Re: There's a mystery afoot...

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Posted by Laurie Jensen from proxy2.frmt1.sfba.home.com on June 10, 1998 at 21:34:52:

In Reply to: There's a mystery afoot... posted by Cap'n Paul on June 10, 1998 at 01:10:04:

: : : Greetings dear friends,

: : : In searching for a 'decent priced fedora of good quality' that represents the one used in the Indiana Jones movies I have stumbeled upon the two made well known fedoras by Stetson. I am sure fans like myself know that the Miller Hat company advertises these two models of the hat, "The Ark" and "The Temple".

: : : In trying to make a decision on which one to purchase, I did some research. Unfortunately, it seems that only Miller seems to advertise "The Ark" model of the Stetson hat. In calling several other hat companies, none have even heard of "The Ark". In confusion, I decided to go strait to the source. I called Stetson direct, long distance, in Montana. To my surprize, they claimed that they only make "The Temple" and have never produced a model called "The Ark".

: : : Odd enough, when I inquired the difference to Miller Hats, they told me that the only difference between the two models is "The Ark model has the brim snapped down on the back, otherwise they are identical". It seems to me that the brim on ANY fedora can be snapped up or down in the front OR back, that's why they call it a fedora.

: : : It seems that the two models probably are the same hat. Perhaps Miller Hats is trying to gain additional sales by advertising two models of the same hats? I just know Stetson, the makers of the hat, claim that the model of "The Ark" doesn't exist.

: : I find this extremely interesting. I emailed Stetson regarding the description of the Temple/Ark as having two different dimensions regarding the width of the brim, those being narrower sides than the front and back measurements. This was done several months ago. Stetson responded, stating that the sides were indeed narrower on both the hats than the front and back as I mentioned, indicating the Temple AND the Ark. I have a friend in New York City currently comparing the two hats at a local hat shop, and he confirmed this information, including the Stetson mark in the Ark. He says it can be shaped correctly to the recognized "Indy" shape we all are familiar with by the shop owner after purchase, if required. Now Stetson says they never heard of the hat. Very interesting indeed. Regards. Michaelson

: : Interesting investigation. To add to the confusion I would like to state for the record that I bought the Stetson Ark back in May. And, yes, the white lining of the fedora does indeed scream "Stetson" with their familiar logo. It may be possible that Miller is trying to pass off the same hat as two seperate hats. What does everyone else think? -CP

My impression of the hats is that the Ark has a slightly higher crown than the Temple. Using the ribbon as a clue (it looks about 2 inches wide) I made a guestament that the Temple has a 4 1/2 inch crown, while the Ark's crown is about 5 inches. Even to the naked eye the hats look like they have different sized crowns. Of course, this could be a distortion from camera angles, but I think this may be the main difference between the two styles. Can anyone who owns one of these hats confirm any variation in crown sizes? This may explain the name of the hats-the Temple is based on the shorter crowned hat from TOD, while the Ark is based on the higher crowned hat from Raiders. What say you hat owners?


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