Hiking Hat

Brim width settles most of the decision

A hiking hat is chosen on brim before anything else, because the brim is what separates it from a cap. A wide brim throws shade onto ears, cheeks and the back of the neck at the same time, which is exactly what a peak cannot do when the sun sits behind the walker. This range runs from ultralight and packable crowns to wide brims, camouflage and boonie shapes, a cowboy cut and sizes reaching XXL.

How wide should a hiking hat brim be?

Wide enough to shade the neck, narrow enough not to fight the wind or block the view of the next foot placement on steep ground. Open moorland and long days in the sun push towards the wider end. Scrambling, forestry and anything involving a rucksack lid pushes back the other way, since a broad brim catches the pack every time the head tilts up. Where a peak is genuinely enough, the shapes in military cap weigh less and pack flatter. The lighter sun caps strip the material back further still.

Will it stay on in wind?

Not on its own, and this is where most brimmed hats are lost. Three features keep one attached: a chin cord with a toggle that can be tightened one-handed, an internal drawcord that closes the crown to head size, and a crown deep enough that the hat sits on the skull rather than perching on the top of the hair. A hat that rides high looks fine indoors and leaves at the first gust on a ridge.

Does it pack, or does it arrive crushed?

Packable models use a soft, unstiffened brim with a wire or simply a floppy edge, and they recover their shape after a night in a pack. A stiffened brim, including most cowboy cuts, holds a clean line but must be carried on the head or in the hand. The classic compromise is the crushable boonie shape, close to what sits in boonie hat, which rolls into a pocket and unrolls without a permanent kink.

Which details matter beyond the brim?

• Ventilation: mesh side panels or eyelets in the crown release the heat that a full brim otherwise traps.
• Sweatband: an absorbent inner band decides comfort on a hot climb more than any other single feature.
• Weight: a light crown is barely noticed, a heavy one presses on the forehead by the afternoon.
• Brim underside: a dark underside cuts glare bouncing up off water, snow or pale rock.
• Drying: a synthetic hat dries between showers, while a heavy cotton one stays damp and cold on the head.

How is a hat sized for a large head?

Measure head circumference with a tape just above the ears and around the widest point at the back, then read the maker chart rather than assuming a letter size travels between brands. Where the measurement falls between two sizes, take the larger and close the internal drawcord, since a hat that grips the forehead gives a headache by lunchtime. Extended sizes exist for a reason and are worth using rather than stretching a size below.