Difference between the Stetson Stratoliner and The Open Road

[Landman]

I have an Open Road that has "Royal Stetson" on the sweatband and "Royal De Luxe Stetson" on the liner. I think they are the same thing.

Edit: I take that back. They aren't the same thing. I think I just have an anomaly.

 

[gtdean48]

Well that does it then. Even though my ORish Royal Stetson doesn't have Open Road stamped on the sweat, I'm going to call it an Open Road anyway. It's definitely of OR proportions. I'm guessing mine to be from the early '60s.

More modern OR's had only a tag attached to the sweat that specified "Open Road" & since they were paper, many disappeared.
Some vintage OR's may have had sweatbands replaced with non-tagged versions but if you look at older catalogs, you'll see models with same bound edge & ribbon treatment as an OR...slightly confusing....I always say OR style & have or do own OR's in Royal Stetson, Royal DeLuxe Stetson, 3X, 4X, Twenty, & Twenty-five. My 7XCB is not marked as OR but it is a refurb sweat. My 100 isn't marked either, nor any of the other 4 100's that have passed thru my hands....

 

[fedoracentric]

I have seen a few 7X Clear Beaver versions with "Open Road" imprinted on the sweatband. Most 7Xers seem to omit the OR imprint, though. I have never, ever seen a 100 with an OR marking. It is also hit or miss if a post 1960s era 3X, 4X or 5X are marked as OR or not. Some are and some aren't even though they don't seem at all different one from the other.

 

[milandro]

I have a stratoliner but it doesn't say Royal Stetson , I don't think the hat is very old at most '90, I think, but I have no way to date other than they liner is white