Creative Commons picture by Kevin Hutchinson.

The panama hat is a fedora-like straw hat, often made in white. Supposedly the really good ones can be folded up without sustaining any damage. However, trying to collapse them has damaged every panama hat that I have ever had.

In a cruel trick of naming, the panama hat actually originated from Ecuador. People in Ecuador wove them and shipped them to the rest of the world via panama. Simply because panama was a way point on the hat’s journey, the hat was named the “panama hat.”

Once it was discovered that the hat could make almost anybody look relaxed they really took off. [Note: These hats do not have the same effect on dogs. It just makes dogs look more tense and awkward.]

The association of this hat with warm Latin locals also has it’s detractions. It is important to be aware that when people see you in this hat they expect you to be a good dancer. It just goes with the style. That can lead to high-risk dance offs and people of the opposite gender throwing themselves at you – helpless to your suave moves.

Pop a pith helmet on your head and you officially look like a badass.

The word around the water cooler is that Europeans once thought they required a pith helmet to survive in the tropics. The story was that they lacked the natural immunity to the harsh tropical sun that the locals had. As my great grandfather would always say “when you discover that you have a annoyingly serious innate vulnerability, and you will, just turn it into a fashion statement that reminds people of your badass-ness.” Which is apparently the course of action that people of European descent took in this case.

It is true that people with lighter skin are more vulnerable to the sun than those with darker skin. However, that is about where the truth of this story stops. Extended time in the sun damages everyone. No one is safe! To avoid this damage it can be a good idea to wear a wide brimmed hat. Ones that aren’t too heavy (like pith helmets) tend to feel the best. But, for those who don’t care about “feeling” and “best” steel hats block the sun and exercise the neck.