Club Obi Wan

Even the exaggerated flair of the slightly over-the-top Coyle's Downtowner wasn't quite dramatic enough... okay, make that not quite melodramatic enough... for the movie serial style I wanted in an Indy hat. The Downtowner has a tall crown that will take a deep top dent, but I wanted a hat with an even wider, swoopier brim. I spent some time looking at hat stats -- how's that for a thrill-a-minute pastime -- in search of the widest brim I could find. The Akubra Sombrero, with a brim width of 118mm x 127mm (4-5/8in x 5in), fits my wide-brim zeal to excess! Additionally, the brim is dimensionally cut with an unbound edge, and the color is... well, it's a lot darker than the example illustrated on the Akubra web site, but very close to that shown on the Hats Direct site; or in other words, "close enough" (albeit with a grey tint) for an Indy-esque hat.

The various web site photos illustrate the Sombrero with a curled brim edge and either a peculiar "Bush Tucker Man" pointy-topped bash or a more traditional open telescope "cowboy hat" bash. Most retailers, including Hats Direct, offer the Sombrero pre-bashed in the Bush Tucker Man style with a rolled-edge brim. The hat also features a calfskin hatband.

Hats Direct, however, was kind enough to send me an open-crown Sombrero, and they even ironed the brim flat for me before shipping! How cool is that?

I removed the calfskin band -- don't let the retailer website photos fool you, the current calfskin band on these hats is black and white, and quite furry. It looked to me more like a cat-skin band! Removing the hatband was not easy, as it is glued in place. Other than the glued-on hatband, however, I was, and am, delighted with the Akubra Sombrero!

This hat is huge! It's dramatic! And it looks amazing with an Indy-style bash! Okay, enough yammering, here are some photos of the ultimate adventure fedora:


The color of the Indy hat ribbon from Todd's Costumes complements the Akubra Sombrero perfectly!


The Sombrero looks good from all angles!


The wide brim helps keep your ears intact while you practice your cracks!


The heavyweight felt keeps both sun and rain out of your eyes so you can focus on your fancy footwork!


An overly dramatic setting for an over-the-top hat!

Great looking hat.
Just curious, where did you get those boots?
What kind, maker, etc.

Thanks!
C

Canasta wrote: Just curious, where did you get those boots?

The boots were probably the best deal I've ever found on eBay: Thorogood 804-4254 16-inch Lineman's boots, like new, for sixty bucks ($61.85) including shipping. The seller claimed he bought them when he enrolled in lineman classes, but decided that line of work wasn't for him, so he sold the boots for what he could get. There was no sign of any use on these boots when I received them. I'd been patiently (which is unusual for me) watching listings for quite a while, looking for some tall "adventure boots," when I ran across this listing.

David,

The hat looks great. I may have to look into getting one. Good to know about the hatband though.

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

Translation: Indiana Jones lookalike riding a guinea pig.

This photo appears on a German Wikipedia parody site called Stupidedia to illustrate an article on guinea pigs.

Here's a link: http://www.stupidedia.org/stupi/Versuchskaninchen" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Let me repeat that phrase one more time: "Indiana Jones lookalike" I guess that says something about the authenticity of the Akubra Sombrero as an Indy hat right there, doesn't it! Apparently it looks even Indy-er with a puggaree instead of a ribbon!

"Guinea pigs"?

I'll give them a full pass on the IJ comment.


You're riding a guinea pig?



Regards,

Indiana Jeff

Most dreaded mammal know to man - the Jackalope.

Maxadur wrote:Old thread, I know, but I love wide-brim Akubra hats............

The Sombrero has pretty much become my standard travel and hiking hat. The wide brim works for sun and rain, and the thicker felt is tough enough to withstand whatever you throw at it!