Looking for a Indy Fedora.

[Angelus Lupus]

Re: Looking for a cheap but believable Indy Fedora.

Ah, I see. I was mislead by it being 'official'. Live and learn, thanks. If I ever decide to get a fedora myself, I'll know which one to go for.

 

[jlee562]

Re: Looking for a cheap but believable Indy Fedora.

Some great links here. Just popping in to say thanks, since I was thinking of grabbing an Indy-like hat when I work up my Doctor Occult costume this summer. Figured I'd grab something I could eventually dual purpose. But I didn't want to spend some of the big bucks on the more 'authentic' Indy-wear.

If you're looking for a wearable hat, I'd recommend either Christy's Adventurer, or the Akubra Federation IV. The former is more of a dress hat, latter is a more durable one. They're both around $120+ shipping with the exchange rate now.

 

[brainiacfive]

Re: Looking for a cheap but believable Indy Fedora.

If you're looking for a wearable hat, I'd recommend either Christy's Adventurer, or the Akubra Federation IV. The former is more of a dress hat, latter is a more durable one. They're both around $120+ shipping with the exchange rate now.

Thanks for the suggestions - I'd probably go durable over dress, even though I'm NOT a hat person (if I continue losing hair at the same rate, who knows - that could change!), especially since it looks like Occult has worn the same hat since the 30's. Not sure if I'm ready to drop a $120+ on the off chance I might graduate to an Indy costume at some point in the future, but I know where to look if I decide I want to do more than a hall costume-look.

 

[BRRogers]

Re: Looking for a cheap but believable Indy Fedora.

Here was my Burlington Coat Factory fedora, reshaped and bashed.

...same one phase pistol posted, i believe.
However, the crown just isn't large enough to support the complex shapes.
It looks convincing to the un-discerning eye... but I'm looking to upgrade sometime sooner than later.

 

[aceofknaves88]

Re: Looking for a cheap but believable Indy Fedora.

Here are pics of the one I got from the Cracker Barrel. It's wool felt and looks really good.

 

[jlee562]

Re: Looking for a cheap but believable Indy Fedora.

Thanks for the suggestions - I'd probably go durable over dress, even though I'm NOT a hat person (if I continue losing hair at the same rate, who knows - that could change!), especially since it looks like Occult has worn the same hat since the 30's. Not sure if I'm ready to drop a $120+ on the off chance I might graduate to an Indy costume at some point in the future, but I know where to look if I decide I want to do more than a hall costume-look.

There's no reason an Akubra Fed IV can't be a "real" Indy hat, it's actually one of the most popular choices on Indygear's Club Obi Wan forum. They're well made lids. I don't have a brown one, but my grey is my go to rain hat.

 

[JoMamma_Smurf]

Re: Looking for a cheap but believable Indy Fedora.

You need to get a federation IV from hatsdirect.com....

 

[Egon Spengler]

Re: Looking for a cheap but believable Indy Fedora.

The Cracker Barrel hat and the Burlington Coat Factory hats look great! Went to Cracker Barrel last night but they didn't have any Only had some Alana Jackson hat. Bleh.

 

[Sym-Cha]

Re: Looking for a cheap but believable Indy Fedora.

Here's a suggestion : look for "vintage fedora" on ebay and make sure that it's your size. Look here for your size :

http://www.davidmorgan.com/hatsizing.html

Here are some references of the screen used fedora:

Crown: 5 ½ (5.5) inches
Brim (front & back): 2 ¾ (2.75) inches
Brim (sides): 2 5/8 (2.625) inches
Ribbon: 1 ½ (1.5) inches (39mm)

And here's the one I scored. It's a vintage early 1940's Stetson Deluxe Western style for just $52.00 (Photography courtesy Richard Cole)

and

The only thing that needs to be changed is the ribbon and it's internal size should be made a bit bigger. But hey this is a real 3 x beaver felt fedora from the actual times that the adventures of professor Jones took place.

-Chaim

 

[Risu]

Re: Looking for a cheap but believable Indy Fedora.

Trust me, never buy a wool hat, the quality is terrible. And as a general rule of thumb, never buy anything with "licensed" written on it, same reason.

The Fed 4 is by far the best hat for the money in my opinion. It's a really tough hat and so close in the details that sometimes when I glance up at my Fed and Adventurebilt side by side it takes me a second to remember which is which. Unless you're a real die hard Indy costumer, I'd say the Fed 4 is the only Indy hat you'll ever need to buy.

Oh yeah, and that's my Fed 4 in my avatar.

 

[aceofknaves88]

Re: Looking for a cheap but believable Indy Fedora.

The quality of my wool felt hat is great, so I have no idea what you're talking about. It's withstood rain and snowstorms and is in as good a shape as the day I bought it.

 

[sapper36]

Re: Looking for a cheap but believable Indy Fedora.

So I got an Optimo years ago - Are they still considred a good hat or is that brand on the outs now. When I bought it they were considerd one of the best optioons out there.

 

[jlee562]

Re: Looking for a cheap but believable Indy Fedora.

So I got an Optimo years ago - Are they still considred a good hat or is that brand on the outs now. When I bought it they were considerd one of the best optioons out there.

Optimo makes great hats, and yes, they are still one of the top hatters....and they come with the price tag to prove it!

Optimo made the drop dead GORGEOUS Dillinger hat for the Public Enemies movie.

 

[Risu]

Re: Looking for a cheap but believable Indy Fedora.

I don't know what you did to make that hat stand up so well, but every wool hat I ever owned pilled and shrank to an unwearable state in less than a year.

 

[Apollo]

Re: Looking for a cheap but believable Indy Fedora.

So I got an Optimo years ago - Are they still considred a good hat or is that brand on the outs now. When I bought it they were considerd one of the best optioons out there.

Optimo is still considered a VERY nice Hat!

Certainly one of the high-end works of art out there! :thumbsup

 

[aceofknaves88]

Re: Looking for a cheap but believable Indy Fedora.

I don't know what you did to make that hat stand up so well, but every wool hat I ever owned pilled and shrank to an unwearable state in less than a year.

Weather-proofing. With the right care, even a $20 hat can withstand the elements. I have no idea who made it, but it must be licensed because it says "Indiana Jones" on the inside. Still, it's WAY better than the other licensed hat I own. I own a $50 licensed hat that sucks...it's stiff and fits weird and has a seam keeping the brim in a shape that is far from screen accurate. The $20 is a much better hat. But, like I said, I weather-proofed it. It's all in how you care for your items.

 

[Jodo]

Re: Looking for a cheap but believable Indy Fedora.

Dang. I want that Burlington Coat factory hat BAD.

 

[brainiacfive]

Re: Looking for a cheap but believable Indy Fedora.

But, like I said, I weather-proofed it. It's all in how you care for your items.

By weather-proofing, do you mean with a spray, like I used to do to canvas tents when I was a kid?

 

[Capn_Jack_Savvy]

Re: Looking for a cheap but believable Indy Fedora.

Here is your Burlington Coat Factory Harrison fedora. Finding it is going to be hit or miss. It took me three BCFs to find this one!

Dorfman Pacific as licensed by LucasFilms. Check eBay. I tried rebashing the crown but it doesn't look right.

Akubra Fed is the way to go!

 

[brainiacfive]

Re: Looking for a cheap but believable Indy Fedora.

Here is your Burlington Coat Factory Harrison fedora. Finding it is going to be hit or miss. It took me three BCFs to find this one!

Nice comparison there!

Wow, a lot of color variation in the light. Good to know.