Maybe someone who knows about making hats might be able to help here. I purchased a new panama from Panama Hats Direct which I’m having trouble with as to the fit. Being my second hat from them, I opted to get a higher quality weave (Super Fino) than my previous one (Fino...which I’ve worn to death and is beginning to fall apart from use: backpacking, fishing, walking the dog, caught in rain storms etc…). The Super Fino is beautiful and quite pleased with the quality of the hat, however it does not stay on my head with the gentlest of breezes. The previous one I could pull down and it’d stay on tight regardless of any wind; this one?… not so; it pops off at the slightest provocation.
My head measures 58.5 and this hat was supposed to be a 59; my own measurement shows a sloppy +59'ish. I’ve a few custom made felt hats are all 59s and they fit perfect without fear of blowing off in a gust.
I don’t know how milliners measure/determine size, but as to the best of my efforts. mine seem to measure ~59 around the outside diameter of the leather hat band, while the inside is closer to about 57.5 - 58; making for a secure snug, but not uncomfortable fit. I know felt w/leather sweat bands will slightly stretch out and form fit itself; a good thing! Every time I don one, it's a pleasure feeling the hat fit just so!
I’ve tried sizing down the panama with cork insert strips and they mostly distort the shape of the hat when worn (more pressure/stress with such a fine light weave?) and the hat still want’s to pop up and off the back of my head without any grip. The leather sweatband helps with the front of the head, though I can't help but think a better quality of band would improve things drastically.
The panama measures a sloppy 59 on the inside, so it’s definitely larger than what I normally wear and while the inserts used to size it down doesn’t seem to fix anything, my only other thought is that rather than the walls of the hat band being vertical I............I where it can grip your head, they’re more conical /………..\ which encourages it to slip up and off no matter the fit.
Needless to say, this experience has kind of soured me with online-purchases, especially out-of-country ones and I hesitate to "try again". My first round with PHD was a hat obviously too small for what was ordered, and while I was able to return it, get my return shipping fees back and replaced with a proper fit, it was painstaking and required a lot of negotiations and holding my ground to get it done. I took another chance upgrading to this second hat, but at this point, it's lost money unless it's an indoor hat (huh???)
Now my questions is: a custom hat from someone like Brent Black or a shop in Santa Fe where I frequent? Brent seems to address the fit issue with sending multiple sizes of bands to try on, which I like, and I’d hope the quality and size/shape of the bands would help with the fit, rather than the low quality leather band from PHD, which are smaller/thinner leather with limited structure and hence grip. Of course, the cost jump is pretty extreme and just wondering if it’s worth it or… if there’s another option for tackling this ill-fitting hat of mine. Any chance re-blocking it, or a new sweatband to fix the problem? If it's structural, such as the conical shape of the walls, does that make this all moot?
My head measures 58.5 and this hat was supposed to be a 59; my own measurement shows a sloppy +59'ish. I’ve a few custom made felt hats are all 59s and they fit perfect without fear of blowing off in a gust.
I don’t know how milliners measure/determine size, but as to the best of my efforts. mine seem to measure ~59 around the outside diameter of the leather hat band, while the inside is closer to about 57.5 - 58; making for a secure snug, but not uncomfortable fit. I know felt w/leather sweat bands will slightly stretch out and form fit itself; a good thing! Every time I don one, it's a pleasure feeling the hat fit just so!
I’ve tried sizing down the panama with cork insert strips and they mostly distort the shape of the hat when worn (more pressure/stress with such a fine light weave?) and the hat still want’s to pop up and off the back of my head without any grip. The leather sweatband helps with the front of the head, though I can't help but think a better quality of band would improve things drastically.
The panama measures a sloppy 59 on the inside, so it’s definitely larger than what I normally wear and while the inserts used to size it down doesn’t seem to fix anything, my only other thought is that rather than the walls of the hat band being vertical I............I where it can grip your head, they’re more conical /………..\ which encourages it to slip up and off no matter the fit.
Needless to say, this experience has kind of soured me with online-purchases, especially out-of-country ones and I hesitate to "try again". My first round with PHD was a hat obviously too small for what was ordered, and while I was able to return it, get my return shipping fees back and replaced with a proper fit, it was painstaking and required a lot of negotiations and holding my ground to get it done. I took another chance upgrading to this second hat, but at this point, it's lost money unless it's an indoor hat (huh???)
Now my questions is: a custom hat from someone like Brent Black or a shop in Santa Fe where I frequent? Brent seems to address the fit issue with sending multiple sizes of bands to try on, which I like, and I’d hope the quality and size/shape of the bands would help with the fit, rather than the low quality leather band from PHD, which are smaller/thinner leather with limited structure and hence grip. Of course, the cost jump is pretty extreme and just wondering if it’s worth it or… if there’s another option for tackling this ill-fitting hat of mine. Any chance re-blocking it, or a new sweatband to fix the problem? If it's structural, such as the conical shape of the walls, does that make this all moot?
