Panama Hat Thread

[Roninjedi]

Bao Straw Indy

Hello, guys and gals. If all straws are OK in this thread, then I'll submit my discount Indiana Jones straw hat. I picked it up last month from The Bay. It's a loose weave, so it's SPF is probably limited but when there's a breeze, the loose weave sure feels nice.

From the front:

I removed the cheesy Indiana Jones logo pin and added a pin I picked up at a local costume shop. I bought it to wear on my Moorish garb when I go to Renaissance festivals. I thought it was a perfect choice for this hat.

Closeup of the pin. (Isn't there a thread for pins somewhere?)

The hat on my freakishly large melon. It's really hard to find hats when you are a large size. Usually I have to make do with hats that are just a bit too snug. This a very lightweight hat with a bit of give in the weave so it's not much of a problem.

These are my first-ever image posts to this board. (I hope it works.)

 

[Garrett]

Lookin Sharp, Ronin :eusa_clap

 

[rlk]

Montecristi $11.02 fully Optimized

 

[Garrett]

:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[CRH]

...Montecristi $11.02 fully Optimized..[/QUOTE]

:eek:

:eusa_clap

 

[Lefty]

Beautiful. :eusa_clap

 

[WineGuy]

Bottom line...you look good in it Ronin!

But I hope you know that by hanging around this thread you are going to find yourself getting obsessed with Panamas and I'm willing to bet that by the time you hit your 100th post you will be the proud owner of a Montecristi :eusa_clap

 

[Garrett]

Great hat WineGuy, that ribbon is just phenomenal!
I'd like to share with you guys a couple of images of my Montecristi. I took it to my local hatter for a reblock and I picked it up today. I've mentioned before that this hat belonged to my father. He got it, according to my grandma, around 1986. The hat's in great shape. I remember it being whiter before, now it has a beautiful patina. The weave is just mind blowing. I don't want to sound pretentious here, but I haven't seen one with the texture of mine (maybe Gene's hat on the thread panama hat worth of FDR) It is very hard to focus with the camara so forgive the bad pictures. As with Gene's hat, mine has several pencil signatures. A couple under the crown and others under the sweatband including a set of numbers and a signature writtenn with ink

:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[WineGuy]

Hi rlk,
Did I miss something? Are you saying that the $11.02 "teaser" is the same hat as the $11.02 fully "Optimized" hat? It can't be, the weaves are completely different. Again, forgive me if I missed something, but those two hats are not one and the same from what I can see from the photos.

 

[Roninjedi]

But I hope you know that by hanging around this thread you are going to find yourself getting obsessed with Panamas and I'm willing to bet that by the time you hit your 100th post you will be the proud owner of a Montecristi :eusa_clap

OOOOHHH! Montecristi! I would definitely like one. I recall reading somewhere, though, that a tight llano weave can actually be kind of hot due to lack of airflow. I'm thinking that if I ever get a nice Montecristi, I'll probably only wear it with dressy outfits. If I'm gonna use an actual Ecuadorian Panama for frequent casual wear, it might be a looser brisa weave in a relatively inexpensive Cuenca like the ones Panama Bob carries. In fact, (if I ever have spare cash again) one of those will likely be my first "genuine" Panama. I've lurked this board long enough, that I'm already starting to obsess about the kind of hats I'd like to have.

 

[rlk]

Hi rlk,
Did I miss something? Are you saying that the $11.02 "teaser" is the same hat as the $11.02 fully "Optimized" hat? It can't be, the weaves are completely different. Again, forgive me if I missed something, but those two hats are not one and the same from what I can see from the photos.

Yes its the same hat. Note the slight edge discoloration visible in the box(left edge) and on the right side of the edge slightly towards the back in the front view of the finished hat.

 

[WineGuy]

To Ronin

You nailed it, Panama Bob is the one to go to, and believe me, you can wear a Montecristi day to day. I'm wearing a PB Montecristi with a tight 23x23 weave and while it might not ventilate as well as the open weave Brisa, it is sooooo light and airy on my noggin!

 

[WineGuy]

to rlk,

I'll take your word for it, but the weave on the Optimized hat seems double the density of the weave on the Teaser rolled hat. Is it just my aging eyes?

 

[WineGuy]

part II for Ronin

Forgot to mention, I also have an inexpensive Cuenca from PB with a more open weave, but there is an old expression:

"Luxury, once experienced, becomes necessity"

I just can't go back to it after wearing a Montecristi ;-)

 

[rlk]

I'll take your word for it, but the weave on the Optimized hat seems double the density of the weave on the Teaser rolled hat. Is it just my aging eyes?

Its quite a bit of magnification with a close up supplementary lens in the box image. The box is just a hair over 2" front to back inside.

 

[WineGuy]

rlk, got it! Thanks for putting up with my nit picking.

 

[Roninjedi]

Forgot to mention, I also have an inexpensive Cuenca from PB with a more open weave, but there is an old expression:

"Luxury, once experienced, becomes necessity"

I just can't go back to it after wearing a Montecristi ;-)

Ah! Okay. I was just concerned about comfort and wearability. I'd hate to get a nice Montecristi all sweated up, my first summer. Note my location. In the Austin area we've had an almost record number of over 100 days this summer (and the summer's not over) with an average yearly humidity somewhere from about 50% to 83%. Not Miami or Houston, but still enough to kill ya, if you're not careful. After all, we're almost the same latitude as Cairo, Egypt believe it or not.

 

[Dreispitz]

Simply splendid! Lucky you!

 

[Panamabob]

but I haven't seen one with the texture of mine

Take a couple of photos with an inch ruler running with the grain of the weaving and we'll be able to tell how fine it is.

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

rlk, that is such a nice Panama. That thing's been waiting for quite a while to look that good on you. Congrats!!