Moose River Hat

[Bob Smalser]

There is no comparison between a Snowy River and a Campdraft. The former is extremely stiff. Like a helmet. Stiffest hat I have ever seen outside the local western store. The latter is more shapable. They are manufactured differently.

Oh, I suspect just about all hats with 4" brims are made with thicker felt than hats with 2 3/4" brims. Something other than ones ears has to hold up all that additional rain, eh?

But I also suspect Imperial Quality means the hats have the same mix of felt and level of finish. And compared to my vintage 3X and better US OR and Italian hats, this Akubra feels downright coarse in addition to being unlined. Regardless of style, after handling the Akubra in this quality is simply not to my taste, and in a new hat I'd rather try one of our sponsor's Beaver Brand offerings instead.

Don't get me wrong.....I have no complaints and think Akubras are decent values.....

.....but not everyone thinks this brand is the cat's meow and as few of us have hundred-dollar bills to toss around frivolously, the original poster will be better served by shopping around to his taste rather than buying blindly into the current conventional wisdom.

 

[KY Gentleman]

I bought a Moose River hat a couple of years ago. I like mine, still looks good and wears well.

 

[dawgvet]

KY Gent,
Is your hat lined? I e-mailed L L Bean and they couldn't tell me!! I really liked the classic OR hats that gtdean showed me the other day but can't see $200 for my current uses. Any more thoughts?
Jed

 

[KY Gentleman]

Yes the Moose River I have is lined, and has a nice leather sweatband.
I like mine and have worn it a lot. It is a nice hat in my opinion.

 

[bond]

LL Bean moose river hat

Does any one have any knowledge about the quality of the moose river fur felt(Stetson)in silverbelly that LLBean sells?
Wondering if it is descent hat ? The price at 119. Seems like a fair price.

 

[Neophyte]

Here is a link to a group of threads regarding this hat that I found using the Lounge's advanced search function:
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/search.php?searchid=440441

Hope these help!

 

[gtdean48]

Like Alexander stated, it has been covered here.
That is a good price. I had the Silverbelly & the darker one years ago. Typical modern HatCo Royal Stetson grade hats.
The brims are a tad stingy for my taste. The Cabella's 3 Forks are about the same with a slightly larger brim. Had 1 of those as well but not with current hat band setup.

 

[KyleK]

I have both the khaki green (which is more like a whiskey-ish brown) and the silverbelly. Better quality than the typical Stetson fashion hats - meaning they can take some rain and not become rumpled and formless like a wet newspaper (the new Stratoliner, BTW, at least mine, cannot handle rain).
I bought them both in store so I was able to pick the best of the lot. There was a lot of variation in stiffness and detail quality control from hat to hat. I bought the brown 2-3 years ago and it fits perfectly at 7 5/8. The silverbelly I bought this past spring and it fits perfectly in size 7 1/2. I found that to be true with all of the newer run Moose River hats at the store - they're running a size larger.

I like 'em. Good daily wear hats. The Stetson silverbelly color looks good with practically anything. Like above, I wish the brims were a little wider for better protection from sun, rain, etc.

 

[Lefty]

Neo's link didn't work for me, so...
LL-Bean-Moose-River-hat
Moose-River-Hat

Here's how to find threads: click

There's also the Ask a Question thread. There's almost nothing that you can think to ask about hats that hasn't been either specifically covered, or nearly hit upon in an already exiting thread.

 

[bond]

Appreciate all of the great feed back, I guess I will be getting a moose river silver belly then!
Thanks

 

[Big Man]

Appreciate all of the great feed back, I guess I will be getting a moose river silver belly then!
Thanks

Make sure you give us a report when you get your new hat.

I wore the Moose River hats years ago (1970's to 1980's), and was very pleased with their fit, quality, and "wearability". I was working outside with the Forest Service in the mid-1970's, and the Moose River hat served me well on that job. I found that with hard wear (and I really mean hard), the hat would last me about three years before I needed to get another.

 

[Big Man]

Appreciate all of the great feed back, I guess I will be getting a moose river silver belly then!
Thanks

Did you ever get the hat and, if you did, how do you like it?

 

[carldelo]

Did you ever get the hat and, if you did, how do you like it?

I'm interested as well, as the LLBean price is quite low for a Royal-quality felt. The smaller brim on the Moose River would suit me better than the new Strat, or the lounge version thereof. I'm thinking of having the brim of a Moose River bound so I can have my own mini-Strat.

I'm also interested in hearing about the sizing issue that has been reported (i.e. running 1 to 2 sizes large).

 

[Bulletrider]

Hi guys, first post here although I've been lurking around for quite a while. I don't have many hats (yet), but I do have the Moose River. I ordered it earlier this year with the same idea of it being similar to a Strat with a smaller brim (which I prefer). This is my 3rd modern Stetson (Mercury and Open Road) and it quickly became my favorite. Not too stiff, but will hold it's form....very comfortable. I read the reviews closely at LL Bean and did go one size smaller than normal (7 1/4 vs 7 3/8) and it fits perfectly. Color and styling lend it more towards a casual dress but you could probably get away with it and a suit as well. All and all I think it's a great hat and well worth it.

Hope that helps.......I'd throw a pic up but honestly I'm not really sure how.

 

[carldelo]

I ordered a Moose River over Columbus Day weekend to take advantage of sale pricing. It arrived yesterday, and I am sending it back today. I am not a Stetson-basher --- I have 4 modern Stetsons: 2 Royal, 1 Sovereign, 1 Sovereign in silk finish, and like them all. The sizing shows some nominal variation, but the felt quality is high and I haven't had any issues with construction quality or durability.

The Moose River is a different story. It is a full size too big. It arrived with a very uneven finish - some parts were smooth, others fairly rough. There were patches that appeared soiled, although that may have been residue from the black foam used to cushion the crown in the shipping box. The felt itself was stiff and cardboard-y and exhibited a pink cast as mentioned by others. The brim had a minimal amount of snap, although the front did stay down. It was lined and had a sweat band consistent with a Royal quality hat, but the felt was definitely sub par compared to the two I have. A real shame, as far as I'm concerned, as LL Bean is a premier retailer and in a position to sell modern Stetsons to a wide customer base.

 

[Big Man]

It appears that some like the hat and some don't. I wonder, is that due to individual taste or are there quality control issues (some hats better than others)?

 

[Woodfluter]

I do believe I had a Moose River (or equivalent) way, way back, probably mid 1970s. Certainly similar appearance and construction and gotten mail order from LL Bean. The hat appeared not to have held up remarkably well but I can't recall details. The current hat is apt to be different, for better or worse but as these things trend, possibly not what it was even then.

Bean is a totally stand-up outfit but hats have, over time, become sort of a niche interest as opposed to the rest of their traditional clothing line. You see this with Orvis and Filson too, which offer very well-made clothing but mostly indifferent felt hats, generally worse, in sizes M-L-XL. Most customers don't know better or care, alas.

 

[carldelo]

It appears that some like the hat and some don't. I wonder, is that due to individual taste or are there quality control issues (some hats better than others)?

I considered having them send a replacement in the correct size (1 size down from my actual hat size) to see if the quality was any better. I noticed that my hat shipped from Hatco to LLBean in June 2009, so maybe it's from an old, lousy batch. But I don't really want to get into a mail-order roundabout. I would be happy to look over a display in a retail store, but they're not close enough to NYC.

I completely agree with Woodfluter below - hats are not receiving proper quality control at these large outdoor retailers due to ignorance in both buyers and sellers.

 

[maxhogan]

Advice, please

Hello all, I am looking for a nice everyday hat and like the look of the Stetson Moose River Hat from LL Bean. I asked them if it came pre-creased and they did not know, since it it shipped from Stetson. Does anyone have this hat and what is your opinion of it? I also like the Stratoliner, but I don't know if there's a big difference between the two. Thanks for any advice/opinions.

 

[KyleK]

The Moose River is pre-creased identically to the modern Stratoliner. The Strat's bound brim is 2 1/2" where as the Moose River is 2 3/8" and a raw edge. That and the ribbon treatment are the only differences.