What to Do If Your Panama Hat Gets Wet?

What to do if your Panama hat gets wet? - Truffaux Hatmakers

What to Do If Your Panama Hat Gets Wet: Rain, Drizzle, Pools and Wrinkled Brims

You head out into the sunny morning, putting on your best Panama hat, and by the afternoon the clouds are pouring down upon you. It is not a big problem, but it depends on the type of hat you have and how much water we are talking about. A wet hat is much like a wet book: if you look after it, everything is OK, and if you don’t, you throw it away.

Here are the common scenarios and how to handle each on:

Can You Wear a Panama Hat in the Rain? Light Drizzle 

Your Panama hat is porous and absorbs moisture (sweat) like a sponge. Light rain is not a problem. The hat will keep you dry and warm, protect you from the weather, and then dry out on your head.

If it stays a tad moist, it will dry out overnight. Protect it a little until it does: place it upside down on a table or shelf, and be careful while it is soft.

The one exception is a very fine weave ($800+). Take it off and tuck it under your arm, and just get wet. I live in a rainforest, and sometimes the hat comes first. Alternatively, cover it with a book, newspaper, umbrella, plastic bag or a large leaf.

What to Do If Your Panama Hat Gets Thoroughly Drenched

When your hat gets thoroughly wet, the fibres swell as they absorb the moisture, and the hat loses its structure. The easiest solution is to leave it on your head once you get out of the rain. The heat from your body dries the hat and helps it keep its shape.

  1. Reshape it on your head. Stand in front of a mirror, straighten out your brim and adjust the shape of your crown. It is not difficult, but take it slowly and be gentle.
  2. Leave it on as long as you can once the shape looks just right.
  3. Rest it carefully when you take it off. If the brim is snapped down at the front, rest the hat on the edge of a table with the brim hanging over the edge. If the brim deforms sitting flat, rest it upside down on the table, or snap the brim up all around and let it sit flat.
  4. Let it dry slowly, overnight. Choose somewhere safe. In the morning, pop it on and adjust it a little if need be.

Never dry a wet Panama in front of a heat source like a fire, hairdryer, heater or the sun (unless it’s on your head). It will shrink and go all wonky. If you live somewhere humid, a room with a fan on lightly will help, and air conditioning will dry it out nicely.

Need to reshape it with a little steam? Follow my guide: How to Steam a Panama Hat

My Panama Hat Flew Off Into the Ocean or Pool 

Now we are talking about a completely soaked hat. Here’s what to do:

  1. Scoop it out and shake off as much water as you can, without tearing the brim off.
  2. Put it back on your head. I know it is wet, but it is the only option.
  3. Dab it dry carefully with a cloth, towel or paper towels, if you have one.
  4. Follow the drying steps above.

The fibres in a Panama have a memory, and the shape will snap back into place if you do this quickly. The important thing is to reshape it while it is on your head, because your head is the perfect block to mould it. Taking your hat off occasionally and drying your hair will help moisture wick out of the hat too.

 

Reading this long after the fact? If you have placed it on a heater or in the sun to dry, you will probably need to stretch it and do some heavy adjusting. See How to Stretch a Hat Without a Stretcher, and watching some of my videos will help immensely.

Now its possible you are reading this long after the fact, in which case you are going to have to reshape it. If you have placed it on a heater or in the sun to dry, then you will probably need to stretch it and do some heavy adjusting. Watching some of my videos will help immensely.

My Panama Hat got wet, and the brim is all rippled/wrinkled.

If your hat is finer, and especially if the brim has a natural edge (not sewn), then you can get wrinkles and bubbles in the straw. It looks like paper that has been wet and is a bit frustrating. Using a warm iron and a little steam, it is possible to iron out the wrinkles, but you need to patient and see how the hat reacts. Every single Panama hat is different (literally), and running through all the scenarios is just not possible.

If you don't know what to do, please email me with a picture of your hat and we can work it out. Bringing hats back to life is like recycling; it makes for a better world. The likelihood that you will have access to a Panama hat specialist in your area is extraordinarily slim, so let's get it right before someone makes a mess.

Love

Truffaux

Further information on loving Panama hats :

How to shape the brim on your Panama

How to fix a broken Panama

What to do if your Panama gets wet?

How to steam a Panama hat?

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