Agreed. However, I have a Stetson “The Sovereign” OR that I like with just the front of the brim down. It is a softer felt and the brim has more give. With my Resistol San Antonio, it’s brim up all the way; I couldn’t turn it down if I wanted to.
Dont know if you have seen this Jared.... but if this is what they are marketing as an Open Road, they missed the mark.
I'm not sure if it's just a problem on new Stetsons, but both my 6x OR and 6x Gus have lost all the Xs, and the Gus has lost all but the logo on the side (and even that's wearing away). I wear the gus every day, sometimes for hours straight so I'm not surprised it wore off quickly, the OR though I only wear going to class or town so was a little disappointed how fast it wore off. I've got a premier stratoliner arriving soon, will have to see if the lettering lasts on that.
Alden 403 Moc Toe Boot - Brown Chromexcel - $680 The classic "Indy" style Alden Boot in the classic Horween brown Chromexcel. 
Grant Stone Diesel Boot Dark Olive Chromexcel - #395 Goodyear welted, Horween Chromexcel, classic good looks. 
Himel Bros. - The Ross Mk. 1 Leather Jacket Classic D-pocket motorcycle/aviator style jacket.
I kind of figured it would be a new stetson problem, just on the basis of the number of vintage hats I see posted here and elsewhere that still have most or all of their lettering.
Dont know if you have seen this Jared.... but if this is what they are marketing as an Open Road, they missed the mark.
Ok, the pics of the RD Open Road were just posted.
3-ply band, so still wrong.
Unless....
Was there a transitional variation of the Open Road between the wide ribbon version and the traditional 4-ligne version we know today? When I was looking at the Miller Stockman thread the other night, I noticed that there are two listings, 1949 and 1950, that list the Open Road as having a 3-cord band.
It was speculated in the thread that this was simply an error on Miller's part. But we also have this ad from Visalia Stock and Saddle which also shows the Open Road as having a 3-cord band. This catalog page is not dated, but Visalia left San Francisco in 1950, so it presumably predates that.
One catalog listing in error certainly seems plausible. Making the same error two years in a row would be an awfully funny coincidence. But two different catalogs in different cities making the same error? Should we consider the possibility that the 3-cord OR is really a thing?
Ok, the pics of the RD Open Road were just posted.
3-ply band, so still wrong.
Unless....
Was there a transitional variation of the Open Road between the wide ribbon version and the traditional 4-ligne version we know today? When I was looking at the Miller Stockman thread the other night, I noticed that there are two listings, 1949 and 1950, that list the Open Road as having a 3-cord band.
It was speculated in the thread that this was simply an error on Miller's part. But we also have this ad from Visalia Stock and Saddle which also shows the Open Road as having a 3-cord band. This catalog page is not dated, but Visalia left San Francisco in 1950, so it presumably predates that.
One catalog listing in error certainly seems plausible. Making the same error two years in a row would be an awfully funny coincidence. But two different catalogs in different cities making the same error? Should we consider the possibility that the 3-cord OR is really a thing?
Nice clean find!
Don’t people pay big bucks for that kind of distressing nowadays?
That kind of looks like a conversion I'm in the middle of working on right now. It started as a very dirty and nasty 50s era Stetson 3X Beaver Quality Western. It's my version of a variation of the Open Road. I'm reusing the 3 ply hat band and will also be reusing the brim binding as well. I only cleaned it up enough to get the sweat and nasty out of it. I want that lived in and slightly distressed look. Anyway, here's my version of what I have so far. I still have to make some tweaks to the 3 ply hat band before I sew it on, and I still have the brim binding to do...Ok, the pics of the RD Open Road were just posted.
3-ply band, so still wrong.
Unless....
Was there a transitional variation of the Open Road between the wide ribbon version and the traditional 4-ligne version we know today? When I was looking at the Miller Stockman thread the other night, I noticed that there are two listings, 1949 and 1950, that list the Open Road as having a 3-cord band.
It was speculated in the thread that this was simply an error on Miller's part. But we also have this ad from Visalia Stock and Saddle which also shows the Open Road as having a 3-cord band. This catalog page is not dated, but Visalia left San Francisco in 1950, so it presumably predates that.
One catalog listing in error certainly seems plausible. Making the same error two years in a row would be an awfully funny coincidence. But two different catalogs in different cities making the same error? Should we consider the possibility that the 3-cord OR is really a thing?
I think it was Abraham Lincoln who said don't believe everything you read on the internet.
