To Christy's or not to Christy's? That is the question!

[Fireman860]

     Okay, so it isn't actually a question, but more of a statement. I recently ordered a Christy's Adventurer from adVintage fedoras. I had read several threads before finally deciding on this particular hat, and I thought I would share my experience for those who care to hear about it.
     To begin, I am new to this forum, and am really excited about joining it! I love the Indiana Jones movies, being both a fan of good movies and a self-proclaimed adventure junkie. So naturally, I am also an avid wearer of hats. (Disclaimer: I am no hat expert. Most of the hats I have purchased have been cheap and have been abused in every way possible. To be honest, I don't like my hats until they're faded, worn, and salty around the ribbon. Some people take home mugs from their adventures, and I take home hat scars. End:disclaimer.)
     Now, on to the Christy's. I did a lot of studying on which hat I wanted to buy. I'm a firefighter (surprise!) and am only on PRN right now, so I cannot afford a custom-made hat at the moment. (Also, I would probably hate myself after I went swimming in a AB other custom.) so I went for the cheaper Christy's because (to me) it looks more Last Crusade accurate than the Fed IV or similar hats in the "poor part-timer" price range. I doubt that I will wear it for hard use. I have old beaters for that. However, I don't plan to baby it, either. 
     SO HERE'S MY QUESTION: Does anybody have pictures of Christy's Adventurers after soft, medium, and/or hard use? I saw only one person's pictures after he had substantially abused his, and it actually looked the way I like for my hats to look: well-worn. 
     I will post pictures of the Christy's when it comes in. I'd like opinions on my bashing (it's open-crown). Thanks, and I look forward to being a member! 
-B

[zmarty]

Ive always been curious about adVintage! I'm glad you picked one up. I do remember there being a few threads specifically for the Christy's, its just really far back in the timeline.

[Fireman860]

The guy in charge of the site was very nice, so I will definitely be ordering from him, again. My hat was supposed to be in the U.S. either today or tomorrow, so it will probably be a few days before it actually gets to me. I'm pretty excited.   

[Mr. Fusion]

I've had a Christy's since June 2008. It hasn't held up very well. I beat it up a little and bathed it in fuller's earth, but I never got it wet. It shrunk a few hat sizes until I left it outside one day in a hot car. Now it will barely sit atop my head. I'm thinking of giving it to my fiance so she can wear it with me on special occasions.

In conclusion, it's a decent hat, and it looks great (although I would replace the horrible looking ribbon). I would advise not putting it through any abuse if you want to keep it for years.

-Josh

Sent from my SCH-I535 using proboards

[Fireman860]

Thanks for the advice, Josh! I plan to keep it on a stretcher/retainer that my late friend gifted to me when it isn't on my head. I'm also planning on not putting it through too much abuse, either. Do you have any pics of yours? I'd love to see what the hat will look like when it's older. Thanks!

[anindyjones]

Can someone tell me who sells the best indy hat for the lowest most reasonable rate? I'm new to this and I see that Todd's Costumes has the hat I'd like to have but my size is no longer available. I don't want to spend more than $200 usd for a hat. I'm new to the whole Indy gear obsession so please, go easy on me lol!

[zmarty]

I currently own an Akubra Federation. It's a good looking hat for a good price. Ive worn mine outside a lot and on some lengthy trips that required plenty of sweat, heat and dust. Though mine has never been submerged, I wouldn't doubt it a second. I have heard from others, however, that they have had similar experiences but with not-so-good endings (like the felt fading, ribbon shrinking, and the sweat band dry rotting). Then again, they had dozens of hats made for the films so don't expect it to be too perfect! haha

[djd]

Value for money wise the Fed IV is hard to beat. Well made and very tough. For a little more I'd recommend Steele and Jones too. The days of christys making good hats are far, far behind them.

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[anindyjones]

Thanks for the advice guys! You'll probably get a kick out of this, but I bought a wool felt DP on ebay for what I thought was a reasonable $30 and now after looking at many pictures and watching every Indy video I could find, I'm doctoring it up to make it look a bit more screen accurate. I gave it a nice narrow long front pinch ala Indy's Raiders hat, reshaped the front of the brim to make it come down further in the front, and now I'm waiting on my ribbon from Todd's to arrive so I can yank off the light brown one that accompanied the hat. After I put it all together & take it out for a test run to soil it up a little, I will post a pic or two to get a good hearty laugh from the true Indy enthusiasts.

[lguerra]

I do have some pictures of my Christys i got in 08 as well, got to just load them up on the computer. The hat held up well in the rain, But it did shrink ! I got it one size higer when i first orderd because my hair was longer, so when it shrank it fits good . It has a good TOD bash and is very soft brim, that was my only complant ! would have liked to have it a little stiffer. I have a old VHS making of last crusade, and the herbert johnson they used was soft to!So i guess its more screen accurate to last crusade and TOD! The ribbon is a good color but has a different bow shape that can easly be changed to look more like the orignal,thats what i did ! But i like the had its very soft worn in.