Club Obi Wan

Hey everyone,

I just wanted to share with all of the fine folk here that I have come to a strange epiphany about the iconic Indy hat in a rather strange way. I am the proud owner of Fedora's Adventurebilt, truly the best and most accurate Raiders hat of all time - this is not news to anyone here, of course. However, I must reiterate that like many older members here, I have gone through seven other hats in my quest. Well, I also had another hat quest which indirectly made me end up appreciating the detail of the AB even more.

I had always wanted another adventure hat, worn by Stewart Granger in the 1950 film King Solomon's Mines, with a distinctive double-brim. The film is set in the 1890s and his safari hat is very distinctive. With some help from another hatter, Art Fawcett, I was able to get this hat done in grand style. Well, obviously I am not going to wear this hat about town. However, the AB is well-suited for that.

We have all talked about around here how the Raiders hat was really a dress fedora worn under conditions usually suited for other headwear. My experience with the KSM (King Solomon's Mines) hat proves this. This robust, double-brimmed job is much heavier and rugged than the Indy fedora. After I wear it for a few minutes and switch back to the Indy hat, the Raiders lid feels even more refined, twice as light and 1000 percent more pliable. Granted, the KSM hasn't broken in yet, but even with that it is now more clear to me than ever that the Raiders hat was a duck out of water in the deserts of Egypt and jungles of Peru.

The fact that the Raiders hats stand up so well to the punishment is a testament to the quality of the hat's materials and construction, and upon wearing the KSM, I suddenly appreciate the accuracy of the AB even more because suddenly I could FEEL the floppiness and pliability that the AB recreates from the movie hat, and I felt it more than ever before with the KSM as a comparison. What was already the best Indy hat was made better by the presence of another "animal" so to speak.

My only problem now is deciding which hat to take on adventures and which to use day to day - which I think only the AB can do - I wouldn't be caught dead in the KSM at the mall!

congrats on both lids. Thanks for sharing.

Interesting perspective, Mike...and very honest. Kudos!

J

P.S. The KSM WILL work in the grocery store. Trust me. Especially in the produce area. (Mike Nesmith: "I shall hunt my food - alone!")

I thought he was in the magazine and school supplies aisle getting some white out.

Indiana Jerry wrote:P.S. The KSM WILL work in the grocery store. Trust me. Especially in the produce area. (Mike Nesmith: "I shall hunt my food - alone!")

Elephant Parts... a classic.

But back on topic, glad you've ended another quest French. Though I do agree that there may not be much practical use for the KSM lid, it is a great piece of hattery.

Harry Steel hat!!

isn't it?

Harry Steele's hat is almost a hybrid of the KSM and Indy hat actually - That is one weird lid there - A WIDE brimmed dress fedora with a double-stacked brim if I recall....Though my memory is a bit fuzzy....The only photo I have doesn't give me enough to tell if it was a double-brim, but it was definitely wider with a ribbon on it.

Mike

What is the deal with the double brimmed hat? I never had heard of that. Why would they do it? How did they do it? Did they just glue an extra brim to the other one? I don't get it.

http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-uni ... h_hat4.htm
You'll find probably some interesting hats for adventure at this page .
The British-Australian slouch hat is probably the most well-know.
I'm a fan of this hat, he is perfect for a look of adventurer in Africa or India. The band is called "puggaree" : like a hindu turban in fact...
Regards
Anjali

French, that is a sharp looking hat!

Heey, ANJALI is back. Long time no see.

Bufflehead Jones wrote:What is the deal with the double brimmed hat? I never had heard of that. Why would they do it? How did they do it? Did they just glue an extra brim to the other one? I don't get it.

I think Art's initial thought and experiment was that it was two hat bodies over one block. I'm not sure how the final version (versus the prototypes) differ.

bink

IndyFrench wrote:Harry Steele's hat is almost a hybrid of the KSM and Indy hat actually - That is one weird lid there - A WIDE brimmed dress fedora with a double-stacked brim if I recall....Though my memory is a bit fuzzy....The only photo I have doesn't give me enough to tell if it was a double-brim, but it was definitely wider with a ribbon on it.

Mike

I posted a link where you can find many pics from the film
viewtopic.php?t=13930&postdays=0&postor ... el&start=0

Bufflehead Jones wrote:What is the deal with the double brimmed hat? I never had heard of that. Why would they do it? How did they do it? Did they just glue an extra brim to the other one? I don't get it.

I think this question has been answered in the link i posted

After looking at the photo of him on the bus, yeah, that's a double-brim. Harry Steele is the true Indy-Quatermain hybrid.

All three good looking lids if I do say so myself....

IndyFrench wrote:Hey everyone,

I just wanted to share with all of the fine folk here that I have come to a strange epiphany about the iconic Indy hat in a rather strange way. I am the proud owner of Fedora's Adventurebilt, truly the best and most accurate Raiders hat of all time - this is not news to anyone here, of course. However, I must reiterate that like many older members here, I have gone through seven other hats in my quest. Well, I also had another hat quest which indirectly made me end up appreciating the detail of the AB even more.

I had always wanted another adventure hat, worn by Stewart Granger in the 1950 film King Solomon's Mines, with a distinctive double-brim. The film is set in the 1890s and his safari hat is very distinctive. With some help from another hatter, Art Fawcett, I was able to get this hat done in grand style. Well, obviously I am not going to wear this hat about town. However, the AB is well-suited for that.

We have all talked about around here how the Raiders hat was really a dress fedora worn under conditions usually suited for other headwear. My experience with the KSM (King Solomon's Mines) hat proves this. This robust, double-brimmed job is much heavier and rugged than the Indy fedora. After I wear it for a few minutes and switch back to the Indy hat, the Raiders lid feels even more refined, twice as light and 1000 percent more pliable. Granted, the KSM hasn't broken in yet, but even with that it is now more clear to me than ever that the Raiders hat was a duck out of water in the deserts of Egypt and jungles of Peru.

The fact that the Raiders hats stand up so well to the punishment is a testament to the quality of the hat's materials and construction, and upon wearing the KSM, I suddenly appreciate the accuracy of the AB even more because suddenly I could FEEL the floppiness and pliability that the AB recreates from the movie hat, and I felt it more than ever before with the KSM as a comparison. What was already the best Indy hat was made better by the presence of another "animal" so to speak.

My only problem now is deciding which hat to take on adventures and which to use day to day - which I think only the AB can do - I wouldn't be caught dead in the KSM at the mall!

I'd prefer not to be caught dead at the mall period, but that's another story.

That is a sharp hat, and some good insights into the Raiders fedora.