I live in Texas, just north of Dallas. Actually, I go to the Hatco outlet quite often and get some great Stetsons there. But, the OR is usually not in stock at the outlet. So, I'm going to a local shop in McKinney. I don't know if it is sold everywhere in the US, but they aren't hard to find in Texas, that's for sure. Hat shops aren't everywhere in Texas, but there are some good ones around. Finding one that has a good stock of fedora style hats is a bit of a challenge. I've really started looking more at custom makers, and have a a handful of orders pending right now.
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Considering a Stetson Open Road, what pairs well with it?
- Thread starter J. Everett Brooks
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That identity is drifting away as more and more people move here. I'm in one of, if the fastest growing counties in the entire country. People moving here from California, Washington, Illinois, Pennsylvania, etc., do not assimilate to the Texas mindset and our identity is fading. Politics aside, natural Texans have always had a stigma about them, and we're proud, very proud of it. These folks moving here think they can buy a "cowboy hat" at a convenience store, a pair of boots and think they are Texan. It doesn't work that way. Then, you mix in the politics and Texas is becoming more and more like every other state. There's more to a Texan than a cheap cowboy hat. It is an attitude that you are born and raised with, and can't just simply be adopted. Texans announce, "I'm from Texas," with a higher level of pride than folks from any other state. I know Mt. Pleasant well. There are some good folks out there. They still have their Texas swagger out that way. The metro areas are losing it. We are a very business friendly state, and many companies are moving here because of that. The problem is they bring their employees with them, and that doesn't always bode well for the reason the company moved here in the first place.
I can't see wearing a felt hat in Texas during the summer. Traditionally, felts go away at Easter and don't come back out again until Labor Day. Actually, it is still to hot in September, and I don't bring mine out until October. I'll wear a silverbelly felt every now and then in the summer, but it has to be a light felt.
Check out the Johnson County made-to-order hat from Greeley Hat Works. It is an OR style hat, and almost identical. I had my hands on one a couple of weeks ago when I was at their shop getting another hat. It is a great felt hat, but a little more than a Stetson. I'd have bought one in a hot second if I wasn't already getting another hat.
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It also worked in the other direction. During the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl millions moved into California: a lot from Texas (my best friend’s family) and Oklahoma (my family). Migration always stirs things up and changes the personality of an area. The influx of Texans and Oklahomans into California surely permanently changed the character of California as they didn’t completely assimilate but held on to their old ways. Not everyone was/is happy about that. It was the same with the Irish coming to the US or the influx of Spanish speaking people to our south, and the tale goes on. Everything is, and always has been, in flux. In a couple generations what will it mean to be a true native born Texan? It certainly meant something very different 300 years ago than it did 100 years ago and it will mean something very different in another 100 years. Change is almost always hard and isn’t wanted at the time. “We” were afraid of the Irish bringing Catholicism into our communities. We were afraid of different races with their different views and politics. We were afraid of religious minorities voting as a block and drowning out the votes of the native born citizens. I don’t always like it myself, but there’s no stopping change. We often romanticize some perceived golden era, but the truth is the the world isn’t static and that has brought us a lot more good than bad in my opinion. Like many here, I enjoy looking back into our history for hats and other reasons, but I’m also trying to be positive and optimistic as I look forward to a future that will be very different from the past.
Time to put away my soapbox.
AbbaDatDeHat
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Might as well go all in....grew up in Appalachia....
Do they have raccoons in Israel?
They make a fine hat.
B from WV
M Hatman
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M Hatman
I'll Lock Up
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Get them before they are outlawed in your area.....(they are now unlawful to make,own, sell, in California....
).PS: I have actually seen skunk ones and they actually look pretty cool.......they have nice fur.
M Hatman
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They talk about it here:https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/would-californias-ab44-ban-fur-felt-hats.98221/
In essance anything made of fur that is still attached to an animal skin is outlawed.......They have not figured out/banned the scraped hat fur thing....YET!
In essance anything made of fur that is still attached to an animal skin is outlawed.......They have not figured out/banned the scraped hat fur thing....YET!
Well, I went to the store thus afternoon. Couldn't wait! I didn't get any pics, but tried in several OR hats. Im a 7 ⅝ long oval. The OR did not sit down far enough on my head for my liking. It felt like the crease was balanced on the top of my noggin. It did feel right on the forehead and back. I also tried on a ¾ to see if it would be lower, but to no avail. I like my hats lower, almost touching my ears. The hats were really nice. I looked at a distressed Royal Deluxe and really liked it. I did orefere the RD over the 6X if I was to get one, but I couldn't get past the shallow fit.
I'm going to look into a Greeley Johnson County. They've got my head profile on hand and can make ine to fit me nicely. It'll cost a little more, but I prefer that for my big 'ol mellon head.
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The lack of crown height on modern ORs is the biggest gripe on this forum. Well, that and the stiff, precreased crowns.
You may want to go custom (if you can't be talked into a Camp Draft).
M Hatman
I'll Lock Up
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AMEN!!!
M Hatman
I'll Lock Up
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To me it is almost as if Stetson just gave up on the OR as the quintessential crossover Western/Fedora and have gone just western with the removal of the wind cord, lowering and pre-creasing the crown, and most especially creasing it in the "Rancher/Cattleman" crease like ALL THE OTHER modern western hats......
Even westerns (especially westerns) used to be unique in their creases....you could tell where people came from and sometimes even which ranch by the crown.
The whole reason the so called "Rancher/Cattleman" crease was even introduced was to signify the ranch owner/manager who was the white collar cowboy if you will. It was derived from the same crease often used in a fedora/homburg of the time by Presidents, Bankers and Business professionals. Showing the OR with one made a lot of sense when convincing owners/managers they needed a new hat for THEM that was not so western looking at the time and showed their status (It was marketed and shown as a snap brim fedora that stood out from the rest as uniquely AMERICAN and WESTERN.)
Now I guess no one wants to be blue collar....and if they are, they want to be seen as a boss. Hence every modern western sports the same crease......at least that is what the hat companies seem to think. (Though really by jumping on the bandwagon they save $$$$$$ by using less felt on the lower crown and time with the machine creasing.)
But then they do seem to pre-crease everything now with little to no variation......
And I suppose not many of the western shops even know how to crease a hat anymore anyway.....(I sure miss that).
End of my rant.......off the soap box!
Even westerns (especially westerns) used to be unique in their creases....you could tell where people came from and sometimes even which ranch by the crown.
The whole reason the so called "Rancher/Cattleman" crease was even introduced was to signify the ranch owner/manager who was the white collar cowboy if you will. It was derived from the same crease often used in a fedora/homburg of the time by Presidents, Bankers and Business professionals. Showing the OR with one made a lot of sense when convincing owners/managers they needed a new hat for THEM that was not so western looking at the time and showed their status (It was marketed and shown as a snap brim fedora that stood out from the rest as uniquely AMERICAN and WESTERN.)
Now I guess no one wants to be blue collar....and if they are, they want to be seen as a boss. Hence every modern western sports the same crease......at least that is what the hat companies seem to think. (Though really by jumping on the bandwagon they save $$$$$$ by using less felt on the lower crown and time with the machine creasing.)
But then they do seem to pre-crease everything now with little to no variation......
And I suppose not many of the western shops even know how to crease a hat anymore anyway.....(I sure miss that).
End of my rant.......off the soap box!
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LOTS of discussion on the relatively low crown on the modern OR. I don’t like wearing my hats down close to my ears and it’s still too low for me. The crease just won’t allow the hat to go down low enough, and the crown is not easily reshaped. It’s not just a matter of how it’s creased, the crown is just too low even with the crease changed. Personally, I also find the Campdraft’s crown to be a bit low, but that has to do with esthetics and not the crease hitting the top of my head.
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For the $496 cost of the Johnson County do you get a beaver felt?
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If I interpret their website correctly, pure beaver adds $1,000 to the price. To each their own, but that’s too much for me.
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- 10,858
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Wow, a beaver felt is about $125 more than rabbit. One helluva leap upward.
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I’ve never understood that part of the custom hat market. If the only difference between beaver and the lesser fur felt hat is the cost of the felt why is the retail price so much more? I suspect they use the same sweatbands and the liners cost the same even if they are slightly different. There might be a difference in ribbon/hatbands, but it’s can’t be much. I’m assuming the labor of making the hat is roughly the same.
I'm not sure actually. I doubt it is pure beaver, and probably a blend at best. I won't be getting the Johnson County as a bad weather hat, so I'm ok with a lesser grade felt. It will still be a quality hat made for my head specifically and that's why I'd consider it. Being from Tarrant County, I'd really like a Shady Oak from Peter's Brothers, but I'm not hearing good things about their customer service. I know that won't be an issue with Greeley. My experience with them has been top notch.
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I suspect that we are but a small niche in the broader hat world.
Stetson's job is to sell lots of hats and make money doing it. It seems to me they have deemed higher crowns a niche market and not worth the bother.
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The Pure, Royal DeLuxe, and the 6X all seem to have the same crown height. The softer Royal DeLuxe and the Pure might not be as uncomfortable, but the crease would still touch your head.
I don’t know why any maker does what they do. We here tend to prefer hats that the modern factories don’t want to make as the modern hat buyer doesn’t want what we do. We often like taller crowns, minimal taper, wider brims, softer thinner felt, and open crowns. When Stetson recently offered some hats with some of the features we wanted they didn’t sell well and were subsequently discontinued. We here do not represent the majority of modern hat buyers.
I think you’re destined to make a leap of faith and take the risk of buying long distance. You may well find the Stetson specifications just to your liking. I think you’ve received a wide range of responses and have all the information you’re likely to have unless you get to handle one/them and try it/them on.
glider
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I believe that when
