18 March 2008
My new Akubra hat :)
Posted by Mick (SplaTT) Stanic under: ExpeditionOz; Hats; Outdoors; Personal .
Cross post from www.ExpeditionOz.com
There aren’t many things in life better than a good comfortable hat (well…there are…but not that many), and while I was up in Sydney I had the opportunity, in-between doing other things, to drop into one of my two favourite hat shops in Australia…Strand Hatters (who are owned by Akubra). The other favourite hat shop is City Hatters in Melbourne…they have no web site.
Lets rewind before I continue…
I got my first Akubra hat sometime in the mid 1980’s…it was a classic Akubra Snowy River hat which I managed to keep in my possession until around 1991 while touring around Australia with all sorts of bands. I’m pretty sure that it got really badly damaged during a huge storm up in Northern Queensland when it got squashed by a huge roadcase :(
Akubra link / Strand Hatters link
After heading up to Sydney in early 1992 I bought a black Akubra Fedora (with a blue feather) from Strand Hatters which I wore pretty much every day both in Australia and during a huge 12 country trip I did to Europe (photos). It was a brilliant and hardy hat and on my trip to Europe, it safely took me into an only recently unified Berlin, protected my head from the sun at an altitude of 3,000 meters on the Matterhorn and managed to survive nearly two weeks in an amazing Istanbul…that is until some shmuck stole it from my train carriage while I was chatting to two nice female Australian backpackers in the compartment next to mine on the train between Turkey and Greece…I really missed that hat, especially since I could never find one again :(
Since that time my “obsession” with Akubra hats has continued and over the last eight years have picked up a few more hats. Lets be honest…hats are one of those things where you can really have one for every occasion :)
In 2002 I wandered into Strand Hatters and picked up an Akubra Coober Pedy for my trip out to the desert country of NSW, SA and the NT (photos). It’s a nice wide brimmed hat which has served me well as my main off-roading hat and which I also just wore again during the trip out to the Blue Mountains and the Kanangra-Boyd Wilderness while in Sydney recently.
Akubra link / Strand Hatters link
In late 2004 I needed something a bit more formal for city wear, so it was back into Strand Hatters where I purchased a black Akubra Hampton. This is bit closer to a Fedora styled hat but has a very very short brim. It’s not uncomfortable and don’t mind its very English design, but it just don’t feel right so it tends to spend a lot of time on the shelf :(
Akubra link / Strand Hatters link
After returning to Melbourne (in late 2005), I picked up one of my old favourites in 2006, an Akubra Snowy River, from a Horseworld Saddlery store in Lilydale. I find the Snowy River to be a really comfortable hat ( I have pretty much had one non-stop since the mid 1980’s) with a classic look. It’s very easy to spot and was used widely in The Man from Snowy River movies.
Akubra link / Strand Hatters link
In early 2007, I wandered into City Hatters in Melbourne looking for a Fedora, and realised that they are only made to order now..so the closest that I could get that felt comfortable was the classic Akubra Stylemaster. The black Stylemaster that I got is a great looking traditional style hat with a design which really comes from the 1940’s and 1950’s…definitely a more formal hat than a Fedora though, and would go really well with a suit…if i ever had to wear one ;)
Akubra link / Strand Hatters link
Fast forward to March 2008, and i walk out of Strand Hatters with what I think has got to be one of the most comfortable hats that I have ever worn, an Akubra International. It’s a similar shape to a Fedora and the one I picked up is black and has a blue feather just like my old Fedora :)
The International is part of the Akubra Lifestyle Collection, which is designed so that you can store it flat in a bag and when you take it out it re-forms back to its original shape. Now i’m not one for squishing hats in a bag, but if i ever have to do it, i’ll make sure and post the results. This is defiantly a less formal hat which suits itself to everyday wear…so if you see someone walking around Melbourne, hanging out in the Upper Yarra Valley, exploring in the bush, standing on top of a mountain or sitting behind the steering wheel of Land Rover Discovery wearing a black hat that looks like the one above but with a blue feather on the left hand side (if you were wearing it)…it’s probably me ;)
So…to end…the Akubra brand has been around since 1912 (the hat making business that became Akubra, actually started in Hobart in 1874) and they have been making hats non-stop since that time and even though I only bought my first Akubra a little over 23 years ago, the thought has never crossed my mind about buying a “real” hat from another brand (for either outdoor expedition or urban adventure use) and I can be pretty sure in saying that any hats that I purchase in the future will no doubt be made by Akubra :)
So the next time you feel like buying a hat, support some great local Australian businesses and buy and Akubra made hat from either Strand Hatters in Sydney or City Hatters in Melbourne.
Note: Strand Hatters are located in the Strand Arcade at 412 George Street, Sydney and City Hatters are located next to the main entrance to Flinders Street Station at 211 Flinders St, Melbourne. Check out this link for a map of both locations.
Leave a Reply