Be forewarned: this is not short.
I've wanted to write a review on my Adventurebilt ever since I received it over a year ago. But since durability is one of the major factors in considering the purchase of an AB, I decided to wait until now to let you know how it's held up through a lot of use and even abuse.Growing up on a small family farm and ranch in Nebraska, I've worn hats all my life. Only one of our tractors had a cab, so it was just common sense to wear a wide-brimmed hat for plowing and discing, or windrowing or baling, or riding horses in a cattle drive. I've usually kept work hats and dress hats separate because the work hats wouldn't clean up nice enough for going into town or church, and the dress hats wouldn't be durable enough for farm and ranch work.
Although I wore a lot of cowboy hats growing up, I always wanted Indiana Jones' hat. Although I had great fun riding horses and working cattle, I've always been rather bookish, and Indy's hat was both a work hat and a professor's dress hat. To my undiscerning eye, that great rough hat Indy wore in the streets of Cairo shopping with Marion was the same stylish hat Professor Jones wore when meeting Dr. Schneider on the Venice pier.
Like many of you, I didn't have much luck finding this allusive hat for quite a long time. In high school, I tried a brown leather fedora from Cabelas. In college, I got a black wool felt fedora from Dorfman Pacific online. While working on my M.A. in Connecticut, I picked up a nice brown rabbit felt Stetson Sovereign from Del Monico Hatters in New Haven. But nothing quite fit the bill, and these tapered hats just didn't look all that good on me.
Two years ago, I found the Fedora Lounge while searching online for briefcases I could use as a new adjunct professor. From there, I quickly found out about both COW and a hatter in Mississippi by the name of Steve Delk who specialized in recreating the elusive hat from Raiders of the Lost Ark. I read every review and looked at every photo I could of these Adventurebilt hats as well as other Indy hats mentioned on COW and Fedora Lounge. Finally, I decided to go for an AB and my wife, parents, and mother-in-law all chipped in to get it for me as a birthday gift.
The day I placed the order, I also called the number on Steve's website with the hopes of talking to him about it. Instead of Steve, I got to speak with his lovely mother. She surprised me with a great bit of news--she was so proud that Mr. Steven Spielberg had chosen her son's hat for the new Indiana Jones movie!
Steve was an absolute gentleman whenever I had email correspondence with him. I tried to keep my emails to a minimum, only sending messages when I had some details or modifications that I needed to talk about with him. Occasionally, I needed to send repeat emails, but this was complete understandable for a one-man operation with such a huge deluge of orders. Steve was always eager to help, and I appreciated that. I'm very grateful that Steve managed to get my hat to me just in time for my first archaeological dig.
Although I originally was going to get a Raiders fedora in the style of the Raven Bar, when I saw photos of the Crystal Skull Fedora I'm glad that's what I got. For me, the CS AB seems to have the best blend of the best elements of the Raiders fedora (the block and the rough & tumble aspect of Indy's fedora), the TOD bridge fedora (something about the front of the hat between the ribbon and loose pinch), and the LC Venice pier fedora (the pinch and the classy look) while also being its own hat. Although I would be curious to see how the tight pinch of a Raiders fedora looks on me, the CS just works for my looks. It has that great "adventure" look for out in the field and traveling:
It also has that classy professor look which works when I lecture and go to academic conferences, and it works great for everyday wear, too. As for durability, I have worn this hat every day since receiving it in July 2008. I've worn it in both the desert and in rain and snow. I've worn it on my folks' farm when riding horses, and I've worn it to international conferences. I've worn and scraped it through Hezekiah's water tunnel. And I've worn it for several days on the dig this year in the midst of digging, pickaxing, carrying large stones, etc. Despite 6 weeks of 2 different archaeological digs over the past year,daily wear through all sorts of conditions, and many travels throughout the country and the world, this hat just gets better and better with time.
This is the hat I've been looking for. This is the combination of the work and dress hat this Nebraska cowboy never found growing up. This is the sturdy hat which I can take with me through tunnels and digs, through deserts and snow, and can brush off for on campus, at church, and mingling with other scholars. This is the classy-working-traveling hat I need and trust that with care will last me throughout my career. Thanks, Steve, for making real the hat we've all seen only in a fictional movie.
best wishes,Nebraska Schulte
UPDATE: For anyone who might check out this thread later, my AB received its first re-block from Steve in Spring 2011. I think it looks better than ever!
Probably 3 or 4 dozen just for Indy!! Instead, we made him 9. 
