Club Obi Wan

im going to buy an AB and i want to check out a fedora that is close to its specs.would the "Cliffhanger" fedora that Barons hats offers be close as far as looks to an Adventurebilt.

the cliffhanger

i wouldnt buy it,not a $300 bucks.i was asking if it looks close enough to a "Raiders" style fedora so i can decide wheather or not a "tall crown"fedora would be right for me.

Just a warning: you put a tall crown fedora on your head for the first time and you may not like it. You put it on and it looks impossibly tall and you feel selfconscious. Then you walk around with it for a while and put on a shorter crown and they look ridiculous. Once you get used to it, you'll want nothing else, though it takes time to acclimate, if you will.

Just a warning: you put a tall crown fedora on your head for the first time and you may not like it. You put it on and it looks impossibly tall and you feel selfconscious. Then you walk around with it for a while and put on a shortly crown and they look ridiculous. Once you get used to it, you'll want nothing else, though it takes time to acclimate, if you will.

Well put -- that's a good description of my first encounter with a tall crown. After a while I put on another hat, the crown of which was much shorter and (gasp) tapered. It looked just ridiculous to me.

When I first got my AB, it took me a day (at most) to get used to the crown height. Then I totally loved it. I still like some fedoras with a shorter crown, but now they have to be at least "high enough."

bink

If you have made it to the price range of an AB, there is no comparison IMO if you seek a Raiders hat and pure beaver is quite a bonus. As for the tall crown, trust everyone here, you have to try it and give it a little time. The mere fact that you are inquiring on and desiring such a hat means that you are almost 'there', at least mentally. My previous hats with purposely shorter crowns are now being retired permanently and passed on to those of that style.

I had to chuckle at myself a few weeks back at one point when I was wearing my recently acquired AB, I was talking to my wife prior to going out for dinner and I commented something like, "Man I love the crown on this fedora, the taller the better..." That sentiment is far from where I was when I ordered it.

I never liked fedora's with a small crown heights , they never looked right on me. When I saw Raiders back in 81, I knew that was the hat for me. I love the tall crown and I won't even pick up a hat that has a small crown . I know it's going to look like I have my five year olds hat on. In that price range (or any ) you won't go wrong with the Adventurebilt. I don't know anything about the cliffhanger except for the shot's of it posted on this forum and his site. Steve spent many hours , days , weeks, months, you get the idea working on getting his fedora as close to the " hat" as posible.

Jpevh wrote:im going to buy an AB and i want to check out a fedora that is close to its specs.would the "Cliffhanger" fedora that Barons hats offers be close as far as looks to an Adventurebilt.

No. The Cliffhanger, based on the appearance of that picture, has a tear-drop crown, which is not accurate at all. Also look at his sight. He says that this is based on the hat from ToD, the shortest hat out of all of the three movies. Not at all like the Raiders hat. If you want to know how a tall crown will look, I suggest going to the picture section of Fedora's website. :junior: -IJ

I have both....the Cliffhanger is a great hat! Pricy, yes! But a great hat and like any other custom made hats, you need to work with the 'hatter' and Mark at Baron is great to work with. He will make every effort to build it the way you want it -- it is not tear dropped. Mark is a lot like Fedora and other good hatmakers, such as ######....they will make it the way you want it....you just need to be specific. All Regards. W>

I have both a Cliffhanger and an AB. The AB is definitely a more Raider's style body (although Fedora can turn out about any hat from the series you favor -- mine actually has a Raider's body and a LC brim).

My Cliffhanger beaver had a very TOD shape out of the box. It is slightly tapered. The ribbon was black and the lining royal blue.

If I had had the AB option, I probably wouldn't have bought the Cliffhanger.

Jpevh wrote:i wouldnt buy it,not for $300 bucks.i was asking if it looks close enough to a "Raiders" style fedora so i can decide wheather or not a "tall crown"fedora would be right for me.

as i stated above

ill be sure to bring a boom box and some dramatic opera music when i go to Barons.

Well today i got to check out a beaver AB in person, Strider's AB to be exact, and i must say the AB is far superior to the "Cliffhanger" IMO.The Cliffhanger is very nice, but the AB is not only better in looks and style but its cheaper.

Indiana_Tone wrote:Yeah, but then you'd have to buy an A/B; wear it all the time, knowing it's one of the best Raider's fedoras out there. Next thing you know you're walking around and people start saying things like, "Great hat!" or "That is a fantastic fedora!" You'll feel very proud, walk taller with it on and want to take it everywhere. Women will flock and guys will jealously mumble under their breath, etc. Who needs that kind of pressure? I say play it safe and go 'DORFMAN PACIFIC' all the way!

For some people that pressure might be a problem but after checking out Strider's AB im going to put pressure on my folks to help me out and chip in so i can buy an AB.

Indiana_Tone wrote:Well, I'm just trying to help here. If you feel you "have to have" an A/B.....Might as well get one.

Oh I have to have one and even if i couldnt get one, a 'DORFMAN PACIFIC' would be the last hat id turn to.

You know, with the great hate for Dorfamans out there, and even with owning and loving my Adventurebilts (and Akubra), something in me still thinks about getting a Dorfman. Sure, they're not the ideal Indy hat by a LONG shot, and the quality is off by a LONG shot, but when the movies originally came out, I remember lusting and begging for one of these hats as a kid. I'm thinking of getting one at some point just for the archive of my childhood. After all, it was the first publicly available "gear" which helped fuel the craze to make it what it is today.

bink

Bink, you're to young to be having a mid-life crisis, but cosidering the cost of a Dorfman vs., say, a Porshe, I believe you're choosing wisely. (grins)
High regards! Michaelson

I remember my brother asking for a Porshe for Christmas years ago. He got one -- a Matchbox. He never specified he wanted a full scale working model! And it's not so much a mid life crisis as it is just sheer sentimentality, as opposed to plain old mentality. So, Micheelson, how many centuries ago was your midlife crisis?

bink

Well, it was...hey, wait a minute.... Regards! Michaelson

I would like to share pictures of my Cliffhanger. I just received it this week. I'm not nearly as knowledgeable as all of you but I thought it would be worth sharing some pictures. I had Baron weather it. Let the discussion commence.

Looks Great!!!! Very 'Crusade'!!!! I like it....
W>

Great! Another grey hat! Post it in the Raiders' plane scene discussion

Hey,

Don't put the pics side by side or reduce their size. I am having to scroll back and forth between here and London, just to read this thread.

Bufflehead Jones wrote:Hey,

Don't put the pics side by side or reduce their size. I am having to scroll back and forth between here and London, just to read this thread.

Isn't it weird? Especially Bink's post way up there...

In Christ,
Shane

Is it me or is that band way too light? Is it just the picture? Also, it looks like the sides were pushed out get a stovepipe look, with little consideration to the front/back taper. Just my opinion. I still have yet to see a better block job then Steve's.

THe hats are like actual size on my screen.

That is a very nice hat, a very nice fedora. But, for an Indy hat, there are some problems, at least as presented in these photos. Ignoring the fact that it looks grey and the band looks silver, there is indeed quite a bit of front to back taper; the top dent is too shallow; the ribbon looks too wide and the bow is too chunky; and the bash could be tweaked a bit. Still, it is a great hat and I wish you well with it. Cute cat, by the way.

Hemingway Jones wrote:That is a very nice hat, a very nice fedora. But, for an Indy hat, there are some problems, at least as presented in these photos. Ignoring the fact that it looks grey and the band looks silver, there is indeed quite a bit of front to back taper; the top dent is too shallow; the ribbon looks too wide and the bow is too chunky; and the bash could be tweaked a bit. Still, it is a great hat and I wish you well with it. Cute cat, by the way.

In other words......it's not an Indy hat then?

I appreciate all the input. I can say that it is not grey and the band is not silver. The weathering does make it look different but it is absolutely brown. I will be happy reduce the size of pix.

I hope those pix are better. I know the band still looks silver. I guess this is the best that Baron can do. I am new to the Indy collection but I am a collector of other props/costumes of 7 years now. I had an opportunity to get this hat and decided to just dive in to your world. If the collective thinks it's inaccurate or just not a good Indy hat then I'd love to know. For now I am not disappointed but I would hope to improve with my next acquisition.

Would I be right in thinking as part of the weathering they have hit this with a load of Fullers Earth?

cdino it's a nice hat. Enjoy it

As far as the top bash goes, it looks just like my AB did when I got it. Wear the hat plently & put it on & off grabbing the top pinch & if the top bash come out, bash it back down with a karate style edge of your hand chop. It will soon deepen & start looking good

As for taper, well correct me, but aren't these Baron hats supposed to be a TOD hat? Taper shouldn't matter, right? I think people might be looking at this with to critical a Raiders eye

The only thing I'm not too sure about is the dimensional cut of the brim, but that might be down to camera angle.

cdino - any change of some pics with the hat on you melon?

Yes Sir Skippy it is supposed to be a TOD hat and you are correct that it has been dusted and dampened with Fullers Earth. Thanks for the advice. I'll do my best to break it in.
-Chris

Great looking hat!

cdino wrote:I hope those pix are better. I know the band still looks silver. I guess this is the best that Baron can do. I am new to the Indy collection but I am a collector of other props/costumes of 7 years now. I had an opportunity to get this hat and decided to just dive in to your world. If the collective thinks it's inaccurate or just not a good Indy hat then I'd love to know. For now I am not disappointed but I would hope to improve with my next acquisition.

Boy, that band does look silver! I am glad that you're not disappointed because it is a great hat. It is a very good hat, not inaccurate, just not perfect. Few hats are.

My critique was based on my own personal opinions of what an Indy hat is, and for me, that will always be a Raiders hat, so please take what I say in that context. Remember too, if a hat is brown, has a tall crown, a wide brim, and a dark ribbon, it is an Indy hat. Of course, within that construct, there are ideals to strive for. I thought this hat missed a few of those. You should see my old Akubra! Your hat looks gray and silver, my Akubra IS green!

I wish you great luck with it. I hope you share more of your treasures.

Sorry, it took me a minute to get back to this post. Sometimes work can be demanding. I will take some pix with it on. I appreciate all the information.

Is it me or is there gold color around the hat just above the ribbion.