PANAMA HAT CARE & ROLLING GUIDE

A genuine Panama hat is famed for its supple weave and flexibility. Below is a series of step by step guides to rolling hats, as well as tips for looking after your hat. If your hat is to last a lifetime, you need to take care of it. So we’ve put together some simple tips and guidance to keep your hat in good condition. As a result, your Panama hat will be your trusty travel companion for many years to come.
Hat Care & Rolling Pachacuti
SHOP HAT TUBE

Step 1

Firstly, fold the Panama hat in front of you, with the crown running from left to right.

Hat Care & Rolling Pachacuti

Step 2

Next, carefully push out the crown then, fold the hat along the crease. One side should curve into the other, forming a bowl-like shape that will begin to roll quite easily.

Hat Care & Rolling Pachacuti

Step 3

Gently roll the hat into itself. Place a finger in the inside of the crown to ensure you don’t roll too tightly.

Hat Care & Rolling Pachacuti

Step 4

Then place a loose rubber band or string around the hat to hold it in position. Finally, place the hat in one of Pachacuti’s balsa boxes, or a suitable tube for transportation.

Please note: Wide brim hats will not fit into our balsa boxes.

Hat Care & Rolling Pachacuti
Hat Tubes

This lightweight cardboard tube is for carrying and storing our rollable Panama hat whilst travelling. It is therefore sized to fit our rollable hats.

 

Hat Tubes
Rolling not folding

Although Panama hats are flexible and can be rolled without difficulty, they should not be folded, scrunched up or mistreated. Such treatment will soon cause the straw to crack and damage the weave.

Handy Tip: In intense heat, the straw can dry out and become brittle. Attempts to roll hats in such a condition could result in them cracking! You can humidify your hat by steaming it over a boiling kettle or misting it with warm water.

Please Note: Standard grade hats are less supple and flexible and thus more prone to cracking because of their coarse weave. Pachacuti recommends our customers choose a more flexible superior or fine grade Panama hat for rolling.

Store your hat unrolled

You should only roll your Panama hat for travelling and not store it rolled for long periods. The longer you leave your hat rolled, the longer it will take to return to its original shape. Steaming a misshapen hat can help it to regain its shape, see our care page for details.

Hat Care Guide
The Fiddly Fedora

The Fedora hat shape has a sharp ‘pinch’ at the front of the crown and can be prone to cracking. If you take care when rolling it and keep the hat supple by humidifying, you should be able to roll both Superior and Fine grade Fedoras without a problem.

It’s a sun hat, not a rain hat

Do not wear your Panama hat in the rain because the excessive moisture will cause your hat to lose its shape. If your hat does become wet, let it dry as close to the original shape as possible and then follow the instructions for reshaping your hat.

Handling Your Hat

Try not to pinch the front of the crown too much because this may cause the front to crack. Also, it is better to pick up the hat by the brim or by cupping the crown with an open palm.

If Your Hat Loses Its Shape

If your Panama hat becomes misshapen, you should be able to get it back to its original shape. Lightly steam it over a boiling kettle and then shape it by hand back to its original form. Following the reshaping, you can use a blow dryer on a low heat setting to dry your hat. Make sure you are holding its shape while you dry it.

If the brim has become misshapen, you may iron the brim. Set the iron to a medium to low heat setting and iron under a slightly damp cloth. Please note: High heat iron settings can cause burn marks on your hat. After ironing, place your Panama hat onto an appropriately shaped object such as a bowl. Leave it for a while to regain its shape.

Cleaning Your Panama

If your Panama hat becomes dirty, try to remove the dirt by lightly dusting it with a dry cloth. Please note: Don’t scrub too hard because this may damage the weave. If this doesn’t work, try using a moist facial wipe or baby wipe. This should remove most marks, although again, care should be taken not to rub or scrub too hard. We advise that you do not use soap and water.

Hat Restoration

Has your Panama hat seen better days? We offer a hat restoration service in our Leek store. Please get in touch with us and we’ll see whether we can restore it for you.

 

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