10 Best Hiking Hats For Men & Women

We share our favorites if you’re looking for the best hiking hat to tackle the trails. During the spring, summer, and fall, we are out at least three or four times a week hiking, stand-up paddling, kayaking, or doing whatever we want in the great outdoors.

We always have one thing with us: a proper hat for hiking. An excellent hat for hiking keeps the sun off your head, protects your eyes from the sun, and is very comfortable all around. Wearing a hat is the perfect solution to having a bad hair day. There are a million hats for hiking on the market, but a few of the best are here.

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Featured Hats

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Our Top Picks

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Outdoor Research Swift Hiking Cap

Price: $28 | Material: Nylon | Style: Ball Cap

The Outdoor Research Swift Cap is comfortable, ultralight, protective, and affordable. It’s a tremendous hat for hot weather or trail runners, as it’s small enough to stash in a running vest. The affordable hat extends far beyond the trail, excelling at water sports, mountaineering, and athletics.

The fit is exceptional thanks to the lightweight material, cut, and back head strap. Adjustments to the fit are easy and fast, with a simple slide buckle keeping the hat securely on the head. The material is exceptionally lightweight and comfortable against the head. It also effectively wicks away sweat, and the rear vent panels keep your head cool.

The only negative aspect of the hat is its lack of a wide brim, although Outdoor Research does make the Bugout Brim Hat. The bill is stiff, so it cannot be stashed in a pocket or backpack like some hiking hats. Despite the classic ball cap style, the fabric still offers a UPF 50 rating, and the brim provides shade to the face.

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Tilley LTM6 Airflo

Price: $99 | Material: Nylon | Style: Sun Hat

Tilley hats are iconic and have long protected many faces from the harmful effects of the sun. They’ve tackled the world and have seen more than a few adventures. Their exceptional performance provides beautiful protection, reliable durability, and comfort. LTM6 is a terrific choice for a hat. The durability and quality set Tilley apart from many other hats. They back up that product, too, with a lifetime guarantee against wear and tear.

The quality and durability of the material allow the hat to keep its shape and look stylish for a wide-brim hat. Despite its traditional stylings, it handles heat exceptionally well, and the vented airflow panels keep your head cool. Fit is lovely, and a broad interior band keeps the hat in place. It has some features that help, such as a foam top for floatation in the water, a hidden pocket for valuables, and a chin strap for a secure fit.

It does feel a little clunky, so the Tilley LTM6 is not great for those seeking a performance hat, such as trail runners or climbers. However, its design is terrific for travel, and it’s one of our favorite safari hats and everyday sun protection for activities like gardening or yard work. Of course, it’s tough not to mention the price as it is high, but the hat does have a lifetime guarantee.

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Salomon XA Cap

Price: $25 | Material: Polyester | Style: Running Cap

Fast and light running hats are excellent for hiking, and Salomon knows a thing or two about trail running. Their XA cap is ultralight, ready to tackle miles, wick away sweat, and protect the face. It’s an excellent option for fast and light hikers or anyone seeking a running cap.

The sharp-looking cap and fit work for a wide range of head sizes. This is partly due to the design allowing for stretch with a back-of-the-head adjustment strap. A reliable fit ensures the cap stays in place and is comfortable on the trail, which is one of the hat’s standout features.

The hat does have a pitfall or two regarding durability and care. In many hats users and our testing, the logo peels off the cap, which explains the hand wash-only instructions. It doesn’t negatively affect the hat’s performance but the style. Durability issues are best described by using polyester, which is lightweight but lacks the strength of nylon.

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Sunday Afternoons Adventure Hat

Price: $40 | Material: Nylon | Style: Sun Hat

A full-coverage hat like the Sunday Afternoons Adventure Hat is vital for hikes in the desert or anywhere lacking shade. The hat is an exceptional choice as it provides excellent sun protection thanks to a large cape that covers the neck. Performance is outstanding as the hat is lightweight, comfortable, breathable, and packable.

It’s packed with features such as a sunglass keeper, internal sweatband, size adjustment band, chin strap, and foam top, which allows the hat to float in water. The hat style may feel polarizing but is highly effective at sun protection. The large brim and neck cape look goofy in many settings, but they feel right at home in the right environment.

This plays into our chief complaint, as the hat lacks some versatility. It feels right at home in high UV environments like the desert, a glacier, or canoeing down a river, but we’d never wear it in everyday life. Regardless, it’s an exceptional hat if you need reliable sun coverage for an excellent price.

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Arc’teryx Calvus Cap

Price: $35 | Material: Polyester | Style: Running Cap

The Calvus Cap is an ultralight running cap from Arc’teryx that is great for hiking. They use water-resistant Sorona® polyester fabric to create a lightweight, breathable hat. It features moisture-wicking material and a spacer mesh sweatband for optimal comfort.

Arc’teryx is known for its exceptional quality, which is undoubtedly true with the Cavlus Cap. It’s lightweight and ready for fast-paced mountain training and to tackle significant objectives. It’s also a sharp-looking hat with a short brim that feels great for running errands around town or the gym.

It does have some slight fit issues. There is too much fabric on the front of the hat, so it creates a small fold with open space. It is not enough to affect the performance or comfort of the hat, but it doesn’t look as sharp. The hat still feels terrific on the head and is very comfortable with an easy-to-adjust rear strap.

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Columbia Bora Bora II Hat

Price: $30 | Material: Nylon/Polyester | Style: Sun Hat

Columbia makes some of the least attractive hiking gear if you care about looks. However, you get a lot of hats for a great price when it comes to the Columbia Bora Bora. It’s a great hiking sun hat. The easy-going floppy hat is easy to stuff and crush into a backpack when not in use. The synthetic material also does an excellent job of providing shade and resisting wrinkles.

The Bora Bora is made of nylon, is well-vented, packs well, and features UPF technology. It has valuable features such as a chin strap, integrated sweatband, and top-vented panels. The panels are a mixed blessing as they allow some UV rays, and you’ll feel the sun on top of your head (skip if you’re bald).

The cut is slightly off as a larger integrated sweatband and a longer top would allow for a more secure fit. In strong winds or if you’re moving fast, that hat does not stay in place well. Regarding the Bora Bora, you get what you pay for, which lacks quality or warranty. However, we’d be hard-pressed to say that the Tilley LTM6 above offers three times the performance at three times the price.

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Buff R-Flash Pack

Price: $30 | Material: Polyester | Style: Running hat

The Buff Flash Cap is a lightweight running hat that provides exceptional performance. It’s ultra-comfortable and weighs only one ounce! Its weight and fabric are extraordinary in warm weather and keep you cool. The hat features a soft bill for sun protection that can be folded up or stuffed in a pocket.

It’s light and soft enough to fit in the breast pocket of running vests or hiking backpacks, which is terrific for an easy on-and-off when not necessary on the trail. Fit is also exceptional and does an adequate job of keeping sweat out of the eyes. It also has UPF50+ for sun protection, and the lightweight fabric is easy to clean. An ultralight running cap has drawbacks similar to a hat. The ball cap style does not offer near-the-sun protection of full-brim hats. Its soft bill can also be slightly polarizing, floppy, and moving around.

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Outdoor Research Seattle Sombrero

Price: $65 | Material: Gore-Tex | Style: Rain Hat

The Seattle Sombrero hat is designed to tackle wet environments and keep you dry. It repels rain and then protects you from the sun. The hat manages to do this and remains very comfortable. Gore-Tex allows the hat to offer ample water protection while remaining light and packable.

We love this rain hat for hiking as it’s durable, lightweight, and floats in water. Two velcro straps secure the sides of the hat to lift the brim and offer a nice style. Outside the Tilley, it’s our favorite-looking full-brim hat. Other features include a chin strap for a secure fit and an integrated sweatband.

It is a rain hat that runs a little too warm in hot environments. However, it’s still pretty lightweight and does a decent job at ventilation. It offers far inferior warm-weather performance to every other hiking that we recommend. If your hikes lead you into wet environments, then the Seattle Sombrero is an easy choice.

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REI Screeline

Price: $27 | Material: Nylon | Style: Foldable Hat

Fast and light hiking hats are an excellent choice, and REI makes one that is feature-rich for hiking. The hat’s fundamental standout feature is its ability to fold. With the lightweight material and a crease in the bill, it folds to the size of a napkin.

It’s an excellent option for fast and light hikers. Despite its foldable nature, the hat offers many features, too. It has a hidden pocket for a key, sunglasses loops, and floatation foam in the brim. All those features are nifty for a hat that can fit in your pocket.

The hat sizing and fit work for a wide range of head sizes. This is partly due to the design allowing for stretch with a back-of-the-head adjustment strap. Our only negative is the slightly loose fit that makes it ill-suited for running. It’s not as streamlined as some of the running caps above.

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Patagonia Classic LoPro

Price: $35 | Material: Cotton/Polyester | Style: Trucker Hat

This hat has a lot of style, making it the best outdoor hat. Although it’s not as lightweight or explicitly built for hiking, there’s no denying that the Patagonia Classic LoPro hat is CLASSIC. Whether it has the bear, buffalo, or Patagonia on the front, there’s one thing for sure – you look terrific wearing this hat.

The brim is made with fully traceable 100% recycled fishing nets, and the mid-crown is organic cotton. I love these hats because they are breathable in the back but sturdy enough to handle anything. At 3.2 oz, it’s not the lightest hat on this list, but we can argue that it’s the best-looking. Patagonia is also one of our favorite outdoor brands because it is Fair Trade Certified.

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What Makes a Great Hat?

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Sun Protection

A hat’s intention on the trail is to provide sun protection. At a minimum, every hat must shield the eyes from the sun to aid in vision. A hat should also cover high-exposure areas such as the forehead and nose. Three hat designs offer varying levels of sun protection. Ball caps provide the least protection but often look the best and remain comfortable. Wide-brim hats offer more protection, but the size catches the wind and inhibits running or other sports. Finally, cape hats offer the most protection and deal with wind better, but they look goofy.

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Moisture Management

After sun protection, we expect a hat to help deal with sweat. Hiking is aerobic, so a good hat must feature an interior band to deal with sweat effectively. Synthetic materials can absorb and help evaporate sweat so the forehead remains dry. If you go shopping for a hat, be sure to inspect the interior or design of the hat to see if it will wick sweat. It is one of the primary reasons traditional cotton ball caps are not great for hiking.

A lot of these synthetic hats are antimicrobial and dry fast. On long backcountry hikes, it’s great to have that you can rinse in a river or lake so you’re ready to tackle the next day. A quick dip of a hat in water is also a great way to refresh yourself on a hot day. We’ve even stuffed snow in our hats to cool off during mountain heat waves.

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Waterproof

You never know when rain is going to hit. If you’re in an area where it’s prone to rain, make sure to look for a hat with water protection. The Outdoor Research Seattle Sombrero is tremendous for rain protection. It has a sizeable Gore-Tex brim that will keep your face and head dry.

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Comfort

It must be comfortable if you wear something on your head all day. Hiking also involves a lot of movement, so even a slight discomfort can lead to chafing, rashes, or pain. A lightweight hat excels at moving with the head and remaining comfortable all day. Regarding comfort, it’s tough to beat the Outdoor Research Swift Cap.

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Material

We recommend synthetic materials for hats as they offer superior performance to cotton. It shouldn’t be too surprising, as cotton is generally disliked within the hiking community. Synthetics come with their issues, but we don’t know of any lightweight wool hats. We’d love to hear about it and test the hat out if you have a recommendation.

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Care

Any experienced hiker can attest that they put their clothing and gear through the wringer. Hats see a lot of UV rays, wear, dirt, and sweat, so it’s easy for them to get dirty quickly. When we get home, we want to throw our hats in the washer and restore them to a like-new condition. Hand washing only hats can be painful, and traditional ball caps are difficult to wash (using a dishwasher).

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Why You Should Wear a Hat

Everyone going out for a day outside needs to consider buying one of these hats. A hiking hat is an essential piece of protection from the elements of the wilderness. Hats are one of those backpacking essentials you don’t want to forget. The good news is that the best hats are affordable and last for years, so you only have to buy one before you head out!