Club Obi Wan

After several years of gear collecting and sharing the same fascination that many here have had since Raiders first came out on the big screen. I’ve acquired many whips (after promising myself that one would be enough,) two pairs of Alden boots, a Magnoli shirt (excellent by the way,) pants of many varieties and a bag. I’ve now decided to buy a fedora as well. I am not looking for a hat as a costume piece that demands screen accuracy but instead something that I can wear when the occasion requires.

I need help in this area. I’ve never looked deeply into hats and am somewhat overwhelmed by the options. Pictures never convey the true colour or the weight and feel of a hat. So I beseech anyone who will share their personal experience with their hats.

I am looking for a stiff, dark brown (darker that Indy’s) but with hopefully more of a Temple of Doom taper to it. I’ve looked at the Christy’s Adventurer and think that I could spend more on it that that. I just want a good hat that will hold up to bad weather.

I've tried the seacrh option on the site and have looed at many vendor's sites as well but would like some first hand input. Any help is appreciated.

Jim

For stiff and holding up to bad weather; no Christys' ( and I'm a big fan of that hat ).

I'd look at Peters Bros. first for a stiff hat ( bulletproof ), but the best hat you'll likely get for the money would be Penman.
A lot of folks will probably chime in with the Akubra, as well they should. For a good all weather hat, you can't beat the price, and they come pretty darn stiff. I would guess, with a little finess, you could get the crown to taper by steaming it a blue streak, but if you try that, be sure to order a size up, as they run a little tight anyway.

I agree with kiltie: Christy's is very floppy and not too dark. If you are looking for a dark brown, stiff hat, I think the Akubra would be the choice.

A Henry could be good, too. It's quite dark and of a good quality, but not stiff

I don't know wich hat fits better for a TOD bash - not many TOD lovers around here, so that field hasn't been explored much

Restless Dreamer wrote: If you are looking for a dark brown, stiff hat, I think the Akubra would be the choice.

I've had my Akubra Fed IV for only 2 1/2 months and it is really soft and floppy (mostly due to the abuse it has gotten methinks), color yes, stiffness no on that.

On the other hand, I've had my Fed IV for a few months and with light wear it's still pretty stiff.

jlee562 wrote:On the other hand, I've had my Fed IV for a few months and with light wear it's still pretty stiff.

I guess not all Fed IVs are the same... is that possible? I mean, it is a factory hat, but the stiffness/softness discrepancy has come up here before.

Well, it sounds like you've put yours through its paces more than I have. Mine I bought as a dressier hat for suits and what not, so it doesn't see a whole lot of wear.

You could go for a Penman 'Temple'(TOD) hat and ask John to add some more stiffener to it?

You can make any hat stiff with stiffener so that shouldn't be the heaviest factor.

mark seven wrote:You could go for a Penman 'Temple'(TOD) hat and ask John to add some more stiffener to it?

"Stiffener?" Seriously, what is that?

Stiffener is a spray/liquid/substance applied to the felt to literally stiffen the crown or brim of a hat. Otherwise, it'd be floppier than an old tube sock.

Makes sense. I guess I never thought about it.

If you want something that is, basically, and Indy hat, then a Penman Temple might be the best way to go. If you are thinking about something other than an Indy style fedora, Penman remains a good option, but also adds Akubra to the list. The Federation will probably be too tall and straight for your liking, but they have numerous styles that would fit the bill, and they are tough hats. Akubra western / outback styles are stiffer than the "fedoras" but there is always the stiffener spray. I think Everything Australia, David Morgan, and Hatsdirect sell the spray as well as Akubras.

I am looking for an Indy style more or less. When people mention the Akubra are they writing about the Adventurer that David Morgan sells or something else?

I've been looking at that one and the Lawson too.

Most of us prefer the Federation by Akubra (exclusive to hatsdirect.com), but the Adventurer is equally good. I think the Federation is more accurate right out of the box, though.

Don't let the overseas shipping from hats direct scare you. The difference balances out in the price of the hat, give or take a little.

Judging by what has been offered here as advice, I'm starting to lean towards either an Akubra or a Penman. Is there anyone who can say which is darker?

If you are trying to decide between an Akubra and a Penman, the choice is simple. Go with the Penman. I own both, and my Penman is, for lack of a better word, amazing! The Akubra is a great hat, but if I had the choice of a factory made hat and a custom hat, I would go custom every time. Plus, John Penman is a great craftsman, and he aims to please... and it shows!

Agreed.

I know that Adventurebilt makes their hats intentionally darker with the knowledge that they will fade to a good color with time - I'm not sure if Penman does as well but I think so. -M

Mulceber wrote:Agreed.

I know that Adventurebilt makes their hats intentionally darker with the knowledge that they will fade to a good color with time - I'm not sure if Penman does as well but I think so. -M

John and Steve use the same felt. It is, as you said, darker so that it will fade a little to a beautiful SA brown! Go Penman.

Travis

If a stiff hat is your priority, get a Heritage grade Fed IV Akubra. I have one Fed IV that's made with the Imperial felt and another that's made with the Heritage greade felt, and the difference is surprising. The Heritage is so stiff you could practically use it for a weapon (well, almost). And recently I decided to torture test it by wearing it out in a big rain storm. I soaked it majorly and the next day you couldn't see any evidence that it had ever been wet.

Wasn't Heritage used in Federation Deluxes?

The hat that I've seen with the best TOD bash and taper, is the current "Poet" from Herbert Johnson - I think it's very soft though, and I don't know how it holds up against the weather...

Regards
Emiliussen

Jakob Emiliussen wrote:The hat that I've seen with the best TOD bash and taper, is the current "Poet" from Herbert Johnson - I think it's very soft though, and I don't know how it holds up against the weather...

Regards
Emiliussen

That'd be the same hat as the Christy's adventurer, in which case it won't hold up to the weather too greatly.

There are several different options in choosing an Indy styled fedora. Let's cover price/quality and move up the scale, as it really depends on what you want most, factory or custom.

I have to agree with Fedora, and echo what he has stated before, that dollar for dollar, the Fed. IV Deluxe from hats direct is arguably one of the best deals in the forum, sells for around ($158 US plus shipping). It is made of rabbit/hare, and is a tough competitor, a quality hat from Aussie land.

Peters Brothers custom Indy Last Crusade fedora. One of the strengths of this hat is that it features a specially formulated felt color, which reproduces the LC color (lighter color) as closely as possible, and is a tapered hat in the best tradition of the LC style. Joe Peters has also added a more accurately colored hat ribbon and the sweatband is built for comfort. The soft rabbit felt is recommended if you go this route. Cost is $200 plus shipping.

Next on the list would be another factory hat, the AB Henry. It is a 80/20 rabbit/beaver blended felt, with the same ribbon as the movie hat. Quality materials are the benchmark of this factory fedora, and it is now sold by Bendingoak, the US distributor, for $300 plus shipping.

Last, but certainly not least, are the the Penman and the AB Deluxe models, if you are looking for custom hats. Obviously they can make and style them any way you choose, some taper, no taper, bash, etc., depending on what you want most in a quality hat. Only the best materials and workmanship go into these works of art, and these guys provide the best CS in the forum, hands down. You will pay a little more, and wait a little longer, but it just depends on what is important to you, and what features you desire most in an Indy styled hat. The beaver felted fedora is generally stiffer than any rabbit felt you can buy, so you might take that factor into consideration as well. The beaver felt is known for its durability and its ability to weather the elements better such as rain.

After careful consideration of everyone's input (thank you all for that) I had it down to either a Penman or a Fed IV Deluxe. The Fed was more in my price range but I knew what I wanted and settled on the Penman. An Adventurebilt would have been nice but it's too much for me at this point.

I called John and we spoke on the phone for a bit. He told me I was looking at about a 5 month wait. I thought that was pretty long but he told me about his backlog and that his was a small operation and I knew in the end I would be satisfied. I had to feel a bit bad for him when he told me that he'd had people yell at him for the wait time and knew of other vendors having the same experience. ...Shame isn't it?

To the Admins, thank you for the name change, "Jimdiana" never did it for me. I had been asked to change it from my initial one "Whisky" because it was too close to another member's "Whiskey." If any of you were to meet me personally it was a more appropriate name but since I am a fan of Poe I am happy with the new one.

Once I get the hat I hope to be able to figure out how to post pics because I know that "THIS THREAD IS USELESS WITHOUT THEM."

Jim

;0



....now where have i seen this before?

Lemme get the hat first before I getted worked over about pictures

I'll take you up on that