Modern Stetson Open Road

[danofarlington]

from day one

You mean all the old ORs, going back to the 40s and 50s, which are now soft hats, were once shellacked?

 

[carouselvic]

Yes

 

[danofarlington]

Yes

Well, I'll be shellacked.

 

[RobFedoraField]

Well, I'll be shellacked.

yes, but if you a of a vintage era you will be a lot less shellacked than a modern FL poster

 

[wedens]

crease looks a little rough around the edges and not perfectly symmetrical, but that's the way I like 'em. I think they look great with you put your own hands on them. the greatest thing that I've found is that you never stop tweaking them. you always play around with them evey time you wear them.

but now we need a noggin shot!

great job.

Here's the noggin shot.

 

[RBH]

Very nice!

 

[Big_e]

Now I'm getting buyers remorse. I went to Hatco in Garland today to find a replacement for my wool beater and was actually looking at an Open Road. It fit good but I ended up getting another Stetson Sovereign instead. But hey, there's always next weekend!
Ernest

 

[The Good]

I bought a modern Open Road, and the crown is a lot lower than the vintage ORs. It gives a more sporty and probably youthful look. I like it as a change of pace. A high-crowned hat, in my book, is a serious hat.

It's been a while since I posted, but I'm still pretty sure that this is the look I want with an Open Road right now. I think I'll give modern Stetson a try for once, and I'm planning on buying it one size over my usual (7 1/2 instead of 7 3/8). I think it will shrink nearly a size in about a year of constant wearing, is that true? I don't want to end up with a tight hat, so I'll be going over-sized with this. For what it's worth, I'm looking at getting the one that Shepler's offers, as last time I checked, it's relatively cheaper than other store's.

 

[gtdean48]

I've always ordered my size in modern Stetsons. They are rounder than my Long Oval shape & that is the only difference I notice with wear = the roundness elongates. I have not experienced the size reduction like I have with Akubra Campdrafts. JMHO...

 

[fmw]

My open road is about 15 years old. It has shrunk about 1/2 a size. I don't know if mine is like a new one or an old one, however. Sorry. I usually buy Stetsons one size larger and adjust them down. I've been doing that for about 35 years. So far so good. I have a beautiful western 8X beaver Stetson that's about 30 years old. I can't wear it any more. It has shrunk just enough to be uncomfortable. If I'd bought it one size larger I could still be wearing it.

 

[Jedwbpm]

I would like to get an open road and have it in the Cattleman's crease. Given that what would you suggest? Getting a modern Stetson, Vintage Stetson, Akubra Campdraft, or some other brand? I am a 7 1/2 so vintage ain't cheep for me. Well what are your thoughts?

Jeff

 

[gtdean48]

I would like to get an open road and have it in the Cattleman's crease. Given that what would you suggest? Getting a modern Stetson, Vintage Stetson, Akubra Campdraft, or some other brand? I am a 7 1/2 so vintage ain't cheep for me. Well what are your thoughts?

Jeff

I'd look for used modern one or call the Outlet store to see what they have in your size.

 

[hatophile]

I would like to get an open road and have it in the Cattleman's crease. Given that what would you suggest? Getting a modern Stetson, Vintage Stetson, Akubra Campdraft, or some other brand? I am a 7 1/2 so vintage ain't cheep for me. Well what are your thoughts?

Jeff

Jed,

I am partial to the vintage hats, but I wear smaller sizes, so it's easier to find reasonable ones in my size. I don't think you can go wrong with a Campdraft. I'm not that hot on the newer
OR's, for the price, I think the CD is better. That's just my 2 cents.

 

[Mr Vim]

I have to agree with the other posts on this thread, if you want an Open Road that's easily shaped, then you need to go vintage. I received my own Open Road, and the fur was so compliant I could almost shape the cattleman's crease into a teardrop with just my hands. That's the way to go if you want a legitimate Stetson Open Road but with your own crease.

 

[frussell]

I've put Campdrafts in cattleman creases, and they work well for that. Much easier to work with should you get the crease wrong than a new Open Road. For my money, my Campdrafts are closer to my vintage OR than the new model OR is, despite the name. Frank

 

[gtdean48]

I with Frank...

:arated:

.... For my money, my Campdrafts are closer to my vintage OR than the new model OR is, despite the name. Frank

 

[JimWagner]

I just received a Stetson Open Road off eBay claiming to be "vintage". I have absolutely no idea when it was made (and didn't ask as I was just getting it to play with). I already had an OR that I bought new back in the 80's and they are not the same hat really.

For example, the one from the 80's compared to the one I just received is stiffer and the crown is almost an inch shorter.

The "vintage" OR's brim doesn't have as much curl on the edges as the 80's version and the "vintage" brim snaps down readily (and stays there). It's also a softer felt overall.

At one point I attempted to bash the 80's OR into a teardrop. Besides the problems that others have noted about the original creases being visible, the crown was really too short to be bashed into a teardrop. It sat way too high up on top of my head when bashed. Looked silly. So I put it back into the cattleman's crease.

Actually, I like the proportions of the "vintage" OR I just got as is and will leave it in the original cattleman's crease with the brim snapped down. It's in better overall shape than my other one, no moth bites and cleaner. It will go into rotation for wearing and I feel like the "hat gods" smiled on me this time.

My real point is that "vintage" probably means different things to different people, even discounting the usage of the word on ebay. Sometimes you get a good hat and sometimes you don't.

 

[1961MJS]

I would like to get an open road and have it in the Cattleman's crease. Given that what would you suggest? Getting a modern Stetson, Vintage Stetson, Akubra Campdraft, or some other brand? I am a 7 1/2 so vintage ain't cheep for me. Well what are your thoughts?

Jeff

Hi Jeff

If you have access to an actual hatter, you could order from the outlet store. Google Stetson Outlet St. Joseph MO, or Garland TX. I purchased a Mink Temple for $70.00, new they're going for as much as $170.00. That gives you the extra $ to get work done by a local hatter.

Since you live close to several hatters (well close being within 200 miles), you should be able to get some work done.

Later

 

[DanielJones]

If you have a little patience you can find a vintage Open Road reasonably priced, even in a larger size. You just have to be willing to watch and wait on ebay for the right opportunity. The other option is to go for the Akubra. It'll work better than a modern Stetson and most likely last twice as long as it is better built and not as stiff. You'll be able to get the look you want with the vintage OR or the Akubra better than a Modern Stetson OR. Another bonus with the Akubra is the variety of color choices if you shop around and don't mind a short back order wait at times. But, that is just my two cents, for what it is worth.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[Jedwbpm]

I have a Bluegrass Green Campdraft on order from Everything Australian that I should be getting at the end of January. I have a Hatter 5 miles from my house so part of the idea of getting a new Stetson is to give him business so that I can keep having a hatter 5 miles from my house. I think I need to slow down on the buying. I want to see how much I like the Campdraft before I get another one. I really wish David Morgen carried more Akubra and then did not over charge for it so that my hatter would also carry more. He carries some Akubra from DM and can special order if I want something but DM's selection is so limited and high priced.


Jeff