Club Obi Wan

Okay, I'm going to call this a "preventative" post. Because I never want to come here and make a post called "EMERGENCY HELP NEEDED!" LOL

Today was the first day I wore my hat outside and it was raining. And while it was just a short little walk between my car and the front of the restaurant, it made me cringe a bit: "My brand new AB Deluxe is getting wet!"

So....I'll go ahead and ask now because it's bound to happen sooner or later:

What do you do when you're wearing your hat and it gets REALLY wet? Does it lose its distinctive shape? Do you have to restyle it?

Thoughts?

Tony

Not with an AB. They were built to take punishment and the beaver will not taper or lose shape. These hats were meant to get wet, snowed on, booted around and generally abused without breaking down. Beaver is tough, they live in water, so no worries about an AB. Shake it off and let it dry naturally on a hat stand or set on a towel on its crown...

You’re kidding me? An AB can take no one, no two, but three water falls without loosing its shape!!!

Both my 2005 Adventurebilts (idol grab and young indy) have tapered and lost shape from rain exposure. Re-steaming to retain styling also may have contributed some shrinking but rain caused the overall tapering and the original loss of shape. Anyhow, just because something's beaver doesn't mean it won't taper. If you pay for an Adventurebilt, I highly recommend you keep it out of the rain. One of the reasons I wore my hats in the rain was because of how many people here talk about how tough beaver's supposed to be. After awhile, I really started to notice the tapering. When I go out in the rain, I actually wear a canvas hat and leave my ABs at home. Otherwise, I wear an AB almost everyday. Also, the stitching on my oldest Adenturebilt's sweatband has gotten pretty loose. Anyhow, I like ABs but they're not as tough as some people here like to think they are.

Even if your hat did taper or shrink, it's nothing that couldn't be easily fixed. I think Steve did mention that he thought some of the hats used in CS (particularly the one in the interrogation scene) looked like they might have tapered, but some of those hats were subjected to extreme and repeated drenchings. If you have photos of your hat before it got wet, you can take new photos of it after it dries and compare.

In the unlikely event that your hat has lost some of its original shape, all you would need to do is send it back to be reblocked, and it will be as good as new. Your AB is tough and was built to be used hard in the outdoors, so it should take a lot more than one little rain shower to put a damper on it.

Jack

Tristan wrote:Both my 2005 Adventurebilts (idol grab and young indy) have tapered and lost shape from rain exposure. Re-steaming to retain styling also may have contributed some shrinking but rain caused the overall tapering and the original loss of shape. Anyhow, just because something's beaver doesn't mean it won't taper. If you pay for an Adventurebilt, I highly recommend you keep it out of the rain. One of the reasons I wore my hats in the rain was because of how many people here talk about how tough beaver's supposed to be. After awhile, I really started to notice the tapering. When I go out in the rain, I actually wear a canvas hat and leave my ABs at home. Otherwise, I wear an AB almost everyday. Also, the stitching on my oldest Adenturebilt's sweatband has gotten pretty loose. Anyhow, I like ABs but they're not as tough as some people here like to think they are.

Yes, that's true, any hat may shrink over time and heavy usage, and not even AB's are immune.

Jack

Every hat will taper eventually unless it's an older hat and has been blocked a few times....the more you wear it, the more it will taper if wet...but I think Steve said after 2 or 3 re-blocks the felt should be extremly stable and not taper that much/or at all. Even if it does taper (which it eventually will) just send it for a re-block, theres no point fearing the enevitable...or water wear it and enjoy it.


We may have to ask Steve about dipping his AB's in mercury to keep the stovepipe look ....is insanity worth a permanently untapered lid?!?lol


Cheers

True, but both Marc and Steve 'kill' their felt to slow and in some cases completely stop taper from starting.

Tony, in this particular case, this is one to put to bed. Just wear it regardless of the weather, and after being wet, either put it crown side down, or hang on a hall tree and allow to completely air dry....and when dry, brush and you're ready to go again.

No worries, my friend. These hats are exactly what they are advertised to be...and this is from someone who has LITERALLY done YEARS of field testing for Steve....and Marc's is the highest quality Portugese felt (some of my personal favorite!), so no problems at all there. If you ever stumble across photos of G-MANN's AB deluxe, you'll see what I mean....he USES his and it just looks better and better!

HIGH regards! Michaelson

They always say the best thing to do when your hat gets really wet is to pop out all the dents and let it dry naturally. However, sometimes that is not an option. I wore one of my AB Deluxes on a vacation to Florida last year in the dead heat of the summer. It rained off and on nearly every day we were there, combined with hours and hours of typical Florida sunshine and of course (it being summer) the temps were in the 90's with high humidity. I wore my AB Deluxe every day for 8-10 hours a day. It got soaked more than once and needless to say, it also got plenty of sweat on the sweatband. I never had a chance to remove it and let it dry as it should, being away from my hotel all day I had to just keep on wearing it and let it dry in the hot sun and the humid heat while on my head. My AB Deluxe came through a week of this treatment looking great, with no shrinkage and no taper anywhere to be found (including inside on the roo-hide sweatband). Since then that AB Deluxe has been my daily-wear hat, and has been with me on the hiking trails a few times as well. It has seen more rain, snow, sleet, and now the summer heat and, if it's even possible, I have to say it looks even better.

I got caught in a downpour on a trip to Walt Disney World and my AB got soaked. There was nothing I could do about it; we had to walk all the way across the park in the rain. I was kind of freaked out about it. Then I remembered all the stories of how well the AB holds up so I just strolled along like it was a normal day, and that hat kept me completely dry. When we got back to the room I laid a towel out on the dresser and sat my AB on it with front of the brim hanging over the edge so it wouldn’t lose its shape and left it there to dry the next day. It held its shape and no taper whatsoever. I’ve had my AB since January ’06 and it still looks as good as the first time I took it out of the box.

-SH-

Here is my first AB Deluxe from Marc. I think it was the 2nd hat he made for customers. It has been rebolcked and he put his new Roohide sweat in it.

It has been through rain snow and heat and just gets better all the time. It is now over 2 years old.









Cheers,
G-MANN

If those photos don't put your mind at rest, Tony, I don't know what else will.

Thanks G-MANN!!

Regards! Michaelson

Here's one more photograph I took moments ago. It was rained on 2 days ago not soaked all the way through this time but pretty darn close.



Cheers,
G-MANN

I love Marc's felt, but the ribbon on your hat is what amazes me, G-MANN.

Every hat prior to AB's I've ever owned that have experienced the kind of wear and tear that yours has, the ribbon has completely faded to a color even lighter than the felt color itself. This felt just keeps looking great, no matter what you throw at it!

Regard! Michaelson

Thank you Sir.

It actually looks much better than it does in this photo. It looks kind of washed out from the full high noon sunlight.

Cheers,
G-MANN

G-Mann, that is one good looking hat. A wel worn friend with plenty of stories to tell.

Cheers!

Dan

Yes, Michaelson -- my mind is at ease!

Thanks, G-Mann for posting the photos! That's a great looking hat!

Tony

The point being, they ALL look this good if they're just worn, and worn in what ever Mother Nature decides to throw at you...and your AB Deluxe....

Enjoy your hat, Tony. It's a good 'un

Regards! Michaelson

G-MANN: Don’t listen to these guys, your AB looks quite old and ugly...

But I’m such a great guy I’m willing to change your old AB for a brand new AB, what do you say mate?

Thanks everyone.

Fink, Thanks for the offer but this hat is an old friend now. One that I would never part with.

Cheers,
G-MANN

Love the hat John! love it.

bests
Holt

Ah, good old Fink...a true friend of mankind, G-MANN!

Regards! Michaelson

If that AB Deluxe is so ugly, Fink's will get just as ugly. I'll be nice enough to take it off your hands for nothing. At least you'll know that you got that headache off your hands . So what do you say ?

Dave

John, if they get to bugging you too much, you can climb in the Plymouth with me, roll up the windows and we'll play the radio REAL loud!

Regards! Michaelson

Why old, ugly, loved hats are always the best looking, beautiful, droolable hats around?

You can’t replicate that, that G-Mann’s AB looks indeed like a REAL old friend, exactly what we all like here...

Me too. I was being facetious. Hopefully my AB, when I recieve it, will look like G-MANN's with time.

Dave

DR Ulloa wrote:Hopefully my AB, when I recieve it, will look like G-MANN's with time.

Dave: I believe you should love and care for your hat, but I also believe loving and caring a hat is WEARING IT! So, I guess that if you really get to love your hat as a friend (John’s words!) and use it all the time everywhere you go and share both good or bad times whit your AB, I bet in time it will develop and grow it’s own character and personality just like John’s here!

I plan on wearing my AB in pleasant weather and inclement weather. Obviously, I will care for the hat and treat it well, but will not hald back any abuse, though I doubt three waterfalls are in line for that.

Dave

With the kind of pop up thunderstorms you enjoy there in Miami, you don't NEED any water falls.

Yep, been there, done that when I lived and worked out of Tallahassee back in the 80's.

Regard! Michaelson

I actually got caught in a storm on my way to class today. I was a little worried about my Keppler. Between leaving it in the car at the risk of theft and taper by rain, I took the rain storm. I am in class right now (I should be paying attention) and the hat has pretty much dried in the last two hours and looks great. If my Keppler holds up this well, I can't wait to see what sort of abuse my AB will be able to take. Maybe three waterfalls is in order?

Dave

Ken used a Keppler in their Templar film, and it survived. I don't think a little Miami rain is going to bother that one anytime soon either.

Regard! Michaelson

Good to know. The Keppler has been through a few minor rain showers and still looks new, so I don't worry much.

Dave

Tell me about it; have been on a couple of those before! Yay!
My worst thunderstorm (hurricane actually) ever and anywhere was suffered in Florida back in 2001 (Gabrielle), I would rather go down three waterfalls before another hurricane like that one!

Gabrielle? That was a wet hurricane, those are the best ones. Yeah, there is flooding, but the winds aren't too bad. One of the scariest experiences of my life was hurricane Andrew, back in '92, a cat. 5 hurricane. You remember what hit New Orleans...that bad! Luckily, my parent's house fared well, but most weren't so lucky.

Since we are talking about how hats stand up to the elemens, hurricane Gabrielle is a great example.

Dave

p.s. I actually kayaked down the street in front of my house after Gabrielle...no lie.

Michaelson wrote:John, if they get to bugging you too much, you can climb in the Plymouth with me, roll up the windows and we'll play the radio REAL loud!

Regards! Michaelson

Sounds like a plan to me.

Cheers,
John

G-MANN wrote:

O.M.G.!! that's GORGEOUS!!! The felt almost looks like brushed suede. Is that typical of an AB Deluxe? if it is, i might have to put myself on the waiting list.

G-MANN, that is one characterful hat! What bash did you ask for? Looks like a SOC to me (that's what I've ordered on my AB regular and would be very happy with one that looks as good as that!)

Alex

Darth Indiana wrote:

G-MANN wrote:

O.M.G.!! that's GORGEOUS!!! The felt almost looks like brushed suede. Is that typical of an AB Deluxe? if it is, i might have to put myself on the waiting list.

The finish of the felt on both of my AB Deluxes look very much like the ABD G-MANN has pictured here. Out of the many hats I've owned over the years, I have never encountered a nicer felt than what Marc is using on his ABD's. As nice as it looks, it really has to be felt to be believed (no pun intended).

Morgan - G-MANN bashes all his hats himself.