Welcome to the lounge, fellow Kentuckian. There are plenty of knowledgeable folks on the lounge who will be able to help you out. I have enjoyed my Akubra Federation IV, and it fits the bill for what you are looking for. I have read that many do not care for the modern Stratoliner, but I have no first hand knowledge of owning one. I have held them in the store, and I prefer my Fed IV in comparison.
You are worst than me, scarring the man away in less than 20 minutes.
Alden 403 Moc Toe Boot - Brown Chromexcel - $680 The classic "Indy" style Alden Boot in the classic Horween brown Chromexcel. 
Grant Stone Diesel Boot Dark Olive Chromexcel - #395 Goodyear welted, Horween Chromexcel, classic good looks. 
Himel Bros. - The Ross Mk. 1 Leather Jacket Classic D-pocket motorcycle/aviator style jacket.
Yes. In many ways.
Thank god!Yes. In many ways.
I believe that Willebe's advice is spot on and welcome to the Lounge.
I don't.
What is it you don't agree with,Bob,that we both recommend FED IVs or that neither of us is impressed with the modern Strat?
Ha! I'm disagreeing with everybody today. A custom beaver at his stated price point delivered (especially with his fit concerns) compared to a Akubra rabbit at maybe close to $175+ landed (not to mention their fit and sizing issues...) or a Stetson and their inherent quality issues and ridiculous overpricing. Yes, I humbly and with all due respect disagree. He got the bucks and should consider getting a perfect fitting, high quality, well made beaver custom. Though I love my Fed as much as anyone here.
Call Mike Miller at Northwest Hat Co. He will hold your hand and walk you through every step of the process. He is readily avaliable by phone, loves to talk hats, and will gladly answer all yer questions and help you deal with any concerns you may have. It's exactly how I got my first custom beaver.
Yer right. Yes, I love my Stetsons from the outlet. None cost more then $124.00 My other recent production Stetsons were all bought on sale from larger Internet Vendors. All under $140. No way would I pay $250 to $300 for a current/recent production Stetson when I could get a custom beaver made and designed to my own specs or an exact copy of a production hat that I wanted made.In defense of "off the rack" hats...
We're all kind of hat snobs here. My comment about the "rough" finish on Akubras? Most folks won't notice a difference, unless they themselves are a serious hat wearer.
I've got a Premiere Stratoliner from Stetson. Nice hat. Not the Cadillac of hats by any means, but it's also not a Pinto! It's a good looking lid though. I don't wear my Stetsons any less than my more expensive hats, in point of fact, I've been wearing my Stetson Fortune and Glory more frequently than any other lid as of late. And don't let Bob fool you either, he has his fair share of modern Stetsons!
The argument against going for a custom straight out of the gate is that you may find that the style looks different in hand and on your head than the 2d picture did on the internet. A retailer can work out an exchange with you. A hatter can tweak your hat by changing the ribbon and such, but there's additional labor there.
But it's true from a price standpoint, that you can get an overall better value by going to a custom hatter. Northwest Hats has beaver felt hats at $250, the quality of which will surpass a Stetson at the same price point. Art Fawcett will do a rabbit felt for $275, which won't quite have the durability of a beaver felt, but will again surpass the quality of an off-the-rack hat at a similar or lower price point.
A Fed or a Campdraft. You just can't beat akubra, the dollah' is doing well and you can get one to your house in a week or ten days, for about $130 (campdraft, little more on the Fed).
