Whippet, Stratoliner, Open Road....

D. Hats · Jan 19, 2006

I have purchased hats and Fedoras in particular before, but a "Whippet" and as soon as I saw it I realized what all the Hype is about. It is without a doubt the mother of all fedoras... in my limited expeience.
I have an XXX Open Road in its original weastern style and I don't think it comes close to the Whippet.
Now I'm wondering if I buy a vintage Stratoliner if I'll be as impressed as I am with the Whippet or is it similar to the Open Road.
Don't get me wrong, I like the Open Road and have sported it about town on many an occasion, but since I received my Whippet I think it's so much nicer than the Open Road.
Is it possibly because the Open Road is only a XXX and the Royal Stetson Whippet is equal to something greater than XXX?
Can anyone explain? I'd appreciate your inputs !!

Thanks

D. Hats · Jan 19, 2006

Proof reading benifits...

I meant to say that I recently bought a Whippet and now I realize what all the hype is about.
I'd like Fellow Fedora Lounge members in the know to explain the differences between the Whippet, Open Road, and Stratoliner.

maybe that's clearer than my original thread on this matter.

Mr. 'H' · Jan 19, 2006

Did you win that grey Whippet that was on E-Bay recently?

PS - "Johnnysan" would be most qualified to give you advice on Whippets, he owns several of them (one of which is a hat, the other two canines!).

Enjoy.

H.

D. Hats · Jan 19, 2006

Yes, matter of fact,

And it is amazingly in great condition. I am so impressed with it and feel it was well worth the dough. Except.... it smells like stale cigarette smoke.

There is a Stratoliner on Ebay that I'm interested in but I'd like to hear / learn more about it first.

Mr. 'H' · Jan 19, 2006

D. Hats said:
And it is amazingly in great condition. I am so impressed with it and feel it was well worth the dough. Except.... it smells like stale cigarette smoke.

There is a Stratoliner on Ebay that I'm interested in but I'd like to hear / learn more about it first.

If run a search on this forum on smoke etc., you will read about some different techniques to get rid of that odour.

Odds are that the vendor said it was from a "smokefree environment"....

Best of luck with it.

Johnnysan · Jan 19, 2006

I own a Whippet and a Stratoliner that are roughly the same age...both are very nice hats, but in my opinion, the Whippet is of better quality, holds it shape better, looks better on my head and is simply the best hat I own!

Dusty Rhodes · Jan 19, 2006

Gotta agree with you there

Johnnysan said:
I own a Whippet and a Stratoliner that are roughly the same age...both are very nice hats, but in my opinion, the Whippet is of better quality, holds it shape better, looks better on my head and is simply the best hat I own!

I own 4 Whippets. Very nice, thick felt and quite warm. The brims aren't as floppy as my Strat. And they look great on my head as well. You can't go wrong with one! Go here http://public.fotki.com/formerblueangel/felt_fedoras/page2.html and look at 43-44 for my Strat, and 47 - 54 to see my Whippets.

tonyb · Jan 20, 2006

Man oh man, D. Hats, I kinda wished you hadn't mentioned that Stratoliner currently on offer.
The dewy-eyed bride will soon be wishing you hadn't, 'cuz now I'll be watching it and working on convincing her that it's not just a hat, it's an investment! And then she'll remind me that it was only a few weeks ago that we "invested" in another Stratoliner, and that these wise investments of mine are going to land us in bankruptcy court. And it's a safe bet that the bids will rise dramatically before it's all over and I'll be stuck with less and less justification for getting into the game. ("Sweetie, I'll go without beer for a couple of weeks! I'll subsist on baloney sandwiches and ramen noodles.")
It's like telling a kid with a quarter in his pocket that that candy bar costs 50 cents. It's torture.

Biltmore Bob · Jan 20, 2006

Yea, the bids will rise...

..'cause of that damned Denver Post article!

tonyb · Jan 20, 2006

Ain't it the truth, Bob. The reporter did his job, and did it pretty well, but all this attention only pushes prices higher. There's a ceiling somewhere, but I'm guessing we aren't half way to it yet. Get people believing that a little piece of stiff paper with some old ballplayer's picture on it is worth $500 and, sure enough, somebody else figures it's worth a grand.
And I hear those Whippets are pretty nice, too.

tonyb · Jan 24, 2006

That Stratoliner auction ended today. Somebody paid $129.49 for it. Makes me feel a little better about the $79.50 I paid for an apparently NOS one back in December. A person could argue that that lid is indeed worth 130 bucks, at least in comparison to what that kind of dough will get you in a new hat. I just hope for the buyer's sake that it's at least reasonably close to its description. Somebody else got a pretty sweet deal on a real clean-looking old Open Road. Set him back all of $39.97. Not bad.

D. Hats · Jan 24, 2006

tonyb.... Dusty Rhodes...

First off... tonyb, I'm the bloke that got the Stratoliner. With your endorsement last week I couldn't help myself. Like you just said, even at $129 it's not a bad deal... I couldn't get a new hat made of this quality for that price. But, now that I have one Stratoliner I'm not likely to bid so high on any future opportunities that arise. I am trying to put a collection together based on what I learn and see on the Fedora Lounge. Which brings me to my questions and comments for Dusty.........
Dusty Rhodes, I viewed your collection that you attached the link to on your previous reply.... most impressive. Probably most of us could be found drooling as we looked over the pictures. I gotta ask though.... does each and every one of those lids fit you? One of the problems I found myself with when I was originally starting off trying to put a collection together was getting suckered into buying or bidding on a hat that wasn't my size just because I couldn't pass up the offer / deal. I, consequently, have a few hats from the biggining that are okay quality, but do me know good because I can't wear them. Luckily I have two son's that currently can wear them and often do. My oldest son is in middle school and often wears a stingy brim stetson or McAndrew and even receives compliments from the teachers.
Well, enough for now... I look forward to hearing from you gents....

tonyb · Jan 24, 2006

Congratulations there, D. Hats, and know that I stepped out of that auction before the bids hit a third of where they ended. I was tempted to go higher, but our household budget has been stretched by a couple of unplanned expenditures (big ones, alas) and I just couldn't justify it.
I trust you'll be happy with it. Stratoliners and Open Roads are so similar they would seem essentially the same. Strats came in more colors, I think, or at least I've seen them in a wider range of hues, but if someone out there knows otherwise, please set the record straight. Maybe there are other differences that aren't readily apparent to us non-experts. As has been noted here before, ORs can be found with numerous subtle and not-so-subtle variations in dimensions and felt quality and bows and more. But for fanatics like me the simple fact that it's a Stratoliner makes your new lid all the more desirable. Let's us know when it arrives, OK?

D. Hats · Jan 24, 2006

Once I receive it...

tonyb, I have as yet to post any digital pictures on the web (this site or anyothers for that mater), though one of my daughters has a digital camera and is a tad more computer savvy than I... once I receive the strat' I'll get her to help me post some better pictures.
In the pictures posted on ebay it looked pretty darn clean to me, inside and out. No stains, no wear on the brown leather sweatband, etc.
It may be my one and only Stratoliner so I hope it's pristine in every possibly imaginable way.... I'm just glad the bidding stopped where it did. Thanks for bowing out when you did.

tonyb · Jan 24, 2006

Had I known it was one of us who really wanted that hat, D. Hats, I wouldn't have bid on it at all. Yes, the seller's photos, and his (her?) description, certainly make it seem real, real nice. No good reason to doubt it. Once your daughter gets you up to speed on posting photos, maybe you can share that new-found skill with this caveman?
I get the feeling that the price you paid for that lid will, within a couple of years (if not sooner), seem like a bargain.

D. Hats · Jan 25, 2006

Certainly will...

tonyb,
As soon as I figure it out I'll let you know.

You know, I've wondered about whether or not us Fedora Loungers should let each other know when we're bidding on something.... wasn't sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing. I kind of feel like you, if it's a brother lounger I'd probably back off because I want them to have the hat they want. I can relate with their need to have a certain hat, But... will all the viewers that lurk here have the same feeling?

As for prices... before I started buying vintage lids I paid twice as much as I did for the stratoliner for brand new hats with less character... not to say I don't like the ones I bought new.... but I haven't worn one of them since I started buying vintage.

Dusty Rhodes · Jan 25, 2006

D. Hats said:
First off... tonyb, I'm the bloke that got the Stratoliner. With your endorsement last week I couldn't help myself. Like you just said, even at $129 it's not a bad deal... I couldn't get a new hat made of this quality for that price. But, now that I have one Stratoliner I'm not likely to bid so high on any future opportunities that arise. I am trying to put a collection together based on what I learn and see on the Fedora Lounge. Which brings me to my questions and comments for Dusty.........
Dusty Rhodes, I viewed your collection that you attached the link to on your previous reply.... most impressive. Probably most of us could be found drooling as we looked over the pictures. I gotta ask though.... does each and every one of those lids fit you? One of the problems I found myself with when I was originally starting off trying to put a collection together was getting suckered into buying or bidding on a hat that wasn't my size just because I couldn't pass up the offer / deal. I, consequently, have a few hats from the biggining that are okay quality, but do me know good because I can't wear them. Luckily I have two son's that currently can wear them and often do. My oldest son is in middle school and often wears a stingy brim stetson or McAndrew and even receives compliments from the teachers.
Well, enough for now... I look forward to hearing from you gents....

I have a few 7 1/4's in the batch I've had to stretch out, but are still tight unless I keep my hair short. I also have a few 7 1/2's that are a tadtoo big but I've put resizing material (cork) Behind the front of the sweatband so they fit decent. So everything you've seen, I can wear. We just haven't had a cold enough winter here in NW Florida though to justify me being able to wear all 27 of them this year. And no, none of them are for sale. I did however score another one on Ebay.
Dusty

D. Hats · Jan 25, 2006

Hats... Boots....just what I need !

Dusty your Hat collection is like my boot collection. Since I was but knee high to a grasshopper I've worn cowboy boots (no, I'm not in to western music, but since I've digressed I will state for the record that I enjoy good 'ol Rock, most definitely the blues, and most jazz). But, back to the subject at hand... I have probably in the neighborhood of thirty pairs of boots from rattlesnake, gator, elephant, lizzard, ostrich, various common leather, dress, rough outs, etc. and now I'm getting into HATS !!!
I think I'm gonna find me a hypnotist, sometimes I day dream about the money I would have if I didn't get into collecting.....

Dusty Rhodes · Jan 25, 2006

D. Hats said:
Dusty your Hat collection is like my boot collection. Since I was but knee high to a grasshopper I've worn cowboy boots (no, I'm not in to western music, but since I've digressed I will state for the record that I enjoy good 'ol Rock, most definitely the blues, and most jazz). But, back to the subject at hand... I have probably in the neighborhood of thirty pairs of boots from rattlesnake, gator, elephant, lizzard, ostrich, various common leather, dress, rough outs, etc. and now I'm getting into HATS !!!
I think I'm gonna find me a hypnotist, sometimes I day dream about the money I would have if I didn't get into collecting.....

I hear ya! I'm sitting on a felt goldmine now but with no plans to sell any of them.
D

Colt · Jan 26, 2006

I have a couple Whippet's one gray and the other brown. They are indeed my favorites!

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