Panama Hat Thread

[Visigoth]

Right. I'm going to alert them to this page; maybe it will inspire them to stock up. And Tropicalbob: that's good to know about rolling. Kind of makes sense. When I finally buy a $50,000 Montecristi, I won't try that trick of pulling it through a wedding ring, or checking to see whether it holds water like a bucket.

 

[Tiki Tom]

I've never reviewed a hat here, but I just bought my first Panama, and I love it. Moreover, the customer service was far above and beyond what I expected, given that it cost only 55 euro.

About ten years ago, I spent about 55 euros on a Panama. A truly great investment. At the time I expected it to last a summer or two. Well, I still have it and I wear it frequently every year from may through september. The thing still looks like new and is in great shape. And I get a lot of positive comments from my friends in the baseball cap brigade. The hat has paid for itself about ten times over.

 

[Tukwila]

Keep looking around... Cuenca is chock-a-bock full of Panama hats looking for a home.

 

[tropicalbob]

About ten years ago, I spent about 55 euros on a Panama. A truly great investment. At the time I expected it to last a summer or two. Well, I still have it and I wear it frequently every year from may through september. The thing still looks like new and is in great shape. And I get a lot of positive comments from my friends in the baseball cap brigade. The hat has paid for itself about ten times over.

The truly odd thing is that your part of the world is more suitable to a Panama than mine is for the simple reason that for six months of the year we have a daily deluge. It started about two weeks ago and will continue through late October. If I wear a nice Panama or Milan I have to remember to bring a plastic bag with me. Otherwise, I wind up with an expensive handful of horse fodder.

 

[Tukwila]

The truly odd thing is that your part of the world is more suitable to a Panama than mine is for the simple reason that for six months of the year we have a daily deluge. It started about two weeks ago and will continue through late October. If I wear a nice Panama or Milan I have to remember to bring a plastic bag with me. Otherwise, I wind up with an expensive handful of horse fodder.

When I visited Miami last year I brought one hat with me, something Stetson calls their Florentine Milan Stratoliner. It's clearly a poly fiber Milan weave and worked great. We all went to the zoo one day and it would change from bright sun to sprinkle to downpour every hour or so... It did nothing bad to the hat at all.

The other fabric I'd suggest is hemp. Stetson makes a hemp Stratoliner that, in retrospect, I wish I would have bought instead of the poly Florentine model I did buy.

When it came time to buy a straw cap for quickly changing spring weather, I picked up a hemp straw cap from Keith Lo Bue at The Well Dressed Head. It's already been rained on hard and suffered no ill consequence. Keith's caps come with a little cap keeper "pillow" and after I wiped down the cap I just put the keeper inside the cap and hung it on a chair.

 

[TheGuitarFairy]

double header today: this and a western (finally) arrived.
don't know maker though vented sweat band has ubiquitous "genuine panama", there's a burned in brand that seems to read " .... ecuador" and a "7 3/8 custom made" size tag. do any of these features ring a bell re- maker? hat fits like a dream, nuts on.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I've never reviewed a hat here, but I just bought my first Panama, and I love it. Moreover, the customer service was far above and beyond what I expected, given that it cost only 55 euro. Of course, it's not a high-end hat for this price, but it's handwoven in Ecuador from toquilla palm straw; the finish is good; and, most importantly for me, the shape is close to what I look for in a vintage hat: a tall crown, with very little taper (in fact, negative taper when viewed from the front), and a wide brim. I asked them specifically whether they had a hat with these specifications, and they sent me photos of the three they had in stock so that I could choose. Again: amazing service. They also sent me an extra ribbon for free, in brown, as I wasn't sure I liked the black. The ribbon's serviceable, but I'm having it replaced with a vintage ribbon as we speak. Apparently the hat can be rolled, but I don't feel like trying that out on a new lid.

I've attached a couple of photos. The shape is pretty much as it came; except that I reshaped the brim, using steam.

It's from a London company called Equal Earth, and I purchased it through Amazon; you can also go straight to their website. Full disclosure: I have no connection to these guys, and paid full price. But I spent some time searching for an entry-level Panama, and this was a more elegant shape than I found elsewhere, even at much higher prices. And I figure this kind of service ought to be rewarded by an introduction to the Fedora Lounge.
View attachment 237691 View attachment 237692

Which model is your hat? Thanks.

 

[Tukwila]

If you look hard enough, you can find a hat that is blocked in more of a classic 50s style. This is one I wish I had gone back for... tall and blocky, like it was made just for me.

 

[Visigoth]

Which model is your hat? Thanks.

Mine is the "Genuine Rolling Panama Hat in Natural."

https://equalearth.co.uk/collections/panama-hats

 

[Visigoth]

The truly odd thing is that your part of the world is more suitable to a Panama than mine is for the simple reason that for six months of the year we have a daily deluge. It started about two weeks ago and will continue through late October. If I wear a nice Panama or Milan I have to remember to bring a plastic bag with me. Otherwise, I wind up with an expensive handful of horse fodder.

Just how damaging is rain to a Panama hat? I was assuming (hoping) that if you let it dry properly, it would be fine. Not the case?

 

[Rmccamey]

Whew...I thought for a minute that was your hat closet, Doug!!!

View attachment 237788 Keep looking around... Cuenca is chock-a-bock full of Panama hats looking for a home.

Yes, sir, that is the classic style I'd love to have in my rotation.

If you look hard enough, you can find a hat that is blocked in more of a classic 50s style. This is one I wish I had gone back for... tall and blocky, like it was made just for me.

View attachment 237881

 

[Rmccamey]

Do you have the dimensions, or an estimate, on this one?

If you look hard enough, you can find a hat that is blocked in more of a classic 50s style. This is one I wish I had gone back for... tall and blocky, like it was made just for me.

View attachment 237881

 

[Obsessed]

How much, if any, light should one expect to penetrate the crown of a good Panama hat? I have one from a well-regraded (and not cut-rate) company and when I hold it up to the light, i can see the light through myriad little holes. That doesn’t seem to bode well for keeping the sun off my head.

Thanks.

 

[Tukwila]

Do you have the dimensions, or an estimate, on this one?

I could only hazard a guess at this point, Randy. It's been over 2 years since I handled that hat. I'd guess 4-1/2 to 4-3/4" at the front crown and around 2-1/2" or more on the brim.

I prefer hats, generally, with a 4-3/4 to 5-1/4" front crown after crease, and around 2-3/4" brim... move that up to 3-plus inches for a sun hat. In the entire shop, this is the only one that really caught my eye, other than a $1500 Montecristi.

 

[Rmccamey]

Thanks Doug. That one has a very classy, and classic, look.

Yes, one of those $1500 Panama's caught my eye when I visited Optimo in Chicago a couple af years ago. It was nice to dream

I could only hazard a guess at this point, Randy. It's been over 2 years since I handled that hat. I'd guess 4-1/2 to 4-3/4" at the front crown and around 2-1/2" or more on the brim.

I prefer hats, generally, with a 4-3/4 to 5-1/4" front crown after crease, and around 2-3/4" brim... move that up to 3-plus inches for a sun hat. In the entire shop, this is the only one that really caught my eye, other than a $1500 Montecristi.

 

[tropicalbob]

Just how damaging is rain to a Panama hat? I was assuming (hoping) that if you let it dry properly, it would be fine. Not the case?

I don't know exactly because I can't afford to run any test cases, but it was raining so hard this afternoon we didn't get any mail delivery. A tropical downpour is a different beast from a spring rain in the northern latitudes. In fact, the one today came with a tornado. I'd imagine a straw caught in a rain like that would need some serious attention. I do have a couple of Sunbody straws that are fine in the rain, but they're heavier hats and therefore warmer on your head. Good hats, though, and reasonably priced.

 

[tropicalbob]

How much, if any, light should one expect to penetrate the crown of a good Panama hat? I have one from a well-regraded (and not cut-rate) company and when I hold it up to the light, i can see the light through myriad little holes. That doesn’t seem to bode well for keeping the sun off my head.

Thanks.

This has been an on-going discussion on the FL for some time, but I believe that the intensity of the sun's rays is significantly defused as they travel through a small aperture. I too, though, would like to hear from some of our more streamlined members on the matter.

 

[tropicalbob]

If you look hard enough, you can find a hat that is blocked in more of a classic 50s style. This is one I wish I had gone back for... tall and blocky, like it was made just for me.

View attachment 237881

I'd convinced myself that I had all the straw hats I would need: now this. Thanks a lot.

 

[Dotneck]

When I visited Miami last year I brought one hat with me, something Stetson calls their Florentine Milan Stratoliner. It's clearly a poly fiber Milan weave and worked great. We all went to the zoo one day and it would change from bright sun to sprinkle to downpour every hour or so... It did nothing bad to the hat at all.

So what is "a poly fiber"? Is it a synthetic and not an actual straw? I picked up one of these a couple weeks ago and if its a synthetic and can stand up to moisture it will change the way I can use it.

 

[Feliks G.]

I have a 1940s ish Panama style hat that I’m trying to sell. Does anyone know a good price? Or what it’s worth?

Should I sell it or nah.