Stetson Surplus

[gtdean48]

I will. Here's the kicker: my birthday and Christmas Day are nearly within 30 days of each other! So...many...choices....

My sister's b-day is Christmas & my dad's was New Years Eve. The holidays had so many reason to party!

 

[The Good]

Here's my contribution to the thread so far, a Stetson St. Regis:

Hat box:

Here it is in it's current state. One notable difference from my other pictures, is that I tapered it slightly with side creases, rather than focusing on the front. I even tried out the cattleman's crease, and it didn't look all that bad with it. I have a feeling that this won't be my last Stetson either.

P.S. Please excuse the rather pompous, tough-guy expression. I do this with lots of pictures really, except those which call for a smile. I'm a nice guy, really.

 

[Neophyte]

I've said it many times, but I'll say it again: You absolutely rock that Regis, J.B., and the homburg/leather jacket combo works really well!

 

[The Good]

I've said it many times, but I'll say it again: You absolutely rock that Regis, The Good, and the homburg/leather jacket combo works really well!

Thanks! I just remembered this thread, so I posted what I've got so far. If I buy another Stetson, that'll be shown here as well. I like the fact that I have one more fur felt to deal with (which is probably beaver for that matter), as it allows me to switch between wearing the Federation and Regis. Ever since I got it, these days I have to admit I've been wearing the homburg a little more, actually, but the Fed has seen action too, such as walking/hiking. Not something I'd personally do with my Stetson.

+1, that is a great hat, J.B.

Thank you, Ernest! It is definitely a good hat. I'm not sure if I'm ready to call it my favorite just yet though. I wear this one more often in town, for the record, and the Fed IV is my rough n' tumble hat, something I'm not terribly afraid to get dirty, as it adds to the character.

Ernest/SIZE]

 

[Big_e]

I've said it many times, but I'll say it again: You absolutely rock that Regis, J.B., and the homburg/leather jacket combo works really well!

+1, that is a great hat, J.B.
Ernest

 

[ScionPI2005]

I have to agree with Neophyte and Big E, J.B. That Regis is awesome!

 

[The Good]

Since this is the Stetson thread and all, I have to ask, what do you all think of one of Stetson's production western hats, the "Range?" Does anyone own this hat?

It's a little wider than the Open Road (3 inches), and has a 4 1/2 crown, but this seems like it's probably a good deal for someone wanting to buy a slightly lower profile western hat. The quality of the felt is Stetson's 4X though, same as the modern Open Roads, I think. I personally like it's subtle brim curl (it appears to be anyway), as opposed to an extreme "taco" brim curl featured on many western hats.

For something I could wear outdoors and relatively roughly (yardwork, hiking, sweating in it in general), would this be a decent hat? In theory, I like the shape of the hat. Do you think this is too "cowboy" for a southern California (coast) guy like me (I'd wear it on road trips across the states too, anyway), or is it cool? I'm not trying to be an urban cowboy sort, but I like western style, and would wear it in context, or outside of the city mostly.

Alternately, I could go with an Open Road hat, whether modern, vintage (very hard for me to find one lately), or a clone like the Campdraft, but that's a bit different; less brim, and it's bound. I kind of thought the Range looked a bit like an Open Road, but wider and unbound.

Here's a modern Stetson Open Road for a comparison:

These are ones I like too, differences in shaping the brim:

 

[gtdean48]

The Range has a lot more crown to it than the OR in addition to the extra brim width. Both modern versions have plenty of shellac. Unless you really want to cowboy-up, the Range would not be my choice for what you have described. An Outback style or as you state, an Akubra Campdraft would be my choice. I have an old Range, new & vintage ORs plus Campdrafts in 4 different colors. The Range only gets wear going to horse shows & rodeos...

 

[The Good]

The Range has a lot more crown to it than the OR in addition to the extra brim width. Both modern versions have plenty of shellac. Unless you really want to cowboy-up, the Range would not be my choice for what you have described. An Outback style or as you state, an Akubra Campdraft would be my choice. I have an old Range, new & vintage ORs plus Campdrafts in 4 different colors. The Range only gets wear going to horse shows & rodeos...

Thank you, Gtdean. I'll take that into consideration, but you wouldn't mind posting a photo of what your Stetson Range looks like, preferably worn on you, right? I have seen it displayed on many hat websites, although never on anybody's head. I'm just curious to see what it looks like when properly worn.

 

[monbla256]

J.B.
You have put out 2 possibly 3 hat want's and 1 hat WON'T satisfy all Narrow your style/look down to 1 and THEN look for a hat made to satisfy it. Western hats made today are made for a market that wants their hat to survive the horse (aka Pick-Up ) running over it and STILL look the SAME as before it got run over, hence they are almost all heavily loaded w/ stiffener and take many seasons to loose it !! If your looking for a softer felt, somewhat a cross bwtn western/fedora then an Akubra Squatter or Campdraft, (even a Bushman if you want a 3 1/4" WIDE brim) will probably satisfy your needs (wants ) better. I don't think the Stetson Range would really satisfy your perceived ideas of what you want ( unless you WANT a more conservative styled WESTERN hat )

 

[gtdean48]

Thank you, Gtdean. I'll take that into consideration, but you wouldn't mind posting a photo of what your Stetson Range looks like, preferably worn on you, right? I have seen it displayed on many hat websites, although never on anybody's head. I'm just curious to see what it looks like when properly worn.

It would do you no good because if you don't know by now, there isn't a factory made hat in my house that looks like any photo you'll find of one. Crown crease, hat band, brim shape are nothing like that photo you see in catalogs or online. I ain't the one to compare for "properly worn" for sure.

 

[gholla]

beautiful!

 

[Bebop]

J.B., I have a modern OR and I shape the brim to any of the styles you posted so maybe one hat can satisfy your needs if you play around with the brim when you want a different style. I live on the coast in S.F. 6 months of the year and feel a little out of place if I wear my OR in the city but when I am in Eastern Wa. state, it's a nice hat that I use without a second thought. I think it would look good with a fedora style brim job (2nd photo, like I have mine) considering your face shape. It all depends on how comfortable you feel wearing western in So. Ca. It's your call.

 

[The Good]

J.B., I have a modern OR and I shape the brim to any of the styles you posted so maybe one hat can satisfy your needs if you play around with the brim when you want a different style. I live on the coast in S.F. 6 months of the year and feel a little out of place if I wear my OR in the city but when I am in Eastern Wa. state, it's a nice hat that I use without a second thought. I think it would look good with a fedora style brim job (2nd photo, like I have mine) considering your face shape. It all depends on how comfortable you feel wearing western in So. Ca. It's your call.

Thank you, Bebop. I'm curious though, have you ever worn your Open Road in the rain? If so, how did it hold? This is something I hold in high importance; a hat that can stand some rain without too many problems.

 

[Bebop]

I don't recall ever using my newer Open Road in the rain. I usually go for a wider brimmed hat for rain duty but my older, vintage Open Roads do just fine. I have read mixed results when it comes to wearing newer Stetsons in the rain (some complain of the color running on dark hats). I have several other newer Stetsons that I use in the rain (my favorite being a Diamond Jim in black) that have held up just fine with none of the problems some seem to have. I would imagine that the felt on other newer Stetson hats is the same as on a newer Open Road.

 

[The Good]

Thank you. As you may know, I'm torn between the modern Stetson Open Road, and the Akubra Campdraft. From what I know, the Campdraft may be sturdier and more able to hold up during rainfall, but it doesn't rain here too often, and I may rely on my two or three other hats for that purpose, mainly. I actually think the cattleman's crease (or alpine crease) is cool, and I think it's something I can wear and still look good in it. It seems that if one were to attempt a cattleman's crease on a Campdraft, it would look too high, due to the crown height. At least based on a couple of owner's posts in the past...

Has your Open Road softened up a bit, though?

 

[Bebop]

Yes J.B., my OR has softened up quite a bit in the 2 years I have owned it. When I first bought it, I tried making it into a sort of pinch front fedora and it didn't hold up well. You could still see the cattleman's crown in there so I took it back to a cattleman's crown and I think that all that steaming and re-shaping of the crown softened it up.

I agree that the Campdraft may be a little too high for the cattleman's crown.

 

[theinterchange]

I agree that the Campdraft may be a little to high for the cattleman's crown.

Unless you're as big as Hoss Cartwright, the Campdraft with a cattleman's crease would look huge!

Randy

 

[frussell]

NOT. Since it has pretty much the same dimensions as an older Open Road, the Campdraft takes on a "cattleman's crease" just fine. I'd post pictures, but after winning a vintage OR, I put my silverbelly CD back into a fedora shape. It's just a matter of making the center dent a little deeper, or the side dents more pronounced. I've left my OR in the LBJ/cattleman's crease, because I just can't decide how else to shape it, and it's a classic. Then again, I am as big as Hoss Cartwright, and just as handsome. Frank

 

[Chascomm]

My only Stetson, given to me by my grandfather many years ago:

I'm guessing made around about 1950, here in Western Australia under license to Stetson