Straw vacation hat recommendations

Wife and I will be taking a trip to a warm climate in June. Bermuda. I'm going to need some hat recommendations. I'm thinking straw.

I've seen terms like "litestraw" etc. ??

Any recommendations on summer hats?

Thanks.

Two words: Panama Bob.
panamas.biz

Moondancer said:

Two words: Panama Bob.
panamas.biz

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Thanks. I'll definitely check out the link!

+1 panamas.biz

Could consider getting a travel or crushable hat, one that can be packed away without taking any special care. Or considering buying a straw hat from a local island vendor; I have never visited Bermuda, but might assume there are a lot vendors offering cheap hats/sunglasses there.

Are you looking for a hat just for this trip or for something that will last for years? Is cost a more important factor than quality?

KNaB said:

Are you looking for a hat just for this trip or for something that will last for years?

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Hopefully something that will last for years. This trip is just an excuse to pull the trigger and buy it.

There is a well respected hat maker here in Chicago (they do provide a "phone fitting" for those not in Chicago) . If nothing else, check out the website. The shop has a very interesting story.

http://www.optimohats.com/

Moondancer said:

Two words: Panama Bob.
panamas.biz

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amen......Robert is a great person and a great person to deal with....he can offer many inexpensive hats or if you want a really good one, he can do that too....

Moondancer said:

Two words: Panama Bob.
panamas.biz

Click to expand...

I'm thinking about a Grade 8 Liano Weave Havana. Any thoughts?

Any real reason for a first time Panama buyer to go much higher than a Grade 8?

Here is the link. I really appreciate your feedback.

http://store.panamas.biz/cuenca/havana/

The one I'm wearing in my avatar is a Panama Bob Brisa, grade 3/4 IIRC bought off his ebay listings last spring. I would pinch the crown at the front dents to remove it and after daily use for three or four months it started to crack right at the top. I was headed out for a two week vacation a week after I noticed it, so I poured a little super glue on the inside and managed to stabilize it so it wouldn't crack any further. (Bonus was that part became somewhat "firmer" and I didn't worry about it any longer.)
Anywho, long story short, I think your Grade 8 Llano is several cuts above mine and as I understand it higher grade will be somewhat more flexible. (More knowledgeable people will undoubtedly correct me if I'm wrong), so I think you'd be good-to-go with that for quite some time.

Rob, this is not to be taken as an endorsement or recommendation, but to pass on my single experience at commissioning a Montecristi. I got it through panamahatsdirect.com, and if nothing else you should go play around on the website and check out some of the closeups of the different weave densities available. The weave pictures are not necessarily to scale, but will give you an idea of differences.

I got my Panama about six years ago but the price looks about the same now. I did not even consider one of the Cuenca hats, as they are not the same quality as the true Montecristi. Since I was in uncharted waters and was buying a "fitted" product through international mail, I did not want to mortgage the house (which you can do) but wanted a Montecristi, so I opted for the Montecristi Fedora #2 in Sub-Fino. That is their lowest grade, but my rationale was that I was in "an entry level BMW or Mercedes-Benz". It wasn't the best of the best, but it was top shelf. I do not regret my decision, and am still wearing it today.

I have a couple of Monticristis from Panama Bob. Like Crixus I didn't want a Cuenca hat. Mostly because of their stiffness and the color due to the bleaching process used for Cuenca hats.

For travel my go to hat is my cuarto fino with a pencil curl brim, slight pinch crown, and rust colored band. It is a quality hat, nicely weaved, yet not so nice and so expensive where I would want to kill myself if it got damaged (especially airport security which so far has been the worst).

The other thing I like about the hat is the lower weave count hats are weaved by junior and apprentice weavers which keeps them weaving and trains the next generation of master weavers and helps keep the art alive.

ShaveDave said:

Like Crixus I didn't want a Cuenca hat. Mostly because of their stiffness and the color due to the bleaching process used for Cuenca hats.

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Just an FYI: The palm straw used in Montecristi hats is usually bleached by using burned sulphur fumes if memory serves me. Indeed, mine had a very faint smokey scent (not "sulphury" though) when it first arrived. This process leaves the hat with a slight yellowish tinge, which is a telltale sign of a Montecristi. The lesser process used on cheaper hats is basically a chemical bleaching that leaves the hat much, much whiter.

I have tried to enclose two basic photos that will at least give an idea of the color differences between the two bleaching processes. The more yellowish fedora has been lightened over the sulphur fumes and the whiter one appears to have been chemically bleached. The difference can be spotted across the courtyard to the knowing eye.

Gentlemen. These posts have been very, very helpful. Thank you. I will say that I'm a but nervous ordering something like this without "trying it on", but it seems that will have to be the way to go.

Lots of info and lots more research to do. Thanks for the advice.

Measure your head with a flexible fabric measuring tape (check with wife, girlfriend, or mother as they are used a lot for sewing). Measure it where you will want to have the hat ride and use the many conversion charts to find your hat size. Be aware that there are different conversions for different countries. IIRC, the UK and US look similar for hat size but are actually slightly different. I wear a 7 3/8 U.S. measurement hat. The method I outlined above is how I came to that size and so far, both hats I've bought by size fit perfectly.

Moondancer said:

Measure your head with a flexible fabric measuring tape (check with wife, girlfriend, or mother as they are used a lot for sewing). Measure it where you will want to have the hat ride and use the many conversion charts to find your hat size. Be aware that there are different conversions for different countries. IIRC, the UK and US look similar for hat size but are actually slightly different. I wear a 7 3/8 U.S. measurement hat. The method I outlined above is how I came to that size and so far, both hats I've bought by size fit perfectly.

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I recently had my head measured at a Hatter here in CT. (Delmonico Hatter) I'm a 7 3/8 or 59.

I was wondering about temperature. If I am going to be in a warm climate should I get a larger straw to accommodate for head swelling in the heat?

Liberty_2112 said:

If I am going to be in a warm climate should I get a larger straw to accommodate for head swelling in the heat?

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These Montecristis are not "hard, firm" hats. The head enclosure is quite pliable, and mine has a leather sweatband actually stiched in the straw. It shouldn't be a problem. However, any headswelling you get after people remark on your fine headware may be hard to accommodate.

That time of the year again, ready to book flights and buy some accessories. I'm a bit self-concious when it comes to wide brims, so I went with Stetson's Aripeka, which I hope to fit the same than my Stetson Elkander which I prefer for the more colder parts of the year.

I gotta quite clicking into these threads. Now I need a new hat.

I agree, even an entry level Montecristi is still much nicer than most others.