Stetson "Nostalgia"? (now with pics)

[B.J. Hedberg]

That looks great!:eusa_clap:eusa_clap

I concur. Nice bash.

 

[Salty O'Rourke]

I was just visiting The Fedora Store and noticed they have Nostalgias going for $145. They have a 20% off coupon offer through the end of this month that makes it even better.

I have no connection with TFS, other than as a very satisfied customer.

 

[DapperDuck]

I was just visiting The Fedora Store and noticed they have Nostalgias going for $145. They have a 20% off coupon offer through the end of this month that makes it even better.

I have no connection with TFS, other than as a very satisfied customer.

I wish I had jumped on this a month ago. I want to get one for a family member who keeps messing with my hats, and I know he secretly wants a fedora.

It looks like the lead time is 4-6 weeks from thefedorastore.com, and I might not get if before Christmas. Does anybody know an online store that has Nostalgias in stock? I need a size 7 5/8ths.

 

[Mr E Train]

Call the Stetson/HatCo outlets in Garland, Texas, and St. Joseph, Missouri. They don't have an online store, but they'll get it to you quick if they have it in stock. The number for the Garland store is (972) 494-0337 and the St. Joe number is (816) 233-8031. I got a Nostalgia a few months ago from the Garland outlet for $99.95. Good luck!

 

[DapperDuck]

Call the Stetson/HatCo outlets in Garland, Texas, and St. Joseph, Missouri. They don't have an online store, but they'll get it to you quick if they have it in stock. The number for the Garland store is (972) 494-0337 and the St. Joe number is (816) 233-8031. I got a Nostalgia a few months ago from the Garland outlet for $99.95. Good luck!

Thanks Mr E Train! I managed to get a 7 5/8ths from the Garland location for $59.95 plus $10 for shipping. The lady on the phone said it should have been marked back up to $99.95. Maybe I got the Black Friday special.

 

[Mr E Train]

thanks mr e train! I managed to get a 7 5/8ths from the garland location for $59.95 plus $10 for shipping. The lady on the phone said it should have been marked back up to $99.95. Maybe i got the black friday special. :d

ALL RIGHT!! :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[Rapparee]

Hey, I'm a newbie to the forum but have been a hat wearer for the last 4 or 5 years, mostly indy though, i'm starting to branch out a little more. I was looking into the nostalgia, as i'm after a bogie style fedora. What is the quality of the felt like? It's either a toss up between that or waiting another while for a Penman, which I know from owning one already are awesome. Or maybe one of Art Fawcetts creations?

I thought it was hard finding my Indy fedora, but now i'm actually looking something that is "mine" if you get my drift. I'm a little lost as where to start.

The verdict on the Nostalgia quality wise?

 

[zetwal]

I was looking into the nostalgia, as i'm after a bogie style fedora. What is the quality of the felt like? It's either a toss up between that or waiting another while for a Penman, which I know from owning one already are awesome. Or maybe one of Art Fawcetts creations?

[...] now i'm actually looking something that is "mine" if you get my drift. I'm a little lost as where to start.

If you have narrowed it down to these choices, wait a little longer, pay a little more, and get the better custom hat.

 

[zetwal]

Oh! and welcome to the Lounge too!

 

[Blackthorn]

Hey, I'm a newbie to the forum but have been a hat wearer for the last 4 or 5 years, mostly indy though, i'm starting to branch out a little more. I was looking into the nostalgia, as i'm after a bogie style fedora. What is the quality of the felt like? It's either a toss up between that or waiting another while for a Penman, which I know from owning one already are awesome. Or maybe one of Art Fawcetts creations?

I thought it was hard finding my Indy fedora, but now i'm actually looking something that is "mine" if you get my drift. I'm a little lost as where to start.

The verdict on the Nostalgia quality wise?

I have a Nostalgia, and it shrank badly in the rain. Since you live in the land of eternal rain, that might be bad. And I have hats by both Penman and Fawcett, and Fawcetts are far better. After the first Penman I never bought another, but I now own 4 by Art.

Btw, having studied Irish history quite a bit, I like your screen name!

 

[B.J. Hedberg]

My rambling review of the Stetson Nostalgia at 3 months.

Mine arrived at the end of September of this year. I did not measure the exact sizing as it fit well, even a little loose; but it must have been slightly under the 7 1/4 listed. After soaking the hat through and through twice as part of my shaping and powder removal process, the felt shrunk slightly, and a slightly loose fit became a perfect fit.

Through October and most of November, I never had the chance to wear it in any significant rainstorms where I would be stuck outside for any period, and the hat performed very well. It sheds water well and isn’t terribly absorbent unless you actually dump water on it. Its size remained stable during that time.

Towards the end of November, I decided it was time to start really breaking things in. With no real rain (which I wasn’t going to stand out in for any period anyway), I simply used tap water (from a clean well), to thoroughly soak the hat for a third time. Again it did shrink slightly, making the fit tighter than I would like. I wet it through again and then stretched it with my basic hatjack, and it now is a bit looser than when I began. The leather sweatband did not shrink at any time, just the felt, so stretching it back into shape was very quick and easy. Time will tell how long the stretch will hold without again using the hatjack. I may just put it in when I take it off for the night.

Observations:​

Is the Nostalgia a good durable outdoor rain hiking hat?

The answer is no, use a raincoat with a hood for camping in the rain. It seems from my use, however, to hold up fine without shrinkage when exposed to the rain in limited capacities (ie going from the car to a building) as a dress hat normally would be in a basic rainstorm for a suburbanite. If it gets a through soaking, from a thunderstorm perhaps, it will probably shrink up as my experience and others have shown.​

Has the Nostalgia lived up to my expectations?

Most definitely. As I have no customs, it is the nicest hat I own. The feel of the felt, particularly after softening it up more, is simply wonderful; and it has held the rumples and shaping that I worked into the pinch and crown very well, regardless of the beatings I have been giving it to soften it up more. I was very disappointed that Stetson chose to powder an open crown hat.​

Would I purchase another?

Yes. At 5 1/2 inches, the crown is slightly lower than I require for my head in order to shape it as I like, so I am trying to save for a custom “clone” of it with a 6” crown first; but that aside, I wouldn’t mind obtaining both the black and brown versions to go with my caribou. I would order the black directly in the 7 1/4 size and simply stretch it if it were to shrink with use, which it may or may not. The brown I would order the next size up and just stuff the band as needed, since it would be more of an everyday “field” hat which I wouldn’t care if it got a bit dirty.​

Sizing Issues?

This is a tough one because I didn’t try to measure it when it first came. I figured it would be slightly undersized, and the fit met that expectation. Of course it was also relatively round, so that throws things off a bit. With a good military style haircut, I can wear a tight 7 1/8”that measures dead-on, so I wasn’t worried. If I was closer to the full 7 1/4, I would have to recommend going up to a 7 3/8”. If you live near an outlet store, or perhaps one of the rare shops with them in-stock, I would recommend trying them on if you are closer to the end of the size spectrum.​

All and all, I was pleased with the hat. It filled a niche I didn’t previously have, and allowed me to retire all my tapered low-crown hats into the closet. Here is a relatively recent photo.

 

[Mr E Train]

New Nostalgia in Caribou from the Fedora Store. I like it better than my old one from the HatCo outlet in Garland, which was probably a factory second. This one seems a little thicker and sturdier, with more snap to the brim. It's equivalent in stiffness to my Fed IV, which is the way I like it. I bashed it fairly identically to my Fed IV in about two minutes, with no water or steam, and it holds a bash like nobody's business. My Fed IV is my favorite, but it's on the snug side, so I decided to try a brand-new Nostalgia rather than a new Fed IV a size up. I love Akubras, but their sizing seems inconsistent sometimes, and I've had good luck with getting Stetsons that fit. This one fits great.

 

[B.J. Hedberg]

It’s a shame the Nostalgia didn’t hold up well for me over time, consigned to the closet I had disassembled it for parts, but because the ribbon had shrank too, there wasn’t any need for it. Rather than toss it, I picked up a straight side dome from hatshapers and reblocked it. Here are some pics (the felt is still wet in them, and I haven’t sanded the brim).

There isn’t enough felt to block it from top to bottom properly without ending up with a 1 1/2 brim, so it didn’t turn out the best at the brim break, but since I plan to use it as a beater, that will be OK. I’ve always loved the feel of the sovereign felt on this one. If I wasn’t afraid it would taper out substantially, I’d pick up a larger size Temple and try reblocking that.

I will say the best ribbon I have ever seen on any of my production hats is the Nostalgia's.

 

[Matt Deckard]

I remember the old Nostalgias from the first run they did about 10 years or more ago. Either very thin or very thick.

 

[jbucklin]

Does anybody here know what happened to Mr. E Train? I miss that guy.

 

[Matt Deckard]

Anyone else have an old Nostalgia on hand?

 

[Andykev]

I had an original Stetson "Indiana Jones" hat, then they came out with the "Nostalga". Never got one of those, and the nieces took the "Indy" hat.
Only have a bunch of original vintage Stetsons...a Whippet, some Royal Deluxe...etc. Gonna be unloading all my hat stuff soon.

 

[Matt Deckard]

Why all?

 

[Blackthorn]

Anyone else have an old Nostalgia on hand?

I have 2 that are about 3 years old. Why? Maybe that's not "old" like you're thinking.

One of them, a Caribou color, I wore in the rain, and now it would fit a 10 year old. The other, a mink, I never wore and is still in the box, after what I saw happen to the mink. If anyone wants to buy it, let me know.

 

[gtdean48]

Why all?

What Matt asks = Why all your hat stuff?