Best Hiking Hats for Women
A proper hiking outfit is not complete without a good pair of hiking boots, quality socks, hiking pants or shorts, and a comfortable shirt. However, there are some accessories that can take your comfort on the trail to the next level. A hiking hat is one of these accessories.
Not only will a good hat cover a bad hair day – especially when you’re spending days in the woods – but it provides other benefits that keep you feeling better on the trek. While many hiking hats aren’t what you would consider stylish, there are a few that you won’t mind wearing. Below are our picks for the best hiking hats for women that are both cute and functional.
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Why Wear a Hiking Hat?
If you’re on the fence about whether a hiking hat is right for you, let us butter you up with some of the reasons we love wearing hats while hiking:
- Protection from the sun– When you’re out in the sun for hours during a long hike, you are exposing your skin to a lot of potential damage. A hiking hat provides some extra protection for your face, so you don’t end up with the classic sunglasses burn lines that many hikers have.
- Shades your eyes – When the sun is beating directly onto your face, you’ll want something more than just sunglasses to shade your eyes.
- Keeps your hair out of your face – If you have long hair, you know just how annoying it can be to have to constantly move it out of your face and eyes. A hat will help your hair stay put.
- Blocks your face from rain – When hiking in the rain, a hat can keep water from soaking your face and dripping into your eyes.
- Covers a bad hair day – When you’re backpacking, you might not bathe for several days. That means your hair is far from it’s ideal state. A hat will cover that mess so you don’t have to worry about it for a few more days.
Best Hiking Hats for Women
Overall Favorite
Columbia Bora Bora II Booney
- Standard Price: $30
- Material: Nylon
- Unisex
- UPF 50+
One of our picks for the best hiking hats for women isn’t even specific to women. It’s a unisex hat with a style that anyone can rock. It is very simple in appearance, but has a ton of great features that make it perfect for hiking.
An issue many hikers have with hats is how sweaty and warm they become on hot summer days. This hat does a great job at preventing head sweat. It has an ultra sweat-wicking net headband to keep sweat from soaking your cap. It also has mesh venting that provides air flow to your head so it doesn’t get so stuffy. The hat head we experienced wearing this hiking hat after 5 miles was significantly less nasty than when we wore others.
While there is only one size for these hats, they are adjustable. There is a drawcord that can be tightened and loosened to achieve a perfect fit. The neck strap is also adjustable, so you can secure your new favorite hat around your neck so you don’t lose it on a windy day. When you’re done wearing it, this hat folds down well and takes up very little space in your pack.
Best Premium
Filson Summer Packer
- Standard Price: $75
- Material: Cotton
- Unisex
- UPF 50+
If you’re looking to spend a little more for something you can wear for more than just hiking, the Filson Summer Packer might be the hat for you. It is unisex, and offers a lot in terms of style and comfort. It has a fedora-meets-safari hat shape to it, making it stand out among the typical hiking hats you see out there. The narrow brim on this style makes it great for backpackers – your hat won’t be getting stuck on and bumping into the brain of your backpack the way wide brim hats do.
While this hat is made of cotton, which is typically a bad fabric for hiking clothes, it does a surprisingly good job at keeping your head cool. The side ventilation grommets provide a good deal of breathability. My head certainly wasn’t as cool as it was in the Booney above, but it also wasn’t sopping in sweat.
The fabric is also treated to be water-repellent, so you don’t have to worry about it getting damaged if you wear it on a rainy day hike. The material and structure of the hat also does well for packing in a backpack. Roll it up when it’s not in use, then quickly pop it back into shape when it’s time to wear it again.
One thing to note about this hat – it is not adjustable. Be sure to purchase the right size for your noggin!
Best No-Frills
North Face Horizon Breeze Brimmer
- Standard Price: $40
- Material: Nylon and Polyester
- Women's
- UPF 40
Sometimes the best hiking hats for women are the simplest ones. We love the simplicity of the Breeze Brimmer by North Face. It has a classic look and a comfortable fit. The brim is floppy and medium in width, so it does a great job of protecting your face from the sun and shading your eyes. However, this type of brim may also limit your field of vision and get caught on things like your backpack at times, so there is a tradeoff.
The elastic sweatband draws sweat away from your face to keep your face dry and the mesh venting provides some airflow to keep your head cool. These features, along with the adjustable fit drawcord, makes this hat very comfortable for hiking. However, you may still experience some sweaty hat head in this one. Fortunately, this hat is hand washable, so you can keep it looking – and smelling- fresh!
Did we mention this hat packs down small? That floppy brim allows this hat to pack down very small when you’re done wearing it!
Best For Ponytail Lovers
Dukars Wide Brim Sun Hat
- Standard Price: $9
- Material: Polyester
- Women's
- UPF 50+
Sometimes, you need to choose between wearing your hair up and wearing a hat. Not with this one! This hat earned a spot on our best hiking hats for women list because it doesn’t interfere with your ponytail.
There are plenty of other great features on this hat that makes us love it. For one, it has some of the most colorful variety out there. No matter what your style, you’ll find a shade that fits you!
This hat also features mesh panels on the sides for ventilation and an adjustable elastic design that allows you to adjust the fit between 22 – 23.6 inches. This brim is wide, but stiff. A stiff brim means it will stay in place and wont block your vision as much, but it reduces it’s pack-ability. It can fold down, but not nearly as small as some of the other hats on this list.
Best Wide Brim
GearTOP WIde Brim Sunhat
- Standard Price: $19-25
- Material: Polyester
- Unisex
- UPF 50+
This GearTOP hat offers a wider brim than the other hats on this list. This is perfect if sun protection (LINK) is your priority. The brim is moderately stiff, it still packs down small and has a bend to it but it keeps it’s shape as you move around. If you want to switch up the shape of this hat, you can flip the brim or snap the sides of the hat up.
It is a one-size-fits-most hat, but it does offer a drawcord so you can customize the fit within the 22-23.5 inch range. The neck chord is also adjustable, so you can tighten it up to keep it secure when you’re in a windy area.
Our favorite feature about this hat – it is machine washable. While this hat features breathable mesh to keep your head cool, it’s hard to completely avoid head sweat. You’re going to appreciate how easy it is to clean this hiking hat!
Photo by KyneWynn Kind on Unsplash
