Stetson Open Road vs Akubra Campdraft

[Frunobulax]

Isn’t the cattleman’s crease the whole point of an open Road? If you want a daimond bash and no tapers why wouldn’t you just get a stratoliner?

No offense intended, and ignorance here freely admitted.

But the point of an open Road, as I understand it, is to get a slightly dressier western look. Texas goes to the White House, so to speak. The daimond bash seems more Madison Avenue or maybe more Australian.

Not really, no. The "City goes Country" aspect of ORs is more the dimensions, I think. The Or has a shorter brim than most westerns, for one thing. Also, the OR, like most vintage hats, was an open crown, hat, so the wearer could shape it as they pleased. There are many historical examples including in Stetson ads, that show an OR with a diamond or teardrop.

Strats generally have shorter brims and are flanged more dramatically, as well.

 

[Michael R.]

OR has a 2 3/4" Brim, Strat has a 2 1/2" Brim, CD has a 2 7/8" Brim. Make the Crown crease what you like.

 

[ETBass]

NH, you didn't say what color you ordered. As best as anyone can tell the softness of Akubra felt seems to vary by dye batch, not necessarily color. So all you can really hope for is that your's came from a softer batch. I have 6 CD's & by far the firmest felt of mine is the Moonstone in Heritage grade.

I have 3 currently creased as a Cattleman. One of the things I really like about the CD vs a modern OR is that with a 6" open crown the CD can be creased with a Cattleman & still end up with 5-1/2" at the front dip, more like an earlier vintage OR.

Mid-Brown CD
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Taupe Fawn CD
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Glen Gray CD (looking for a 13/16" ribbon)
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@Hurricane Jack I have a Silverbelly Campdraft on order. I really like the way you do the cattleman crease on your Campdrafts. In this post you say that the front dip can be 5 1/2 inches. When you say front dip do you mean the center of the edge of the center dent of the crease?

 

[Hurricane Jack]

@Hurricane Jack I have a Silverbelly Campdraft on order. I really like the way you do the cattleman crease on your Campdrafts. In this post you say that the front dip can be 5 1/2 inches. When you say front dip do you mean the center of the edge of the center dent of the crease?

Thanks for the compliment! Yes, I'm talking about the depth of the center crease as measured from the front. A cattleman center crease will use anywhere from 1/2" to 1" depending on how you want the front & back to come out into the crown. Blocking factors in as well but since we are talking CD's & OR's then we know what that is (for the most part). Also the deeper you sink the center crease the more taper you will be pulling into the sides of the crown as seen from the front.

Hope this helps. Congratulations on a new hat coming.

 

[ETBass]

Thanks for the compliment! Yes, I'm talking about the depth of the center crease as measured from the front. A cattleman center crease will use anywhere from 1/2" to 1" depending on how you want the front & back to come out into the crown. Blocking factors in as well but since we are talking CD's & OR's then we know what that is (for the most part). Also the deeper you sink the center crease the more taper you will be pulling into the sides of the crown as seen from the front.

Hope this helps. Congratulations on a new hat coming.

Thanks @Hurricane Jack. I am looking forward to getting this one.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

Thanks @Hurricane Jack. I am looking forward to getting this one.

Just keep in mind when you venture to hats other than CD's, depending on what you want to do with it the original block is everything.

Here is an OR Twenty-five that was blocked with one of the block numbers being discussed in the OR thread now. This block makes the hat have so much taper it's only good for a tear drop. For any kind of center crease the crease needs to be wide & shallow to minimize taper. I usually have large elephant ears to hide the taper even more. It's definitely more of a fedora block.

Sometimes you have to go to more of a brick crease. The mule kick helps with the look, I think. Two Resistol BR-30 Fort Worth's & a Mallory by Stetson Little Dogie.

 

[Frontporchcharlie]

I have yet to see a side by side picture of a Campdraft with a cattleman's crease with a modern Open Road. Here's my two Silverbelly hats, my Campdraft and my 6x OR. My campdraft is about a year old and my OR is around 10 years old.

 

[SydneyNas]

OR was invented in 37

Stetson Lic'd the OR to Akubra in the 40's or 50's and it was made to the exact specs as the original.

Stetson used to make it with a touch of beaver and don't any longer.

Both came in an open crown. When Stetson stopped the Akubra Lic to produce Stetsons in around '71 they continued making it themselves and renamed it the campdraft.

Discussing the base model of both models:

OR is pre creased in cattleman these days. It's got quite a bit of stiffener in it as a working farm or cowboy hat. They don't add any beaver any more and they are much thinner felt than they used to be.
The finish on the felt is much finer. I believe 100% imported rabbit fur which they felt in house in the USA.

Nice leather sweat, bound edge and lined with viscose branded liner. I believe they add a touch of wool these days sadly as stated on their website for the royal deluxe. It's a big drop in quality as a comparison.

CD is produced in Akubra's imperial fur felt weight which is 100% rabbit. When they used to make the hats for Stetson they used to import Beaver and they did a 3X Beaver which was quite a high amount of imported beaver pelt and the x's are very different to what they are today though only very early on. They were produced with Australian rabbit pelt but due to supply are now imported fur which they felt themselves from Ukraine.
Comes open crown. Thicker felt, slight heavier weight these days and softer. They are not as stiff and probably comparable to the royal deluxe OR.
Sheepskin leather sweat, viscose satin liner and western ribbon, bound edge. The lower price is no difference in quality. And Aukra cuts no costs in creating their hats which are made in Aust start to finish just like Stetsons are in the US of A. It was meant as a working exactly the same as the OR.

If you want a real answer they are almost EXACTLY the same dimensions as each other. Slightly larger brim width on the CD, crown Heights, style everything. The CD is a previously lic'd copy and every bit of the hat the OR is in its own right.

What's your preference? I prefer the CD in Australia it's half the price better quality in almost every way and is 100% fur felt. The finish is slightly dressier on the OR regulsr. It's also 100% fur unlike the OR royal deluxe. The OR 6x is still fur 100% but they are much thinner these days.

 

[Frontporchcharlie]

OR was invented in 37

Stetson Lic'd the OR to Akubra in the 40's or 50's and it was made to the exact specs as the original.

Stetson used to make it with a touch of beaver and don't any longer.

Both came in an open crown. When Stetson stopped the Akubra Lic to produce Stetsons in around '71 they continued making it themselves and renamed it the campdraft.

Discussing the base model of both models:

OR is pre creased in cattleman these days. It's got quite a bit of stiffener in it as a working farm or cowboy hat. They don't add any beaver any more and they are much thinner felt than they used to be.
The finish on the felt is much finer. I believe 100% imported rabbit fur which they felt in house in the USA.

Nice leather sweat, bound edge and lined with viscose branded liner. I believe they add a touch of wool these days sadly as stated on their website for the royal deluxe. It's a big drop in quality as a comparison.

CD is produced in Akubra's imperial fur felt weight which is 100% rabbit. When they used to make the hats for Stetson they used to import Beaver and they did a 3X Beaver which was quite a high amount of imported beaver pelt and the x's are very different to what they are today though only very early on. They were produced with Australian rabbit pelt but due to supply are now imported fur which they felt themselves from Ukraine.
Comes open crown. Thicker felt, slight heavier weight these days and softer. They are not as stiff and probably comparable to the royal deluxe OR.
Sheepskin leather sweat, viscose satin liner and western ribbon, bound edge. The lower price is no difference in quality. And Aukra cuts no costs in creating their hats which are made in Aust start to finish just like Stetsons are in the US of A. It was meant as a working exactly the same as the OR.

If you want a real answer they are almost EXACTLY the same dimensions as each other. Slightly larger brim width on the CD, crown Heights, style everything. The CD is a previously lic'd copy and every bit of the hat the OR is in its own right.

What's your preference? I prefer the CD in Australia it's half the price better quality in almost every way and is 100% fur felt. The finish is slightly dressier on the OR regulsr. It's also 100% fur unlike the OR royal deluxe. The OR 6x is still fur 100% but they are much thinner these days.

Thanks for the history lesson, I discovered the Akubra Campdraft last year on the Fedora Lounge and had to get one, ended up getting two. Silverbelly and Bluegrass green. It's amazing how both colors vary depending on the light. I'm a true Akubra convert, but I still own a few Stetsons, and a few other oddball hats. Love my Biltmore. Anyways, it's good to be a part of this talking hats with y'all.

 

[SydneyNas]

Thanks for the history lesson, I discovered the Akubra Campdraft last year on the Fedora Lounge and had to get one, ended up getting two. Silverbelly and Bluegrass green. It's amazing how both colors vary depending on the light. I'm a true Akubra convert, but I still own a few Stetsons, and a few other oddball hats. Love my Biltmore. Anyways, it's good to be a part of this talking hats with y'all.

All great quality hats in every way. If you like the campdraft check out the "squatter" it's slightly stiffer (slightly) comes open crown and more of a two brim which is closer to the OR. Comes in dark grey, fawn brown

 

[jlee562]

Stetson used to make it with a touch of beaver and don't any longer.

Historically the OR has been produced in many felt grades up to and including 100% beaver. The Pure OR is currently in production and is 100% beaver...though I would not recommend at the price they're asking.

Nice leather sweat, bound edge and lined with viscose branded liner. I believe they add a touch of wool these days sadly as stated on their website for the royal deluxe. It's a big drop in quality as a comparison.

What now? The RD is listed as fur felt. Stetson does not disclose their fur felt blends, so if you have something verifiable to show that there is no beaver in either the 6x or RD, and that there is wool now on the RD, I would be interested to see. For whatever it is worth, Stetson Japan originally listed RD as 10% beaver, more recently (2022) as 30% beaver. Thinner isn't necessarily worse if the felt is denser. Modern westerns, indeed most all modern fur felt hats, are thick compared to pre-war hats. All in all I would prefer a thinner felt in a modern hat.

The lower price is no difference in quality. And Aukra cuts no costs in creating their hats which are made in Aust start to finish just like Stetsons are in the US of A. It was meant as a working exactly the same as the OR.

The price difference exists for a reason (other than the Stetson brand name). Stetsons are generally finished smoother, and the RD has a very nice Roan leather sweatband. To illustrate the point, the dead horse I usually beat is the old Fed IV listing.

The Federation IV (standard) Made from Akubra Imperial Quality felt. The finish on the standard Federation is the same as it has been, we have decided to keep the hat as low priced as possible, offering what we believe is one of the best value "open crown" hats available on the market. Akubra have built their reputation on the Imperial Quality felt, by comparing it to the deluxe model, in no way should this be regarded as an inferior product. For those commencing hat wearing and open crown hats we recommend this as the ideal starting point.

The Federation Deluxe IV Made from Akubras Heritage Grade felt. (Click here for Felt Quality page.) The leather sweat band is a higher quality leather, specially processed for these hats. It is softer and less prone to drying out and shrinkage compared to the regular Federation. It makes up a proportion of the price increase over the regular Fed. The Deluxe undergoes further finishing over the normal Heritage range resulting in a much smoother finish than the previous model.

Note the last bit: further finishing for a smoother finish vs "keep the hat as low priced as possible." Higher quality leather that is less prone to shrinkage vs lesser quality that is known to shrink.

To be clear, this is a very nit picky critique for hat people. 99.8% won't notice (and even then only close up), and you won't notice the finish while it's on your head. This is in no way to imply that Akubras are bad hats. I would agree there's better value for your dollar in the Akubra at the end of the day. But there is something to the price difference, it's not nothing.

The pre creased crown Stetson uses is not the best fit for everyone's face, and a nicer quality sweat band isn't necessarily a reason to pick Stetson over Akubra. You're also trading for Hatco's 'lovely' poly thread tacking stitches. But if the crown works for you, I happen to think the sage and natural RD ORs are pretty spiffy and still think about grabbing one to have a hat I don't have to be so precious about, as opposed to my 3x or 100.

 

[AbbaDatDeHat]

Thanks jlee.
My 7X CB OR agrees.
B

 

[SydneyNas]

Historically the OR has been produced in many felt grades up to and including 100% beaver. The Pure OR is currently in production and is 100% beaver...though I would not recommend at the price they're asking.



What now? The RD is listed as fur felt. Stetson does not disclose their fur felt blends, so if you have something verifiable to show that there is no beaver in either the 6x or RD, and that there is wool now on the RD, I would be interested to see. For whatever it is worth, Stetson Japan originally listed RD as 10% beaver, more recently (2022) as 30% beaver. Thinner isn't necessarily worse if the felt is denser. Modern westerns, indeed most all modern fur felt hats, are thick compared to pre-war hats. All in all I would prefer a thinner felt in a modern hat.







The price difference exists for a reason (other than the Stetson brand name). Stetsons are generally finished smoother, and the RD has a very nice Roan leather sweatband. To illustrate the point, the dead horse I usually beat is the old Fed IV listing.



Note the last bit: further finishing for a smoother finish vs "keep the hat as low priced as possible." Higher quality leather that is less prone to shrinkage vs lesser quality that is known to shrink.

To be clear, this is a very nit picky critique for hat people. 99.8% won't notice (and even then only close up), and you won't notice the finish while it's on your head. This is in no way to imply that Akubras are bad hats. I would agree there's better value for your dollar in the Akubra at the end of the day. But there is something to the price difference, it's not nothing.

The pre creased crown Stetson uses is not the best fit for everyone's face, and a nicer quality sweat band isn't necessarily a reason to pick Stetson over Akubra. You're also trading for Hatco's 'lovely' poly thread tacking stitches. But if the crown works for you, I happen to think the sage and natural RD ORs are pretty spiffy and still think about grabbing one to have a hat I don't have to be so precious about, as opposed to my 3x or 100.

It says so on their website. Have a look at the OR royal and read the caption. It clearly says it's a blend and of inferior quality.

I think the difference in price is solely based on some overheads but mainly demand.

 

[SydneyNas]

Handcrafted in the U.S.A., the Open Road Royal Deluxe is known for its lighter weight, softer, more supple feel, and a flexible finish— making it a slightly dressier alternative to the stiffer, more substantial (less substantial ) Open Road 6X. The Royal Deluxe owes its signature suppleness to a proprietary fur-felt blend, which gives the hat a forgiving fit

 

[Frunobulax]

Handcrafted in the U.S.A., the Open Road Royal Deluxe is known for its lighter weight, softer, more supple feel, and a flexible finish— making it a slightly dressier alternative to the stiffer, more substantial (less substantial ) Open Road 6X. The Royal Deluxe owes its signature suppleness to a proprietary fur-felt blend, which gives the hat a forgiving fit

Fut-felt blend doesn't include wool. And it's not inferior.

It's likely a blend of rabbit, possibly hare, and beaver.

 

[SydneyNas]

Fut-felt blend doesn't include wool. And it's not inferior.

It's likely a blend of rabbit, possibly hare, and beaver.

They

Fut-felt blend doesn't include wool. And it's not inferior.

It's likely a blend of rabbit, possibly hare, and beaver.

I asked chatgpt (which isn't perfect) and it said Stetson uses wool in its blends

 

[SydneyNas]

They

I asked chatgpt (which isn't perfect) and it said Stetson uses wool in its blends

 

[Frunobulax]

They

I asked chatgpt (which isn't perfect) and it said Stetson uses wool in its blends

You can't be serious.

 

[Bamaboots]

This is what we've come to.

 

[AbbaDatDeHat]

^^^^ well if ChatGPT said it, it must be true!!
Sirri said so, Alexa agreed and Google said gotta be.