After interviewing three dermatologists, an ultra-runner, and 4 ultra-hikers, and field-testing for a complete of 200 hours, we’re satisfied the solar hat that works finest is the one you’ll truly put on.
A unanimous favourite amongst our testers, the Sunday Afternoons Extremely Journey Hat offers one of the best stability of protection and breathability, and is unobtrusive sufficient which you can overlook you’ve got it on.
Our decide
This hat with UPF 50+ cloth is so ethereal and light-weight, you may simply overlook you’re sporting it, which implies you’re extra prone to go away it in your head.
The Sunday Afternoons Extremely Journey Hat offers breathability, venting, and packability but is comfy sufficient that you just received’t thoughts sporting it. This design combines one of the best options of the earlier mannequin and improves on them, providing lighter materials (which might be nonetheless UPF 50+) and a slimmer silhouette.
We needed to take away different hats to see when navigating snow-covered mountain passes, however the clamshell brim on the Extremely Journey stops simply earlier than the ear, balancing protection with visibility.
The brim additionally stays inflexible within the wind—defending the face from the solar even throughout gusts. When the breeze picks up, you received’t lose it, thanks to adjustable sizing and a very good chin strap.
Designed with holes to carry sun shades plus reflective tape for low-light conditions, it additionally packs down simply for journey and retains its form afterward.
Additionally nice
This fishermen’s hat that mixes UPF 50 cloth, a 3-inch brim, and a sweatband was among the many most breathable we examined, although it provides much less protection than our high decide.
Our testers unanimously applauded the Columbia Bora Bora II Booney for its breathability, which is sensible because it has essentially the most beneficiant mesh venting of something we examined. It stored our heads cooler than different hats, each within the discipline and in a managed check. For a solar hat that falls larger on the type spectrum than most others we checked out, it provides a very good quantity of protection, together with UPF 50 cloth.
Nevertheless, its brim is shorter than our high decide’s and it has no skirt, that means your neck will probably be uncovered. An adjustable neck strap and crown stored it on our heads when the wind picked up. In airplanes and at night time if you don’t want it, the Columbia crams all the way down to a minimal measurement in your pack.
Additionally nice
Nice for golfers, horseback riders, and walkers, this can be a good (although dear) choice for those who’re working up a sweat, however not hoofing it up a mountain all day.
The Tilley LTM6 Airflo is constructed with UPF 50+ cloth designed to maintain your face and neck protected, and is very handsome. This sturdy, Canadian-designed hat additionally has the next high quality of workmanship (evidenced by the hand-sewn lock-stitching) than different hats we examined plus a agency brim that doesn’t lose its form in wind or when compacted. The one downside is that every one this type comes at a worth.
