THE SUNBODY ASSOCIATION

[portolan]

I already soaked the crown and made the front/side

dents bigger. It is looking better already. I will do as you suggest when I get a chance. Great hat....Thin ribbon and all!

 

[carter]

The bound edge and matching ribbon really make that Sunbody a sweet lid! Looking forward to your next set of pictures, Phil.

 

[hollowpond]

I asked them to put a ribbon on the crown and bind the edge so the two match. This is the fine weave Guatemalan palm fedora. It has a big brim. My impression is that it is very well made. Puts my straw Stetson to shame. I bought a Sunbody on the bay that was a 7 1/2. It was much too small, so my wife is wearing it. This one is a 7 5/8 and is just ever so slightly big. Go figure!

My impressions are that it is a really great hat, well made for a terrific price. Thanks to Rusty for alerting us to these great hats.

Portolan, what color is that ribbon and edge? It looks khaki...but I'm not sure.

 

[cookie]

I asked them to put a ribbon on the crown and bind the edge so the two match. This is the fine weave Guatemalan palm fedora. It has a big brim. My impression is that it is very well made. Puts my straw Stetson to shame. I bought a Sunbody on the bay that was a 7 1/2. It was much too small, so my wife is wearing it. This one is a 7 5/8 and is just ever so slightly big. Go figure!

My impressions are that it is a really great hat, well made for a terrific price. Thanks to Rusty for alerting us to these great hats.

Muy bonito Don Portolan!

Was there any extra charge incurred?

Was the brim shortened as part of the process?

 

[portolan]

The ribbon and brim are khaki. They charged me

$6 extra for the ribbon and brimwork.....well worth it in my opinion. The hat now has much tighter side dents. It is a terrific hat.

 

[jpbales]

brim trim... again...

Well, I decided that for a crown with a height of only 4.5 inches, a 3 inch brim is just too wide!
before:

So I trimmed it again, down to appx. 2 1/2 inches all around, then sewed the out ring back on (after figuring out the sewing machine), and now the brim sits right at appx. 2 5/8". I tell ya, after sewing only two rows around just the edge of the hat, and how long that took, I can't imagine sewing the entire hat together. A lot of work goes into these hats- and I appreciate it more now.
after:

I don't think I would ever have worn this hat had I not cut the brim. It just looked too goofy! Now, I feel like I could wear it to school on a rainy day! I wish I would have just ordered one with a higher crown and brim job in the first place, but for 18 bucks I couldn't pass this baby up- and now it's perfect (well, good enough for me at least).

 

[RBH]

Well, I decided that for a crown with a height of only 4.5 inches, a 3 inch brim is just too wide!
before:

So I trimmed it again, down to appx. 2 1/2 inches all around, then sewed the out ring back on (after figuring out the sewing machine), and now the brim sits right at appx. 2 5/8". I tell ya, after sewing only two rows around just the edge of the hat, and how long that took, I can't imagine sewing the entire hat together. A lot of work goes into these hats- and I appreciate it more now.
after:

I don't think I would ever have worn this hat had I not cut the brim. It just looked too goofy! Now, I feel like I could wear it to school on a rainy day! I wish I would have just ordered one with a higher crown and brim job in the first place, but for 18 bucks I couldn't pass this baby up- and now it's perfect (well, good enough for me at least).

WOW! That really made a difference!!!
Looks great on you!
I would say the extra work was worth it!:eusa_clap

 

[gtdean48]

WOW! That really made a difference!!!
Looks great on you!
I would say the extra work was worth it!:eusa_clap

:arated:

 

[jpbales]

WOW! That really made a difference!!!

I know! I felt like I was wearing one of these things before:

 

[skyvue]

I'm ready to pull the trigger on a Sunbody, but I need to know what color Portolan's ribbon is.

I wanted a dark blue, but Scott at Sunbody told me all their colors (aside from what he called the "natural" colors -- black, brown, etc.) are on the light, bright side.

That's kind of disappointing.

But I think I could deal with the color Portolan used -- anyone know what it is?

Also, they have an open crown hat that is in "oak" color -- I like it better than the lighter shade of most of the hats. But the crown is only 5 1/4 -- what could I do with a crown that height? My only straw hat has pretty low crown and I definitely want this one to be higher. For comparison's sake, does anyone know how high the unbashed crown on an Akubra Sydney/Fedora is?





Here's the comparison:

 

[gtdean48]

He & Rusty, RBH, used khaki if I am not mistaken. I know Rusty did & pretty sure Phil followed suit. HTH

 

[skyvue]

Thanks, GT.

A rep at David Morgan told me that the Sydney, a hat I wear and like, has a 5 1/2 inch open crown. The oak-colored Sunbody is 5 1/4. How much difference do you guys suppose that quarter-inch will make? Would I likely need to go with, say, a center dent instead of a teardrop because of it?

 

[gtdean48]

Not sure how much it will matter as the palm leaf shapes differently than felt. The way they are put together causes it to have seams where the felt, a solid fabric, doesn't. Depending on how deep your teardrop goes & how you have to dome the center to get it off the top of your head, that .25 inch could be key. I have only worked with low crown western palm leafs & not gotten as elaborate with creases as I have with felt snap brims. I know that helped very little.[huh]

 

[skyvue]

No, that's helpful, thanks.

All my hat crowns touch my head, so I'm used to that.

 

[Lefty]

What's the sweat like on these?

 

[skyvue]

I was just told it's a padded cotton, though that may depend on the model you buy, not sure -- I was inquiring after the 2-1/2" Tear Drop, Fine Palm model they list under "New hats."

One more request for advice here before I take the plunge: My head measures at exactly 24 inches, which sits between 61 and 62, but I'm an extra long oval, so I sometimes buy as large as 63 to get the comfort front and back and then fill in the sides a bit.

Scott at Sunbody suggested a 62, but especially in a summer hat, I don't want it to be too snug, so I was thinking of getting a 63 and using some padding under the sweatband, if necessary (which he says can be done) -- especially since it was suggested earlier in the thread that these hats shrink a small amount after use.

Does anyone who owns one think that's a bad idea?

 

[Lefty]

I was just told it's a padded cotton

Can someone please post a photo of this? I expected elastic or leather, and can't even picture a cotton sweat. Wouldn't cotton break down, stay damp, and generally be gross after a few wearings?

 

[Carlisle Blues]

These hats look great, however, my concern is weight and like Lefty the sweat band. [huh]

I am a dyed in the straw panama man, but, it does not hurt to look.

 

[gtdean48]

I was just told it's a padded cotton, though that may depend on the model you buy, not sure -- I was inquiring after the 2-1/2" Tear Drop, Fine Palm model they list under "New hats."

One more request for advice here before I take the plunge: My head measures at exactly 24 inches, which sits between 61 and 62, but I'm an extra long oval, so I sometimes buy as large as 63 to get the comfort front and back and then fill in the sides a bit.

Scott at Sunbody suggested a 62, but especially in a summer hat, I don't want it to be too snug, so I was thinking of getting a 63 and using some padding under the sweatband, if necessary (which he says can be done) -- especially since it was suggested earlier in the thread that these hats shrink a small amount after use.

Does anyone who owns one think that's a bad idea?

I am a 7 5/8 Long Oval, too = 61. For Palm Leaf hats in general, I'd order a 62, soak it, shape it, put it on my head to dry. It will basically form to my head. A 61 would be very snug. I wouldn't do the 63 with padding as the cloth sweatbands are flimsy things plus the body conforms easily to the shape of your head. JMHO

 

[skyvue]

I am a 7 5/8 Long Oval, too = 61. For Palm Leaf hats in general, I'd order a 62, soak it, shape it, put it on my head to dry. It will basically form to my head. A 61 would be very snug. I wouldn't do the 63 with padding as the cloth sweatbands are flimsy things plus the body conforms easily to the shape of your head. JMHO

Sounds good -- thanks very much. I just ordered my hat. I think I might take it to JJ Hat Center to get a new ribbon on it when it arrives, but otherwise I think I'll be pleased with it.