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After another round of testing, we’ve found a new option for more relaxed outdoor adventures: the Solbari Bondi Bucket Hat with UPF 50+ protection.
In the nearly four decades that I’ve been alive in this world, I’ve spent countless hours outdoors in the sun. If you haven’t noticed from the photo next to my name at the top of this post, I’m bald.
So trust me: it’s extremely important to protect your head from UV rays. My parents grew up in an era when sun protection was neglected and they had to visit the doctor every year to detect precancerous spots on their faces.
Research shows that skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States, with current estimates that one in five people will develop skin cancer. A good sun hat, along with sunscreen and other protective measures, can help you avoid becoming one of them.
But a good hat is only as good as the fact that you want to wear it. Since 2016, we’ve spent hundreds of hours testing hats on trails, in the mountains, and in parks, trying to find the perfect combination of protection, comfort, and style. We’ve recommended sun hats that provide maximum protection, maximum breathability, and keep you quiet during active pursuits, but if our recommendations don’t work for you, there are a few others worth checking out.
A hat is only as good as the amount of time you want to put it on your head. We tested beanies for fit, adjustability, and breathability.
I work as a writer’s assistant at Wirecutter, where I write about outdoor gear. I spend a lot of time sunbathing, hiking, kayaking, and walking my dog. I’ve previously reviewed and written buying guides for first aid kits, camping chairs, and headlamps.
Whether you’re hiking, rafting, playing golf, or just walking your dog, you’re exposed to ultraviolet radiation (UVR). Every dermatologist we spoke to warned that even in the winter or on cloudy days, UV rays can reach the ground and therefore affect you.
Dr. Mary Zhang explains that the higher you are above sea level, the closer people are to harmful UV rays. “The more you are exposed to these dangerous rays, the higher the risk,” she warned, noting, “I’ve seen a lot of airline pilots who have higher rates of skin cancer due to exposure to rays in the air.”
However, there are limitations to wearing sun hats. Sun hats are good at blocking the sun’s direct UV rays, but they do not block UV rays that are reflected off surfaces such as rocks, sand, water, and snow. Regardless of the size of your hat’s brim, sun hats are especially restrictive during midday, at high altitudes, and in the summer when the sun is at its strongest.
To fully protect yourself, you should consider using a sun hat as part of your sun protection regimen. Avoid sun exposure during peak hours, wear high UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor) fabrics and clothing that covers your face, apply sunscreen to protect your face from reflected UV rays, and even use an umbrella.
Any hat will provide some protection. However, as Dr. D’Ann Kleinsmith warns, baseball caps “do not provide any protection to the ears, sides of the face, or neck.” If the baseball cap you choose has a UPF of 30 or higher, it will mostly only protect your scalp and the part of your face that is shaded by the brim. Sun hats have similar protection issues and don’t even protect your scalp.
This UPF 50+ hat has a large brim that covers your neck and provides breathability and comfort. But it won’t give you much of a style advantage.
The Sunday Afternoons Ultra Adventure Hat is the best sun hat if you value protection and comfort, but its looks aren’t for everyone.
This is the most protective sun hat we’ve ever tested. The Ultra Adventure Cap is made from a nylon-polyester blend and has a UPF rating of 50+, which is the highest level of protection. Its 3.25-inch lapels (the longest brim of any hat we tested) and flowing skirt provide ample coverage for your face, ears, neck, and upper shoulders. The rigid brim stays in place and continues to provide protection in windy conditions, and the chin strap keeps the hat from flying off your head.
Comfortable to wear and easy to adjust. One tester noted that the hat was so comfortable that she almost forgot she was wearing it, which is important if you spend a lot of time outdoors. It also features an adjustable crown strap for a personalized fit and comes in the widest range of sizes of any of our options (ranging from 21.2 to 24.6 inches in head circumference, depending on size).
Allows you to see clearly around you. There’s a fine line between a brim that protects you and a brim that obscures your view. Surprisingly, this is a problem with many sun hats, but our testers found that the Ultra Adventure Hat’s brim gives the wearer enough frontal and peripheral vision to navigate, take in the scenery, and even spot wildlife.
Easy to pack and doesn’t lose shape. The soft fabric can be folded and easily stowed in a bag for storage while traveling. Unlike other hats we tested, this one retained its shape when we took it out without getting wrinkled or dirty.
It also has a few other useful features. If you want to remove your sunglasses, the Super Expedition Hat has two holes above the brim to secure them in place. There is also reflective fabric next to the mesh on the back of the hat, which improves visibility in low-light conditions.
Sunday Afternoons comes with a lifetime warranty. We haven’t noticed any durability issues, but if you have, Sunday Afternoons will replace any hat with a manufacturing defect for life (though the company does charge an $8 shipping fee).
This hat is the most breathable of all the ones we tested, but it provides less protection than the Sunday Afternoons Ultra Adventure Hat.
The Columbia Bora Bora II Booney is the most breathable hat we tested, but it doesn’t provide as much protection as our pick for total sun protection, the Sunday Afternoons Ultra Adventure Hat.
This is the most breathable beanie we’ve ever tested. Our testers loved the layer of mesh that covers most of the crown; the design made the beanie breathable compared to other models. It also includes a thick forehead band for quick drying.
It provides excellent protection, but it does have its drawbacks. The Bora Bora II Booney’s UPF 50 nylon fabric blocks 98% of the sun’s rays from reaching your skin, and its brim is almost as wide as our general protection options, measuring a full 3 inches long.
However, compared to the Ultra Adventure Hat, this hat has no skirt, leaving the lower cheeks, sides of the face, and long nose exposed. The mesh ventilation also has a drawback, as each hole allows more UV rays to pass directly onto your head.
It is lightweight and easy to carry. The Bora Bora II Booney nylon fabric is lightweight and foldable, so it can be easily placed in a backpack without taking up too much space.
This UPF 50+ bucket hat is great for relaxed outdoor activities, but it has a narrow brim so it doesn’t offer the same protection as our other styles.
Note: There are two product pages on the Solbari website showing this hat on a women’s model and a men’s model, but they are the same hat.
If you don’t sweat a lot or spend too much time in the sun, the Solbari Bondi UPF50+ Panama Hat is a great choice for more relaxed outdoor activities.
The fabric is smooth and soft to the touch. The 100% nylon fabric of the Bondi bucket hat is much softer than the fabric of other bucket hats we tested, like the Cotopaxi Tech bucket hat. One of our testers has wavy hair, and hats often tangle her hair; the Bondi bucket hat kept her curls virtually smooth, which she attributed to the smoothness of the fabric.
It is easily adjustable and comes in a variety of sizes. The drawstring and tie at the back of the hat are easy to tighten or loosen, which is especially convenient in windy weather since the hat does not have a chin strap.
Provides reliable coverage without blocking your view. The 2.75″ wide visor slopes downwards to provide more face coverage while still leaving plenty of room to see.
It’s easy to pack and built to last. The Bondi Panama folds and rolls up to the size of a mini soda can, and unlike many hats we tested, it doesn’t wrinkle much once packed.
It offers more color options than our other options. If you’re looking for something a little more vibrant and colorful, the Bondi bucket hat offers more color options than our other collections. Its casual, bright style also made it easy to fit in, whether we were hiking or walking around town.
If you want a hat with a lifetime warranty and are willing to pay a little more, consider the Tilley LTM6 Airflo Sun Hat. The previous model, the Tilley hat, is made from UPF 50 fabric and has a unique felt hat shape that some testers found appealing. It comes with a lifetime warranty that even covers normal wear and tear. However, it is much more expensive than any of the hats we picked.
If you’re looking for a technical look without having to pack a hat, consider the Outdoor Research Sunbriolet Sun Hat. With UPF 50+ sun protection, this hat has a 3-inch brim in the front and just over 4 inches in the back, which provides better neck coverage than the Columbia Bora Bora II Booney. It also breathes almost as well as the Columbia hat, thanks to vents on the sides of the crown and an internal mesh that’s used to insulate your head from the outer fabric (though we can’t say how well this feature works). However, the stiff brim makes it a little awkward to pack down, and it’s not as compact as our picks.
If you’re looking for a hat for everyday adventures without having to pack, check out the Solbari Everyday Wide-Brimmed Hat with Pocket and UPF 50+ UV Protection. When I’m not opting for the Solbari Bondi Bucket Hat, I find myself wearing this hat on long dog walks and short hikes. The 3.25-inch peak offers plenty of coverage and has a convenient snap-on strap. The brim is stiff so it doesn’t flap in the wind, and the chin strap is removable, which is handy when you don’t want anything hanging down. It doesn’t pack well, though—I creased the brim of this hat when I was stuffing it into my backpack. Plus, the fabric doesn’t hold in heat as well as the hats we picked from Sunday Afternoons and Columbia, so it’s not ideal for long hikes in hot weather. (Note that Solbari has separate product pages for women’s and men’s styles, but the hats are identical and the only difference in the listings is the model pictured wearing the hat.)
After more than 25 hours of research, checking customer reviews and online guides, reviewing scientific studies, and talking to dermatology and skin cancer experts, we considered the following when choosing the sun hats to test:
Since 2016, we’ve been testing sun hats in a variety of conditions, from scorching deserts and high mountain passes to casual strolls through city blocks. We also use them in less strenuous situations, such as dog walks and short hikes. Our testing covers the following areas:
Initial fit and comfort testing: Once we have selected a group of sun hats, we try them on and consider all the criteria we set when choosing (see how we chose), as well as how well each hat adapts to different head shapes and hair types. We reject many hats due to insufficient sizing, poor visibility, or overall poor design.
Testing Each Hat’s Fabric with a UV Card: After eliminating the hats based on the fit test, we decided to test whether the remaining hats actually blocked UV rays. First, we bought a foam head and placed a UV card on it at midday on a high UV index day when the sun was at its highest.
We measured the crude UV blocking ability of the hat fabric by using the camera’s burst mode to capture UV map measurements while removing the hat from the foam head.
According to the maps, all of the hats did their job of reducing UV radiation on the scalp—we even tested hats without an official UPF rating (like the Cotopaxi Tech Bucket Hat), and they did just as well as hats with a UPF rating.
We also tested how much UV radiation each hat protected the nose area from by placing a card on it. The face is exposed to more reflected UV radiation (light that bounces off the environment rather than directly from the sun), so all of the hats we tested had slightly higher UV readings on the nose. However, they are still in the low range.
Field Testing: We wore the hat while hiking, walking the dog, kayaking, and exploring cities in Southern California, Utah, Wyoming, Massachusetts, Vermont, and New York during late spring and summer, when the UV index is highest. We paid special attention to fit, comfort, visibility, and breathability—the things that make you want to wear a hat.
Our two top-rated sun hats, the Sunday Afternoons Ultra Adventure Hat and the Columbia Bora Bora II Booney, underwent two more intense tests:
If you’re like me and forgetful when packing, here are a few things to keep in mind when you need to buy a sun hat quickly:
Coolibar Charlie Cotton Panama: This waxed hat is made from 100% cotton. It is quite stiff and less comfortable than other hats. When I took it out of the box, it was still noticeably wrinkled.
Coolibar Etta Malleable Visor Women’s Hat: This hat has one of the widest brim around at 4 inches, but that makes for poor visibility and the pattern underneath the brim is surprisingly distracting.