Help me pick another hat for my huge, round head ...

[PRW94]

Have posted a few times here ... my hat collection currently consists of a dark gray Stetson Temple and a custom made Tom Gomez Panama. "She who must be obeyed" has said I can have another hat for Christmas, and time is running out and I'm having trouble deciding on something. And this is going to have to be a mail order purchase because there ain't a hatter anywhere close to where I'm at, so I'm not going to be able to try anything on.

I'm thinking about another fur felt.

There's a part of me that wants an LBJ Open Road ... although I'd probably go with gray rather than silver belly ... but I'm not sure how it will look on me. Because the variable is that I have a large, VERY ROUND cranium. I'm probably size 7 5/8, the Temple was a 7 3/4 and was a little big but I used sizing tape because I didn't want to go through the trouble of sending it back to the Stetson outlet, and it's fine.

Any other folks with large, round craniums like mine ... got any suggestions for particular hats that are working for you that I could take a look at? Any of you pulling off the Open Road?

 

[Redfokker]

There are a couple of nice ones on ebay right now, didn't save the links as I'm a 7 1/4LO. Vintage in this size go for a premium, but they are special.

 

[PRW94]

There are a couple of nice ones on ebay right now, didn't save the links as I'm a 7 1/4LO. Vintage in this size go for a premium, but they are special.

Thanks, looking at them. Would prefer vintage, but I never find ones to fit my noggin anywhere. (Although the Mrs. scored a 3x Stetson cowboy hat for $20 at an antique store once, but she has a "pinhead," LOL!)

Thinking as noted about an Open Road ... I actually want the LBJ cowboy look with that ... or maybe a Stratoliner or an Akubra, something a little bit different than the Temple.

 

[BobHufford]

This may turn you off of any hat, but I'm a 7-5/8 in both this Open Road and Resistol San Antonio.

 

[Bigger Don]

Have posted a few times here ... my hat collection currently consists of a dark gray Stetson Temple and a custom made Tom Gomez Panama. "She who must be obeyed" has said I can have another hat for Christmas, and time is running out and I'm having trouble deciding on something. And this is going to have to be a mail order purchase because there ain't a hatter anywhere close to where I'm at, so I'm not going to be able to try anything on.

I'm thinking about another fur felt.

There's a part of me that wants an LBJ Open Road ... although I'd probably go with gray rather than silver belly ... but I'm not sure how it will look on me. Because the variable is that I have a large, VERY ROUND cranium. I'm probably size 7 5/8, the Temple was a 7 3/4 and was a little big but I used sizing tape because I didn't want to go through the trouble of sending it back to the Stetson outlet, and it's fine.

Any other folks with large, round craniums like mine ... got any suggestions for particular hats that are working for you that I could take a look at? Any of you pulling off the Open Road?

A little bird told me one or two 7 5/8s may be coming on the market shortly after Christmas. I know nothing else about them and probably should keep my yap shut about them to lessen the competition.

OTOH, there's always a bespoke for odd shaped heads, like my XLO.

 

[Frunobulax]

I'd stay away from a modern Open Road, personally. If you're not wanting to wait for a custom, and can't find a vintage to suit you, I'd go with a Camp Draft.

 

[Benzadmiral]

A Campdraft in Akubra's Moonstone gray, which has a bluish tinge, shaped in the OR/STrat style like Bob's above would be striking and unusual.

 

[PRW94]

Thanks, will take these ideas to heart, and maybe will take an IOU from "Santa" and keep scouring the vintage listings at eBay and here.

My deal with the modern Open Road isn't that it's stiff and has the cattleman's crease ... I actually WANT the LBJ look, I would want it to be a semi-cowboy hat, not a fedora ... it's that from what I've gathered here, it's got a lot lower crown than the originals, and lower crowns just don't work on my circular head (I'm not exaggerating that, I'm basically Humpty Dumpty). I cannot wear a low crown baseball cap with the big curved bill, like the masses, the only thing I can pull off there is a full-sized/full-crown New Era 5950.

 

[Frunobulax]

Thanks, will take these ideas to heart, and maybe will take an IOU from "Santa" and keep scouring the vintage listings at eBay and here.

My deal with the modern Open Road isn't that it's stiff and has the cattleman's crease ... I actually WANT the LBJ look, I would want it to be a semi-cowboy hat, not a fedora ... it's that from what I've gathered here, it's got a lot lower crown than the originals, and lower crowns just don't work on my circular head (I'm not exaggerating that, I'm basically Humpty Dumpty). I cannot wear a low crown baseball cap with the big curved bill, like the masses, the only thing I can pull off there is a full-sized/full-crown New Era 5950.

Yeah, that's why I cautioned you. We can go on about the stiffness and felt quality, but you need a higher crown or it's going to look disproportionate. The Camp Draft has a 5 7/8" open crown and should serve you well. Most vintages are 5 1/2"+ and would as well.

Hell, get one of each!

 

[tropicalbob]

I'm a 7 7/8, and I'll ditto what the guys are saying above: go with the Campdraft. You'll wait til Doomsday for anything on Ebay, and even if you found one it'd cost you a bundle. I always think of the CD as a sort of relative of a cowboy hat, and for those of us with alien-sized craniums that bigger brim is a Godsend. Plus, for the money and the delivery-time Akubras can't be beat. I just received a FedIV in five days from Oz, which has to be some kind of record.

 

[PRW94]

How true to size do Akubras run? As noted, I ordered a 7 3/4 with the Stetson Temple but had to use sizing tape, could've easily done a 7 5/8, just didn't want to go through the trouble of returning the hat. In my other sized hats ... mainly high-end baseball caps ... whether I wear a 7 5/8 or a 7 3/4 depends on the particular hat. I just figured I needed to err on too large rather than too snug, to allow for any shrinkage. And I was figuring 61 centimeters for Akubra.

 

[tropicalbob]

All Akubras are a bit large out of the box to allow for shrinkage, so I always go with my actual hat size.

 

[Monavillecowboy]

The Open Road is a very popular hat.
It's one of my top sellers, especially the Silver Belly.
The other colors don't do nearly as well.

 

[Monavillecowboy]

How true to size do Akubras run? As noted, I ordered a 7 3/4 with the Stetson Temple but had to use sizing tape, could've easily done a 7 5/8, just didn't want to go through the trouble of returning the hat. In my other sized hats ... mainly high-end baseball caps ... whether I wear a 7 5/8 or a 7 3/4 depends on the particular hat. I just figured I needed to err on too large rather than too snug, to allow for any shrinkage. And I was figuring 61 centimeters for Akubra.

I find that the Akubras , like all the other brands I've ever stocked, run the range from large to small.

 

[johnnycanuck]

High end ball caps? I assume you are referring to new era caps? I fit 7 3/8 in one and 7 1/2 in most. I wear a 7 1/2 in any felt hat I buy. Akubra sends foam strips you can cut and put under the sweat band to snug it up. That's how mine usually start, over time I remove the foam as the hat shrinks to my head size and shape.
It takes about two to three years of daily wear for an Akubra to shrink down to my exact head size and need stretched to keep up in that size.
Hope that helps.
Johnny

 

[PRW94]

Appreciate the responses and input, got one more question that I need an answer for quickly ... best hat as far as quality first and for the money secondarily, Akubra Campdraft Deluxe or Stetson Premiere Stratoliner (the higher end models on both, the Stetson with the open crown)?

 

[Gabe Long]

Another vote for the campdraft. Won't break the bank, and it is a work horse.

 

[Gabe Long]

Appreciate the responses and input, got one more question that I need an answer for quickly ... best hat as far as quality first and for the money secondarily, Akubra Campdraft Deluxe or Stetson Premiere Stratoliner (the higher end models on both, the Stetson with the open crown)?

I haven't had the premier Strat in my hands yet, but you can get a custom handmade rabbit from Alley Kat or Gannon for the same price (or cheaper) as the stetson. Their work is top of the line. The Akubra will come in cheaper but is better than most modern stetsons that I've had my hands on. My $0.02.

 

[Doctor Strange]

I know modern Stetsons have their fans here, but you can't beat Akubras on quality for the price. I currently have a Campdraft, Stylemaster, Stockman, and Cattleman (and I had a Federation III for many years). None of them cost over $100 shipped, and the ones I've worn for almost a decade look nearly new. (Whereas I recently sold my old Stetson Temple, which looked its age and needed a serious reblocking.)

 

[tropicalbob]

Stetson is owned and operated by Hatco. As we've seen here over several years, their QC is questionable, at best, and they seem to be selling hats primarily because they own the name of a company that once made fine hats. As Gabe says above, if you can get a truly fine, original hat from an artisan who deeply cares about his or her work for the same money, why in the world would you go with the mass-produced product? I'm not saying that you can't get a decent hat from Hatco, but take a look at the work of the hatters mentioned above.
Also, Akubras can't be beat when it comes to considering a well-made hat that won't break the bank. I only started getting into this a few years back, but about half of my hats are Akubras and the rest are customs, mostly straws, although I'm in line at the moment with Tim of Alley Kat Hats. Anyway, best of luck.