The Open Road Guild

[Atticus Finch]

Lottsa ORs!

I remember, shortly after joining this forum, looking at the beautiful collections of the other members, and thinking to myself, "Nice, but why own so many hats? Doesn't a person have only one head?" Well, only three short years later, here's my current collection of ORs and OR-like hats. All are in size 7 3/4 or 7 5/8.

I have to admit, this hat collecting thing has kinda snuck up on me.

Moving clockwise from the foremost:

1. 'Fifties, 3X Beaver, silverbelly Open Road.
2. Modern Camp Draft in Fawn.
3. Modern OR.
4. Seventies, Sovereign Quality, unnamed OR.
5. 'Fifties Stetson Panama OR.
6. 'Sixties OR.
7. Modern Camp Draft in Silverbelly.
8. Modern Straw OR (center).

AF

 

[RBH]

I remember, shortly after joining this forum, looking at the beautiful collections of the other members, and thinking to myself, "Nice, but why own so many hats? Doesn't a person have only one head?" Well, only three short years later, here's my current collection of ORs and OR-like hats. All are in size 7 3/4 or 7 5/8.

I have to admit, this hat collecting thing has kinda snuck up on me.

Moving clockwise from the foremost:

1. 'Fifties, 3X Beaver, silverbelly Open Road.
2. Modern Camp Draft in Fawn.
3. Modern OR.
4. Seventies, Sovereign Quality, unnamed OR.
5. 'Fifties Stetson Panama OR.
6. 'Sixties OR.
7. Modern Camp Draft in Silverbelly.
8. Modern Straw OR (center).

AF

W O W !!! :eusa_clap
You sir ... have some great hats!!!

 

[Bob Smalser]

Here's a similar collection. I've worn fedoras for almost 50 years but since discovering this site, have been trading out for all Open Road styles, as since I retired I'm rarely in something other than work or casual clothes.

Clockwise from top left:

Stetson light tan beater to wear on painting jobs.
Stockman of Hollywood custom in Carhartt Brown.
Stetson 25 Silver Belly from the 1950's. My dress hat.
Adam Mainliner in tan from the 1950's.
Resistol 3X in Silver Belly from the 1950's.
Borsalino Alessandria in gray, rebuilt by Catalena Hatters.
Pan-a-lite straw for the rare hot day here.
Stetson 3X in chocolate brown from the 1960's.

To round out the rotation to match my current wardrobe, I have a Bluegrass Green Campdraft on order and am looking for black and dark gray Open Road styles. Once I have those, I'll keep my hand in trading up. I really like the Resistol Beaver 100 I got for the wife.

 

[gtdean48]

Bob & Atticus :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap
Now I want to do a group shot....will have to wait until SWMBO is not around, don't want to be caught with that evidence all laid out!!

 

[RBH]

Here's a similar collection. I've worn fedoras for almost 50 years but since discovering this site, have been trading out for all Open Road styles, as since I retired I'm rarely in something other than work or casual clothes.

Clockwise from top left:

Stetson light tan beater to wear on painting jobs.
Stockman of Hollywood custom in Carhartt Brown.
Stetson 25 Silver Belly from the 1950's. My dress hat.
Adam Mainliner in tan from the 1950's.
Resistol 3X in Silver Belly from the 1950's.
Borsalino Alessandria in gray, rebuilt by Catalena Hatters.
Pan-a-lite straw for the rare hot day here.
Stetson 3X in chocolate brown from the 1960's.

To round out the rotation to match my current wardrobe, I have a Bluegrass Green Campdraft on order and am looking for black and dark gray Open Road styles. Once I have those, I'll keep my hand in trading up. I really like the Resistol Beaver 100 I got for the wife.

Bob, those are great hats!! I like the looks of that Pan-a-lite !

 

[gtdean48]

Bob, those are great hats!! I like the looks of that Pan-a-lite !

:arated: And I'm digging that chocolate brown Stetson!!!

 

[Inusuit]

I remember, shortly after joining this forum, looking at the beautiful collections of the other members, and thinking to myself, "Nice, but why own so many hats? Doesn't a person have only one head?" Well, only three short years later, here's my current collection of ORs and OR-like hats. All are in size 7 3/4 or 7 5/8.

I have to admit, this hat collecting thing has kinda snuck up on me.

Moving clockwise from the foremost:

1. 'Fifties, 3X Beaver, silverbelly Open Road.
2. Modern Camp Draft in Fawn.
3. Modern OR.
4. Seventies, Sovereign Quality, unnamed OR.
5. 'Fifties Stetson Panama OR.
6. 'Sixties OR.
7. Modern Camp Draft in Silverbelly.
8. Modern Straw OR (center).

Atticus,

I like the fact that you have retained the Cattleman's crease on some of your ORs.

 

[Atticus Finch]

Atticus, I like the fact that you have retained the Cattleman's crease on some of your ORs.

Thanks, Insuit. Much of the reason is that I'm timid to rebash a vintage hat. The other reason is that I get many more compliments on my cattleman's creased ORs than my fedora ORs. I'm not sure why. Maybe the shape of my punkin' head goes better with that bash, I don't know.

So...except for my '50s OR which came to me as a fedora, all of my Open Roads are cattleman's creased. My other fedora "ORs" are actually Camp Drafts.

AF

 

[Bob Smalser]

Dunno about where you are, but there's a protocol for such things around here. As a logger in a region with both, I wouldn't want a real cattleman to poke me in the eye for putting on airs trying to look like something I'm not.

But otherwise, I've come to love the cattleman's crease. It's the single greatest reason many of these fine, high-end hats remain such steals.

$12.21 Pan-a-lite

$19.91 Stetson 5X

$49.00 Stetson 25

$22.01 3X Resistol

$20.50 Stetson Sovereign

$18.25 Adam Executive

And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

 

[Michaelshane]

I have several OR's ,if they come with a cattlemans crease I leave them that way,after all this is New Mexico

 

[gtdean48]

I get enough cowboy comments with the OR's in teardrop creases....
Could be the Wranglers & Ropers I wear every day too...

 

[St.Ignatz]

My app for membership. Help with the date please.

Proud papa pose.

 

[gtdean48]

VERY Nice! I'd say late 40's or early 50's... :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[St.Ignatz]

Thanks GTD.

 

[jimmy the lid]

Nice one, St. Ignatz. Looks great!

I'd put that one in the late 50's/early 60's zone...

Cheers,
JtL

 

[Atticus Finch]

\

The lining of your Open Road looks very similar to that of a 3X OR that I bought a few weeks ago.

AF

 

[St.Ignatz]

That OR of yours I under bid. This one was not getting by me. Minimal use from previous owner. Second time worn it just settled on the dome and felt like i've worn it for years.

 

[Atticus Finch]

That OR of yours I under bid. This one was not getting by me. Minimal use from previous owner. Second time worn it just settled on the dome and felt like i've worn it for years.

Ooops! Sorry. I guess that OR was sort of the "Holy Grail" for me, too. As you probably know, size 7 5/8 LO is kinda tough to come by. But you ended up doing very well. Your OR appears to be in excellent shape and is a Royal Delux, to boot!

I actually think enough of my old Open Road that I bashed my silverbelly Camp Draft to match it. That way, the Camp Draft can be my everyday hat while the OR only comes out for dress occasions.

AF

 

[Chinaski]

Submitted for your approval...

Okay, nowhere on this hat does it say Open Road, so you'll have to decide whether or not I am eligible for membership in the Guild. This is a Royal Stetson, and I'd appreciate any input on dating this hat. There seems to be a couple anomalies - it looks like it had a wind trolley, which I've read Stetson stopped doing in the 70's, but you can see in one of the pics that what was once possibly a cord has been snipped. Also looks like a dark brown sweat, not brown like vintage and not black. Let me know what you think.

 

[gtdean48]

It is an OR style but there are Stetsons that are of the style but do not say Open Road anywhere. Did you look behind the sweatband for any tags? I had a more modern one that had OPRD on a tag.
That looks like the reminants of a lapel cord.
I have a Stetson 25 that looks exactly like my Open Road, wind trolley & all, but does not say Open Road anywhere & therefore I cannot claim it as an Open Road.
Earlier on in this thread, I read "If it doesn't say Open Road, then it is not an Open Road".