Best hats to wear for hiking? Why?

The best hats for hiking have five qualities:

1. Comfortable fit
2. Well-ventilated
3. Chin strap to stop the hat from flying off in the wind
4. Broad brim
5. Made from sun-protective material

First off, hats are crucial while hiking. They provide needed shade and warmth while you’re out in the elements, but there are a ton of different hats out there, so what I’d like to do is offer a quick pros/cons list of the different types of hats so your readers can decide what’s best for them. Also, just so you know, I am in no way involved with or represent any of these products or brands:

Wide Brimmed Hat:

• Pros: Great for sunny days, provides a ton of shade for the head, face, and neck, the chin strap is nice on windy days, can shed water during a storm.
• Cons: Can be hot to wear, not all are vented, hard to pack when you don’t want to wear, tends not to be one size fits all, and can be expensive.
• Summary: If your main concern is keeping your head, face, and neck protected from the sun, nothing is better than a wide-brimmed hat. There are plenty of varieties of these, from stiff, cowboy-like hats to floppy, quick-drying, nylon versions. For hiking, I’d suggest a quick-drying, foldable one with mesh venting and a chin strap. They may not be the most stylish, but they provide a lot of shade and utility.

Visor:

• Pros: Lightweight, packable
• Cons: Don’t protect your neck or the top of your head from the shade.
• Summary: Visors are a great way to cut weight if you are concerned with carrying too much. They do keep the sun out of your eyes and off your forehead, but are limited in that they usually don’t protect your ears, neck, or head from the sun. Also, if you don’t have a full head of hair, visors can spell disaster for the top of your head. Even with a luscious mane, your part and scalp can still get sunburnt, so be sure to lotion up if you’re the visor type.

Regular Baseball Cap:

• Pros: Great for sunny days, provides shade for your face and the top of your head, inexpensive/free as most people have a baseball cap.
• Cons: Can be hot if the temps soar, and doesn’t protect the neck or ears from the sun.
• Summary: Everyone has a baseball hat or two lying around, so it’s a no-brainer to bring one on your next hike, but beware, as they don’t protect your neck or ears from the sun or elements.

Mesh Backed Trucker Hat:

• Pros: Great for hot, sunny days, lots of venting.
• Cons: Sun protection is limited as UV penetrates the mesh.
• Summary: Lots of people wear mesh-backed hats these days. They are in vogue again and do provide comfortable sun protection on hot days, but again, they don’t protect your neck or ears, and UV does penetrate the mesh so if you don’t have hair you can still get sunburn through the mesh.

Gortex Hat:

• Pros: Great for wet or rainy days, also nice in the winter or on cold hikes.
• Cons: Hot in warmer climates.
• Summary: Goretex hats are great when you are somewhere that the weather may be wet. They keep your head dry and warm and can be a real comfort when the skies open up. I love my Goretex hat in the winter, too. You can find them insulated, and they block the cold winds found above the tree line too.

Insulated hat/Beanie:

• Pros: Great for cold weather, protect your head and ears from the sun.
• Cons: Usually don’t block the sun from hitting your face since most do not have a brim
• Summary: Ideal for cold-weather hiking, as beanies or insulated hats help you retain warmth. Usually, they don’t block UV rays from hitting your face, but they do keep the sun and cold weather off your ears and head. If you’re on a multi-day hike, even in the summer months, having an insulated hat is a nice amenity since it normally gets chilly at night in the mountains, and it’s great to have an insulated hat to sleep in. But, of course, you have to pick the right beanie with the correct yarn to get the most out of it.