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The Other Open Roads.....

Spent several hours last weekend traveling around to a number of antique malls and didn't find even one decent hat. This weekend, I went to the local indoor flea (trash) market and came away with this near perfect Open Road clone for $3.00.

From what I can find, the maker is Charles Levy & Sons or sometimes Charles Levy's Sons.

View attachment 113734 View attachment 113735 View attachment 113736

WOW....WOW.....$3??????.....for that an extra WOW and a little bit of envy!!!:D
M
 

Tommy-VF51

A-List Customer
Messages
358
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The Bailey Collister, which unfourtanely seems to have been discontinued?

I managed to pick this up in a sale, gently trying to push the crease back, though I guess it'll never be a proper open road?

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Tommy-VF51

A-List Customer
Messages
358
The fact is there is no one selling a true Open Road in the UK, other than Stetson, for less than £389 + postage.

The one place who used to have them vintage has had no luck for over a year, let alone in my size.
 
Been looking thru this thread for past few minutes and have yet to figure out just what makes an Open Road. Please pardon my ignorance, but could someone share with me what qualifies a hat to be an Open Road? Thanks. o_O

Study these awsome hats of our members.....in the third one....the front hat is an OR clone..........;)
Common dimensions......thin crown ribbon.....thin bound brim edge........often a windcord attached.

M:)
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facade

A-List Customer
Messages
315
Location
Conklin, NY
Been looking thru this thread for past few minutes and have yet to figure out just what makes an Open Road. Please pardon my ignorance, but could someone share with me what qualifies a hat to be an Open Road? Thanks. o_O

Open Road was just a Stetson brand name so there will be variations in style based on the year of manufacture. The traditional Open Road is a western styled soft felt fedora with a thin ribbon & edge binding. They usually start their life with a cattlemen's crease. A clone of an Open Road is a hat in the traditional open road style that was made by someone other than Stetson. Or alternately one made by Stetson but not marked as an Open Road.
 
Messages
10,524
Location
DnD Ranch, Cherokee County, GA
....
The Lion Hats model has all the dimensions, narrow bound edge, wind cord....BUT, has a Stetson Playboy type ribbon (I was thinking it was a narrow band)......so does not really count.....but it did photo bomb my pic of the Dobbs:rolleyes:
M;)
That would be a Wanderer clone then = Playboy type ribbon with a narrow bound edge...Wanderer thread out there somewhere!
 
Messages
10,524
Location
DnD Ranch, Cherokee County, GA
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Fivesense

One of the Regulars
Messages
210
Location
Idaho
I'm looking at possibly adding an Atwood Austin in palm leaf. The Austin is Atwood's nod to the straw Open Road. I've got a Hereford in palm and like it, but might want a more moderate brim for casual warmer weather wear. The crown of the Austin is 5". I'm thinking of flattening the brim more than it already is and working a modified Gus into the crown to bring the ratio of crown height in line with the brim. If the Gus doesn't look good, maybe a teardrop or diamond. Thoughts?

atwood austin.jpg
 

crawlinkingsnake

A-List Customer
Messages
419
Location
West Virginia
Open Road was just a Stetson brand name so there will be variations in style based on the year of manufacture. The traditional Open Road is a western styled soft felt fedora with a thin ribbon & edge binding. They usually start their life with a cattlemen's crease. A clone of an Open Road is a hat in the traditional open road style that was made by someone other than Stetson. Or alternately one made by Stetson but not marked as an Open Road.
Thanks facade for the info. I don't think an Open Road would be one of my favorites, but do indeed respect anyone who might wear one. Thinking back now, I can remember an old cattleman friend of the family who wore one.
 

facade

A-List Customer
Messages
315
Location
Conklin, NY
Thanks facade for the info. I don't think an Open Road would be one of my favorites, but do indeed respect anyone who might wear one. Thinking back now, I can remember an old cattleman friend of the family who wore one.

You are not alone in that. Most people here don't seem to like Open Roads either. They change the crease and turn then into Stratoliner clones.
 

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