Hi Patrick,
We're sorry that the XL hat didn't fit the first time. We do have an XXL size for the hat so I'm hoping this would be the best fit if you do decide to go with that. On a side note, for head measurements that are in between hat sizes, we suggest going with the larger size.
I also apologize that the sizing strips or 'hat spacers' didn't come with it. Previously we gave them out on request for free to our customers. Only recently have we started including them in orders and it's pretty obvious that we left it out for yours. Totally our packing error and we will do our utmost to ensure that these processes are tightened on our end. Once again, sincere apologies.