Best Straw Fedora hats?

[skyvue]

Hi Worf,
If you're interested in any of my hats hit me up with a pm. I'm currently cutting down a bit.

For straws: to those like me that sweat a lot in the heat I would recommend one of the Akubra poly-straw hats like the capricorn. They can handle sweat, rain and washing without deforming. A cheap cuenca panama hat from Panama Bob isn't a bad option either if you don't mind not getting it wet. Panamas are lighter and probably a bit cooler but much more fragile than the poly-straw hats.

Does anyone in the US carry those poly-straws? I don't mind ordering from Australia, but all the larger sizes -- 63 and, when available, 64 -- seem to be three-month waits. That would leave me receiving my hat in August.

 

[KingAndrew]

Skyvue, you might want to look into some of the poly-straw Stetson hats, like the "straw" Stratoliner that many Loungers own and like. Bencraft is one of many US retailers who carry them. These are "off the shelf" so you don't have that 90-day wait (plus shipping from Downunder).

To be fair, although I don't own any Akubra straws, Hats Direct was a pleasure to work with when I got my Fed IV.

Andrew

 

[jlee562]

As stated in the thread that this one was merged into, Optimo makes some really nice natural straw hats if that's in your budget. They tend to be cooler than the poly straws in my opinion.

The nice thing about the poly straws though is that they're relatively cheap, don't mind a bit of water, and are readily available in a well stocked hat shop stateside or online.

And, as Sam pointed out above, Panama Bob at Panamas.biz offers Panamas at a variety of price points from under $40 to over $1,000. Tom Gomez is another guy who specializes in Panamas and is recommended around these parts.

 

[jkingrph]

Make a visit to Meyer the Hatter on St Charles st.

 

[Tomasso]

[SIZE=3 looking for summer straw hat recommendations. Style is important but cooling ability moreso. [/QUOTE]I would recommend an open weave.

 

[Cattus Petasatus]

but Casehopper won't sell me the one's I like !

Casehopper is a good man to deal with. He sold me the Stetson OR I wore today.

Thanks Case.