Rollable Panama

[TrevDoc]

Hi,

Just purchased a $175 montecristi fedora from Panamahatsdirect, for travelling.

I am looking for advice on making it rollable or not.

My last Tumi Panama was rollable and I have a travel tube but I am forever straightening the brim and after 3 years the crown now has a hole in it. Just wondering what others do?

 

[Bamaboots]

rollable or not.

Not.

Just wondering what others do?

Wear it, lap storage, under seat or overhead compartment.

 

[belfastboy]

Not.

Wear it, lap storage, under seat or overhead compartment.

Yep, I had my wife sew me a silk draw string bag. On the plane, hat in the bag, stored under my seat...but not too far as the guy behind me could crush it.

 

[jlee562]

At first I bought a hat case, which I still use sometimes, but it's about as convenient as you would imagine an additional carry on bag would be.

I've since grown an appreciation for the shantung faux Panama hat. I have a ventilated OR that is relatively stiff (certainly more so than a natural straw), but that means I have no worries stashing it under the seat, or sticking on the side (I'm usually window seat if I have a choice). No, they're not quite as elegant as a true Panama, but a rumpled brim is not going to be an issue. For me, the trade off of convenience and not having to worry about treating my hat like a baby is worth it to have a slightly less classy hat. Bonus: they're water resistant.

 

[Olumin]

There are rollable panamas, they are always of the "Optimo" style, with the ridge down the centre. Hats like that are very finely woven and quite pricey, in other words not the kind of hat you'd wanna roll. Rolling any hat will eventually cause it to go out of shape, and might eventually cause damage. It has to be very finely woven because it needs to be very soft and pliable.

A panama in any style other than Optimo will not roll well, they're not designed for that. They will take damage much faster. The Optimo was designed for being rolled, that's what the ridge is for. I'm not talking about the brand Optimo, but the shape.

Hemp milan hats are rollable once they're softened up a bit. They're the only hats (made from natural materials) I know of that will survive being rolled just fine, outside of cloth hats. They make similar hats out of paper straw, I have no idea if those perform similarly.

 

[RBH]

Whenever I have travelled on an airplane, the hat travels on my head.
As long as it is not an inconvenience to other travelers.
The decorum on an airplane is very laid back, a hat on someone's head will not disrupt the situation.
I also usually carry a plastic bag [big enough to fit the hat in] in my back pocket.
I use it for the odd times I have to store it.

 

[TrevDoc]

Thanks for everyone’s reply. Panama hats direct do offer a roll up upgrade to their hats. I think they remove the lining and pinch protectors. They also seem to make the band smaller and add a central ridge.

Seems like the view is that I should stay away from this upgrade?

The challenge I have is that my wife is not very well, so I am already pushing multiple cases. Having the hat safely rolled up may of been useful but it sounds like it is not worth the damage it will cause.

 

[Zack690]

Whenever I’ve flown, I just keep the hat on my head too. It avoids the whole packing headache. Like Flying411 mentioned in one of their travel tips, a simple plastic bag in your pocket works great if you do need to stash it for a bit.

 

[milandro]

The rolling of panamas is a nice selling thing but really one should never do this as a habit

Once upon a time this was a decent way to ship hats but I wound't make it a common practice.

While travelling with a Panama, I wear it (in general any hat), it is also protecting me from the perennial drafts that I always encounter on any flight. if you are really convinced you need to protect your hat or you are carrying more than one, then you could use a specifically made hat carrier or pack it in a carton case made for hats (using the empty spaces to put other things).

Some panamas are also impossible to roll . My recent Planter/Gambler acquisition came in a box way too small from the shop. It required me to wet the hat , lay it flat, dry it and then spray it with odourless hair spray ( which I use to stiffen hats) ., I also had to re-shape the pencil curl a little bit.


if you keep an readjusting your hat when " dry" you will tear the fibers in the long run. Any readjustment should be following the wetting of the hat in order to soften the fiber , don't need to go wild with it, but the fiber has to show that it has soften and elasticised by the use of water. Again I prefer to condition the hat afterwards with some manner of stiffening (Spray Starch for ironing would also work and wet the hat at the same time takes longer to dry though).

If you are worried of the hat-etiquette (as in wearing a hat in a closed place), my take is always that in a public space, any space except a church, it is allowed to wear a hat. As a matter of fact I would also in a restaurant if I am dining alone or with family , I only remove it as a sign of respect to an host when visiting or dining at their place (or if they are a guest or I am a guest at a table in a restaurant).