You were all right; after time, I'm far more selective about my purchases now.

[MattJH]

Nice! Wish I could see it in person. Was one of the 6 hats the open crown camel Knox mentioned earlier in the thread? I asked the guy on the phone if there were any more 7 5/8 hats at the 3-for-$10 rate and he said no, just the three I had purchased. I wouldn't be greedy, but if I had known there were more, I wouldn't have chosen the colors I did -- would've been more selective.

Anyway, awesome to hear! Congratulations on the finds. I look forward to seeing mine.

 

[Ande1963]

Nice! Wish I could see it in person. Was one of the 6 hats the open crown camel Knox mentioned earlier in the thread?

I didn't see an open crown on that sale rack, and I don't think I saw any Knox hats. All I saw was Stetson and Dobbs (which I guess is made by Stetson, or a sister company, or something).

That guy was probably saying that he only had those on the rack, but this lady today went and got more out of the back. I didn't get the feeling she knew what was in every box as she brought them out, but she seemed to be happy to bring several so I could get a variety of colors and shapes.

I'm almost positive that, as I was checking out, she said that they had a lot of those large hats to get rid of.

Anj

 

[Prairie Shade]

Stetson Outlet - Always a good road trip!

For hat lovers anyway!! I've been going there for almost 15 years. The early trips were great because old stock fedoras were going for 15-20 dollars and no one wanted them. Hence I have closets full of hat boxes. I'm curious what every one who dove in thinks of the quality of their new hats vs vintage. The reason they punch a whole in the back of the sweat is to protect their retailers since many of the hats carry Store Logos. Post pictures guys. I'm glad your finding homes for all those large size orphans!!

 

[Undertow]

This coming week (6/28-6/30) I'm going to make an attempt to get out there. It's only a few hours away and I think it would be well worth the drive. Thank you all so much for the tip!

Are there any other outlets like this in the midwest?

 

[Prairie Shade]

Not for Hat Lovers

Report ! Report! Pictures!!

 

[Chanfan]

Hmm, tempting if they have more 7&5/8ths.

 

[MattJH]

I probably don't have to say as much here, as we're all cool, but I would encourage everyone to be reasonable. Don't buy a hundred of the things and set up an ebay store or something. It would be cool if everyone here got a shot at such an extraordinary sale.

I received mine in the mail yesterday and while there's no question that they were fantastic deals at a fantastic price (you figure an MSRP of $110 - $130 for each hat, when they ultimately cost $20 total with shipping -- that's insane). However, I just don't like the ones I got. They don't look right on me. It's hard to explain. Maybe it's that I exclusively own vintage hats and Akubra hats and I'm spoiled, I don't know.

The black Stetson Saxon is nice, but my black vintage Barbisio is nicer. The gray Dobbs Dutton is nice, but my gray Akubra Federation and gray Akubra Casual are nicer. The camel Knox is interestingly stiff, but it's just a tad too small for my head's version of a 7 5/8 and my camel/tawny vintage Brooks Brothers is nicer and fits perfectly.

So, ultimately, I don't have use for any of the three hats. I've listed on them on OFAS. They wouldn't be of any interest to anybody here. Great deal? No question. Worth it in the end? Eh. Maybe if I could request a specific model of hat, but that would prove difficult on the phone and I'm not driving there from New Jersey

 

[Ande1963]

Not to rebut Dumbjaw, but I got my new digital camera today, and wanted to try it out. Here are the six hats I got from the ten bucks for three hats deal at the Stetson Outlet.

Of course, I had the advantage of being able to see these when I bought them. I'm gonna keep four of the six, I think. They're all a little large, but workable with spacers on the sides. Haven't tried to shrink any of them yet.

It was easier for me to post one big picture, so forgive the seperate list/photos.

1- My wife's favorite, and my first black fedora. It's a little furry, but I like it. The shape is nice.

2- Brown stingy brim. Probably a little too stingy for me. I think this one is going.

3- Plain gray fedora with feather. As Dumbjaw said, not as nice as my other gray fedora, but I'm gonna keep this for possible rainy situations, or other times when I think I don't wanna risk my best.

4- I like this brown one better. The brim is wide, and I like the C crown bash and the black ribbon.

5- I like this shape of this brown Western, but the belt/ribbon thing doesn't really fit me. I think it's going.

6- My favorite... a faux Open Road, but with unbound edge. I like the color, the shape, and the soft felt. It's full of powder, which is a little annoying, but I'll keep beating it and wearing it... I think I'm really gonna like this one.

Anj

 

[RedPop4]

I like 4 and 6 ALOT, 1, 2, 3 aren't bad at all, just not as good as the others.
Wish they had some sort of web presence.

 

[jamespowers]

A word to the wise concerning the powdered up number 6. If its full of powder then likely that is color powder used to even out the felt color. Do not wear this one in the rain! The color could run like a river and the powder definitely will made it so.
Let me know how the gray stands up to rain.

Regards,

J

 

[Ande1963]

Cool... thanks for the tip.

I don't really expect the gray to hold up too well in the rain, but if it doesn't, I'll chuck it!

Anj

 

[Prairie Shade]

RAIN?

Its almost July in Kansas. Rain?

 

[Ande1963]

Good point... we're in the middle of several days of rain now, it may be awhile before we see more.

Anj

 

[Travis]

Phone numbers and addresses

There is apparently also an outlet store in TX for those of you in the south. The contact information (from the Stetson website) is as follows:

3601 S. Leonard Rd.St. Joseph, MO 64503 (816)-233-3286

721 Marion Dr. Garland, TX 75042 (972)-494-0337

Hope that helps.

 

[Undertow]

I recently returned from St. Joe's on Thursday and purchased 9 hats. I totally understand how Dumbjaw feels but I also had the good fortune of picking out each hat I liked.

There was a VAST selection to choose from so I stuck to 7 5/8 and I really only picked ones that fit me like a 7 3/8 or 7 1/2.

I WILL be posting pictures of each and I must say I am very happy with my purchases. I stuck with soft felts, shapeable by hand without too many hard creases, standard colors, etc. Alas, most of the cool colors were wool felt.

Anyway, I will post pictures soon!

 

[Undertow]

Ok, here are those pics:

All nine Stetson hats

 

[Prairie Shade]

CONGRATS!!!

Looks like you cleaned up. Hope you enjoyed the trip.

 

[fedoracpa]

Newbie here. I have recently taken an interest in beginning to collect/wear vintage and/or vintage-style hats. I am primarily interested in fedoras. When I was a young child, I would sometimes play "dress-up" at my grandparents house and I remember I had a gray Dobbs fedora (even had a pristine original box) that my grandpa wore back in the day. A short while ago, I asked my grandma if she still had this hat, but she sold it at a yard sale! She knows who bought it, so I may try to see if I can buy it back from this person. It is kind of sentimental, because my grandpa wore it and it was also purchased from my great-uncle's menswear store.

Anyhow, I am glad I read this post. I don't know exactly how I will look in a Fedora and I may feel a little uncomfortable wearing one at first. I am 25 years old and I work as an accountant for a public accounting firm (currently working on obtaining my CPA certification). Primarily, I will wear the hats that I purchase to work, as I think they will look good with my business suits. But, I don't want to spend a whole lot of money, since I'm not sure how I will like it. I called the Stetson outlet today and a person answered the phone, but indicated that they were closed until Thursday, so I will have to wait until then. I too have a large head (wear a size 7 5/8 hat) - even though I am a very average height and weight. I have looked in antique stores and found a few vintage fedoras, but they are always too small for me. If anyone has any tips on where to find and purchase reasonably priced hats, please advise. I will update how I make out with the Stetson outlet. Hopefully they will have some Dobbs, since that is what my grandpa always wore, it appeals to me.

I am looking forward to conversing with you fine gentlemen in the future.

 

[Undertow]

Well a hearty welcome and congrats on a first post!! :eusa_clap

Now as far as the Stetson Outlet, I'm fairly certain there were no deals on 7 5/8 Dobbs, however I did see some Dobbs on reduced price racks (something like $60-70) For a new felt hat, that's not bad. The 7 5/8 deals were all Stetsons, from what I recall, but I think they should have a ton of styles left. And while you're there DON'T BE AFRAID TO TRY ON OTHER SIZES AT THAT PRICE (the $10 hats). I found a few that were labeled 7 5/8 but fit my 7 3/8 head perfectly. And remember, you can always put a spacer in (weather stripping if you're feeling cheap) and reduce a hat's size.

I think we would all recommend scouting out your antique stores, flea markets, estate sales, garage sales, etc. to see if you can find any gems. It would also be good to try a few on ANYWHERE to make sure what kind of preferences you have in size and style before going on eBay. Although eBay can be a handy tool in finding that hats you're looking for, I can tell you there's tons of competition for your size and you don't want to get stuck with something with which you have second thoughts.

 

[fedoracpa]

Thank you for the welcome and advise, Undertow.

Unfortunately, since I live in Pennsylvania, I cannot personally visit the Stetson outlet. However, I did call today and the process in now in the works. I spoke to a very nice gentleman, he did have a strong accent (perhaps middle-eastern?), but he could understand me better than most people I talk to on the phone. I am not sure of the brand or particular styles of the hats, but I believe they are sending me 3 hats for the 3 for $10 deal. I think they are black, gray, and brown, all fedoras and I made sure they had the thick ribbon around them, at this point I am not real crazy about the thin ribbon kind.

I will be away next week on vacation, so when I get back I will have these new hats to look forward to when I arrive home.