It really isn't much of an investment of time or materials. A hat can be blocked into shape in a minute or two using scrap cardboard and newspaper. Seeing as that up north a straw hat would be seasonal it is easy to do this at first frost and letting it dry in the winter. A few minutes invested can double or triple the life of a valued hat and old friend.

But your right that a straw hat is cheap enough to be considered disposable, used as tinder, fed to the compost pile, or pensioned off to the scarecrow guarding the garden.