Which looks better -- a Stetson Open Road or an Akubra Campdraft with a Cattlemen's Bash?

[tropicalbob]

Anything but a Cattleman's crease for me. Too LBJ.

 

[T Jones]

My vote's for a vintage OR over the Campdraft, but not in a Cattleman's crease, though. I have a '50s era OR that has the same dimensions as the Campdraft, but the finish is far better. The finish on the Akubras are too scratchy in comparison. I have a couple of the later versions of the OR and I wish I hadn't wasted my money on them. Junk, IMO. I don't know about the new Royal Stetson OR, though. Akubra, along with a few other hat companies were licensed at one time to make ORs for Stetson. Akubra seems to have preserved the dimensions of the earlier vintage Open Roads. 5 3/4 inches Open Crown height and a 2 3/4 brim width, although the brim widths varied on the ORs. The only down side to finding a nice early vintage OR is the cost. A lot of ebay sellers can ask some ridiculously high money for them. Every now and then you may run across a seller who doesn't know what they have and you can pick up some nice stuff pretty cheap if no one else catches it. So, the big $$$ you would shell out for a nice vintage OR makes the Campdraft a more attractive option, and if you're fairly handy you can pounce it a bit to get a little smoother finish on the felt. But, an early vintage OR for me...

'50s era Open Road. 5 3/4 open crown height and a 2 3/4 brim width. I popped out the original Cattleman crease and reblocked it. I recreased it to a C crown and reflanged the OR brim to a fedora style on a brim flange. It's creased to 4 3/4 inches at the pinch with a rake sloping to 4 inches at the back...

...and it looks nice on Star Trek too

"I don't like that surfin' shit. Rock and roll's been going down hill ever since Buddy Holly died." John Milner, American Graffitti

 

[RJR]

My vote's for a vintage OR over the Campdraft, but not in a Cattleman's crease, though. I have a '50s era OR that has the same dimensions as the Campdraft, but the finish is far better. The finish on the Akubras are too scratchy in comparison. I have a couple of the later versions of the OR and I wish I hadn't wasted my money on them. Junk, IMO. I don't know about the new Royal Stetson OR, though. Akubra, along with a few other hat companies were licensed at one time to make ORs for Stetson. Akubra seems to have preserved the dimensions of the earlier vintage Open Roads. 5 3/4 inches Open Crown height and a 2 3/4 brim width, although the brim widths varied on the ORs. The only down side to finding a nice early vintage OR is the cost. A lot of ebay sellers can ask some ridiculously high money for them. Every now and then you may run across a seller who doesn't know what they have and you can pick up some nice stuff pretty cheap if no one else catches it. So, the big $$$ you would shell out for a nice vintage OR makes the Campdraft a more attractive option, and if you're fairly handy you can pounce it a bit to get a little smoother finish on the felt. But, an early vintage OR for me...

'50s era Open Road. 5 3/4 open crown height and a 2 3/4 brim width. I popped out the original Cattleman crease and reblocked it. I recreased it to a C crown and reflanged the OR brim to a fedora style on a brim flange. It's creased to 4 3/4 inches at the pinch with a rake sloping to 4 inches at the back...

...and it looks nice on Star Trek too

"I don't like that surfin' shit. Rock and roll's been going down hill ever since Buddy Holly died." John Milner, American Graffitti

Recrease/blocking looks good,nice job.

 

[Alexander Sommerset]

Well, since I am not a fan of the cattleman's crease in the first place....

 

[Benzadmiral]

. . .

...and it looks nice on Star Trek too

Spock: "I too prefer the fedora crease, Captain."
Captain T. Jones: "Mr. Spock, I do believe there's some hope for you after all."

 

[T Jones]

Spock: "I too prefer the fedora crease, Captain."
Captain T. Jones: "Mr. Spock, I do believe there's some hope for you after all."

Captain T. Jones: " I want his service record to end that way. He didn't ask for his hat to be creased differently".

 

[hatophile]

Problem is, I don't think Spock could get a fedora over those pointy ears.
Then again:

 

[Atticus Finch]

Just for reference, this is a a Heritage Camp Draft...blocked by Optimo.





AF

 

[Moviehats]

I hate the Cattleman's crease. Too many hats have it.

 

[Benzadmiral]

I'll be the first to admit the cattleman's crease looks odd from in front, unless the side dents are fairly shallow like Atticus's above. The hat comes off sort of conelike. But then, when you turn sideways, that squarish profile indeed makes you look like "the guy who owns the ranch."

 

[ConsiderMeMilesDavis]

Just for reference, this is a a Heritage Camp Draft...blocked by Optimo.





AF

Not a fan of the Cattleman, but if I were, this is exactly how I'd do it. Modern Stetsons pale in comparison to a modern Akubra, IMHO.

- m

 

[RJR]

Not a fan of the Cattleman, but if I were, this is exactly how I'd do it. Modern Stetsons pale in comparison to a modern Akubra, IMHO.

- m

Agree.

 

[Atticus Finch]

One of the many good things about the Camp Draft is that it comes with an open crown. One can block it as he wishes and it looks great creased or blocked as a fedora. Not so, the modern Stetson. I've never seen a modern Open Road successfully re-blocked as a fedora.

AF

 

[Benzadmiral]

Just for reference, this is a a Heritage Camp Draft...blocked by Optimo.



AF

I like that a lot, though I'm not sure if a brim-up configuration would look good on me. I usually wear my ORs or clones with the front brim snapped down in fedora style. A CD in Taupe Fawn, but creased like that, would be sharp.

 

[T Jones]

Recrease/blocking looks good,nice job.

Thanks buddy.

 

[gtdean48]

One of the many good things about the Camp Draft is that it comes with an open crown. One can block it as he wishes and it looks great creased or blocked as a fedora. Not so, the modern Stetson. I've never seen a modern Open Road successfully re-blocked as a fedora.

AF

I took a Road Master, which is same dimensions as an Modern OR except in natural beaver color as opposed to silverbelly, & put it in open crown then to a tear drop.
There just wasn't enough crown like a CD. I think the thread is still around...

 

[RJR]

I took a Road Master, which is same dimensions as an Modern OR except in natural beaver color as opposed to silverbelly, & put it in open crown then to a tear drop.
There just wasn't enough crown like a CD. I think the thread is still around...

Looks really good with that crease.

 

[g.durand]

I'll be the first to admit the cattleman's crease looks odd from in front, unless the side dents are fairly shallow like Atticus's above. The hat comes off sort of conelike. But then, when you turn sideways, that squarish profile indeed makes you look like "the guy who owns the ranch."

Agreed, Benz. I haven't been able to get any of my CDs to look good with a full cattleman's crease. The only way to do it may be Atticus Finch's Optimo option.

I've been able to take away some of the cone-like look from the front and still get the full "owns-the-ranch" side profile by doing what I call a modified cattleman's, with a center dent and by moving the side pinches slightly forward.

Here is my Stetson 100 shaped that way.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Agreed, Benz. I haven't been able to get any of my CDs to look good with a full cattleman's crease. The only way to do it may be Atticus Finch's Optimo option.

I've been able to take away some of the cone-like look from the front and still get the full "owns-the-ranch" side profile by doing what I call a modified cattleman's, with a center dent and by moving the side pinches slightly forward.

Here is my Stetson 100 shaped that way.

Sort of a compromise between, or hybrid of, cattleman's crease and fedora with (somewhat) forward pinches.

 

[hatophile]

That looks great Michael.