Featherweight Panama

Note: Mayser hats run almost a full size large. In-between sizes should order the next size down.

Heads come in all sizes, and in a surprising variety of shapes. Although most quality hats will usually conform to slight differences in shape with a little wearing, it is essential that the size be correct for the head.

To determine your hat size, measure the circumference around your head, keeping the tape level and firm, across the temples and above the eyebrow ridges. Check the size chart given below. Our Mayser Panama hats are sold by metric hat size. Mayser hats run almost a full size large. In-between sizes should order the next size down.

Circumference of head where hat brim sits:

Check the Fit
When your hat arrives, check the fit before wearing to make sure you have ordered the correct size:

1. The sweatband inside the hat should fit securely on the head without binding.

2. For some in-between sizes, and for some head shapes, greater comfort may be attained by placing felt pads inside the sweatband. Felt pads are enclosed with Akubra hats.

3. The top of the crown should not be so low that it touches the top of your head and prevents the hat from coming down far enough to seat properly. If it does, you may need a smaller size.

If the hat does not fit, recheck your hat size, and exchange your hat for the correct size. Hats in unused condition with all tags can be returned within 90 days of purchase for exchange or full refund of product price.

The bodies for the Featherweight Panama are hand woven in Ecuador in the Brisa pattern from toquilla fiber, the finest of the straws used in hats. The Mayser Panamas are blocked and trimmed in Slovakia. The bodies are tightly woven, and the weave is kept solid in blocking to ensure good protection from the sun. A substantial fiber is selected to produce a firm hat that holds its shape well. The pinch is reinforced to reduce breakage if the hat is handled by the pinch. These hats are great for hot sunny weather (but not suitable for use in the rain).

Hat Care

With reasonable care, Panama hats will last well. While extremely light fine weaves may be folded and rolled, the firmer weaves we offer should not be crushed. Pick the hat up by the brim, not by the crown or the peak, even though the peak is reinforced.

Panama hats are designed for protection from the sun. Do not wear them in the rain, and do not store them near the rear window of a car or truck, where they would bake in the sun.

When you put your hat down temporarily place it on its crown, so as not to distort the brim. Store the hat on a hat rack or supported at the sweat band in a hat box. Use a soft brush to remove dust.

If you expect to wear your Panama Fedora in windy conditions, we suggest adding our hand braided Stampede String.

Genuine Panama hats are, and have always been, handwoven in Ecuador from toquilla fiber. The toquilla palm grows on the coastal lands of Ecuador, where conditions are ideal for its growth and regeneration. Straw hats hand woven in Ecuador from the toquilla fiber were exported to Panama in the mid 1800's and purchased by fortune seekers crossing the Panama isthmus on their way to the California gold rush. During the Spanish American War, the US government bought 50,000 of these hats for the troops from merchants in Panama. During the early wentieth century, these same hats became very popular at the Panama Canal construction site, where the hats were very well suited to the hot and humid weather conditions. As word spread around the world of this construction marvel, so too did word the straw hats hand woven in Ecuador. Since then, these practical and stylish hats, handwoven in Ecuador, have been known as Panama hats.