Modern Stetson Open Road

[T Rick]

What size is he out of in black?

7 1/8.
Has a 7 1/4 and a 7. I may go to a local shop and see if they have the 7 1/4 to try on. He feels it'll be way to big for me (I measure at 22 3/8), but the nearly NOS 7 1/8 I just picked up fits perfectly. He did say he could stretch a 7 or shrink a 7 1/4 a bit if I'd like, and reminded me that they do vary slightly. But he also is perfectly willing to order a 7 1/8 for me (says he usually orders about 6 hats at a time from them, and it invariably will take a couple months or so). Really don't want to have him messing around with sizes of something I may not be happy with. I could always do the stretching or shrinking myself, but again, I'd like to try on a modern version before ordering.

 

[frussell]

That's a good price for a new OR. I've been wanting to pick one up, but if it's anything like the quality of the 4X Rancher I bought last month, I don't want one. Thick, coarse, and stiff as cardboard. I take it back, that's an insult to cardboard. I'm going to have to dunk this one in a trough to get it to be wearable. I'm thinking that Open Door might be worth the extra cash, but I don't want to be the guinea pig! Frank

 

[Jedwbpm]

Here are my questions. Cowboy Hats are stiffer then Fedoras. Are Cowboy Hats today stiffer then in the pass (Stetson and other brands)? The Open Road is a Dress Cowboy Hat. In the 40's 50's and 60's was it worn mainly as a Cowboy Hat with Cattleman's crease or like it seems to be the style now as a large crown and brims Fedora? I guess what I am getting around to is if Cowboy Hats are stiffer today then in the past would not the Open Road be stiffer too. I don't know the answers. I came to Fedora's from Cowboy Hats. When I started and still do to an existent looked for quality I wanted thick felt and stiff blocking of the crown and brim. Most of the folk here like soft felt. Just some questions to talk about.

Jeff

 

[hatophile]

Here are my questions. Cowboy Hats are stiffer then Fedoras. Are Cowboy Hats today stiffer then in the pass (Stetson and other brands)? The Open Road is a Dress Cowboy Hat. In the 40's 50's and 60's was it worn mainly as a Cowboy Hat with Cattleman's crease or like it seems to be the style now as a large crown and brims Fedora? I guess what I am getting around to is if Cowboy Hats are stiffer today then in the past would not the Open Road be stiffer too. I don't know the answers. I came to Fedora's from Cowboy Hats. When I started and still do to an existent looked for quality I wanted thick felt and stiff blocking of the crown and brim. Most of the folk here like soft felt. Just some questions to talk about.

Jeff

Jed,

I think most loungers would agree today's cowboy hats are quite stiff, including the modern Open Road. In contrast, many of the vintage OR's are not that stiff at all, in fact are quite soft and pliable. Depends on what you want out of your hat and what you would use it for.

Now, I have worn cowboy hats for outdoor use, but not to the extent that a real cowboy, rancher or farmer would. I think some of those guys that post here would tell you a stiff hat will loosen over time with wear and moisture exposure.

Personally, for a dressier cowboy look, I like the older OR's that are a little less stiff. I also like the fact that the older ones have higher crowns, a lot of them look nice with a center dent and side pinches as opposed to the traditional cattleman crease.

 

[danofarlington]

Here are my questions. Cowboy Hats are stiffer then Fedoras. Are Cowboy Hats today stiffer then in the pass (Stetson and other brands)? The Open Road is a Dress Cowboy Hat. In the 40's 50's and 60's was it worn mainly as a Cowboy Hat with Cattleman's crease or like it seems to be the style now as a large crown and brims Fedora? I guess what I am getting around to is if Cowboy Hats are stiffer today then in the past would not the Open Road be stiffer too. I don't know the answers. I came to Fedora's from Cowboy Hats. When I started and still do to an existent looked for quality I wanted thick felt and stiff blocking of the crown and brim. Most of the folk here like soft felt. Just some questions to talk about.

Jeff

Jay at Greeley Hat Works in Colorado told me that cowboy hat felt is thicker than fedora hat felt. He said I ought to try having them make me a fedora in cowboy hat felt, because I'd like the result. I aim to try it sometime.

 

[frussell]

I like the same things in a western hat that I prefer in a dress hat or fedora. Thin, pliable felt that I can re-shape if I want to. A thick, stiff hat is a guaranteed wreck-causer on a windy day if you're horseback. At the least, you'll spend a lot of time bonking into objects and people with it. Frank

 

[gtdean48]

Here are my questions. Cowboy Hats are stiffer then Fedoras. Are Cowboy Hats today stiffer then in the pass (Stetson and other brands)? The Open Road is a Dress Cowboy Hat. In the 40's 50's and 60's was it worn mainly as a Cowboy Hat with Cattleman's crease or like it seems to be the style now as a large crown and brims Fedora? I guess what I am getting around to is if Cowboy Hats are stiffer today then in the past would not the Open Road be stiffer too. I don't know the answers. I came to Fedora's from Cowboy Hats. When I started and still do to an existent looked for quality I wanted thick felt and stiff blocking of the crown and brim. Most of the folk here like soft felt. Just some questions to talk about.

Jeff

As others have mentioned, the blanks used to make different styles of hats are different to begin with. There are "dress" weight blanks & there are "western" weight blanks for what I gathered going thru Winchester Hat Factory. The cone of felt they start from may be same but the prep after that is not. The shellac content of crown & brim is definitely different.
Stetson used to make Open Roads as "dress" hats but moved totally over to the "western" side of the portfolio where it currently is. I bought a modern OR in the 1980s that is nothing like vintage ORs from early 1950s. That is my story & I'm sticking to it.

 

[T Rick]

Here are my questions. Cowboy Hats are stiffer then Fedoras. Are Cowboy Hats today stiffer then in the pass (Stetson and other brands)? The Open Road is a Dress Cowboy Hat. In the 40's 50's and 60's was it worn mainly as a Cowboy Hat with Cattleman's crease or like it seems to be the style now as a large crown and brims Fedora? I guess what I am getting around to is if Cowboy Hats are stiffer today then in the past would not the Open Road be stiffer too. I don't know the answers. I came to Fedora's from Cowboy Hats. When I started and still do to an existent looked for quality I wanted thick felt and stiff blocking of the crown and brim. Most of the folk here like soft felt. Just some questions to talk about.

Jeff

I was thinking of buying one in black only because I've read it is very difficult to find an older one in black, and this seemed a very good price compared to what I've seen elsewhere for a new one. Also, I'd read a post or two hinting that it's not that difficult to work these new Stetsons with the proper tools (judicious use of steam at a minimum, something to dissolve the shellac if nec.).

I can find various vintages of Silver Belly nearly at will at the moment (this will surely change in the future), and would nearly always choose a clean older hat over a new one. But the new ones from what I've read are not completely without merit. And being (at least somewhat) readily available, at this price it is quite tempting. I'll cool my heels until I've had a go with my new Campdraft due in any day (mail just came, no joy... thought it might get here today!).

 

[rlk]

They made the hat in multiple weights in the past. There is about an ounce more felt in the western weight and often more shellac in the brim.

 

[fmw]

Is this an Open Road?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Stetson-4X-Beav...-/370465769463?pt=US_Hats&hash=item56417b07f7

 

[carouselvic]

no, OR has a bound edge brim

 

[JimWagner]

Is this an Open Road?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Stetson-4X-Beav...-/370465769463?pt=US_Hats&hash=item56417b07f7

No. My guess is that model is called the Range. On closer look it has an extra hat band placed over the original (both are there in the picture) and that makes it slightly more difficult to identify.

http://www.hatcountry.com/Fur+Cowbo...+Cowboy+Hats/Range+-+(4X)+Fur+Cowboy+Hat.html

I have an older Royal Deluxe version of that hat that I like a lot, but it's larger and more western looking than the Open Road. More of a cattleman's hat than a Dallas banker's hat.

 

[fmw]

Thanks, Gents.

 

[gtdean48]

Is this an Open Road?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Stetson-4X-Beav...-/370465769463?pt=US_Hats&hash=item56417b07f7

I'm going with Stetson Rancher. That brim looks wider than 3" which is brim size of a Range. Rancher is 3.5". With that buckle band it could be another model but similar to the Rancher, a base model cattleman western. JMHO

 

[The Good]

Alright, here's another modern Stetson Open Road:

Merry Christmas, everyone!

 

[RBH]

Alright, here's another modern Stetson Open Road:

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Nice, lets see it with the front snapped down.

 

[The Good]

Alright, here's a brim down shot of the hat:

 

[150719541]

Alright, here's a brim down shot of the hat:

In this way looks better on you, nice hat.

 

[fmw]

Snapped down seems to be the way to go.

 

[The Good]

Something I've noticed about my Open Road, is that the actual width of the brim appears to be 3 inches, not 2 3/4. Is this just an anomaly? The tag inside (Which states that the hat is indeed an Open Road) notes that the brim width is 2 3/4 inches. Not that I'm complaining. I like the brim width on this thing, but I'm wondering if it's an unconventional factory mistake or something. Come to think of it, this hat is not far off from being essentially just a lower crowned version of the Stetson Range, which is a good thing in my eyes.