Akubra Federation vs. Akubra Adventure

Indy's Sidekick

New member
I'm planning on getting an Akubra fedora and just found their new one called the Adventurer Hat from David Morgan. Has anyone seen this hat? What do they think of it? I heard that the Akubra Federation is the best Indy Fedora in the lower price range with the best in the upper range being the Herbert Johnson or AdventureBilt. I just wanted to check on the quality because I could get either the Akubra Adventure or Federation for about the same price. Here are links to the two below. Thanks.


http://www.davidmorgan.com/product_info.php?products_id=1128

http://www.hatsdirect.com/cgi/products.cgi?view=58&returncat=Fedora+Hats&returnpage=0
 

indy34

New member
I got a Akubra adventurer for christmas there really good but I don't know how they compair to a federation:p
 

Deckard

New member
I like the look of the fed. myself. Seems a bit more accurate when it comes to color, and its cheaper too.
 

Indy's Sidekick

New member
Not cheaper

The federation I've found for sale is technically cheaper, but by the time you add on shipping and handling, it's more expensive.:(
 

indy34

New member
Deckard said:
I like the look of the fed. myself. Seems a bit more accurate when it comes to color, and its cheaper too.
when you look at the adventurer it's actually about the same color it just looks different colours in certain lighting:p
 

Deckard

New member
Hey Indy34, could you post a few pics of your own so i can get a better comparison? The Adventurer looks very dark.
 

Mr. Fusion

Member
I have the regular Federation. I love it. But if I had more money to spend I'd get an Adventurebuilt Deluxe. But I doubt that I'll get that... anytime soon.:(

But I definitely like mine.(y)
 

Indy's Sidekick

New member
Inexpensive vs. Accuracy vs. Quality

From what I've heard Akubra makes the best Indy hats for low cost while Herbert Johnson makes the actual hat, and AdventureBilt makes the highest quality one.
 

Mr. Fusion

Member
I have the regular Federation. I really cherish it. I thought about getting it in Tawny Fawn, though. That looks a little more like the Raiders hat. But I could be wrong.:hat:
 

Ajax the Great

New member
I'm not a really experienced gearhead, but it looks like that Adventurer has quite a bit of taper. Seems like it would be a good ToD hat.
 

Indy Byrd

New member
I got a Akubra Adventurer and I must say it is one tough hat!! I don't think it has much of a taper but I do know it'll take anything you want to throw at it and look good while doing it!!
 

penman hats

New member
Indy's Sidekick said:
From what I've heard Akubra makes the best Indy hats for low cost while Herbert Johnson makes the actual hat, and AdventureBilt makes the highest quality one.


The current Hj only has one thing in common with the Hj from the movie and thats the name. Now the Magnoli HJ that Steve from Adventurbilt re-works those hats for magnoli with a better more SA block and ribbon making it what it should be.

Steve's Advenutrebilt and Marc's Adventurebilt delux are top notch and can't be beat.

between the two hats the adventurer and the federation. I would suggest you go with the federation.
 

HenryJunior

New member
Well it's 2012 and I'm wondering what info anyone could shed on the DM Adventurer. Photos posted of the hat on this thread nearly 4 years ago seem a little different than those currently posted on David's site. It seems darker in color (I think that's due to a flash bulb) and a little taller. I really like how this hat looks I would like some info from anyone who owns it or has any more information to share:)

http://www.davidmorgan.com/product_info.php?products_id=1128
 

Indy Byrd

New member
I still have my Adventurer. I have wore it A LOT over the past 4 years and it has taken all I could throw at it and it still looks good. I personally can't compare it to a Fed or any other Indy hat...yet. I have a Steele and Jones Crusader coming in the next few weeks. I am excited about getting this new hat.

The only thing that I can say is that the color is a little dark. I opted to get a new hat because I wanted a Crusade hat and my Adventurer looks more like a CS or a Raiders crease. Hope this helps!! The liner in my hat is white satin rather than red.
 

HenryJunior

New member
Thanks Indy Byrd that sounds good, I've heard how the Fed IV is good quality, I just don't want to worry about international shipping or currency exchange, plus it just a teeny bit more expensive. Gotta start saving those nickels and dimes...:D

If anyone else wants to chime in I'd appreciate it :)
 

indyfedora

New member
Hey Henry Junior,

I think that my new DM Adventurer looks pretty swell. I don't have any pics right now of mine, but I can offer my thoughts on it. :)

When I opened the box and took out, my first impression was that it is rather darker-looking on the actual felt, and the ribbon is kinda light. I think on color, if the felt and ribbon colors were switched, I think it would be more screen accurate. But, SA aside, I think it looks amazing when I wear it.

In terms of durability, I think it stands up incredibly to water. I wore it in heavy rain and it survived; although it takes more than 24 hours to completely dry at the recommended room temperature. I haven't tried anything else to test it, partially I'm afraid to.

I should have ordered the hat Open-Crown for me to bash the Adventurer myself. For twenty dollars, the Indy Bash advertised does not really look that good like the pictures. In my humble opinion, the bash makes the Adventurer look too... generic/factory-produced if you will (i.e. little character in the hat). My apologies if that sounded pretentious or something :eek: , but that's how I felt.

At first I was afraid to try and re-bash my hat (because apparently Akubra puts a lot of hat stiffener on their hats) but I did. Using John Penman's tutorial on youtube found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozJKQVCgeZ4 (Thanks, Mr. Penman!) I was able to shape it into a Raiders bash albeit without much of a turn.

If you, Henry Junior, decide to shape it, make sure to use what David Morgan calls the "Cowboy method". That, I believe, is when you leave your hat out in the rain and when it is wet, you shape it to your desire. Just don't get the inside with the satin lining or the leather sweatband wet, those will NOT stand to water, as I have found with experience. I was an idiot and got my hands wet when I tried to reshape my hat, and the lining tore. I had to glue it back into place.

I would NOT use steam to shape it. Despite warnings from various websites and David Morgan, I went ahead and used steam. Well, steam shrunk the felt on my crown and gave it a ToD taper. :mad: I was aiming for a Raiders shape, but it ended up as a ToD hat with a tight pinch. On the plus side, the Adventurer still looks pretty fancy on me.

I am sorry for the long post, but overall, HenryJunior, if you want the Adventurer, go get it! It will stand up to hard weather, and it looks nice, what with the lining, ribbon, and sweatband. Again, the colors are off, but for this price, you get a truly durable hat that has the potential for any Indiana Jones shape.

If you want a comparison between the Federation Four and the Adventurer, here's one (which is not mine). http://www.flickr.com/photos/wfdt/2487385108/
 

HenryJunior

New member
That is some very helpful information Indy Fedora thank you!:D
I appreciate the long post actually, I'm glad to hear some positive, well detailed information about the Adventurer, most people seem to dimiss it in favor of the FEDIV, which I'm sure is a fine hat I've just wanted hear about the DM Advent.

Thanks again Byrd and Fedora.
:whip:
 
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