pics...

Yeah
Pics...
Pics...
Pics...

Pics for everyone!

Cheers!

Dan

POOR Baldwyn!

He must feel like he's got 5 or 6 of us "hovering" behind him and looking over his shoulder the whole time he's trying to get this done!
(I'm just as guilty, though... if there was such a thing as a "looking at your watch impatiently" smiley emoticon, I'D probably have jokingly posted it be now...)


Take your time, my friend!
Us chompin' at the bit is just a by-product of our ENTHUSIASM (we're not REALLY that impatient, ARE we?)

Cheers!
Mitch

HA!! I tried the self timer last night and didn't like the pics, so I'll break down and have an exasperated wife take some snaps

All my other hats just don't look quite right on me, but the Garrison fits and suits me very well.

Hey Baldwyn, I would like for you to expand on this. What details cause you to conclude this?

David's attention to detail is very clear in the final product, and I'm thankful to have one of his hats at a really good deal (thanks Indiana Green!)

Thank you. I strive to reproduce this hat in minute detail. Since you are a "second generation" to own this particular hat that was made for Indiana Green, I am happy to read that you are pleased with it. All the details for Indiana Green transfers effortlessly to subsequent owners. I put this warranty in the reed of each hat I make.

LLS

I'm very glad you like your hat Baldwyn! It deserved a good home, and I'm happy that it found one. Mr. Garrison's fine craftsmanship is what made it so painful to sell!

Enjoy!

Indy Green

Still no pictures, I promise I'll do it before the month ends!

Local Land Surveyor wrote:

All my other hats just don't look quite right on me, but the Garrison fits and suits me very well.

Hey Baldwyn, I would like for you to expand on this. What details cause you to conclude this?

David, so the part that really makes the hat suit me is the brim break. Yours is very sharp. I don't know if it's screen accurate or not, but a gentle brim break just doesn't suit me. Now, I haven't gone through a lot of hats (Peter Bros, Federation I, Henry) so it's not a large sample group. The other thing is, I think the crown of the hat is small for the size, relative to other hats. Indy hats often look a hair too big on me, and I find this proportion to be perfect. Finally, being a tight hat really seems to help the look, which is why I thought you do it on purpose Practically every piece of gear I get, I spend time in front of the mirror tweaking, or crushing or pulling or pushing or something because it needs it (c'mon, all you guys do it too). This hat I just plopped on and heard theme music

Indiana Green wrote:I'm very glad you like your hat Baldwyn! It deserved a good home, and I'm happy that it found one. Mr. Garrison's fine craftsmanship is what made it so painful to sell!

Enjoy!

Indy Green

Thank you, again, Indy Green, I certainly am enjoying it!

This hat I just plopped on and heard theme music

Now, that is music to my ears.

LLS

It was the theme music to the 'Care Bear Movie', but that's besides the point....he has kids, so it's understandable....



Regards! Michaelson

TRA LA LA LA La la la la.......... Wait... that was the Smurfs....sorry.
Rather.... YO JOE!!! DA DA DA DADA!!....... DA NA NA NA... He'll fight for freedom..... Wait, I'm on the wrong site. Da Da Da Da.. Da Da Da...... That's better.

Looking forward to some pics Baldwyn.

LLS

See there?! I rest my case!



Regrds! Michaelson

After David posted such a good deal: http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?f ... 60#p771660" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;"

I decided to garrison one of these Garrison Hatter's special hat offers, his version of that unforgettable metamorphosis of desert heat, sweat, artificial distressing and felt, that we have effectionately dubbed the Streets of Cairo fedora. He took extra care to mold this new rabbit felt into a very good likeness of that iconic hat of some three decades ago that we see on screen. After the bumpy postal ride, now it was my turn to finish the vision! If only I could find the right lighting conditions, etc., and do it justice...

Nope, that wouldn't quite do it!


Not exactly...


Closer!...


That's it!


Thanks, David, for recreating what we see on screen! Now its my turn to wear the thing, and apply that natural heat expansion to the crown!

Wow, THAT's just BEAUTIFUL, Scott!


Congrats on getting your Garrison! David did NOT dissappoint!


WELL DONE, Mr. Garrison!

Great job David!!! Can we see a close-up of, that bow? Garrison does one of the BEST Raiders bows I've ever seen!

Awesome Texan Scott!!!!
I remember that when I had the pics taken of my cairo prototype that it was hard to get all the little details to show up in pictures. They are easily seen in person. I concluded that the movie hat must have looked like a total wreck in person just so it would look wrecked on film. I am glad you are pleased with it. The more you wear it the more it just keeps breaking in.
A secret add for you to try: grab the brim at your right temple. Push up with your thumb while tilting down with your pinky and third finger to help train the swoop .PM me if you need clarity. Don't be afraid to ball it up in your hands. That rabbit felt, as you can tell, is very tough.

Super look.

LLS

Love it. Makes me look forward to the arrival of mine!

Great looking hat !!!

When you can get a hatter to hand make you a fedora for $200 or less, you've stumbled upon quite a bragain. The attention to detail and skill of a trained eye is worth it alone.

Felt tends to absorb light. Add to it, the tendency for the camera to operate in two dimensions, and that is what makes capturing an image as the eyes truely see it, a challenge; but then again, that is the fun part as well. These shortcomings also make natural light manditory.

The felt maker Curry is still operating in Brasil, and having handled their felt at a retail store in Curichiba last year, I found their felt to be very soft and floppy. I could then see why the film hat looked like such a beaten up fedora that seemingly could barely hold its shape. Probably it was.

Thanks for the kind words, you guys.

...the obligatory bow teaser...

That's the bow!! Nice, work!!!!

Looks fantastic Scott! I can't wait to receive mine!!!

LLS, you've made yet another fine looking lid. Well done!

Best wishes,
Nebraska Schulte

Well worth the wait! Hang in there, Nick.

Great lid! I so want mine. 4 weeks will seem like a drop in the buckets compared to my AB.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Received my Garrison Raider today in rabbit; general Raider's look with no turn. I am very happy with it and it fits great. I will get some pics and a review up in a day or two. Thanks LLS !!!

Oh, man, I am soooo looking forward to getting mine!!!!

Texan Scott wrote:
That's it!


Thanks, David, for recreating what we see on screen! Now its my turn to wear the thing, and apply that natural heat expansion to the crown!

Judging by that picture, both you and LLS NAILED it! Here's hoping mines looks like that when it arrives. -M

I am very pleased with my Garrison Raider. The fit is great and the rabbit felt is very smooth. Turn around time was just about five weeks and Garrison Hatters kept me apprised of the progress. I love the champagne colored Staff of Ra lining. This is a general Raiders look without turn. Garrison hatters used the look from the tarantula scene in the beginning. I resized my head when I ordered the hat and actually went up on the measurement so I could wear it farther down than normal. It still sits off my ears, but does not blow away as easy. I am used to hats with stiff brims, so I like that this one is floppy. It just screams to take it off on an adventure.

This will make a great addition to my Akubra Fed IV Fawn and Penman Gray Seaplane. Thanks much LLS!


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http://www.shutterfly.com/lightbox/view ... 7cbb382743" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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http://www.shutterfly.com/lightbox/view ... 7cbb382743" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I can't see the photos.

Bdgsi11 wrote:I can't see the photos.

Me neither, says I have to sign in to shutterfly.

Got word via email yesterday, mine just went in the mail.

Looking forward to this week's mail call.

Scott, that looks magnificent!