Modern Open Road Stetson Question

[DavidVillaJr]

Hello everyone,

I've searched and searched, using various terms, and cannot find the information I seek - maybe I'm missing it....

On the current modern production Stetson Open Road hat, is the felt easily reshaped and pliable, or is it hard and stiff.

I am really taken by the appearance of the modern hat, and the availablilty is excellent. I won't be bidding against any fellow enthusiasts on eBay or what have you.

I'm not overly fond of the cattleman's crease and would prefer a c-crown or something with a pinch.

Can the modern production Open Road Stetson be easily reshaped by me at home? Is the felt too stiff like the Dorfman fur felts?

I have re-creased my Akubras, and a couple of Knox fedoras previously using steam, so no big issues there.

Current owners of the hats in question, I would love your input on this.

Thanks,

dv

 

[Lefty]

I haven't owned a modern OR, but GWD did. Here's what he had to say about it, in response to someone's question about moving from a cattleman's crease to more of a fedora look.

(Between this and the stretching/Lexol thread, it seems to be bad-memories-week for GWD.)

Yes, you are correct. Nowadays the Open Road comes "Standard" with the cattleman's crease. But a lot of gentlemen here find the Open Road looks nice with a teardrop or diamond bash.

It is much easier to re-bash the older hats, as the felt is much softer and pliable. I have a brand new Open Road which is almost brittle to the touch and very thin.
[dead photo links deleted]
It took great effort to turn this hat into a fedora.

 

[gtdean48]

I own 2 modern Stetson OR, one from 1999 & the other older than that. I have recreased them both from the standard cattleman crease that they were pressed into from the factory. These things were not hand creased into cattleman creases but done by some kind of pressing machine. The older one, I took almost immediately from purchase to a teardrop style crease with a front pinch. It was VERY difficult using LOTS of steam to soften the felt pliable enough to reshape. Even when in the shape I wanted, you could see markings from the prior crease. I never was satisfied with it & it became a chore hat. The latest one, I got off ebay thinking it was more vintage than it is. It was softer from use but still no easy reshape. These crowns are much lower & more tapered than the vintage ORs I own & have owned. My unprofessional opinion is creasing one to other than a cattleman crease should only be done if you start with an open crown. If you like a cattleman crease then get a modern OR but don't expect to start with one of those & get some place else. HTH...

 

[RBH]

The short answer is ... no.

The best thing is a vintage Open Road... the next is a custom ... the easiest for the money is an Akubra Campdraft.
hope this helps.

 

[DavidVillaJr]

Thanks for the input fellas.

I don't think the cattleman's crease will fit my features very well, but I am in love with the thin ribbon, bound edge, ultra light color felt.

I was hoping to buy a NEW hat to support a current business, and don't want to send ALL my money to Australia. I've currently got a couple Federations in the stable.

Ah well, the search begins again....


dv

 

[dhermann1]

I have a vintage OR, and it's nice and soft, so I switch it back and forth from one bash to the other, depending in what I'm doing and where I'm going. It doesn't seem to mind. What I'm getting at (rather indirectly) is that it can be your frame of mind that determines which bash works best, as much as your features. If you put yourself into the frame of mind that the cattleman's bash is right for the day's activities, then it will be. This is part of the magic of hats that I've been learning. Think of yourself as Harry Truman. You'll like yourself that way!

 

[JohnnyB53]

I don't think the cattleman's crease will fit my features very well, but I am in love with the thin ribbon, bound edge, ultra light color felt.

I was hoping to buy a NEW hat to support a current business, and don't want to send ALL my money to Australia. I've currently got a couple Federations in the stable.

Buying new, the easy answer to an Open Road without Cattleman's Crease is the Akubra Campdraft. Other than a custom, however, there are a couple of reasonably-priced high-quality alternatives, the Douglas and the Floyd from Miller Hats:

The Douglas (left) comes with matching thin grosgrain ribbon and the hat is available in Fawn (Shown), Silver Belly, Black, Gray, or Brown. The Floyd (right) can be ordered with a matching or contrasting leather hat band and is available in the same colors (grey shown). As with the traditional Open Road and the Akubra Campdraft, both these Miller models come with 2-3/4" bound brims. They are probably sourced from Biltmore Hats, or possibly from VM. They also cost less than a Stetson OR.

For about $30 more than the Stetson, another alternative is this hat by Beaver Brands from The Fedora Store:

You can specify up to a 2-3/4" brim width (the standard OR/Campdraft width), as well as the width of the ribbon and whether you want matching or contrasting ribbon. Available in many colors including silverbelly and sand.

Another route would be to order this hat, specifying a 2-3/4" brim, a matching narrow ribbon, and an open crown or C-crown, depending on your preference.

 

[toobacat]

I think you will like a Campdraft much more than a modern Open Road. I have an Open Road probably from the mid 90s and I never wear it. It was pretty easy to reshape, but it does have much more taper than a vintage and the felt is much thicker than my vintage Open Roads. I only wear mine if it is raining really hard. I have a Campdraft that I wear often. I like it so much that I have 3 more on order, but unlike most folks here, I'm a bit obsessive.

 

[gtdean48]

I'll be pulling the trigger on a gray Douglas that JohnnyB shows above if Akubra won't make a run of gray Campdrafts for HatsDirect. I have 2 Campdrafts on order as well, one silver belly & one mid-brown. Love those Thin Ribbons!!!
BTW, customer service at Miller's said their hats are either Biltmore as JohnnyB said or Beaver Brand. That Douglas looks so close to another Beaver Brand OR clone that is what I'd bet on...

 

[barrowjh]

Here is another option, the Beaver Brand 'River Runner' as sold by Helmer (Portland).

http://www.johnhelmer.com/prod.itml/icOid/35

offered in silver belly, black, or light olive.

 

[RBH]

Here is another option, the Beaver Brand 'River Runner' as sold by Helmer (Portland).

http://www.johnhelmer.com/prod.itml/icOid/35

offered in silver belly, black, or light olive.

That looks good John, I wonder what the crown height is?

 

[JohnnyB53]

Here is another option, the Beaver Brand 'River Runner' as sold by Helmer (Portland).

http://www.johnhelmer.com/prod.itml/icOid/35

offered in silver belly, black, or light olive.

Wow, good one!

 

[JohnnyB53]

That looks good John, I wonder what the crown height is?

Oh, offhand I'd guess about 4-11/16".

 

[carldelo]

I'll be pulling the trigger on a gray Douglas that JohnnyB shows above if Akubra won't make a run of gray Campdrafts for HatsDirect. I have 2 Campdrafts on order as well, one silver belly & one mid-brown. Love those Thin Ribbons!!!
BTW, customer service at Miller's said their hats are either Biltmore as JohnnyB said or Beaver Brand. That Douglas looks so close to another Beaver Brand OR clone that is what I'd bet on...

GTD - if you get the Douglas, I hope you'll post your impressions - I'm interested but am not there yet....

On another thread, HATCO hinted &/or entertained the idea that it might be possible to get ahold of the current model at some point in the production pre-stiffener and open crown. This sounds good to me --- any opinions from modern OR owners?

 

[KY Gentleman]

I've been a fan of my modern Open Road for a long time, I wore it everywhere sporting the pre-formed cattlemans crease. But I have to say since buying a Campdraft I wear it now a lot more.
If Stetson sold the modern OR in an open crown sans stiffener I would probably jump back on the bandwagon.
Does anyone here have a Stetson Gun Club "Dune"? That resembles a teardrop crowned, thin ribbon OR of sorts, don't y'all think?

 

[gtdean48]

GTD - if you get the Douglas, I hope you'll post your impressions - I'm interested but am not there yet....

Oh most definitely but I'm really hoping for the gray Campdraft order. I think Douglas ought to get a Douglas & give us the Douglas pose!...

If Stetson sold the modern OR in an open crown sans stiffener I would probably jump back on the bandwagon.
Does anyone here have a Stetson Gun Club "Dune"? That resembles a teardrop crowned, thin ribbon OR of sorts, don't y'all think?

I'm with you on the modern open crown OR even tho it is a much lower crown than vintage & limits creasing options.
I have looked a Dunes for a while but the brim is much wider & price kept me away...

 

[Doctor Strange]

I think the Dune is more Stetson's try at making an Akubra country hat than a non-cattleman crease OR, though it has a dimensional brim, which is atypical of both styles.

I came pretty close to getting a Dune a couple of years ago... but instead ended up getting a pair of Akubras for the same money: a Stockman, lined for winter use, and a Cattleman, ventilated (and lighter-colored/wider-brimmed) for summer use!

And I've long been intrigued by the Miller/Biltmore Douglas, but I think when I finally take the plunge on a new thin-ribbon OR-type hat, it has to be in something that I can reshape easily, like a Campdraft or Allesandria.

 

[gtdean48]

... but instead ended up getting a pair of Akubras for the same money: a Stockman, lined for winter use, and a Cattleman, ventilated (and lighter-colored/wider-brimmed) for summer use!
...but I think when I finally take the plunge on a new thin-ribbon OR-type hat, it has to be in something that I can reshape easily, like a Campdraft or Allesandria.

I hear you. I've got 3 Akubras with 2 Campdrafts on order. For the price, it is hard to beat what you get for your money, especially for a good using hat like I use horseback riding, hunting, hiking, etc. Now my Alessandria is another league of hat, great felt for dressier wear, wish I had it with a larger brim tho...

 

[warbird]

I have a Stetson Gun Club Dune. It's a really nice hat. In fact it has become my favorite winter hunting hat. However it has a lower and more tapered crown than the OR styled hats and the brim is a bit wider as well. It does have nice fairly soft felt.

 

[gtdean48]

What color, Warbird? Got photos?...