Akubra Stockman Review

I bought the Stockman in 2015, three years later and I am still wearing it: it has proven to be a very hardwearing hat. I generally wear it when a short brim is more practical; usually in the autumn and spring and for wearing in woodland or at times where a big brimmed hat would attract too much attention. The shorter brim is also more practical for travelling; to wear in vehicles and to stow away on planes on ones lap or in overhead lockers and is less likely to catch strong off sea winds.

Description of the Akubra Stockman

The Stockman comes in the Imperial Quality (rabbit fur felt) with a silk lining.The style of the Stockman has a 4 inch pinch crown, with a sweeping brim which added to the colour looks characteristically Australian. The Stockman has the shortest brim in the range at 70mm and flares up at the edges.

The Stockman comes in a range of colours, I decided on the Santone Fawn, a very nice light olive green with a hint of brown. The style would work for a man as well as a woman. However a more robust man would probably prefer a bigger hat, a bigger brim and higher crown. The hat band is of braided bonded leather plait, and comes with an optional feather which was red, white and black.

The Stockman shape is very understated for a brimmed hat, it's not overly cowboy-like either; the design sits somewhere between a fedora and a bush hat. The only alteration I have made, straight out of the box, other than taking out the feather, was to put a tighter pinch on the front, that is the other great thing with Akubra hats - you can customize the hat to suit by adding a little steam or water.

Sweeping brim of the Stockman

Critical Review of the Akubra Stockman

The Stockman has a nice sweep in the brim and a conservative style. The lining is a nice touch and has a plastic centre that stops the white satin from getting stained. The only two things I will say is that although it is an excellent sun hat, and good in the rain; the Stockman has no air vents and so fills up with sweat...especially so in tropical climes; also it could do with a chin strap with a toggle so it can be held on in high winds and slung over onto your back when you don't want to wear it. Despite these minor points I cannot imagine travelling with any other hat because it is a very practical design.

The hat has however changed over the years as I didn't really like the original shape. Changing the shape is easily done with a little steam from a kettle or simply holding the hat under the tap.

Centre bash

I tried a centre bash, and raised the back of the hat which worked OK for a bit, but I didn't like the tapering that naturally happens. So I experimented further with various designs finally coming back to the original shape but with a real tight pinch.

Final bash after shrinking the hat

I also force shrunk the hat as I had bought a size too big to account for any natural shrinkage, however the hat never shrunk! Some boiling hot water shrank the hat, although almost wrecked the internal leather band. However, it now fits a lot better. However bewarned if you are trying to shrink a hat that hot water can shrivel the internal leather band. It is good to know that a hat perhaps a size or two too big can be shrunk to fit, particularly good for ebay buys.

Conclusion: Is the Akubra Stockman a good hat?

The hat design sits halfway between a fedora and a bush hat, and will suit those of a small to medium stature. The bigger men and women out there and those with long faces may require a bigger brim and crown. But for an understated functional brimmed hat the Stockman takes a lot of beating. It is also a very resilient hat and mine has been reshaped a number of times in the last three years and still looks OK.

The Akubra Stockman may represent the most pratical brimmed hat on the market for travel or casual wear.