Tumia - Fedora Panama Hat - White or Natural - Lightweight Rollable Version.

A few years ago I saw a "Panama" hat on a store hat rack. It was marked down from $25 to $10 to $5. I couldn't pass up a $5 hat so I bought it. Got dozens of compliments. It looked great. But it wasn't a real Panama hat. It wasn't made of straw but paper. And it wasn't made in Ecuador where the real ones are made, it was made in China. It eventually turned yellow at the sweat band and fell apart. I wanted to replace it with a real Panama. When I researched Panama hats I came across Tumia on Amazon. They looked great and the price was right so I purchased the rollable hat (Tumia - Fedora Panama Hat - White or Natural - Lightweight rollable version). Though Amazon said it could take a month to arrive, presumably because they were coming from the UK, when I contacted Tumia they promised me the hat would arrive in 4-8 days. It came in 6. It fit perfectly and looked great. But because it was a rollable hat (which I didn't need because I don't travel much) the brim didn't have the same look that firmer non-rollable hats do. I followed the instructions on how to modify the shape but it still didn't look the way I wanted. So I contacted the company and they didn't hesitate to replace it with the non-rollable version. They didn't charge anything for the return and, in fact, refunded me $7 because the non-rollable hat was less expensive. I got the new hat (Tumia - Fedora Panama Hat - White or Natural - Non-rollable version) in a week and it was just what I wanted. Looks great. Excellent quality. Fits just right. Bottom line: great hats and superb customer service! A few tips for buyers: 1) buy the rollable hat if you travel or want a slightly lighter weight hat; 2) buy the non-rollable if you want a slightly stiffer hat that retains it shape a little better; 3) don't go by the color photos on the Amazon page. The white hat is not pure white, it's cream, i.e. the standard Panama color.

I very much like this hat - have worn it from early July through when the weather changed in October. I was upset at first, even though the hat was delivered 2 weeks before estimated, as the hat arrived crushed. It looked like someone in customs sat on it - I hope it wasn't sent out that way. I needed it for a funeral (!) not too long after I got it, so I couldn't return it and get another in time, so I steamed it out. It re-shaped easily and without too much effort, and has held it's shape since. The seller was informed, and they offered to send me a new hat if I needed one or if damage showed up later as a result of the crushing. I guess I could have taken them up on it and gotten two for the price of one, but since the hat came back well and has lasted, and they were so responsive and helpful there was no need to take them up. The hat traveled well, and has been through a lot and still looks good. Size-wise, it runs a bit large, but the seller included some nice cork resizing strips with the order, which was not mentioned in the write-ups, and that fixed it for me. The weave of the hat is much nicer than I would have expected at this price - about 88 weaves/sq in on the brim, about 100 on the crown/sides, and about 100-180 on the top (which gets tighter as it gets closer to the inside). It seems to be a mixture of weaving styles - some cuenca weaving on the brim and top, and some brisa weave on the majority of the brim and crown. Interesting. It packs pretty well, and comes back without too much loss of shape. Anyway, I like the hat and believe it to be a very good value.

I've had many ups and downs with this hat. First, it arrived in a too small box which crushed the top of the fedora and made a nasty crease in the front. There was no padding or cushioning in the box, and the promised rolling instructions were also not included. After careful steaming and pressing, I got the crease out. I was then very happy with the hat, which has a nice, tight weave. It looked like a hat worth much more money. Unfortunately, after the third or fourth wearing, a half inch split appeared in the fabric, probably where two ends of the weave were spliced together to finish the hat. Another fraying appeared near the sweat band where a small hole appeared--all in the first week. Time to return. I feel I spent enough on the hat not to have two holes open up in week one.

I could not be happier with my Panama hat and the service I received from this seller. My hat arrived well before the estimated arrival date, although it was a bit too large. I contacted the seller, who offered either a refund or to ship another hat. They told me to just keep the one that I had originally received, so I did and gave it to a friend who was very appreciative. The hat is very stylish and quite comfortable in the Summer because it is light and breathes well. I bought it because I travel to Mexico often, and have wanted one for about 20 years but somehow no one ever got around to buying me one as a gift. No more baseball caps! Although when you are in American in Mexico wearing a white and red baseball cap with a Maple leaf that says Canada can be an aid in haggling. I haven't tried rolling it up yet in my suitcase and and looking forward to having that opportunity in the near future. Last but not least, the price was quite reasonable for what I got.I recommend both the seller and the product without hesitation. I promise, I am just a happy customer, not a shill.

The five stars is my review of the hat, but be aware that Amazon shipped in a bag in a box that was far too small. Hat was creased in several spots, crown and brim were badly misshaped. I spend about 45 minutes steaming it with a teapot to get into acceptable wearing condition. Not sure if I should be concerned that the hat lost its shape in the short amount of time that it rode in the bad packaging or be impressed that it survived. I haven’t had Amazon package anything this poorly before so maybe this was a fluke? Pros the hat looks nice and seems well constructed. I do morn the fact that I will never have the opportunity to wear this hat as it was originally shaped.

The Tumia Panama is an excellent product, well made and stylish. Unfortunately the first hat I received was too big, but this was entirely my fault as I incorrectly measured my head size. The return was accepted without question, a credit for the returned hat processed promptly and a replacement in the correct size despatched and received very quickly. All in all very good service. The reason that I have given the product 4 stars rather than 5 is that the replacement hat was 1 cm oversize, 57 cm actual size versus 56 ordered. This meant that I had to use the supplied cork strips to get a proper fit. The removal of the backing paper from the strips to expose the adhesive was incredibly fiddly and one of the strips separated from the hat and was lost the first time that I wore it.

Zuerst war ich sehr zufrieden, aber leider ging nach 2 wochen das hutband ab und nach weiteren 2 wochen löste sich der hut vom rand her auf.Habe das hutband dann zur not angenäht und den rand geflickt damit ich wenigstens über den sommer komme. Leider nicht zu empfehlen.

It will do the job very nicely , just need to get some of the newnesss out of it , inside band could be attached better.

Bit of a problem on my part getting the size right but great quality. Recommend getting the travel roll if your going to pack it in a suitcase, easy to use and comfortable to wear.

Very nicely made and fits perfectly, so much better than several cheap panamas I've had before.