Introduction--Down the Panama Hat Rabbit Hole...

[ACHiPo]

Hi,
New member. Just fell down the Panama Hat rabbit hole and found myself here (amongst other places).

Getting ready to buy my first "real" Panama hat, so am trying to educate myself.

 

[belfastboy]

Shop around, ask questions of the sellers. cloth or leather sweat band? Cheap poly ribbon, glued on or vintage quality sewn on?
Get clear on your budget; what/where/when/how will you be wearing it? Buy to suit your purpose as there is no point in buying a beautiful high weave count hat and then being fearful to wear it. You can spend from a low $100 upwards to $1000+++. At all points they are all Panama hats.....which quality will fit your need?

Hi,
New member. Just fell down the Panama Hat rabbit hole and found myself here (amongst other places).

Getting ready to buy my first "real" Panama hat, so am trying to educate myself.

 

[ACHiPo]

Shop around, ask questions of the sellers. cloth or leather sweat band? Cheap poly ribbon, glued on or vintage quality sewn on?
Get clear on your budget; what/where/when/how will you be wearing it? Buy to suit your purpose as there is no point in buying a beautiful high weave count hat and then being fearful to wear it. You can spend from a low $100 upwards to $1000+++. At all points they are all Panama hats.....which quality will fit your need?

Belfastboy,
Thanks. My brother "pushed" me down the rabbit hole telling me of his travels in Egypt and Jordan and the $800 (likely hand-blocked) Optimo Panama hat that protected him from the sun.

I'm looking for a decent hat in the $200-$300 range that will hold up, will be as cool as people say in the sun, but that I won't be afraid of wearing on the golf course or to a garden party. Doesn't need to be hand-blocked or of the finest weave, but would like a genuine straw hat from Ecuador that will keep me cool in the hot sun.

Not sure whether a leather or cloth sweatband is best? I sweat a lot and stain my golf caps in a few wearings. While I can clean them up, I'm a bit skeptical that I won't also have sweat stain issues with a Panama hat.

It seems there is a pretty good maker (hand-blocker) north of me in Medford, OR. I came across Truffaux down under, which seems to be decent quality machine-made. Of course there's Optimo in S. Chicago as well. Open to other suggestions. Would prefer to try before buying, but have recently had good luck with MTO shoes so a hat should be even easier.
Evan

 

[belfastboy]

Belfastboy,
Thanks. My brother "pushed" me down the rabbit hole telling me of his travels in Egypt and Jordan and the $800 (likely hand-blocked) Optimo Panama hat that protected him from the sun.

I'm looking for a decent hat in the $200-$300 range that will hold up, will be as cool as people say in the sun, but that I won't be afraid of wearing on the golf course or to a garden party.

It seems there is a pretty good maker (hand-blocker) north of me in Medford, OR. I came across Truffaux down under, which seems to be decent quality machine-made. Of course there's Optimo in S. Chicago as well. Open to other suggestions. Would prefer to try before buying, but have recently had good luck with MTO shoes so a hat should be even easier.
Evan

Yes, the BB Panamas while pricey are good quality. I have a selection of 6 Panamas (but none from Brent Black). All are Fino fino quality or Super fino. These grades look great from 4' away and it is only on closer inspection can you see the difference. I don't think Brent Black in Medford has a store front (unless that has changed).l I have one from NorthWest Hats a bit further up the road in Eugene. Mike brings in the blanks and does the finishing work himself. Great leather sweats, vintage ribbon. I paid $385 for mine. It is a great hat. I have a $300 from Panama Hats Direct. The weave is good but I had to reblock/reflange the hat, It came with a cloth sweat and he glues his ribbons on (sacrilege!!!).

 

[belfastboy]

Belfastboy,
Thanks. My brother "pushed" me down the rabbit hole telling me of his travels in Egypt and Jordan and the $800 (likely hand-blocked) Optimo Panama hat that protected him from the sun.

I'm looking for a decent hat in the $200-$300 range that will hold up, will be as cool as people say in the sun, but that I won't be afraid of wearing on the golf course or to a garden party. Doesn't need to be hand-blocked or of the finest weave, but would like a genuine straw hat from Ecuador that will keep me cool in the hot sun.

It seems there is a pretty good maker (hand-blocker) north of me in Medford, OR. I came across Truffaux down under, which seems to be decent quality machine-made. Of course there's Optimo in S. Chicago as well. Open to other suggestions. Would prefer to try before buying, but have recently had good luck with MTO shoes so a hat should be even easier.
Evan

I would bet the Panama from NWHats would be at least the equal to the Optimo. Of course you won't have the braggin' rights that an Optimo comes with the hat, but you will get a great hat for about 1/2 the price. I have a shipment of Panamas on order from Ecuador that should come in this month. Have not set my price until I can see the shipping/taxes/duties etc and thus know my costing.

 

[ACHiPo]

Yes, the BB Panamas while pricey are good quality. I have a selection of 6 Panamas (but none from Brent Black). All are Fino fino quality or Super fino. These grades look great from 4' away and it is only on closer inspection can you see the difference. I don't think Brent Black in Medford has a store front (unless that has changed).l I have one from NorthWest Hats a bit further up the road in Eugene. Mike brings in the blanks and does the finishing work himself. Great leather sweats, vintage ribbon. I paid $385 for mine. It is a great hat. I have a $300 from Panama Hats Direct. The weave is good but I had to reblock/reflange the hat, It came with a cloth sweat and he glues his ribbons on (sacrilege!!!).

Brent's website says no retail store.

Will check out NW Hats. Thanks.

 

[belfastboy]

Brent's website says no retail store.

Will check out NW Hats. Thanks.

 

[belfastboy]

The Truffaux hats look decent/ok pricing. Looking at the pictures the weave appears to be fairly coarse. Before you buy I would ask for the the actual weave count. They claim a Grade 3 but that scale is not a hard and fast one.

 

[belfastboy]

The Truffaux hats look decent/ok pricing. Looking at the pictures the weave appears to be fairly coarse. Before you buy I would ask for the the actual weave count. They claim a Grade 3 but that scale is not a hard and fast one.

Brent's website says no retail store.

Will check out NW Hats. Thanks.

Two other red flags with the Truffaux hats...they don't state leather sweat bands and the fact they only come in generic s, m, l, xl sizes. To me a good hat should always come exactly sized. I will never buy a hat that is supposed to fit a range of sizes....makes zero sense unless it is an adjustable ball cap.

 

[belfastboy]

Belfastboy,
Thanks. My brother "pushed" me down the rabbit hole telling me of his travels in Egypt and Jordan and the $800 (likely hand-blocked) Optimo Panama hat that protected him from the sun.

I'm looking for a decent hat in the $200-$300 range that will hold up, will be as cool as people say in the sun, but that I won't be afraid of wearing on the golf course or to a garden party. Doesn't need to be hand-blocked or of the finest weave, but would like a genuine straw hat from Ecuador that will keep me cool in the hot sun.

Not sure whether a leather or cloth sweatband is best? I sweat a lot and stain my golf caps in a few wearings. While I can clean them up, I'm a bit skeptical that I won't also have sweat stain issues with a Panama hat.

It seems there is a pretty good maker (hand-blocker) north of me in Medford, OR. I came across Truffaux down under, which seems to be decent quality machine-made. Of course there's Optimo in S. Chicago as well. Open to other suggestions. Would prefer to try before buying, but have recently had good luck with MTO shoes so a hat should be even easier.
Evan

This is where it is important to get clear on the how/why. A panama hat will get stained if you sweat even with a leather sweat band. It is just how it is. I have multiple Panamas for that reason. I don't wear my $600 one for doing heavy sweating activities.....I do 'save' it for real dress occasions.

I do have other Panamas that I wear for day to day activities, more active days, These are my sacrificial anodes. I wear them knowing that one day they will become too sweat stained and will look too dirty/shabby for anything other than garden/beach/hiking wear. But these are my $100 to $200 hats and I can throw them away in good conscience knowing I got my money's worth from them. e

 

[ACHiPo]

Two other red flags with the Truffaux hats...they don't state leather sweat bands and the fact they only come in generic s, m, l, xl sizes. To me a good hat should always come exactly sized. I will never buy a hat that is supposed to fit a range of sizes....makes zero sense unless it is an adjustable ball cap.

I've asked Truffaux about the sweat bands, also about sizing. I also sent a note to NW Hats in Eugene as they seem like a viable (and much closer) option.

 

[belfastboy]

I've asked Truffaux about the sweat bands, also about sizing. I also sent a note to NW Hats in Eugene as they seem like a viable (and much closer) option.

I have about 10 of Mike's hats; fur felts and a Panama. He is a great hatter and a great guy. It is always a treat to pop in and chat. You will be treated well. Tell him Robert Gault sent you. Phone first to make sure he has his Panama blanks in stock.

 

[ACHiPo]

The Truffaux hats look decent/ok pricing. Looking at the pictures the weave appears to be fairly coarse. Before you buy I would ask for the the actual weave count. They claim a Grade 3 but that scale is not a hard and fast one.

I've seen references of a grade, as well as discussions of weave density, as well as a "fino fino" which I take to be "really nice". I've yet to find any even qualitative description of what the terms mean.

As I mentioned I don't need or want an exquisite piece of wearable art at this point, rather something that is a few steps up from my usual golf caps or Kangol lids.

 

[belfastboy]

I've seen references of a grade, as well as discussions of weave density, as well as a "fino fino" which I take to be "really nice". I've yet to find any even qualitative description of what the terms mean.

As I mentioned I don't need or want an exquisite piece of wearable art at this point, rather something that is a few steps up from my usual golf caps or Kangol lids.

A number of Panama hat sellers. (Panama Hats Direct) give explanations on their websites. They will list the number of knots per linear inch or square inch and attach a name to it. But the consistency between makers is inconsistent. It is best to ask for that number and then you have an exact comparison. The price is related to the weave grade as the tighter the weave the longer it takes to make. Brent Black has museum quality pieces at $25,000+. A weave so fine the hat resembles a fine linen weave.

 

[ACHiPo]

I have about 10 of Mike's hats; fur felts and a Panama. He is a great hatter and a great guy. It is always a treat to pop in and chat. You will be treated well. Tell him Robert Gault sent you. Phone first to make sure he has his Panama blanks in stock.

I sent Mike an inquiry form on his website yesterday--no response, yet. I went ahead and pulled the trigger on the Truffaux--a relatively inexpensive coarse-weave diamond traveller hat figuring it's a way to dip my toe in the water for not-too-much money and see how I like it for golf, etc.

 

[belfastboy]

I sent Mike an inquiry form on his website yesterday. I went ahead and pulled the trigger on the Truffaux--a relatively inexpensive coarse-weave diamond traveller hat figuring it's a way to dip my toe in the water for not-too-much money and see how I like it for golf, etc.

Did you speak to them about sizing? I am always suspicious at any hat listed as s,m,l etc. It often is a crap shoot whether it fits or not.

 

[ACHiPo]

Did you speak to them about sizing? I am always suspicious at any hat listed as s,m,l etc. It often is a crap shoot whether it fits or not.

Yes. I ordered an XL, but he said he would select a 60 for me based on my head circumference of 59.4 cm +/- ~0.2 cm (23 3/8" +/- 1/8") depending on how tight the tape is. My head size seems to be at the upper end of a 7 3/8, so a 60 that shrinks a bit should be just right. He also ships adhesive foam blocks to insert in the back between the sweatband and the hat to make the hat fit snuggly initially, then blocks can be removed as the hat shrinks to size.

The sweat band is ribbon. I'm skeptical, but figure I can replace it relatively easily if I don't like it.

Shipping to the US is pretty expensive. When I first looked at shipping I thought it was $25, which seemed pretty reasonable. When I clicked through to place the order (including a 10% first-time discount) shipping was $40. Looking forward to making contact with Mike as Eugene shipping should be a lot more reasonable.

I'll post my impressions when I get it.

 

[belfastboy]

Yes. I ordered an XL, but he said he would select a 60 for me based on my head circumference of 59.4 cm +/- ~0.2 cm (23 3/8" +/- 1/8") depending on how tight the tape is. My head size seems to be at the upper end of a 7 3/8, so a 60 that shrinks a bit should be just right. He also ships adhesive foam blocks to insert in the back between the sweatband and the hat to make the hat fit snuggly initially, then blocks can be removed as the hat shrinks to size.

The sweat band is ribbon. I'm skeptical, but figure I can replace it relatively easily if I don't like it.

Shipping to the US is pretty expensive. When I first looked at shipping I thought it was $25, which seemed pretty reasonable. When I clicked through to place the order (including a 10% first-time discount) shipping was $40. Looking forward to making contact with Mike as Eugene shipping should be a lot more reasonable.

I'll post my impressions when I get it.

A sweat band replacement will be about $40, $20 if you do it yourself.

I sent Mike an inquiry form on his website yesterday--no response, yet. I went ahead and pulled the trigger on the Truffaux--a relatively inexpensive coarse-weave diamond traveller hat figuring it's a way to dip my toe in the water for not-too-much money and see how I like it for golf, etc.

I bought one this quality in Nashville last Sept, cloth sweat for $100. Cheap hats are great because I don't sweat it if they are lost or damaged in my travels.

 

[ACHiPo]

I heard from Mike Miller from Northwest Hats. Kinda bummed I already ordered the Truffaux hat, as I was quite impressed with my exchange with Mike. That said, it'll be good to have a relatively inexpensive lid that I don't obsess too much over, plus it may give me a bit better idea of what I want in my next Panama from Mike. Oh, and I'll get the Truffaux next week--Mike's custom hats are running ~6 months.

 

[rogueclimber]

I heard from Mike Miller from Northwest Hats. Kinda bummed I already ordered the Truffaux hat, as I was quite impressed with my exchange with Mike. That said, it'll be good to have a relatively inexpensive lid that I don't obsess too much over, plus it may give me a bit better idea of what I want in my next Panama from Mike. Oh, and I'll get the Truffaux next week--Mike's custom hats are running ~6 months.

Keep that in mind when you plan your order for next summer!