Moose River Hat

[TPD166]

First post here (have been visiting for years, but only recently joined) and realize this is an old thread, but I am quite pleased with my L.L. Bean Moose River. I bought the khaki green at the L.L. Bean store, used a Hat Jack to squeeze a 7-3/8 out of a 7-1/4 (the largest they had in the store) and the size has held. I have had it for about eight years, have worn in the rain and snow often, and it still looks as good as when I bought it. It is very soft and comfortable to wear. I did not care for the leather hatband (I primarily wear an Open Road, but I occasionally wear the Moose River with suits, etc. when the weather is not OR friendly), but when visiting Hertitage Hats in Phoenix, AZ, recently I found rack of "do-it-yourself" replacement ribbon bands. I replaced the leather hatband with wide grosgrain ribbon in dark olive and it looks like a different hat! I also tried the Moose River in Silverbelly a few years ago and immediately sent it back - very stiff and had a "cheap" look to it.

 

[hatflick1]

My pitch would be: spend a little more, get a better quality hat.
http://www.davidmorgan.com/product_info.php?products_id=1

 

[carldelo]

^^^ I agree with the sentiment, but the Banjo Paterson isn't very similar to the Moose River. To upgrade and keep the same look, I would recommend moving up to a Sovereign felt Stetson like the Bear Creek from Noggintops:
http://www.noggintops.com/Stetson-Bear-Creek/dp/B005QCC3XO

Or the Stetson Vintage, from Bencraft:
http://www.bencrafthats.com/product.php?pid=18&subcname=Stetson

 

[Chuck Naill]

My first post...I have had a MR for ten years and used in all types of weather. When the brim begins to curl up, I use a steam iron at highest setting and using a cotton cloth, reshape the brim. The wool on this hat is soft to the touch and I get many compliments.

 

[Big Man]

I used to wear L.L. Bean's Moose River hat almost daily. Back in the 1970's, I worked for the Forest Service and worked outside almost every day - rain or shine, hot or cold. The Moose River hat got quite a workout. During that time I was also big into backpacking, camping, hiking, and rock climbing (hey, it was the '70's, you know). Any way, needless to say, I gave the Moose River hat a real test of its quality, and I couldn't have asked for a better hat. I went through probably three of them from the mid-1970's through the mid-1980's.

I went through a short period when I didn't wear a hat, but when I started back to hat wearing I started with another type hat (still a fedora style, but just not the Moose River hat). So, flash forward to today. I have regained my old interest in hiking, camping, and backpacking, and needed a good "outdoors" type hat. L.L. Bean's Moose River hat was the first thing that came to mind. Knowing how things change over the years, I wondered if the "new" Moos River was anything like the "old" Moose River.

By way of comparison of the "old" and "new" hats, here's an old photo of me wearing a Moose River hat in 1981. By the way, that's my grandmother in the photo with me. She was 99 years old at the time that photo was taken.





I ordered a Moose River hat from L.L. Bean and it came in a couple days ago. The "new" hat is quite different from the "old." The new hat is much softer felt with a raw edge (although the catalog shows a bound edge), and is of a considerably heavier weight felt. The new hat also has a lining. The old hat was simply marked inside as "L.L. Bean", while the new is marked "Stetson" and "L.L. Bean." In my opinion, the new hat is almost too "nice" of a hat to wear as a true outdoor adventure hat, but that's the kind of use I plan to give the hat.

All in all, I like the "new" hat. While it's not the same kind of hat as I remember from years past, I am pleased with the hat. Time will tell if the new hat stands up to the test like the old hat did. Here are a couple photos of the hat taken yesterday while out and about along Paddy's Creek in the mountains of western NC.

 

[rclark]

Is it a fur felt or wool? It looks great!

 

[KyleK]

Is it a fur felt or wool? It looks great!

They're fur. Pretty much the same attributes as a standard, modern day Stetson hat.

 

[alanfgag]

Wear the hell out of it, Big Man.

 

[Big Man]

Wear the hell out of it, Big Man.

That's the plan.

 

[gtdean48]

My outdoor hat is a beater Akubra Campdraft after I retired a beater Open Road. I had both moss & silverbelley Moose Rivers. My son trashed the SB & gave the moss to brother-in-law, brim just to narrow for me...Old MR seemed to be more in line with Open Roads than new ones....look forward to your results....

Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk

 

[Rick Blaine]

Looks super, Big guy. :thumb:

It almost looks closer to 2 1/2" than the old 2 3/8" brim.
If it is at 2 1/2" I'd be quite tempted to give it a try, what with the report on the improved felt quality.

I don't think there is a better place in the east to hike, hunt, fish or suchlike than western North Carolina/E. Tn.
Outstanding.

 

[Landman]

I have a silverbelly Moose River I bought about 2 years ago. It seems to be the exact same hat as the newer Stetson Stratoliner (not the open crown Premiere version) except it does not have a brim binding. The felt feels like it may be a little thicker too.

 

[Big Man]

I liked the Moose River hat in silverbelly so much, I decided to try the one in khaki. Why they call it "khaki" I don't know, as it is as brown as brown can be. I'd also like it better if it had a ribbon in place of the leather band, but that's just my personal preference. While the "khaki" and the silverbelly hats are both made by Stetson for L.L. Bean (and have the Stetson and Bean label inside), I believe the "khaki" hat is a bit thicker felt.

I got the silverbelly hat with the intention of using it as a hiking/camping/outdoor hat, but liked it so much that I decided to use it as a casual dress hat. So, that was the primary reason for getting the "khaki" hat, which is now my "woods" hat. I'll try to get my money's worth of wear out of this one for sure.

 

[1mach1]

Nice one, Big Man! Great look for you.

 

[RJR]

That is a good look.

 

[Big Man]

I thought I'd give a bit of a "review" on my L.L. Bean Moose River hat. I've had the hat now for a little over a year. Like I originally intended, I've used the hat as an outdoors hiking/adventure kind of hat. It's seen some good use on the trails across the mountains of Western NC this past year. It's been sweat soaked, rained on, and generally "well-used" during this time. I've tried not to abuse the hat, but haven't taken any special care of it either.

My critique of the L.L. Bean Moose River hat:

The hat has held up well to good, honest use. The brim does not hold its shape as well as I would like. It's just a little bit "wavy" along the edges. Also, where the front pinch is in the crown, it felt is beginning to get a little thin. I can definitely feel a "soft spot" there. While this hat is not the quality of the Moose River hats I used to have in the 1970s (and what is?), I am generally pleased with the way it has performed over the past year. If I continue to use it into the future like I have this past year, I would guess I can get another 10 years use from the hat.

 

[Trent]

I really love the way my brown Moose River looks on me, especially the way the brim can be snapped to an angle. Honestly, in terms of style, it is my favorite hat. It fits on my head like silk, just the right size. I bought mine at L.L. Bean, since I had some left over credit. I've had it about one year and it still looks good. However: it has only ever been lightly rained upon once or twice, and I immediately dried it out and brushed it clean. I do not think that this is really an outdoor sporting hat. It feels too fragile. And that's a shame, because it is supposed to be the perfect hat for fishing. I haven't tested it in the woods or in harsh weather, so I have no proof, but my gut says don't take this for serious outdoor use. But man, the looks are superb! I only wish it were a truly sturdy all-weather hat.

 

[Rick Blaine]

The "ball cap" of fedoras?

Got this beat to Hades, moth eaten old thing the other day for nuttin'.



and I really like to throw it on when doin' a beer run or working in the yard. I have thought about making it a SUMMER fur felt and let it acquire character - e.g. -earn sweat rings, blood, sweat and tears.
It makes a great beater, imo. Very unpretentious and low key.

 

[JessieJames]

Just acquired this Stetson Moose River for 75$ CAD from a thrift store. Been wanting a shorter brim Silverbelly for a while now!
I felt the felt (ha) was a bit off but also it's nowhere near the Vintage Stetsons. I realize now it's probably wool felt. Wish it was beaver but I want to wear this casually and can be a little less careful. It's in great condition. Unable to find a production date.

- There is no liner though which I find odd, maybe it got lost at some point.
- Don't know what the felt quality is?? anyone know? how can I confirm if it's wool or beaver?
- What year this would be?