For the past few years, Australian musician and advocate Dobe Newton has given out Akubra hats and Drizabone coats to attendees of the Americana Festival in Nashville, TN. Last September, Tacy Judd, a freelance photographer who works for the American Music Association, was a winner.
Gene LaFallette at Shenandoah Photographics took some outstanding photographs of Tacy with the Cattleman and her Drizabone coat. Enjoy!
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Will and Mike made another journey to Denver for the annual Western and English Sales Association convention. The largest trade show of its kind, it features hundreds of vendors purveying equestrian-themed items. From western rodeo and dressage to everyday items such as clothing, boots and jewelry, everything is on display.
For five days, people from around the world descend upon Denver to see the latest products each vendor has to offer. This coincides with the Stockman’s Show, which attracts more of the Western crowd.
It was fun to meet old friends and be part of the spectacle.
View of downtown Denver looking out from the Hard Rock Cafe.
One of our neighbors sporting her new head dress.
Beautiful bronze sculpture of the cowboy lifestyle.
Beautiful show-quality leather saddle
Closer view with more details of the exquisite tooling
Mike has some fun with the replica gun dealers
Stan Morse, a local customer, came into our store here in Bothell, Washington. He surprised us with the news that our Slouch is featured in his new Kindle novel.
It is the summer of 1969 and the Vietnam War is raging, John Wayne dominates the theater marquee, and fourteen year old Billy Ward’s world will crumble if he can’t convince his eighteen year old brother Mike and Mike’s best friend Stu to include him in a backpacking adventure. For the older boys, taking The Kid into the mountains is a burden to be avoided at all costs. Parental pressure finally forces them to offer Billy a test to see if he is worthy. Can Billy prove himself physically capable? And beyond that, how can he hope to earn the respect of the older boys?
Brothers of Summer is a window into the hearts of teenagers in the 60’s—a time when kids rode bikes, boys got drafted, parental abuse was often ignored, and the bonds of friendship between teenagers were more important than nearly anything imaginable.
You can get his book here.
We wish Stan the best of luck with his novel!
Because of the lack of demand, we discontinued the Down Under several years ago. Once in awhile, we get requests for the hat. Until now, we’ve had to simply say, “I’m sorry.”
But Frank, a customer of ours, told us a way to turn the Snowy River into a Down Under. You just need to do a couple of things:
The Snowy after modifications.
Frank sports his “Down Under”.
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Over Labor Day Weekend, Will Morgan hiked five miles into the Alpine Lakes Wilderness near the city of Cle Elum, Washington. (For those interested in the details, he hiked from North Fork Teanaway Road to Lake Ingalls.)
With temperatures hitting 90 degrees, he worried that a black fur-felt hat might be too hot for the afternoon hike. Instead, the Traveler’s light felt and eyelets helped keep his head cool. The brim provided shade for his head, face and neck.
By the time Will had taken in the stunning view of Mount Stuart, the sun was ready to set. Fall also comes early at higher elevations, and so the temperatures dropped quickly as it grew dark. Near the bottom it was hard to see the trail and he was thinking how it was good to have a good felt hat. Even though it had soaked up a good amount of sweat, it still provided warmth. Will’s next test is to wear it with a loaded backpack frame to find out if a wide and firm brim will bump into his pack.
All in all, he reports that his Akubra Traveler was a fantastic addition to his hike and will work well for both hot and cold days.
Mountain Goats
Lake Ingalls
Coming down the mountain
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A customer of ours from Yonkers sent in a photograph of his grandson in his Akubra.
He may need a little help putting it on in the right direction, but it still looks great.
Way to go, Jordan!
Jordan
In this video, Mike shows you how to give your hat a military bash. Different regiments will have minor changes to the bash, but for civilians, we recommend you adjust it to your liking.
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In this first video, Mike shows you how to create the Open Telescope and Pinched Telescope bash.
In this second video, Mike shows you how to create the classic fedora look and the cattleman’s crease.
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Do you want to try an Akubra without having to fly out to Seattle, Washington? There are many hat retailers around the United States and Canada that offer a variety of Akubra hats. In fact, some dealers offer styles and colors not available on our website.
With a local dealer you are also supporting your local business. As hat sales continue to grow, you can be assured that the more the retailers sell, the more they can offer.
Your local hat dealer also carries hat stretchers, brushes and many will even custom shape your hat.
So, when looking for an Akubra, don’t forget to see if there is a dealer in your neighborhood.
Check our dealer page to see if there is one near you.
Kickin’ up the back brim of your hat can add an additional flare to your Akubra. Your hat will have more of a fedora style than the traditional Aussie style.
It’s easy to kick up the back brim. All you need is a little steam from a tea kettle. Run the steam over the top of the brim for just a few seconds to get it soft. Then, push up the back from underneath with your thumbs. Push up at the base of the brim, right where it meets the crown.
You can watch this video to see how to steam your hat.
The Cattleman, kicked up.
Banjo, kicked up
Traveller, kicked up
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