Topic overview
Folding headwear
Shop nowHow do I safely store my hat in my suitcase?
So you've packed your suitcase for your holiday but you're still missing your hat, which you absolutely don't want to travel without? Some holidaymakers find that their hat takes up lots of space when they're packing their suitcase. There's also the risk of dents and creases damaging the hat quickly if it is packed incorrectly. There is a particularly high risk of straw hats becoming creased or even damaged. So how can you transport your travel hat to your holiday destination unscathed? We'll show you three ways to get your hat safely to your travel destination.
Fill the hat with clothing
The easiest solution is to put the hat in your suitcase. This option is especially suitable for hats made from rigid materials, e.g. straw hats. The crown of the hat is stuffed with soft fabrics: with underwear, a swimsuit or other soft items of clothing. This will prevent the crown of the hat from becoming dented and creased.
1st step
In the first step, clothing that is as asoft as possible, e.g. underwear, T-shirts or swimsuits are folded and placed into the suitcase.
2nd step
Place a soft item of clothing into the crown of the hat, ensuring that it fills it completely.
3rd step
Finally, place the hat into the centre of the suitcase and then pack the remaining clothing around it.
Keep an eye out when you're buying a hat
Before you go on holiday, it's worth paying attention to the material when selecting and purchasing the right travel hat. Some hats are better to store and transport in a suitcase, some are worse. Hats made of fabric such as cotton or linen are easy to fold up or roll like other clithing without damaging the hat.
How should I roll a hat?
- Rollable hats often have one or more indents in the crown, which can be carefully pressed back out by hand.
- Fabric hats usually have a seam running the length of the head; this seam is not pressed outwards but inwards with the indents.
- The hat is then folded lengthways and can be carefully rolled up from back to front.
- This allows the hat to be easily and safely stored away in a suitcase.
Straw hats are particularly popular when travelling in warm climates, as they protect against intense sunlight, are comfortable to wear and still look stylish. However, staw hats are known for being more difficult to store in a suitcase than flexible fabric hats. It's simply impractical to wear your hat when travelling or to hold it in your hand all the time.
If, however, you still don't want to be without your straw hat on your beach holiday, we recommend opting for a Panama hat. We will explain why Panama hats are the ideal travel choice, especially for summer holidays.
The Panama hat
Panama hats are very practical for travelling because the straw is more flexible than most other types of straw. However, the Toquilla straw used to make this type of hat is only stretchy in tropical weather conditions with high humidity levels. You should therefore avoid rolling up and creasing a Panama hat in Central European climates, as the Panama straw could break in the prevailing weather conditions.
For travelling, however, you could gently dampen your hat with hot steam, making it very easy to roll up. You should ideally roll your hat just before leaving for your trip and unroll it again as soon as possible after arrival. This is because the longer you keep your Panama hat rolled up, the greater the risk that the braided straw will become brittle. This means that, despite its flexiblity, these hats should only really be rolled up when you're going on holiday.
Transporting in a hat box
Probably the safest but most cumbersome method is to transport your hat in a hat box. The boxes, which are specially made for hats, offer optimal protection but are another container that has to be transported in the car, train or aeroplane along with your other suitcases.
The history of the hat box
Hat boxes were primarily used in the past for storing hats to protect them from dust and light. Hat boxes are usually round and made of cardboard, chipboard or trunk leather. Models with a handle and a lock are now available for travelling.
Stylish mini cases with handles are easy to carry and protect hats of all shapes and sizes from damage caused by transport and a lack of space. When choosing the right hat box, you should make sure that the dimensions of the hat are only slightly smaller than those of hat box in order to prevent it moving back and forth. It should also not squeeze the hat inside it. Practical hat boxes come in a variety of patterns and colours - whether it's dotted or plain-coloured in a more simple design. Stored safely in a hat box, any headgear becomes a travel hat.
No hat? Then I'm not going!
As you can see, there's absolutely no reason to be without your hat on holiday. With the methods we have outlined, you can be sure your hat will reach your travel destination undamaged. In our online shop, you can also see a suitcase icon next to the hats that are easy to store in a suitcase and take on holiday with you. This makes it quick and easy to get an overview of the products that are suitable for your next trip. In addition to transport considerations, hat care is also essential for ensuring that your travel hat remains in good condition for all your trips. You can find more information on this in our article Hat care and storage.
