The Stratoliner Society {VINTAGE}

[Mark B.]

Great hat SBG.....I was wondering if the blue coloring was true to the pics when I first saw it on the bay. There are two Stratoliner hat pins on ebay right now if your looking to add one to your hat.

 

[Short Balding Guy]

"Going Places" Hat Family

Good morning.

This morning, having a bit of time, I staged a family picture of my vintage Stetson Stratoliners. No alterations have been done to the pic. Overcast, and humid takes some of the vibrant tones out of the felt colors. I thought that it would give a better shot of "all" color felts. In a perfect situation, each felt color should have it's own special lighting.

In the above pic, right to left, the felt colors are; Moss Green (post #799 shows a pic with the actual color), silverbelly (top & post #630 shows true color), cadet blue, brown (post #757 shows the true brown), dark gray, and a lighter gray. The moss green and cadet blue are un-lined. Each of the felts is a bit different.

Thanks you for taking a look and letting me share my Stratoliner family.

Best wishes, Eric -

 

[Short Balding Guy]

Very nice Eric. It looks to be the same Premier model that I rescued from the costume shop earlier this year. Mine had had a wacky theatrical ribbon replacement, so I made a leopard fur band for it. My sense of dating was post war 1940s, mostly from the character of the soft unreeded sweatband. This hat is somewhat heavier than the earlier unlined model shown in Terry's pictures. 2 5/8" brim, I think. A great catch. I hope you can post some close-ups of the markings when you have time.

Inside pic;

(BTW: The leather liner not laying "at attention," straight and tall, is due to sizing foam behind the liner. Otherwise it is ramrod straight. Yes sir! )
Eric -

 

[Chepstow]

Eric, what a fleet. Very impressive. You can be proud of this!

 

[bond]

Yes, quite the cache Eric. Nice indeed!

 

[TomS]

Awesome. I really like that blue!!

 

[bburtner@moran]

Just got my first Stratoliner, $14.95..minty condition.Nice light brown color...

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

Eric great family of Strat's I have always loved the Cadet Blue fur felt hope to have one my self one day.

 

[bburtner@moran]

Now you need a Rolex GMT master to wear with you Strat..

 

[DJH]

I was very lucky to get a good eBay deal on a really nice 1940's Stratoliner. It is constructed of a lighter and denser felt than my other two and was made without a liner - a great hat to wear as the days start to get a little cooler.

The colour of the felt is a rather dark greenish-grey, that I really like. Also, most Stratoliners I've seen have a ribbon colour that is close to matching the felt, rather cool that this one has contrasting colours. Condition is very good, just one loose piece of thread on the sweatband I need to deal with - you can see it on the pic of the inside of the hat. The hat has the OPA tag so can be accurately dated to 1941 - 1947.

And here's my little squadron of Stratoliners - I've been fortunate to get a vintage pin for each; two have DC3 pins and one a vintage Stratoliner pin that I got from our friend Lefty some time ago.

 

[Short Balding Guy]

I was very lucky to get a good eBay deal on a really nice 1940's Stratoliner. It is constructed of a lighter and denser felt than my other two and was made without a liner - a great hat to wear as the days start to get a little cooler.

The colour of the felt is a rather dark greenish-grey, that I really like. Also, most Stratoliners I've seen have a ribbon colour that is close to matching the felt, rather cool that this one has contrasting colours. Condition is very good, just one loose piece of thread on the sweatband I need to deal with - you can see it on the pic of the inside of the hat. The hat has the OPA tag so can be accurately dated to 1941 - 1947.

And here's my little squadron of Stratoliners - I've been fortunate to get a vintage pin for each; two have DC3 pins and one a vintage Stratoliner pin that I got from our friend Lefty some time ago.

David; Terrific pic of your "Hats to go places." Your new aquisition is a special color. I too like the contrast of the ribbon with the greenish hue's of the felt. It will be hard to select which Strat, much less which hat to top your head with, when you open your hat closet.

Congrats, Eric -

 

[Rabbit]

Wonderful find, David! The felt looks really thin on this one. If and when you intend to to do the repair on the unreeded sweat - the few stitches should be no problem. Try using the existing stitch holes, or if the leather is brittle there, put the stitch slightly lower.

One thing, though:
As you push the needle through the leather, hold the sweatband right next to the stitch (both sides!) you're working on very firmly. Otherwise the mere tension of the needle penetrating the leather might cause the adjacent stitches to pop.

I did a stitching repair on a 1930s Mallory that way. This is how it came out - see the full resolution images for more detail (pics with flash). Some of the existing stitch holes were cracked, so I put the new ones a little lower.

Full resolution image

Full resolution image

 

[alanfgag]

Fantastic find, David - congratulations. The same vintage as mine - 1942-43 or thereabouts. It's one of my most comfortable Stetsons... I smile every time I put it on my head.

 

[mikespens]

A stunner David! I think my new VS will have a similar colored ribbon. Nice fleet too. Congrats!

 

[seabass]

David !
almost like winning the Lotto , Such a great Strat, im a fan of any Lite Unlined Stetson.. I have a basic royal stetson fedora in the same color combo & i love it...
those early unreeded sweats conform like butter to any shape
Some day ill get my Strat - Lite like yours...the contrast of colors just pops !
the Side profile pic is IT !!!!!
Enjoy !

Alan yours is killer too
just took a peek

 

[DJH]

David; Terrific pic of your "Hats to go places." Your new aquisition is a special color. I too like the contrast of the ribbon with the greenish hue's of the felt. It will be hard to select which Strat, much less which hat to top your head with, when you open your hat closet.

Congrats, Eric -

Thanks, Eric. While I tend to wear hats with wider ribbons, I do really like the Stratoliner style. This new one is the first lightweight unlined one I've found, very enjoyable to wear.

I don't know about you, but I never seem to have a problem deciding which hat to wear - I don't really think about it, to be honest; it just seems to happen

Wonderful find, David! The felt looks really thin on this one. If and when you intend to to do the repair on the unreeded sweat - the few stitches should be no problem. Try using the existing stitch holes, or if the leather is brittle there, put the stitch slightly lower.

Cheers, Nik and thanks for the stitch advice. Strangely, there don't seem to be missing stitches, just this hanging thread. I'll have to ask my wife to take a look, I can't even thread a needle so I'm not the right guy for this.

Fantastic find, David - congratulations. The same vintage as mine - 1942-43 or thereabouts. It's one of my most comfortable Stetsons... I smile every time I put it on my head.

Thanks, Alan. It is always a treat to find a great old hat, especially if is done at a good price as well!

A stunner David! I think my new VS will have a similar colored ribbon. Nice fleet too. Congrats!

Thanks, Mike. I'll be looking forward to seeing your new VS.

David !
almost like winning the Lotto , Such a great Strat, im a fan of any Lite Unlined Stetson.. I have a basic royal stetson fedora in the same color combo & i love it...
those early unreeded sweats conform like butter to any shape
Some day ill get my Strat - Lite like yours...the contrast of colors just pops !
the Side profile pic is IT !!!!!
Enjoy !

Alan yours is killer too
just took a peek

Thank you, Che. I really like the lightweight felt hats, whether vintage or my VS ones - just so versatile. I would think that in your warmer climate, they are a great solution for much of the year.

 

[gtdean48]

...

Very nice squadron there David....fly safe!

 

[hatophile]

Very nice squadron there David....fly safe!

+1 on that!

 

[bond]

Nice Strat Alan, I love that color as iam sure you do too. That is one of the best colors for us Grey haired guys in my opinion.
I just bought a mint one in the same color ,not a light weight one like yours ,but has a interesting liner that I have not seen before.
Cheers!

 

[Connoisseur_BP]

Is there anyone here looking to part with one of these beautiful works of art? I've been wanting a strat for quite a while now, but am having a hard time finding the right one that suits me. I'm looking for a size 7 1/4 in either silverbelly or grey. I'd prefer one with an original pin, but it's no big deal if it's missing.