The Stratoliner Society {VINTAGE}

[DaveProc]

Dave, thanks for that suggestion; i have been to that thread but going back several years there is nothing that actually talks about the hand of the modern Stratoliner. mostly just comments on where to get vintage, general quality preferences or comments about declining quality. What i am hoping is that someone who owns/wears both modern and vintage can give a more qualitative comparison. Doug

Doug, I think if you post on the modern thread in conjunction with your post on this thread, you are bound to get a few answers. I own a modern Premier Open Crown Strat and it is a good hat, but it does not compare to the felt in vintage hats. For the money, I actually prefer an Akubra Campdraft to modern Strats and Open Roads

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Dave, thanks for that suggestion; i have been to that thread but going back several years there is nothing that actually talks about the hand of the modern Stratoliner. mostly just comments on where to get vintage, general quality preferences or comments about declining quality. What i am hoping is that someone who owns/wears both modern and vintage can give a more qualitative comparison. Doug

Hey Doug,
I own/owned both current Royal De Luxe Stratoliners and vintage. The current Royal isn’t worth considering as there are better choices for the same or less. The modern Excellent Strats are nice, but Stetson discontinued them a few years ago and they are hard to find. The Current Royal De Luxe Premier (open crown) hats are really decent. The felt has been soft and the hand is pleasant without any of the harshness of the cheaper Royal line. The felt is substantial and best used as a cool weather hat. The hat takes creases reasonably well and with some steam it will hold its shape. I do wish the felt was thinner. I’ve decided that personally I’m not a Strat guy as the 2 1/2” brim is just not enough for me and I want more crown height too. I’m down to my last modern Strat.

Vintage is a whole different story. It’s also very nuanced as an early 1940s hat isn’t the same as a later 1950s hat. Lots of variables and dangerous to make generalizations. The felt on the vintage I’ve handled doesn’t really have a better hand, but the nature of the felt is just really different. The vintage is thinner and molds completely differently. The vintage felt also seems to have a shorter nap; not to say that the modern is any sort of long hair finish. The vintage is not always the “molds like clay” felt we tend to love, but it’s still just more obedient and compliant. The acute angles and sharp creases possible with vintage felt just can’t be replicated with the modern Strats. I do think the modern premier Strats have a better hand than the average Akubra, but the Akubra felt is thinner. Now the modern Stetsons have some oft repeated build quality issues, but if you like the shape, dimensions, and colors of the Premier Strat I think you can be very happy with the hats. If the crowns were taller and if they had another 1/2” of brim I’d have kept the 2-3 that I’ve sold...of course if they had the dimensions I want they wouldn’t be Stratoliners.

Good luck, and post photos of whatever you end up with.

Brent

 

[DaveProc]

Hey Doug,
I own/owned both current Royal De Luxe Stratoliners and vintage. The current Royal isn’t worth considering as there are better choices for the same or less. The modern Excellent Strats are nice, but Stetson discontinued them a few years ago and they are hard to find. The Current Royal De Luxe Premier (open crown) hats are really decent. The felt has been soft and the hand is pleasant without any of the harshness of the cheaper Royal line. The felt is substantial and best used as a cool weather hat. The hat takes creases reasonably well and with some steam it will hold its shape. I do wish the felt was thinner. I’ve decided that personally I’m not a Strat guy as the 2 1/2” brim is just not enough for me and I want more crown height too. I’m down to my last modern Strat.

Vintage is a whole different story. It’s also very nuanced as an early 1940s hat isn’t the same as a later 1950s hat. Lots of variables and dangerous to make generalizations. The felt on the vintage I’ve handled doesn’t really have a better hand, but the nature of the felt is just really different. The vintage is thinner and molds completely differently. The vintage felt also seems to have a shorter nap; not to say that the modern is any sort of long hair finish. The vintage is not always the “molds like clay” felt we tend to love, but it’s still just more obedient and compliant. The acute angles and sharp creases possible with vintage felt just can’t be replicated with the modern Strats. I do think the modern premier Strats have a better hand than the average Akubra, but the Akubra felt is thinner. Now the modern Stetsons have some oft repeated build quality issues, but if you like the shape, dimensions, and colors of the Premier Strat I think you can be very happy with the hats. If the crowns were taller and if they had another 1/2” of brim I’d have kept the 2-3 that I’ve sold...of course if they had the dimensions I want they wouldn’t be Stratoliners.

Good luck, and post photos of whatever you end up with.

Brent

What Brent said LOL

 

[Azcowboy]

Dave and Brent, thanks so much. Great information on this site and nice that there are not the snarky comments so often evident on the web today. Very helpful for a newcomer. Based on Brent's earlier emails to me i ordered a Locke and Co. trilby and have the Stratoliner coming. Dave, I am the opposite of you; with narrow face and only 5'10" I prefer a shorter crown and narrower brim. That is the only thing that worries me about the Strat but will keep the AZ sun off my face.
Thanks again to all.

 

[DaveProc]

Dave and Brent, thanks so much. Great information on this site and nice that there are not the snarky comments so often evident on the web today. Very helpful for a newcomer. Based on Brent's earlier emails to me i ordered a Locke and Co. trilby and have the Stratoliner coming. Dave, I am the opposite of you; with narrow face and only 5'10" I prefer a shorter crown and narrower brim. That is the only thing that worries me about the Strat but will keep the AZ sun off my face.
Thanks again to all.

I look forward to seeing them!

 

[steur]

Well, this one belongs here for sure (saves me time looking for the right thread).
Stetson Excellent Stratoliner in caribou colour. Made under license in Germany in the mid to late fifties. Says size 58 on the label, but actually a size 59 from the measurements. Bound brim at 7cm and crown 11cm at the center dent. I believe it was Mayser that held the German license for Stetson. The bow treatment is slightly different from what is usual for a Stratoliner and also different from another licensed Stratoliner I found a while ago.

 

[Short Balding Guy]

Hello thread! It has been a while since I visited this thread. Lots of terrific Stratoliner hat content.

This morning I wore a Stetson Stratoliner (50's silverbelly version) for a dog soirée. It had me thinking of the Stetson Royal DeLuxe (a buckskin hue) version I wore the day before. The "tidy" stitched down ribbon of the Royal DeLuxe strikes me the second I pick up the hat. Other differences exist of course, but I am thinking this morning of the ribbon.

I hope you might find it interesting and appreciate some comparison pics.

Cheers, Eric -

 

[Rmccamey]

Both absolutely beautiful, Eric.

Hello thread! It has been a while since I visited this thread. Lots of terrific Stratoliner hat content.

This morning I wore a Stetson Stratoliner (50's silverbelly version) for a dog soirée. It had me thinking of the Stetson Royal DeLuxe (a buckskin hue) version I wore the day before. The "tidy" stitched down ribbon of the Royal DeLuxe strikes me the second I pick up the hat. Other differences exist of course, but I am thinking this morning of the ribbon.

I hope you might find it interesting and appreciate some comparison pics.

Cheers, Eric -

 

[TheGuitarFairy]

Gah! wish this one fit!
I'm assuming a 40s Strat: Un-reeded and un-lined, a very light hat.

 

[BobHufford]

Gah! wish this one fit!
I'm assuming a 40s Strat: Un-reeded and un-lined, a very light hat.

Bummer! I hate it when that happens. That is one nice example and I'm sure there will be interest in it from our smaller domed friends.

 

[Frunobulax]

Gah! wish this one fit!
I'm assuming a 40s Strat: Un-reeded and un-lined, a very light hat.
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Beautiful example in great shape.

It was probably the right size until you sat it on the bed and invited all that bad luck.

 

[TheGuitarFairy]

Thank you Fella's
And yeah .. I've accrued a ton o' bad luck via my bedded hat pics!
What can I say, light's good there.

 

[T Jones]

Well, this one belongs here for sure (saves me time looking for the right thread).
Stetson Excellent Stratoliner in caribou colour. Made under license in Germany in the mid to late fifties. Says size 58 on the label, but actually a size 59 from the measurements. Bound brim at 7cm and crown 11cm at the center dent. I believe it was Mayser that held the German license for Stetson. The bow treatment is slightly different from what is usual for a Stratoliner and also different from another licensed Stratoliner I found a while ago.

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That looks like a Stetson Wanderer with its thin brim binding and mid ribbon hat band. Those seem to be kind of hard to find these days...

 

[Rmccamey]

Small sizes abound, right @deadlyhandsome ?
But it does look fantastic!

Gah! wish this one fit!
I'm assuming a 40s Strat: Un-reeded and un-lined, a very light hat.
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[Jesse John]

Well this one has seen better days but I gave it the best facelift that I could. Rehydrated the sweat, naphtha bath, block & reshape. There’s just some spots ya can’t get out! A few holes too. It’s ok- I like the character. And the color!

 

[RossRYoung]

Nice return to form there, Jesse. Glad to see you still snagging (and sharing) vintage Stetsons!

 

[Jesse John]

Nice return to form there, Jesse. Glad to see you still snagging (and sharing) vintage Stetsons!

Oh I certainly am! I have some catching up to do here. Thank you for the kind words Ross! These projects are fun.

 

[DaveProc]

Sage green Royal Stetson Stratoliner that I just picked up for $10. Food shape with no mothing
.

 

[Short Balding Guy]

Sage green Royal Stetson Stratoliner that I just picked up for $10. Food shape with no mothing
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Congrats on the green Stratoliner Dave. The price was definitely right. I love those green hats. These thin ribbon hats are good for country and good for town.

Cheers, Eric -

 

[DaveProc]

Congrats on the green Stratoliner Dave. The price was definitely right. I love those green hats. These thin ribbon hats are good for country and good for town.

Cheers, Eric -

Thank you Eric! I couldn't pass it up.