PACHACUTI GUIDE TO CARING FOR &
ROLLING A PANAMA HAT

Buy a Hat Tube
This lightweight cardboard tube is for storing and carrying our rollable Panama hat whilst travelling. Its size fits all our our rollable hats.
Hat TubeRolling not folding
Although Panamas are flexible and can be rolled without undue difficulty they should not be folded, scrunched up or mistreated. Such treatment will soon result in the straw cracking and damage to the weave.
Handy Tip: In intense heat the straw the hat is made from can dry out and become brittle, attempts to roll hats in such a condition could result in them cracking! Humidify the hat by steaming it over a boiling kettle or misting with warm water.
Please Note: Standard grade hats with their courser weaves are less supple and flexible and thus more prone to cracking. Pachacuti recommends that our customers choose the more flexible superior or fine grade hat for rolling.
Store your hat unrolled
Panamas should only be rolled for traveling and should never be stored rolled for long periods of time. The longer a hat is left rolled the longer it will take to return to its original shape. Steaming a misshapen hat can help it regain its shape, see our Care page for details.
Hat Care GuideThe fiddley Fedora
The fedora hat shape has a sharp ‘pinch’ at the front of the crown and can be liable to crack. If care is taken when rolling and the hat kept supple by humidifying one should be able to roll both Superior and Fine grade Fedora’s without problem.
It’s a sun hat, not a rain hat
Do not wear your panama hat in the rain as excessive moisture will cause you hat to lose its shape. If you hat does become wet let it dry as close to original shape as possible and then follow the instructions below to reshape the hat.
Handling Your Hat
Try not to pinch the front of the crown too much as this is what causes the front to crack. It is best to pick the hat up by the brim or by cupping the crown with an open palm.
If Your Hat Loses Its Shape
If your Panama becomes misshapen you should be able to recover the original shape of the hat by lightly steaming it over a boiling kettle and then shaping the hat by hand back to its original form. A blow dryer can be used on a low heat setting to dry the hat while you are holding its shape.
If the brim has becomes misshapen, you may iron the brim under a slightly damp cloth with the iron on a low setting (high heat iron settings can cause burn marks to the hat). Then the Panama should then be placed over an appropriately shaped object such as a bowl and leave to regain its shape.
Cleaning You Panama
Should your Panama become dirty one should first try to remove dirt by lightly dusting with a dry cloth. Should the mark prove stubborn and difficult to remove in this way try using a moist facial or baby wipe. This should remove most marks although care should be taken not to rub too hard. We recommend to not use soap and water.
Hat Restoration
Got a Panama hat that has seen better days? We offer a hat restoration service in our Leek store. Please get in touch with us and we’ll see what we can do.
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