Club Obi Wan

I know I'm asking a lot of questions, but this is a big purchase for me. I might have a freelance project coming up. If so then I'll have some more spare change. So I was thinking of going up to the Camptown price level. So I guess this is my question, what exactly is the difference between the '36 and '57? It sounds like it's just the crown shape. No offense to AB, but if that's all then I'm probably just going with the '36. Here's the other question though. Are the Camptowns as rugged as the Akubras? Because in the long run, as nice as the Camptown is, I would hate to destroy it in my wanderings. If y'all could help me out with this that would be great. I promise I'll move on to other parts of the outfit soon.
Thanks,
Mike Wallace

Hard choice, but I have to go with Akubra. They are made with Aussie hares and the fur is just indestructible. Akubras are made to be worn in rain, wind, snow and taken on all adventures. As far as rugged goes I would place my money on the Fed IV.

Although I love the Camptown and hope to own one soon, if you want something that can take a real beating the Akubras are made tough.

yea...what gabrielle said

I'd start with the Akubra as well. It is a durable hat and a nice entry point for the high-end lids.

Having just received my Fed IV, I'll echo everyone else....great hat!!!!

Guys guys guys, please refer to this thread:
viewtopic.php?t=27852&highlight=camptown

Also remember that the new 57 camptown is a beaver blend, while Fed IV is rabbit... I think it will be well rugged and maybe moreso than a Fed IV. I've had a Fed III and while rugged, it still was far from invincible.

I would give the Camptown a serious look. Yes, the Akubra hats are made from rabbits with an attitude, but the Camptowns are a rabbit/beaver blend, which is a step up form pure rabbit felt. If beaver felt is the heartiest, than a felt with with a blend of rabbit and beaver would be the next best thing.

I've owned Akubras (and am loving my new FedIV Deluxe!) as well as a handful of Adventurebilts, but I've always had my eye on getting a Camptown, too. Yes, the Akubra will hold up to the abuse you give it, but I have every reason to believe the Camptown will, too. If I was given the choice to pick between a pure rabbit or a rabbit/beaver blend, I'd go with the blend in a heartbeat.

HA! mufflowne, we were typing at the same time!

I'm torn. I've always supported Akubra and Camptown.

I think you should support the hatter who's closest to you for starters. THEN branch out.

Anyone that knows me here will know that I will be one of the first to tout the merits of Camptown Hats. Durable with goo looking lines. It's a hat you can't go wrong with for the coin. Best bang for the buck IMHO.
Give it a serious look and give Ken a call, he is a super cat to deal with and you won't be sorry.
Bink, if you've been eying one for a while you should get one, really, they hold up fantastically and can be worn on adventures or to a wedding party. I can't wait to get my hands on my 1957 Legend.

Cheers!

Dan

So the 57 is a beaver blend, but the 36 isn't, right?

No, both are beaver blends. :junior: -M

binkmeister,

How fine is the finish on your Fed Dlx compared to the standard finish?

Cheers
Jonesy

Jones Boy, my original Akubra has long since been passed along, so I can't comment on the finish between the two. Also, my original Fed was an earlier version, so if I still had it, I'm not sure it would be a fair comparison. Luke Warmwater has the new standard FedIV and I have the Deluxe FedIV, so I hope to compare the two side by side soon enough. I can tell you this, however: the Deluxe FedIV feels very nice one you break it in a bit. It comes a bit stiff, but that's from the stiffener. After wearing it and playing with it for a couple of weeks, the hat starts to get floppier and you can begin to feel how smooth the felt is. I like it.

Thanks for the feedback mate.

Cheers
Jonesy

Jones Boy, since you live in Australia, I would think it'd be a lot easier to find Akubra hats in your neck of the woods. If so, walk into a shop, see if they have any hats with the "Imperial Quality" fur felt. It should give you a pretty good idea right there, though my understanding is that the Deluxe FedIV is finished even smoother than the typical Imperial felt.

Yes that is the catch - I have owned a number of Akubras over the years, and there is a nice hatters in Perth close-ish to me, however the finish on the deluxe is something special I believe.

As you blokes say, dang, I will just have to up and get one myself

Now for the W.A.F.

Cheers
Jonesy

binkmeisterRick wrote:HA! mufflowne, we were typing at the same time!

Truth told twice!


Not that Akubra are bad hats at all though, they're great, but I agree with DanielJones, it's the best bang for the buck. Any hat more expensive is worth getting a beaver (AB, for durability). If cheaper, a Christy's or FedIV does perfect. I'm rooting for Camptown bigtime. Ken's a (patient) delight to deal with and the beaver blend will take the abuse moreso than any rabbit. It's just a fact.

Hey, what do y'all think of Lee Keppler's hats, are they sturdy? I'm looking at one for a great price.

The Keppler is indeed a fine, sturdy hat. Well worth consideration.

Regards! Michaelson

I agree. A friend of mine had a Keppler for a while and I loved the thing. Pity his was too small for me...

I've got a Keppler. Nice hat, but doesn't fit me too well. I talked to Steve about it and he said that they're much stiffer than his ABs. I have a long oval shape, and it's still not quite "oval" enough for my head. It will taper a bit on you though, so make sure you keep it dry, don't steam it, and store it properly.

Derek

BTW-Hate to play the "school marm", but dude, in your title, change it to bear not bare. Bare is for when you're naked, bear is if you want us to bear with you. I just see it pop up every time I search and it drives me crazy.

you know i also thought "bare" didn't look right. I wasn't sure though, so I googled it and all of these entries came up with "bare with me". So naturally google must have been correct.

Bare is for when you're naked, bear is if you want us to bear with you.

It's also a big hairy animal type thing with big teeth and claws and will eat you if given half the chance....

Regards! Michaelson

...big teeth and claws and will eat you if given half the chance....

Look at the bones!!

I KNEW someone would come up with that one!!!

HIGH regards! Michaelson

jedidentist:
Some have said that the Keppler is a sturdy hat, but then you say not to get it wet. So I guess that means no adventures in it right.

carolinamike wrote:you know i also thought "bare" didn't look right. I wasn't sure though, so I googled it and all of these entries came up with "bare with me". So naturally google must have been correct.

I actually made the 2nd post in the thread about the "bare vs bear" issue.
Some trigger-happy mod must have removed it. Thanks for getting it sorted because I too was annoyed seeing it every time. I'm glad I wasn't the only one!

In addition I would say go with whatever type of hat fits your need. An AB would be the most accurate Indy hat IMO and they are also built pretty rugged from what I've heard. But if the Aussie hare is really the cat's meow for ruggedness and you intend to have a hat that is abused then I would go with them.

Well as far as the hat that I want goes, that would be the AB Deluxe. That's not going to happen anytime soon though. So in the mean time I'm looking for a rugged, but good looking hat in the 200 dollar or less range. I was feeling pretty settled on the Akubra, but I saw a used Keppler for $110. I know they both have beaver fur. I was just wandering how they compared. Would a Keppler be as forgiving?

Well I waited too long the Keppler's gone!

The Akubra does not have beaver blend. It is Australian hare, rabbit. The Keppler is a blend. Blend fur will hold up better than rabbit. That is simply fact. I have worn my Keppler in rain and had no negative effects. I don't have a Federation, so I cannot comment on it, but all the reviews are great. However, a blend will always hold up better than rabbit.

Dave

yeah it looks like I'm getting a Camptown. I just really liked the idea of something just as good for half the price. Now I just have to decide between the 36 and 57.

Well, the '57 Legend will be superior in quality. It is going to be a 50/50 beaver blend. I believe the '36 Fieldmaster has a considerably lower beaver content, not that it is bad in anyway, just not a 50/50 blend. The block is just preference. The Fieldmaster has Ken's original Raiders block while the Legend has Steve's Raiders block. There is a signifiact price difference, but you are getting a better hat with the Legend, in my opinion. If you want to keep it under $200, then the Fieldmaster is your best bet. I think Ken said that the price of the Legend would be $210 until the end of June, so it may be worthwhile to pick up the Legend as soon as possible. If you need to wait, however, and cannot pick up the hat until after June 30th then the Fieldmaster is probably your best bet.

Dave

Federation IV is the first Indy-like hat I've decided to buy after finding this site. My purchase was based on the quick shipping, affordable price, and quality of the hat.

However, Camptown hats were very close to being another purchase for me. In fact, I do want to get a '57 Legend someday, hopefully in gray. Unfortunately, money will be tight for the next few months, so I'll have to miss out on the special discounted price. However, I do remember reading that JerseyJones was only going to raise the price by a little bit ($10-15 increase). That doesn't really bother me as much as missing out on the AB discount for COW members). Hopefully at the end of summer/beginning of fall, I'll be able to order a Legend fedora.

I am not sure how much Ken will be raising the price of the Legend, but I know that it will be a great hat. I too am hoping that gray will be a color option on the Legend as I really want a gray fedora. Hopefully Ken can make that happen.

Dave

can't wait for prototype pics on the Legend

I wore a Keppler for the duration of my movie - I was burried in it, swimming it, dodging explosions, fist fights, being sat on, kicked... the works. That was one sturdy hat - until someone ripped the sweatband out of it to make it fit them...

Ken

DR Ulloa wrote:The Akubra does not have beaver blend. It is Australian hare, rabbit. The Keppler is a blend. Blend fur will hold up better than rabbit. That is simply fact. I have worn my Keppler in rain and had no negative effects. I don't have a Federation, so I cannot comment on it, but all the reviews are great. However, a blend will always hold up better than rabbit.

Dave

Not necessarily. The Aussie hare is tough and Akubra hats are made to be kicked around and withstand the abuse.

Although the other hats are fine quality too, I think every COW member should have 1 Akubra...

Also you really don't know when a hat is marked blend what percentage that is really. Could be 3% beaver, how do you know?