Club Obi Wan

I recently acquired an Akubra Pastoralist at a good price. It is a hat about which I had long been curious. I found a discussion here at this forum from several years ago in which the Pastoralist was suggested as a possible base from which to shape a Raiders style hat. Intrigued, I set about trying to reshape the crown of my Pastoralist.


Original Akubra Pastoralist bash


Pastoralist with reshaped crown


Wearing the original Pastoralist


Wearing the "Indy-style" Pastoralist

Obviously, were I to go "full-Indy" with this hat, I would need to unbind the brim edge and have a ribbon added. I'm not sure I want to go to such lengths.

To my eye, the crown shape is still not "square" or "blocky" enough for a true Indy-style hat, and perhaps not quite tall enough. There's a bit of a taper to the sides. The brim has a nice swoop to it, though, and the overall effect is of rakish adventure.

My question now is, do I leave the hat in quasi-Indy form, or try to restore it to the less commonly seen Pastoralist "telescope" bash?

Kinda reminds me of Heston's lid in "Secret of the Incas". I say leave as is.

Agreed. Now it looks like a well used piece of headgear. Leave it as is. Perfect!

As you state above, you need more crown height to achieve the 'Indy' block. This doesn't have it, but the new shape you created gives it the look and feel of the real 'field' used hat.

Well done!

Regards Michaelson

I really like it with the Indy-like crease. It shows a lot of character in the best possible way.

That looks really awesome! Defo keep it raiders....Really suits you as well.....

Ian

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Thanks, guys! The Secret of the Incas comment cinches it for me! The hat stays like this!

Now I'm wondering what would happen if I were to Indy-bash my Akubra Cattleman?

I'll echo what others have said, the new bash looks great.

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

It's amazing how much crown height the 'pork pie' bash takes.... ....Great look!!...

Are these still made by Akubra? I was looking on Hats Direct and couldn't find it....



Ian

Ian,

Do a more general search for Akubra. I googled Akubra Pastoralist and found many sites that sells the model. Hats Direct does not carry all of the Akubra hats. I got a straw Akubra a couple years ago that's not available from Hats Direct.

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

Indiana Jeff wrote:Ian,

Do a more general search for Akubra. I googled Akubra Pastoralist and found many sites that sells the model. Hats Direct does not carry all of the Akubra hats. I got a straw Akubra a couple years ago that's not available from Hats Direct.

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

Ian

Indy style bash with an Akubra Cattleman, at least my first attempt. Got it on Ebay as a project hat, to turn a cowboy style hat into a Fedora. Cut the brim to 2 3/4 (non-dimensional), adjusted for long oval, rebashed it and replaced the leather hatband with a ribbon from Todd's. It did not have a lining and was soft felt (unlike my Coober Pedy I got from David Morgan), so I'm assuming it was made for the Aussie market rather than the American. But being a novice at this, can't be sure.

Before and during pictures. I really like the Pastoralist rebashed. I would like to try a light colored hat, maybe a sand Territory. I think it would make a good Florida fedora. Big air vents and I would take out the lining if it had one.

Thanks for posting the Cattleman reshaping pics, Harry! I appreciate it! Looks good!

Good stuff!!!! Really like the re-bash davidd. I'd be interested to see what other Akubras, or for that matter, any other cowboy hats would look like rebashed Indy style!

Continuing with my attempt to safari-fy my Akubra Pastoralist, I recently added a khaki pugarree hat band from Lawrance Ordnance:



With an "Indy" bash and a pug, the docile porkpie Pastoralist takes on an entirely different character!

I'd be curious to put the pastoralist over my block after stripping it completely down. It has enough brim to allow the block to absorb some of it to add to its height.

Killer look, David. Love the addition of the pugarree.

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

Still tinkering with the Akubra Pastoralist -- trying it out with an "Indy" style ribbon from Todd's:

Wow, nice job on the bow work.

Gotta say, though, I prefer the pugarree look.


Regards,

Indiana Jeff

Thanks! Yes, I like the puggaree look as well, but I wanted to see how the hat would look with a ribbon and bow. Perhaps a lighter shade of ribbon would work better. The nice thing about the puggaree is that it will slip back on to the hat over the ribbon, so I can have it both ways.

I followed an online tutorial from Dalexs for making the bow: http://dalexs.whitvani.net/hat/hatpage.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Yep, I've used that tutorial myself and have pointed plenty of people in that direction.

Cool that you can have both looks. You know, 'out in the bush' and 'in town'.



Doesn't Dalexs just look like a pup!


Regards,

Indiana Jeff

A quick update: five years later, the Akubra Pastoralist with the "Indy" influenced bash is still looking good. Looking better than I am, as a matter of fact, which is why you're getting a pic of just the hat, and not the head it sits on.

September 2019 – Update on the Pastoralist: still one of my top grab-n-go hats for adventure.

Looks good but I like the original cord band...

Akubras are tough as pine knots, aren't they?

Regard! Michaelson

Although I am new here I have to say how truly impressed I am with the networking that you all have done here and the support! Every hat that I have seen are all truly great! Great comments and suggestions on how to change and alter things.

Tipping my Indy fedora to you all!

Wowzers great job and the hat has held up great

I was wearing my Akubra Pastoralist during recent travels, along with a khaki colored shirt, and for the first time in years somebody commented, "you remind me of Indiana Jones."