Suggestion on Stetson Nostalgia lookalike?

[Bassman]

I recently bought (and even more recently am about to return) a Stetson Nostalgia that could not withstand a minor rainfall. But I love the look of this hat (when it held its shape)- 2 1/2" brim, 5" crown (aprox.), gray felt with wide black ribbon. A cool '30s/'40s look.
Does anyone have any suggestions for a mid price, fur felt fedora (that can withstand a little rain) that has these features? One I can get my hands on soon, rather than scouring EBAY!.
I'm considering a Federation IV in Moonstone when the refund arrives, but I'd like a slightly narrower brim.
I could always get another Nostalgia and make sure to keep it out of the rain.:eusa_doh:

 

[carter]

Scout's Rain & Stain

Bossman, This isn't the specific answer to your question but you might consider Scout's Rain and Stain should you decide to get another Nostalgia. It also comes in a boxed hat-care package.

http://www.sheplers.com/hats/hat_accessories_care/101499.html?categorypage=items-rank-all

 

[Stoney]

The Federation

is probably your best bet if you are not looking for vintage and also not having one custom made. There are very few quality production hats made today that have a straight sided block. The Stetson Nostalgia fills this bill nicely.

You can come close to duplicating the look by trimming the brim down on a Federation and adding a wider ribbon. There are plenty of posts here about brim trimming if you need help. Also check this one out for do it yourself tips in ribbon replacement. http://dalexs.whitvani.net/hat/hatpage.html

These simple modifications are easy to do and can result on a great looking hat. (Not to say that the Federation, as is, does not look good as well.)

 

[carldelo]

What happened?

Can I ask what happened to your Nostalgia in the rain? It is next on my "to-buy" list, so if it's sub-par, I'd like to hear about it. I plan to buy the bound-brim version from Bencraft, if it ever arrives (aside - if anyone has a line to Besdor, can you ask him about the Nostalgia? - I've PMed him twice about it, with no response).

I have a Stetson Chatham, which is Sovereign quality like the Nostalgia. I haven't had any rain problems with it. A Caribou gray Chatham might work for you, although the crown is lower (and preformed into a teardrop), the ribbon is one inch wide, the brim is 2-3/8". All in all, more of a fifties look, I guess.

Cheers, Carl

 

[ScionPI2005]

Can I ask what happened to your Nostalgia in the rain?

I am also curious to know. While I wasn't planning on buying a Nostalgia anytime soon, I was under the impression from other Loungers that as a modern production hat, the Nostalgia was a good, quality buy.

 

[Rick Blaine]

I am currently a big fan of Christy's Adventurer from Hornet Hats in London. Tall straight crown & a 2 1/2" x 2 7/8" brim. I CANNOT however attest to their rain performance & plan to Scotchguard or Campdry them prior to getting them drenched.
$75 USD (today) for the hat + $30 shipping. I ordered two at the same time & they came out to $90 each, delivered. All my cameras are at work just now or I would post pix.

 

[Bassman]

Thank you for the responses so far.
Stoney...earlier today I happened to look at the link that you posted and I'm aware of the brim trimming suggestions posted here. I'd hate to mess with a brand new hat, same as I'm a little nervous when putting that first crease into a new open crown hat, but those seem like relativley easy procedures to undertake to get the style I'm looking for.
carldelo/ScionPI2005...I PM'd Besdor about this too but hadn't heard back from him.
I got caught in a light shower. The hat wasn't even near being soaked through, and (dried on a wall peg away from heat and with the brim snapped up) the brim dried very crookedly and a couple of odd creases appeared on the brim and in a front side dent.
The hat is just misshapen now. No symetry or smooth lines in the brim any longer. It has a shabby kind of charm now but, for a fur felt hat worn less than a week and not abused, it's condition is unacceptable (to me).

 

[ScionPI2005]

I got caught in a light shower. The hat wasn't even near being soaked through, and (dried on a wall peg away from heat and with the brim snapped up) the brim dried very crookedly and a couple of odd creases appeared on the brim and in a front side dent.
The hat is just misshapen now. No symetry or smooth lines in the brim any longer. It has a shabby kind of charm now but, for a fur felt hat worn less than a week and not abused, it's condition is unacceptable (to me).

I agree about that being unacceptable...that's a bummer. Maybe some of the other Loungers with Nostalgias can step in and offer their experiences with the hats in rain up to this point...is it possible yours is just a lemon? [huh]

Hope you can get it straightened out (literally, or refund wise...).

 

[JohnnyB53]

Man, for me this is a no-brainer. Get a Federation IV or Federation IV Deluxe in Moonstone or Carbon Grey from hatsdirect.com. I live in Seattle (where it rains from time to time), and after lurking here at the "Lounge" and surfing the major hat websites I decided to get a tawny fawn Fed IV and a cruiser grey CEO from HatsDirect for my birthday. They just arrived Nov. 12. I got them specifically to wear in the rain. The tawny fawn Fed IV looks magnificent, and the day after I got it, it rained all evening and I used the opportunity to run errands. I had the best time walking around in the rain while my head, glasses, ears, and neck stayed dry. It was like wearing a portable controlled environment.

When I got home I simply placed the hat on a candle stand my wife bought me to serve as a hat stand, and it's been fine. I've also worn the CEO in the rain with no ill effects.

 

[ScionPI2005]

Sounds like a good testimonial to me. Aren't Akubras in general supposed to be pretty durable for wearing in the rain?

Man, for me this is a no-brainer. Get a Federation IV or Federation IV Deluxe in Moonstone or Carbon Grey from hatsdirect.com. I live in Seattle (where it rains from time to time), and after lurking here at the "Lounge" and surfing the major hat websites I decided to get a tawny fawn Fed IV and a cruiser grey CEO from HatsDirect for my birthday. They just arrived Nov. 12. I got them specifically to wear in the rain. The tawny fawn Fed IV looks magnificent, and the day after I got it, it rained all evening and I used the opportunity to run errands. I had the best time walking around in the rain while my head, glasses, ears, and neck stayed dry. It was like wearing a portable controlled environment.

When I got home I simply placed the hat on a candle stand my wife bought me to serve as a hat stand, and it's been fine. I've also worn the CEO in the rain with no ill effects.

 

[Bassman]

Sounds like a good testimonial to me. Aren't Akubras in general supposed to be pretty durable for wearing in the rain?

Yeah. I have a Fed III (regular) that's been in the snow and the rain and looks no worse for wear.[huh]

 

[JohnnyB53]

Yeah. I have a Fed III (regular) that's been in the snow and the rain and looks no worse for wear.[huh]

Which begs the question, why didn't you get a Fed IV in carbon grey or moonstone instead of the Nostalgia?

 

[Bassman]

Which begs the question, why didn't you get a Fed IV in carbon grey or moonstone instead of the Nostalgia?

Well...I really like the look of the Nostalgia and I thought the pricier hat and venerable brand name would have been a better quality hat than it turned out to be.
And I thought I'd go for a little variety.

 

[JohnnyB53]

Well...I really like the look of the Nostalgia and I thought the pricier hat and venerable brand name would have been a better quality hat than it turned out to be.
And I thought I'd go for a little variety.

Yeah, I can relate. I guess the experience shows what an excellent value Akubra hats are--lower cost and better durability.

Here are a couple other suggestions for getting something better and different:

1) Get the Fed IV Deluxe in Moonstone. It is the only open crown Heritage Akubra model available anywhere--the only soft-felt Heritage. I was just at David Morgan's showroom today, and all the standard Heritage series hats are pre-shaped and have rather stiff felt. The Heritage felt feels miles deep, and the Heritage or Deluxe hatband is almost worth the price difference by itself.

2) Consider a David Morgan Akubra Squatter. This open crown hat has great potential as a pre-War vintage style fedora. The crown is a substantial but manageable 5-1/4" and the brim is a bound 3". The hat's proportions are very harmonious and the bound brim adds a touch of vintage class. It comes with matching 1-1/4" grosgrain ribbon hatband. The fawn color is beautiful, but it is also available in black or moonstone. The moonstone would be closest to Stetson's Caribou color.

For a look at the DM Squatter as a vintage style fedora, go to this thread and scroll down to Kiltie's post where he has links to a couple of pics of his Squatter in fawn.

 

[Bassman]

Wow. A bound edge. Very nice. Thanks JohnnyB53. I'm thinking that the Squatter's brim is a bit wide and being bound, not trimmable. But a sharp looking lid just the same. The ribbon's a little narrow for my taste, but that might be manageable. And Moonstone/Caribou too. It's definately in the running.[huh]

 

[JohnnyB53]

Wow. A bound edge. Very nice. Thanks JohnnyB53. I'm thinking that the Squatter's brim is a bit wide and being bound, not trimmable. But a sharp looking lid just the same. The ribbon's a little narrow for my taste, but that might be manageable. And Moonstone/Caribou too. It's definately in the running.[huh]

Somebody on the FL took a DM Squatter and trimmed down the brim, cutting just inside the brim binding and using it as a guide. I don't have the link to his post & pic offhand, but he did a great Indy bash on it and it looked really good. The crown shape of the DM Squatter is very full, a little bulbous in open crown form, and can easily be bashed into some very flattering crowns.

If the darker carbon grey could work for you, you might want to consider the Akubra Fedora or the DM version, the Sydney, which has a slightly tapered 5.5" crown and a 2.5" snap brim. Very nice looking and easy to get a flattering look. Also extremely soft and comfortable. You'd probably want to re-ribbon it as it's only 1" wide. At least the Squatter ribbon is 1.25 and works OK on its own.

 

[Sir Tom]

I can understand your frustration with such an expensive hat. I have had problems with the brims of my hats, one from 6 decades of who knows what, the others from occasional neglect "cheap hats". My 1939-40 Stetsonian was flattened and it took a while for me to get it back to "just right". My beaters eventually returned to presentable condition with some T.L.C..
If it were mine I would try this. Wet the brim. Shape the brim while it dries. After shaping I would place it on a flat surface to dry overnight with the front of the brim snapped down hanging over the edge the rear snapped up. It wouldn't hurt to have a towel under it on the flat surface. See how it does overnight. The only thig you'll be out is a few minutes of fooling with your hat. No luck then send it back.
You may have gotten a hat that was damaged somehow either as a blank or in shipping that was reshaped. That might explain the creases from no where when the hat got wet. If you really like the hat I would consider exchanging it on another Nostalgia.