The Stratoliner Appreciation Club {MODERN}

[Art Hat1]

As promised, late because of both work and a cold, pics of the new Navy Hemp Strat just in time for Florida summer!

 

[M Hatman]

Premier Stratoliner....black.

I tucked the ribbon ends...just too long and floppy............

Love the red welt in the liner....

Now this one and my Premier Caribou BOTH were not very well flanged, almost entirely flat....
But I actually like it especially on the black...gives it more of a GAR hat vibe.

Not sure what the deal is......my Silverbelly and Cornhill are just as expected with the deep flange as on the Royal models.

Now the RD felt has a really good hand...especially on this black one.

 

[Art Hat1]

Curious how the basic Royal felt Strats are, thinking the silverbelly or the natural might make a good casual summer felt.

 

[Art Hat1]

Premier Stratoliner....black.
View attachment 492064
I tucked the ribbon ends...just too long and floppy............
View attachment 492065
Love the red welt in the liner....
View attachment 492068
Now this one and my Premier Caribou BOTH were not very well flanged, almost entirely flat....
But I actually like it especially on the black...gives it more of a GAR hat vibe.

Not sure what the deal is......my Silverbelly and Cornhill are just as expected with the deep flange as on the Royal models.

Now the RD felt has a really good hand...especially on this black one.

Cool idea with the ribbon, looks nice and tidy! That experience with the flange is unfortunate, probably to be expected from the mass production process I suppose but still.

 

[M Hatman]

Curious how the basic Royal felt Strats are, thinking the silverbelly or the natural might make a good casual summer felt.

Other than the low crowns which I rework as well as I can...they are a great summer felt.

 

[Art Hat1]

Other than the low crowns which I rework as well as I can...they are a great summer felt.

Cool. I’ve been stuck between it and a Campdraft. As much as I love the open crown I already have two Akubras and thought something a little different and low key would be nice.

 

[M Hatman]

Cool. I’ve been stuck between it and a Campdraft. As much as I love the open crown I already have two Akubras and thought something a little different and low key would be nice.

Yes, lower crown, shorter brim, definitely make them low key. And that Natural is awesome! Very versatile and consistent in color...unlike the Silverbelly (which I like, but the color is all over the place even on the modern ones). Look around...you can often get a good deal on the Royal Strats!

 

[Art Hat1]

Yes, lower crown, shorter brim, definitely make them low key. And that Natural is awesome! Very versatile and consistent in color...unlike the Silverbelly (which I like, but the color is all over the place even on the modern ones). Look around...you can often get a good deal on the Royal Strats!

Will do! Actually, as much as I like silverbelly in general the natural color sure looks handsome. And crazy as this sounds, as much as a tall boxy open crown generally is the preference, the pre-shaped c crown doesn’t look bad, very sleek and rakish at certain angles. The thin ribbon probably helps with that, keeping the visual proportions equaled out.

 

[hambone71]

Good morning, all! I had been chasing a premier strat for sometime now and they have been elusive, at least in my size and a color that I’d wear. Then out of nowhere, a 7 1/8 in cornhill finally showed up on the bay. Now the guy selling (not a member here) had the flange flattened somewhat and a cattleman’s crease put in by the folks at Delmonico. Apparently, he wasn’t satisfied with that shape and made his own attempt to reshape it into a tear drop. It didn’t look great but I figured I’d buy it and give it my best effort at reshaping. Couldn’t pass it up as it had a BIN for just under a hundo. I’ll share some pics of his listing and then show what I did to it.

Sellers pics: he had no head clearance whatsoever. It just sat on top of his head wobbly-like.

I worked on the hat for a bit and this is what I came up with. I used distilled water from a spray bottle and brought it back to open crown, I put in higher tear drop and created a little bubble for headspace.

The Royal DeLuxe quality felt is very thick in the crown and did not want to take a diamond shape, which is what tried, but I’m reasonably satisfied with these results. I may rework it later with some steam and see how that does.

 

[glider]

Looks really nice, actually better than a diamond bash IMO. You're right about the color, rare and sharp.

 

[RBH]

Good morning, all! I had been chasing a premier strat for sometime now and they have been elusive, at least in my size and a color that I’d wear. Then out of nowhere, a 7 1/8 in cornhill finally showed up on the bay. Now the guy selling (not a member here) had the flange flattened somewhat and a cattleman’s crease put in by the folks at Delmonico. Apparently, he wasn’t satisfied with that shape and made his own attempt to reshape it into a tear drop. It didn’t look great but I figured I’d buy it and give it my best effort at reshaping. Couldn’t pass it up as it had a BIN for just under a hundo. I’ll share some pics of his listing and then show what I did to it.

Sellers pics: he had no head clearance whatsoever. It just sat on top of his head wobbly-like.
View attachment 492970 View attachment 492971 View attachment 492972 View attachment 492973

I worked on the hat for a bit and this is what I came up with. I used distilled water from a spray bottle and brought it back to open crown, I put in higher tear drop and created a little bubble for headspace.

View attachment 492976 View attachment 492977 View attachment 492978 View attachment 492979

The Royal DeLuxe quality felt is very thick in the crown and did not want to take a diamond shape, which is what tried, but I’m reasonably satisfied with these results. I may rework it later with some steam and see how that does.

Looks very good on you. You did a great job with the crown crease.
I like the brim also, Im not really a fan of the high flange in back.

 

[hambone71]

Looks really nice, actually better than a diamond bash IMO. You're right about the color, rare and sharp.

Looks very good on you. You did a great job with the crown crease.
I like the brim also, Im not really a fan of the high flange in back.

Thank you, Gents! I like the hat and it seems to have scratched the itch for a Stratoliner. I will absolutely wear it! But I must admit that I like the taller crown and profile of a fedora-shaped OR over the Strat. While I was able to raise this crown and create a bubble for headspace, it still slightly rests on my head. Not a deal breaker at all.

@RBH I like the flatter flange in the back too.

 

[Tacocaster]

Hello, all.

I just received the new limited edition Stratoliner and I absolutely love it. This is the Camel color, and what I would describe as light grizzly felt. Really like the texture, as I’ve never seen a Strat with this texture. Fell in love with it when Stetson announced its release. They also have it in Saddle, which looks to be a dark brown on the Stetson website, and the texture looks very different. The Camel color on the site looks lighter than it does in person, and I was expecting it to be more of a Butterscotch, but I love it, nonetheless. I have several modern Strats and I have always loved them.

I am really impressed by the quality. (Modern) Stetson is a bit hit or miss/inconsistent in quality and sizing, but I can’t find a single fault in this hat. Stitching (surprisingly) looks great, sweatband looks awesome, and the hat is beautiful to me. $275 is quite a bit higher than they’ve been, considering they were $215 at the beginning of 2023, if I remember correctly.

These photos were taken outside in overcast lighting.

 

[Tacocaster]

Good morning, all! I had been chasing a premier strat for sometime now and they have been elusive, at least in my size and a color that I’d wear. Then out of nowhere, a 7 1/8 in cornhill finally showed up on the bay. Now the guy selling (not a member here) had the flange flattened somewhat and a cattleman’s crease put in by the folks at Delmonico. Apparently, he wasn’t satisfied with that shape and made his own attempt to reshape it into a tear drop. It didn’t look great but I figured I’d buy it and give it my best effort at reshaping. Couldn’t pass it up as it had a BIN for just under a hundo. I’ll share some pics of his listing and then show what I did to it.

Sellers pics: he had no head clearance whatsoever. It just sat on top of his head wobbly-like.
View attachment 492970 View attachment 492971 View attachment 492972 View attachment 492973

I worked on the hat for a bit and this is what I came up with. I used distilled water from a spray bottle and brought it back to open crown, I put in higher tear drop and created a little bubble for headspace.

View attachment 492976 View attachment 492977 View attachment 492978 View attachment 492979

The Royal DeLuxe quality felt is very thick in the crown and did not want to take a diamond shape, which is what tried, but I’m reasonably satisfied with these results. I may rework it later with some steam and see how that does.

I, too, just bought the same hat, in 7 1/4. I love the Cornhill color. Looks even better in person. Only issue is I’m a 7 3/8 99% of the time, so sadly, I might have to let this one go.

 

[hambone71]

I, too, just bought the same hat, in 7 1/4. I love the Cornhill color. Looks even better in person. Only issue is I’m a 7 3/8 99% of the time, so sadly, I might have to let this one go.

They're nice hats in the world of modern Stetsons and that camel is a great color. Wear it in good health!

Welcome aboard and be sure to post up a head shot in the What Hat Are You Wearing Today thread.

 

[Babbo Philipe]

Picked up a couple in Garland.
Caribou which had a wide bright blue ribbon but they changed it out for me to a thin 2 ply light grey. Plain black sweat.
View attachment 180111 View attachment 180114

And a dark sage with tone on tone ribbons. Almost a forest or dark moss green. Not a great pic of this one.
View attachment 180115 View attachment 180112
Photo of Sage showing liner and underside of brim is fairly close to actual color. Nice sweat on this one.

nice sweat indeed i have got one like this its a heavier leather than the newer ones thia shoud be strad B

 

[mojoboy31]

Currently, Stetson is my main brand. Not sure how it happened, but most my collection is made up of Stetsons. I have two Temples (Grey and Brown), an inexpensive, seemingly unnamed straw hat in tan, and then I saw the hemp straw one in Navy and Grey, which I'm a sucker for Navy blue anything, especially with grey accents, so I had to buy it.

It was a little fussy at first, too big, which is weird because all my other Stetsons have been 7 1/2, but no big deal, I got a huge pack of foam spacers on amazon, and fixed that right up. The brim is very soft, and difficult to shape, even with lots of steam, and it just naturally drooped to the left, which is a problem for me because I always crook my hats to the right. But I kept working at it, and increased the pinch on the crown, and it turned out to be my favorite summer hat by far-- so far. I am tempted to buy another one in another color.

So this year, for Christmas, I decided to brave the 45 minute drive to the only Habedasher in my area, and I was on a mission to try on felt Strats, and Open Roads. I wound up purchasing a grey royal deluxe Strat, and oh man, I love that hat. I steamed the crown and increased the pinch a little. Only "flaw" with it is the ribbon seems too long, and not anywhere near stiff enough, so it's always flopping around and curling, which only bugged me for about five minutes before I just totally fell in love with the rest of the hat.

I loved it so much, I only waited about two weeks before I made another pilgrimage to the only Habedasher (which is a great shop, am very lucky it's only a 45 minute drive away, it was founded 1921, and is in its third generation of family ownership)
And I immediately asked for a Navy Stratoliner in a 7 1/2. The one on the shelf fit completely different than the one I had just bought, and wore in to the shop. I think maybe it was a Pure Strat, not the Royal Deluxe, which from my previous visit, I found they fit a little larger than the Royal Deluxes do, but I was honestly too excited to pay that close of attention. They didn't have any more 7 1/2 on the shelf, and the employee whisked it away to check the basement to see if they had any other Navy Stratoliners in my size. He brought one out, still in the hatbox, fit like a glove, but very different from my grey Strat.

Shorter ribbon, stiffer, lays flat nicely, keeps its shape, doesn't flop around or curl. The felt itself feels stiffer, more durable. The leather band is softer, and a tan color rather than black. The whole thing just feels better and higher quality. I notice also, the hat box was an older design, with older logos than I've seen before. I don't know when it was made or how to tell, but I am guessing the hat is much older than the one I bought for Christmas. If I get time I'll post some pics.

Not sure if I want a third color on the Strat, or if I'll finally be brave and get an Open Road. lol

 

[jeffgarf]

Currently, Stetson is my main brand. Not sure how it happened, but most my collection is made up of Stetsons. I have two Temples (Grey and Brown), an inexpensive, seemingly unnamed straw hat in tan, and then I saw the hemp straw one in Navy and Grey, which I'm a sucker for Navy blue anything, especially with grey accents, so I had to buy it.

It was a little fussy at first, too big, which is weird because all my other Stetsons have been 7 1/2, but no big deal, I got a huge pack of foam spacers on amazon, and fixed that right up. The brim is very soft, and difficult to shape, even with lots of steam, and it just naturally drooped to the left, which is a problem for me because I always crook my hats to the right. But I kept working at it, and increased the pinch on the crown, and it turned out to be my favorite summer hat by far-- so far. I am tempted to buy another one in another color.

So this year, for Christmas, I decided to brave the 45 minute drive to the only Habedasher in my area, and I was on a mission to try on felt Strats, and Open Roads. I wound up purchasing a grey royal deluxe Strat, and oh man, I love that hat. I steamed the crown and increased the pinch a little. Only "flaw" with it is the ribbon seems too long, and not anywhere near stiff enough, so it's always flopping around and curling, which only bugged me for about five minutes before I just totally fell in love with the rest of the hat.

I loved it so much, I only waited about two weeks before I made another pilgrimage to the only Habedasher (which is a great shop, am very lucky it's only a 45 minute drive away, it was founded 1921, and is in its third generation of family ownership)
And I immediately asked for a Navy Stratoliner in a 7 1/2. The one on the shelf fit completely different than the one I had just bought, and wore in to the shop. I think maybe it was a Pure Strat, not the Royal Deluxe, which from my previous visit, I found they fit a little larger than the Royal Deluxes do, but I was honestly too excited to pay that close of attention. They didn't have any more 7 1/2 on the shelf, and the employee whisked it away to check the basement to see if they had any other Navy Stratoliners in my size. He brought one out, still in the hatbox, fit like a glove, but very different from my grey Strat.

Shorter ribbon, stiffer, lays flat nicely, keeps its shape, doesn't flop around or curl. The felt itself feels stiffer, more durable. The leather band is softer, and a tan color rather than black. The whole thing just feels better and higher quality. I notice also, the hat box was an older design, with older logos than I've seen before. I don't know when it was made or how to tell, but I am guessing the hat is much older than the one I bought for Christmas. If I get time I'll post some pics.

Not sure if I want a third color on the Strat, or if I'll finally be brave and get an Open Road. lol

Sounds like they had New Old Stock (NOS) just waiting for you to come along. Enjoy!

 

[RickP]

Be careful buying a Modern Stratoliner.... ( I have a few and like them all)... but once you handle an older origional Stratoliner (taller / straighter crown) you WILL end up with one or more of them too lol

The modern Whippets cause the same issue... they cause old versions to appear on your wall!

They both have their place and I love them both

 

[mojoboy31]

Be careful buying a Modern Stratoliner.... ( I have a few and like them all)... but once you handle an older origional Stratoliner (taller / straighter crown) you WILL end up with one or more of them too lol

The modern Whippets cause the same issue... they cause old versions to appear on your wall!

They both have their place and I love them both

I have been curious about the Whippet. Would you recommend them?