Shantung "straw" hats

[fmw]

Nice. It has the fineness of weave of a Montecristi for a whole lot less money.

 

[warbird]

I have a Stetson Shantung that has lasted several years of not so intense wear. It didn't cost a ton as I bought it from a hat dealer who was going out of business. I don't find them to be of great quality. They don't breathe very well and they are nice looking for a shorter period of time than other straws. When they are found inexpensively then they are a decent buy on a hat which lasts a couple of well worn years.

For about the same and less in many cases I personally prefer Palm Straw hats such as sold by Sunbody. They breathe decently, though not as good as a lightly woven montecristi. But, they hold up to rain and humidity and punishment better. Those hats just take a beating. Heck they like the water and you can dunk them and reshape them anytime. They are about as good as any straw hats I have found.

 

[WesternHatWearer]

I am not a shantung or toyo hat fan. I own one, because I was not studious prior to purchasing. I purchased one and then started looking around in the hat, only to come across Shantung. I looked up shantung and found out what it is/was. I burned with anger for purchasing before studying up on straw hats. From then on I do not purchase shantung and I do not purchase without at least two weeks of studying.

 

[Garrett]

Why? This Shantung of mine has been a faithful servant

 

[DougC]

Nice lid!

 

[swd]

I have a Resistol shantung western style ("Big Spender") that looks nice and seems to be decent quality, but it makes my head sweat more than my felt hats. It even has vent holes in the sides. My felt hats just seem to breath better. I do not have the same issue with other "Panama" woven hats that I wear. I think the hat cost me about $75, so it was not expensive, at least compared to my other hats. I won't buy another shantung.

 

[Joao Encarnado]

I'm not much into straw/shantung. I do own 2 shantung westerns but I hardly wear them, only when I go to the beach because no one takes a felt hat there (well I did once). If one gets lost/stolen/beyond repair, I have a replacement.

 

[frussell]

Garrett- that's a whole other level of shantung, really nice. I agree about the modern shantung and toyo westerns, they die pretty easy around here. I either sweat them out, or if they get rained on, they turn into an oatmeal-like substance that oozes stiffener. Plus, they're so damned stiff they want to fly off when it's windy in the desert canyons where I ride. Nothing worse than having to dismount ten times in an hour to pick up some greenhorn's hat before it blows under a horse's feet and causes a wreck. I prefer a good silverbelly cowboy hat and a slightly warmer head. I'd snap one like yours up in a second if I came across one in my size though. Really sharp. Frank.

 

[KingAndrew]

Garrett-That's a beautiful hat!

 

[RJR]

+1!

 

[ptjoe]

Panama Hat mall(panamahatmall.com) has nice genuine panama hats for very reasonable prices.
I recently purchased a white colonial panama hat from them, it's only a grade 3-4, but it was under 50.00 including shipping!
It's a very nice classy looking hat light weight and breathable.
Perfect for dress up or down
They also have the more pricier Monticristo panama hats .
Check it out.

 

[ILB Frank]

Thread bump Tuesday? Depending on where you are, it might already be straw season. As for me, I think I'll be comfy in felt until Memorial day.

The first post of this thread has excellent information on the history of shantung. After that there is some good discussion about my personal favorite, palm straw. So, if you aren't already convinced on what type of straw you should go for, then peruse this thread for some ideas and insight. For the seasoned pros, please add anything that might be helpful.