Club Obi Wan

Do you find the standard width of the brim is sufficient against the sun and rain, or would an "Outback / Safari" width be better suited?

Here's my issue. I've got the money for my ABD....and I'm itching to buy it, but....since it's so expensive, I want to be sure I'll be happy with my purchase. In the meantime of waiting over a year, I think I'll find a cheaper brand to make due with for the time being.

The wait is long but well worth it. It is the highest of quality. When you do get it you will have a hard time putting it down. His work is just fantastic.

Oh, the standard brim width will be fine for protection, no doubt. What I recommend is that you send headshots of yourself to AB and ask for brim measurements that will look right on you. Trust me (and the hatter), you will not regret it, and any brim size that still looks Indy-like will serve you well against rain and sun.

As for a "meanwhile" hat, may I recommend the Federation or the Christy's. The Christy's should last the year (at least), and the Fed will last far longer.

Chewbacca Jones wrote:Oh, the standard brim width will be fine for protection, no doubt. What I recommend is that you send headshots of yourself to AB and ask for brim measurements that will look right on you. Trust me (and the hatter), you will not regret it, and any brim size that still looks Indy-like will serve you well against rain and sun.

As for a "meanwhile" hat, may I recommend the Federation or the Christy's. The Christy's should last the year (at least), and the Fed will last far longer.

The Christy's will not make the year.

Oak -

You're baiting, and it's very unbecoming . I'd say the Christys' would hold up fine, as I've taken to wearing mine in less than ideal conditions and it's holding up like a champ ( so far... )

BUT - since the question concerned brim width, that does imply some active use, and I might be inclined to agree with the suggestion of an Akubra - any Akubra. In fact, I'll go one more for saying unpopular things: If you want to experiment with a larger brim, go with David Morgan's Akubra Adventurer. It's a bit wider than the other offerings, I think, and you can always cut it down. Lotta people don't like the ribbon, but...whatever. Anyway, for a meantime hat that's gonna see a lot of active use - yeah, I second the Akubra.

If you're talking about extended wear in the elements, then as far as brim width is concerned, the wider the better. However, if you're trying to figure out what size brim to order on your AB Deluxe, then I would recommend going with a width that fits your face / hat size while still falling in the "Indy" width range. If you want a really wide-brimmed hat to wear outdoors in the rain or sun that will provide maximum protection, then buy a nice canvas outback style safari hat for $30-40 bucks. BUT, if you're spending the heavy dough on an ABD, I'd stick with a normal Indy style width. Of course, it might help to try out one or two other (cheaper) options first, to get an idea of how certain brim widths look on you, so you have some frame of reference to work with. When it comes to custom sizing a brim, it seems to me that most folks usually go for specs in the range of 2 3/4 inches front and back and 2 1/2 sides (for smaller sizes), 2 7/8 inches front and back and 2 5/8 sides (for middle range sizes) all the way up to 3 inches front and back and 2 3/4 sides (for larger sizes). But again, how the different widths look on you also depends on your face shape, not just your hat size.

Best of luck with the ABD. I've got two and they are easily the best hats I've ever owned.