Stetson Hemp Stratoliner

[RBH]

Looks great on you Jack!

 

[Short Balding Guy]

Just in! The fit is good & all I have done so far is snap the brim down. I really like the navy blue color with the pewter ribbon & brim binding. Maybe the flag will help but these pics are pretty accurate of the navy blue. Thanks to One 2 Mini Ranch for their great service! Wise Hatter, you were wanting a head shot. Beyond these pics I can tell you that I ordered my normal size of 7-5/8, the hat sits level just above my ears the way I like it & the crown is just off the top of my head. If you like you hats to sit up higher on your head or wear them cocked then you might want to adjust the size accordingly.
Thanks again to One 2 Mini Ranch!

Excellent sir!

Your pics are motivating, as I just placed an order for a similar hat in a short balding guy size. Blue is ordered. No option for natural in my size at this moment. I hope to have the same experience and be able to post hat pics of a classy hemp warm weather hat.

Besr, Eric-

 

[DJH]

Love the navy blue. Very tempting.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

Thanks guys! I'm really liking the navy blue with pewter ribbon as well. I like RJR's sage so I might have to jump on one of those too. I'm pretty hard on my everyday straws in the summer so I usually just buy western factory seconds. Never had anything other than natural before & never had a dress straw. I'm going to try & take care of this one!

 

[RJR]

Love the navy blue. Very tempting.

+1,I have the sage and the chocolate as well.

 

[Short Balding Guy]

Received the modern Stetson Hemp Strat this morning. Excellent service (web ordered and delivery). Prompt, easy and pocketbook friendly.

On to the modern product:
Hat fit - The formed hat rests on the top of my head. The tip-in on the inside of the hat does not rest on the top of my bald head. Rather the pocky hemp in front of the tip in touches my head. Tip in was glued and lots of dried glue visible. Side crease(right side) was missing upon delivery. A steam over our office coffee machine had it appear. The leather band is certainly of the standard Stetson quality (black w/gold trim band). Leather is pliable, but is not soft. Size and fit is accurate based upon a tape measure.

Block - The brim block is different than the modern Stetson Strat felt that I have handled (purchased and returned). Front of crown and back differ by 1/8" (Lower in back). The hemp has a more curled side flange than my vtg Stetson Strat's or the modern felt that I handled. The upsweep of the side flange starts way in front of the knot of the ribbon. When I snap the brim down the brim by the knot begin to buckle and form a ripple/bump. With my hat steamer I may be able to "train the brim." The formed teardrop is a few degrees(noticeable) off the leather band seam. The teardrop points left by a bit. Picture at bottom shows the crease pointing off to the wearers left.

Ribbon - No need to pontificate, check the pics.

The ribbon is a bit wonky. The attachment of the ribbon is not level. You can see in the pic above that the ribbon on the left follows one row of hemp and then on the right has jumped up a 2 rows. Additionally, The binding does not meet in the approximate middle of the rear of the hat. It is 1/2" to right.

All in all, I imagine the hat would be a strong wearing warm weather hemp hat. If I keep the hat I will need to re-block, re-crease, re-work the ribbon, remove the pin, rid the top of the excess glue and use an exact knife to rid the poky loose hemp fibers. Puzzled this afternoon as to the disposition of the hat. Ask for a return or keep is my quandary?

Disclaimer: The above observations are to just the single hat that arrived. I suspect that others, as shown by their pics, received great hats. The hats, price given, are easily hard wearing hemp hats for warm weather. The color and binding contrast are excellent and I could see the hat easily coordinated with summer warm weather costumes. I did not expect a bespoke hat quality.

I Hope I have contributed to the conversation, Eric -

 

[Frunobulax]

Thank you for the review, Eric.

 

[Short Balding Guy]

Thank you for the review, Eric.

You are welcome sir. It is with trepidation that I posted the review this afternoon. I wish to be clear that while my review is critical, I in no way wish to disparage the hat and other owners. It's intended design and use just may not work for all.

 

[Frunobulax]

You are welcome sir. It is with trepidation that I posted the review this afternoon. I wish to be clear that while my review is critical, I in no way wish to disparage the hat and other owners. It's intended design and use just may not work for all.

A fair statement. It is, after all, only one data point.

 

[Short Balding Guy]

A fair statement. It is, after all, only one data point.

Spoken as a fellow engineer.

 

[moontheloon]

Received the modern Stetson Hemp Strat this morning. Excellent service (web ordered and delivery). Prompt, easy and pocketbook friendly.

On to the modern product:
Hat fit - The formed hat rests on the top of my head. The tip-in on the inside of the hat does not rest on the top of my bald head. Rather the pocky hemp in front of the tip in touches my head. Tip in was glued and lots of dried glue visible. Side crease(right side) was missing upon delivery. A steam over our office coffee machine had it appear. The leather band is certainly of the standard Stetson quality (black w/gold trim band). Leather is pliable, but is not soft. Size and fit is accurate based upon a tape measure.

Block - The brim block is different than the modern Stetson Strat felt that I have handled (purchased and returned). Front of crown and back differ by 1/8" (Lower in back). The hemp has a more curled side flange than my vtg Stetson Strat's or the modern felt that I handled. The upsweep of the side flange starts way in front of the knot of the ribbon. When I snap the brim down the brim by the knot begin to buckle and form a ripple/bump. With my hat steamer I may be able to "train the brim." The formed teardrop is a few degrees(noticeable) off the leather band seam. The teardrop points left by a bit. Picture at bottom shows the crease pointing off to the wearers left.

Ribbon - No need to pontificate, check the pics.

The ribbon is a bit wonky. The attachment of the ribbon is not level. You can see in the pic above that the ribbon on the left follows one row of hemp and then on the right has jumped up a 2 rows. Additionally, The binding does not meet in the approximate middle of the rear of the hat. It is 1/2" to right.

All in all, I imagine the hat would be a strong wearing warm weather hemp hat. If I keep the hat I will need to re-block, re-crease, re-work the ribbon, remove the pin, rid the top of the excess glue and use an exact knife to rid the poky loose hemp fibers. Puzzled this afternoon as to the disposition of the hat. Ask for a return or keep is my quandary?

Disclaimer: The above observations are to just the single hat that arrived. I suspect that others, as shown by their pics, received great hats. The hats, price given, are easily hard wearing hemp hats for warm weather. The color and binding contrast are excellent and I could see the hat easily coordinated with summer warm weather costumes. I did not expect a bespoke hat quality.

I Hope I have contributed to the conversation, Eric -

great review Eric

I've found much of the same with my hemp "strat"
the quality is decent I guess , the craftsmanship is definitely lacking as is attention to detail.... basically this hat screams... assembly line, get this hat out as fast as possible and leave all flaws be.
it also has an odd chemical smell that I assume is some sort of treatment for the hemp... my wifes also has it
I ordered one for my wife as well and hers has it's share of issues as well .
the overall shape of the hat I find quite odd and often has me wondering why they associate it with a Stratoliner.
mine does have a soft brown sweat which is probably the lone bright spot on the product other than the fact that the 7 1/4 does fit well.

I would give these hemp "stratoliner" hats a 4 out of 10 ... and only as high as a 4 because of the sweat and the fit.
I don't see myself wearing this hat much and have often thought of selling it
only problem being I would probably have to take a loss because I cannot imagine someone paying what I overpaid for it

 

[Short Balding Guy]

great review Eric
I've found much of the same with my hemp "strat"
the quality is decent I guess , the craftsmanship is definitely lacking as is attention to detail.... basically this hat screams... assembly line, get this hat out as fast as possible and leave all flaws be.
it also has an odd chemical smell that I assume is some sort of treatment for the hemp... my wifes has it as well.
I ordered one for my wife as well and hers has it's share of issues as well .
the overall shape of the hat I find quite odd and often has me wondering why they associate it with a Stratoliner.
mine does have a soft brown sweat which is probably the lone bright spot on the product other than the fact that the 7 1/4 does fit well.

I would give these hemp "stratoliner" hats a 4 out of 10 ... and only as high as a 4 because of the sweat and the fit.
I don't see myself wearing this hat much and have often thought of selling it
only problem being I would probably have to take a loss because I cannot imagine someone paying what I overpaid for it

Anthony; +1. I believe I will ask to return the hat. The vintage warm weather hats or PB/Fawcett hats I see as a better alternative for myself. I hope your wife's hat is working for her.

 

[moontheloon]

Anthony; +1. I believe I will ask to return the hat. The vintage warm weather hats or PB/Fawcett hats I see as a better alternative for myself. I hope your wife's hat is working for her.

yeah ... my wife doesn't mind ... she just likes to have something to garden in
she pulls it down low and pops out the crown ..

it looks good ... I dig her style

 

[DJH]

I had seriously thought of buying one of these - luckily Mr. Fawcett tempted me back to the light side before I reached for the credit card.

Eric - your observations match my impressions of some Open Road straw hats (both Shantung and Panama) that I got to check out in one of our local western stores.


Cheers!
David!

 

[Bob Roberts]

Thanks for your review Eric.

 

[tropicalbob]

Eric and Anthony, thanks for the honest and knowledgeable reviews of the Strat. If I were someone just getting interested in hats, there isn't a better place to come than this for objective criticism. Off topic a bit, but I put in an order with Art Fawcett for a Gambler-style Milan, and I'm going through some trepidation about it. I don't know why, but I've always had an urge to try something different. I have complete faith in Art, though, and can't wait to see what he comes up with.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

Eric, sorry to hear about your disappointment with the hat & I would agree that you should return it. My initial post was not meant to be a review of the Stetson hemp Stratoliner, but rather meant to put up some pictures for those who had expressed interest in the navy blue color. Sorry if what I said in my post somehow influenced your decision to order one.

In the case of the hat I received I have no problem with the fit or the way it sits on my head; no excess glue around the tip liner (see my previous picture) & no chemical smell (maybe from the glue?) but the ribbon is not totally level in that it rises slightly across the front & where it is tacked down each tack stitch is more than obvious. Because of the blocking the width around the brim does vary some by up to 1/8". None of which will probably be noticeable to anyone but me.

Maybe I got the luck of the draw in my favor but it is pretty much what I would expect in a straw hat from Stetson for $100.00 (& probably outsourced). As stated before I'm hard on straw hats in the summer so for my daily casual wear I usually buy straw cowboy hats that are factory seconds from Stetson's Outlet, buying 2 or 3 at a time for $79.00 ea. I get a couple of yrs use out of each of them before they are dirty, cracked out or otherwise destroyed. I'm expecting nothing more or nothing less from this hemp Stratoliner.

 

[Bob Roberts]

Eric and Anthony, thanks for the honest and knowledgeable reviews of the Strat. If I were someone just getting interested in hats, there isn't a better place to come than this for objective criticism. Off topic a bit, but I put in an order with Art Fawcett for a Gambler-style Milan, and I'm going through some trepidation about it. I don't know why, but I've always had an urge to try something different. I have complete faith in Art, though, and can't wait to see what he comes up with.

Trying something different is good, i do the same... and if it's any consolation I love the gambler style and the similar "plantation" style cuz they both evoke sorta the same vibe. I dont know the actual specific differences between the two styles but in straw I'd wanna make sure it doesn't look like those plantation style straws the golfers have been wearing... just sayin. Just me.

 

[Short Balding Guy]

I had seriously thought of buying one of these - luckily Mr. Fawcett tempted me back to the light side before I reached for the credit card.

Eric - your observations match my impressions of some Open Road straw hats (both Shantung and Panama) that I got to check out in one of our local western stores.

Cheers!
David!

David; Agreed. The modern hats are excellent for many. I suspect that after you get used to a VS quality fedora or some of the special vtg. fedoras it is hard not to be overly critical. I too will have to come back to the fold and get in line for a VS. Lucious looking straw hats on the VS thread.

Eric and Anthony, thanks for the honest and knowledgeable reviews of the Strat. If I were someone just getting interested in hats, there isn't a better place to come than this for objective criticism. Off topic a bit, but I put in an order with Art Fawcett for a Gambler-style Milan, and I'm going through some trepidation about it. I don't know why, but I've always had an urge to try something different. I have complete faith in Art, though, and can't wait to see what he comes up with.

TB; The modern Strat hemp is an excellent hat for most. Your experiences are more similar to mine and we need to look to other options. Glad to hear of your VS choice. Art is the Jedi master of hats.

Eric, sorry to hear about your disappointment with the hat & I would agree that you should return it. My initial post was not meant to be a review of the Stetson hemp Stratoliner, but rather meant to put up some pictures for those who had expressed interest in the navy blue color. Sorry if what I said in my post somehow influenced your decision to order one.

In the case of the hat I received I have no problem with the fit or the way it sits on my head; no excess glue around the tip liner (see my previous picture) & no chemical smell (maybe from the glue?) but the ribbon is not totally level in that it rises slightly across the front & where it is tacked down each tack stitch is more than obvious. Because of the blocking the width around the brim does vary some by up to 1/8". None of which will probably be noticeable to anyone but me.

Maybe I got the luck of the draw in my favor but it is pretty much what I would expect in a straw hat from Stetson for $100.00 (& probably outsourced). As stated before I'm hard on straw hats in the summer so for my daily casual wear I usually buy straw cowboy hats that are factory seconds from Stetson's Outlet, buying 2 or 3 at a time for $79.00 ea. I get a couple of yrs use out of each of them before they are dirty, cracked out or otherwise destroyed. I'm expecting nothing more or nothing less from this hemp Stratoliner.

HJ; Agreed, I like the blues straw/ribbon colors, price, excellent customer service and utility of the hat. I believe that Stetson should be able to sell oodles of the hats.

No apologies needed sir. I ordered with" eyes wide open." I have had modern Stetson products at my house and have an excellent idea of what to be expected. I do not disparage the hemp hat at all. For me, I need to source options in other directions. Crazy but recently in my size I have seen a few vtg. panama and milans that sell for less than this new Stetson. I am certain that the modern Stetson is more durable, but I desire the features of the vtg. straws/milans. I wish for all, the options of choice.

Boy do I understand about wearing a hat. All of my hats get worn. Yes they will at some time wear out. I do not treat them carelessly, but they do not get a museum treatment (aka - glass showcase).

The vendor has a product that is very much a fair buy for the money. Service and delivery is excellent. Purchasers who read this thread will better appreciate the product they buy.

Good night folks, Eric -

 

[tropicalbob]

Trying something different is good, i do the same... and if it's any consolation I love the gambler style and the similar "plantation" style cuz they both evoke sorta the same vibe. I dont know the actual specific differences between the two styles but in straw I'd wanna make sure it doesn't look like those plantation style straws the golfers have been wearing... just sayin. Just me.

The point about the golfers is very well-taken, and I'll bring it up the master when next we speak. As far as plantation evocations go, I was a little concerned about that when I first started wearing large straws as I live about five blocks from the largest Haitian community here, but I've actually had quite a few compliments from Haitian gentlemen. It's a look you really do find all over the Caribbean.