Club Obi Wan

Since I think I'm the only one recently to receive a hat from Dusty at Crease N Corral I thought I'd post some pics and give some initial thoughts on these hats. You can get info on his newest offering which is a collaboration with our very own BendingOak of Penman Hats here. One caveat, I did NOT get the Penman collaboration but I did request some tweaks to what Dusty has available on his website. I also had him add vents to both hats as you can see in the pics. Forgive my fresh haircut and need to shave. I'm trying to prepare for ~7 weeks of various traveling.

Tan Fortune & Glory with the Doom brown ribbon and a slight touch of the ladder roll (see the website)

Front/Side view
Top view
Side view
Inside view

White Ness-Talgic with black ribbon sans satin overlay

Top view
Inside view

And finally side by side, these colors are fairly accurate on my screen.


So I've got a Peters bros Indy straw and let me say that is is a totally different animal. These are the HARD straw with a coating to make them tough. I've also been told you don't have to worry about them in rain which is another plus. The coating does make them less breathable though which is why there was a discussion of vent holes. BendingOak recently got a hat with vent holes hidden behind the ribbon that go through the sweatband. That didn't appeal to myself and a few others so I went with top vents which Dusty has had success with in his personal hats. I've got to say I'm really liking the look as opposed to the "normal" side vents in a summer/straw hat. I can definitely tell there's air flow because I can feel a "whoosh" from the vents when I push the hat down on my head.

These are set in regular hat sizes (7 1/8 for example) so you're not going to get your exact head size FYI. I was a little worried as I'm usually between a 7 and 7 1/8 but the 7 1/8 LO fits me perfectly so far. They only thing I have to get used to is the lack of "give" to these hats.

The workmanship is top notch. The sweatband is nicely sown and the ribbon while not as SA as Penman or AB is still very nice for an Indy-style straw hat. One point, in his regular offerings Dusty glues the ribbon on. However, in the new CNC-Penman, he does sew on the ribbon. Dusty uses these hats himself and since glued on is good enough for him, I decided to try it, especially since I'm on a budget and just couldn't justify to myself the extra cost for the nicer Penman ribbon and the sewing. He included a little ark cherub on the bow which is a nice unique touch.

The Ness-Talgic is also quite nice with the teardrop crown and the slightly wider black ribbon. I wasn't sure about the satin overlay he usually offers so I asked him to leave it out. I very much like the look of it as variety to the normal Indy look. On the inside he's got a nice little leather label that gives it a nice look (a smaller one is in the F&G). He included a pin on this one as well of a tiny fedora. Looks nice!

Dusty was a pleasure to deal with and is very responsive to emails and requests. He got these two to me in under a week. In fact he got them done over the weekend and shipped Monday so I'd have them for my trip to Qatar tonight. Oh, and I think he read my mind since he sent me Long Ovals and I don't recall every mentioning to him that I'm a LO. I'm glad he did because they're a perfect fit and I think regular ovals would have been a disaster. So thanks Dusty for reading my mind!

I'll post again after putting the F&G through it's paces in 100+ weather. I won't be able to post anymore pics until I get back either but I'll be periodically online. All in all I'm VERY satisfied so far with these hats and I look forward to beating them up a bit. Let me know if you have any other specific questions here or by PM and I'd be glad to try to answer them!

Excelsior!
Riothamus

Excellent review! MUCH appreciated!!!

Looking forward to the field report after you've put them through their paces in actual use!

HIGH regards! Michaelson

Great review!! And great work Dusty!


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A hard straw like that is not my cup of tea, but it suits you well.

Well, I'm pulling the trigger, and these pics make feel even more confident about doing so.

Excellent shots and very helpful information, Riothamus... Thank you!

Quick note and update from Qatar on the F&G. It started out making my forehead a little sore but I wore it yesterday at home before the flight and it got better very quickly. The more I wear it the more comfortable it gets. It was still 90ish plus humidity when we got in tonight and it's good so far. We'll see how the sun beating down tomorrow works.

jlee562 wrote:A hard straw like that is not my cup of tea, but it suits you well.

Normally I'd agree with you, but I got tired of my Peters Bros straw not working in the rain. This seemed like a good substitution. I'll just have to see how it holds up to getting smacked with a branch when doing barn chores or walking through the woods.

Signing off for now. We have limited internet access here.

Excelsior!
Riothamus

riothamus wrote: Normally I'd agree with you, but I got tired of my Peters Bros straw not working in the rain.

Keep in mind that no straw hat was designed to be a rain hat!

I had mine in the rain out here in Oregon and it did well.

Great pictures riothamus, you can truely see the tan color of the F&G when pictured with the Ness-Talgic.
You can also see how the Ness' has a deeper cup in the back and sides of the brim to give it that vintage non Indy look.

Thanks for the review,
-Dusty

I hope I don't offend by posting pics of my own hat in this thread, but I figured there wasn't much point in a whole new thread for just a few pics. I haven't had the chance to wear the hat yet, so I can't really add anything to Riothamus' review. Except to note, it does have the Penman ribbon.






The fit is perfect, and it looks fantastic! Thank you, Dusty and John!

chewbacca Jones. Just to be clear. This is ribbon from me and the bow is built from me. It's a modern ribbon of 50/50 Rayon/Cotton. It is not the 100% Rayon Indy Ribbon you see on film. Go compare it to you or Canyons Indy hats I made you guys and you will see the difference. It's good ribbon but not the "Indy" ribbon.

Chewie, no problem with you adding to this thread. That was half the purpose of starting the thread is for all of us to chime in here.

I finally have some time to follow up my initial review. The weather in Qatar was hot (115+) during the day and 85+ and humid at night. No problems with heat build up. My head sweated as usualy in that much heat but the vents definitely had to be working. It held up well to the travelling too.

Since Sunday I've been in New Orleans at a conference and it's been great. A lot more humid and high 80s. Most of the days the hat was only worn morning and evening but today I was walking around town late morning and early evening. I definitely was sweating more today and it soaked through and got the ribbon a little wet. Warm on the head but definitely an improvement over the beaver. I'll try to compare it to the Peters Bros briefly this weekend before I leave for my Utah/Arizona vacation. I AM glad I didn't do the vents behind the ribbon as it would have meant that much more sweat getting through to the ribbon.

On another note I got LOTS of compliments on this hat while walking around New Orleans. I stopped into to Meyer the Hatter and also got complimented on the hard/cowboy style mixed with the fedora bashing. They've been in business since 1894. Probably the first real haberdashery that I've been able to go into. Lots of nice hats, but it's hard to consider a non-custom hat these days. They did have lots of odd colors because of the parade walkers.

I won't have a chance to wear the Ness-talgic until I get back from all my travels in July, but I assume it will perform the same as the F&G.

Excelsior!
Riothamus

BendingOak wrote:chewbacca Jones. Just to be clear. This is ribbon from me and the bow is built from me. It's a modern ribbon of 50/50 Rayon/Cotton. It is not the 100% Rayon Indy Ribbon you see on film. Go compare it to you or Canyons Indy hats I made you guys and you will see the difference. It's good ribbon but not the "Indy" ribbon.

Thank you for the added info. I thought it looked different, but I dismissed it as an optical illusion from being on a straw hat.

Tundrarider wrote:Nice pics, Chewbacca!!!
Could you please describe any details or custom requests about this hat? Is it the tan Fortune and Glory with the Penman ribbon? Any ladder roll? Any vent info.

Michael

I asked for (and received) a tan straw, F&G fedora, no modifications, with the Penman ribbon (no satin overlay), and no vents. So, the shape you see would be totally standard. I was afraid the ladder roll might look a bit too western for my tastes. I'll let you guys know how that last choice works out when I finally get to wear it.

Great looking pictures Chewbacca Jones.
Thanks again

I got a chance over the holiday to update my website pictures of the standard Fortune & Glory
w/ 1 inch grosgrain and sattin overlay ribbon. http://creasencorral.brickmanngroup.com ... cord_ID=63" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

-Dusty

Great reviews, guys. Thanks for sharing the 'in the field' reports.

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

Anyone else get one of these? Pics?

As promised, I'm back with a post-field test review of the Fortune & Glory straw hat, MINUS any vent holes.

I wore my new lid to and from the Finger Lakes Summit as my travel and casual hat. Now, most of the time I wore it, the weather was more humid than hot, but I did get one solid baker of a day out of it.

With the humidity, I sweat pretty heavily, and even without vent holes, it was seeping through the ribbon! I found that this was the main problem of the hat's lack of breathability. On the other hand, against the burning sun, it did it's job very well, and was pretty comfortable in the drier heat.

Overall, the hat's physical weight is very light, so I don't really feel it sitting on my head, adding to my discomfort like some of the modern straws (especially the poly and paper straws). While less breathable than, say, a brisa weave or cheap cuenca, it matches pretty closely to the stiffer shantung's that I have (which tend to have plenty of shellac). So, maybe the vents would have helped on the humid days, but will be as comfortable as most of the straw hats I already own. Vents on top would be my bet for improving the breathability, but since I plan on wearing it in the rain, there wouldn't be much benefit to that.

Anyhow, a few more pics to round out my review;

I'm a very big fan of the Akubra Capricorn.
Just bought one in grey. Similar style and an excellent price from The Hattery

http://hatsdirect.com/cgi-bin/products. ... turnpage=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Also available in "Hemp'
http://hatsdirect.com/cgi-bin/products. ... turnpage=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I gotta say, the vent holes on top are a big help. As far as the rain goes, to get very much coming in the holes, the way they are positioned on the sides of the center dent, not at the bottom, I'd think you'd have to be in a steady gully-washer to get a significant amount in the hat, which you wouldn't intentionally want to do for very long anyway in a straw hat.

Intentionally wearing straw in the rain... I don't really do that. But around here, the last couple of years, there's almost always the threat of rain during the day, especially on weekends. I get tired of wearing my poly-straw all the time, so it's nice to have another option that won't instantly dissolve in the rain!

I'd be interested to hear what customer experiences are with the rain, including the effect of the vent holes.

Well, first hand update: I think I got more moisture in the form of sweat in the hat on a hot day than I got in a pretty heavy downpour through the vents. When it's hot, a few drops on top of my head sure isn't going to make me melt. Honestly, when it's hot, I'd just go without the hat in heavy rain myself if a straw hat is all I have, unless I really need to keep my head dry. But Dusty's hats are well shellacked and seem like they'll hold up fine. To each their own. I guess it depends on your tolerance for rain. Everybody's gonna feel different about it.

Chewbacca, sorry, I did think you initially said you plan wearing it in the rain, but I understand that nobody really intentionally wears a straw in a downpour. I guess I mean that the vents pose no appreciable detriment if you would get caught in the rain in one of Dusty's hats, the way these vents are positioned. Hope that helps. Regardless, I'm ordering one more soon with no holes like yours.

I am unfamiliar with a poly straw. Is the benefit that rain won't hurt the straw, even though you get wet? I'd like that option, say, for being on a boat, where a wet head on a hot day wouldn't matter.

Illinois James wrote: I am unfamiliar with a poly straw. Is the benefit that rain won't hurt the straw, even though you get wet? I'd like that option, say, for being on a boat, where a wet head on a hot day wouldn't matter.

Yeah, the poly straw idea works great. They can get soaked without any damage, they can be rolled up for storage in a pack or the like, and they don't get ruined by excessive sweating. It's kind of like having a crushable felt hat that never needs reblocking. Perfect for boating and hiking. They will keep the rain off your head, too. The weave is tight enough. I love it, I just get bored easily. I want to get a second one and swap out the ribbon for a different look.

The one I have is called the "Joe Fedora." It has a chin strap, but I cut that off.

Hopefully, in talks with Dusty, and hopefully will have one of these soon.
The Fortune and Glory looks amazing and with me going to Florida for work in April, I'm going to add it to my blue linen suit. Should compliment amazingly.

Received my hat from Dusty and this is it, the summer hat I've been looking for. Yes, it's different from a panama, not floppy or crushable. But this is just an amazing hat. I have been wearing it a few days and can't wait for it to heat up just a bit so it will be truly appreciated. taking this baby to Florida in a couple of weeks!!!

Was looking at getting another F&G. It had been awhile, but went to Dusty's site, but didn't really see anything pertaining to the hats or prices. Tried to email, but haven't heard back. Anyone received a tan F&G and can update us about prices, etc?

Matt

mcmanm,

I was wondering the same thing, quite interested in getting a F&G before the summer but the hat section seems to have dissapeared on his site... Can't find any prices either...
It would be great to know if Dusty is still offering the F&G.

Regards
JM

Got an email from Dusty today. He's not offering any hats anymore. Said it got too expensive. Too bad. I think he really filled a void when it came to a quality straw fedora. I've had a few, and his was by far the best.

Im confused. Straw is the only thing I wear in the rain. My resistol cowboy hat has seen me through some serious colorado/ wyoming/MD downpours


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mcmanm wrote:Got an email from Dusty today. He's not offering any hats anymore. Said it got too expensive. Too bad. I think he really filled a void when it came to a quality straw fedora. I've had a few, and his was by far the best.

This is sad. I ordered one in April where he said he didn't keep them in stock anymore but could get me one. Maybe I just misinterpreted and he had my size in his left over stock.

His hat is top quality and I think makes a great straw indy hat. Looks the part, lightweight for summer and durable as all get out.
Oh well, such is the business I reckon....

The general consensus is straw hats do not make good rain hats.

Unless the hat is made out of a 'plastic' straw material, it stands the very real chance of absorbing water and turning to mush. Hats that have a lot of varnish/shellac on them (like I would imagine most cowboy models are) will be able to withstand getting rained on.


Regards,

Indiana Jeff

Yea mine is heavily coated. They dip em at the factory. Thanks for the clarification!


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