There has been a resurgence in sales of open crown hats and whips, spurred on by the Indiana Jones movies. The actual hats worn by Harrison Ford's character Indiana Jones were custom made hats, with an open crown and a modified fedora bash. If you cannot afford a custom hat, but enjoy the Indy look, you will be pleased with the Akubra Adventurer.

Indy Bash
The Akubras with an open crown, such as the Adventurer, allow you to put your own personal bash or crease in the crown. A hat maker would use steam to make the shape permanent but steam may also shrink the felt. The better way for those who are not hat makers is to put in a preliminary shape, then when the hat is damp from the rain adjust it to the desired final shape and let it dry. This not only avoids shrinkage problems, but also lets you try out the preliminary shape and change it if needed.

Please view our video snippet for a demonstration of how to shape your open crown Adventurer to an Indy bash:

The traditional bash for the Adventurer is the Indy bash, a modified fedora bash.

Step 1. Start with the open crown Adventurer.

Step 2. Create the center dent front to back, keeping the front slightly higher than the back.

Step 3. Add two side dents pinched closely together in front and tapering down to the ribbon.

Step 4. Add a slight curl to the sides.

Please download our Hat Manual (pdf) for more step by step instructions on how to bash or crease your open crown Akubra.

For more information ...
Please follow the links below for more information about dress hats and related items.

Bashing Your Open Crown Akubra Hat
Akubra Hats
Panama Hats
Hat Sizing
Hat Care
Hat FAQs
Hat Manual (pdf)
Indiana Jones Bullwhips