hat trip

The Best Travel Hats for Your Next Trip

When the wanderlust sets in and it's time to take off for a new adventure, there's nothing like finding the perfect hat to top off the occasion. From crushable sun hats that will keep you cool to cozy toppers that will warm you up, these are the best hats for travel. Before you start packing, let this post guide you along the path toward the best travel hats for men and women.

Crushable Hats

You're crushing it! By far the most packable hats of the bunch, crushable hats are ideal for travel because you don’t have to worry about ruining their shape whether you throw them in a carry-on suitcase, handbag, or backpack. There might be some wrinkling or creasing depending on the material, but a well-made crushable hat will bounce back even after some serious wear and tear.

The fedora is a classic travel companion no matter where you're going. Not only does it add instant flair to any outfit for both men and women, but it's also foldable and easy to stash. Traveling to a tropical paradise? You can't go wrong with a straw fedora. Venturing to a winter wonderland? Don't leave home without a felt fedora.

Baseball Cap

The crushability factor of baseball hats is one of some debate. While many baseball caps have rigid bills (or cardboard bills if they're vintage) that should not be folded, there are plenty of soft, unstructured caps and styles such as this Stetson wool blend baseball cap that can withstand a little rough play. One of the important factors to consider is the material of the hat; cotton, wool, polyester, and other synthetic blends are generally more resilient.

Also known as a fisherman's hat, the bucket hat is for the traveler who values comfort and convenience above all else. Most often made from canvas or heavy-duty cotton fabrics, bucket hats can be folded, rolled, or crammed in a bag without ever losing their shape. Practically synonymous with the great outdoors, the bucket hat is a must-have when hiking a national park, camping in the mountains, or going fishing.

With its signature floppy brim and slightly unstructured design, the floppy hat is an ideal excursion-ready accessory. Available in a variety of fabrics from straw to wool, this stylishly laid-back lid can be stowed away and still bounce back into shape.

When it comes to packable, foldable hats, the flat cap is a top pick. With such short brims, flat caps (newsboys, duckbills, ivy caps) don't provide much protection from the elements, but they are easy to take on the go and make a stylish topper for a casual daytime stroll or a more formal evening out.

Much like flat caps, beanies are among the best travel hats simply because they are so easy to pack. When traveling to colder climates, a chunky wool beanie will keep your head and ears warm and toasty while adding a dash of interest to your overall look.

Check out our selection of mens crushable hats and womens crushable hats .

Sun Protection Hats

Different hats protect you from the sun in different ways. While some hats are actually made with materials that block the sun’s harmful rays, other hats help shield you from the sun with their shape and design. These are the best hats to consider when traveling to sunny destinations.

Wide Brim Hat

The best sun hats have wide brims. This means hats with at least a three-inch brim to protect the face, ears, and neck. While wide brim hats come in various materials, those made from straw are ideally suited for warmer climates. Panama hats are a classic example of this lightweight and breathable style.

The key is to select a hat with a tightly knit weave that doesn't let any of the sun's harmful rays through. A good rule to remember: If you can see through the weave, leave. Most straw hats today are fairly sturdy and can be considered packable sun hats. To make sure, gently bend the rim of the hat to test it out. If it starts to crack or fray, be extra careful when traveling as it could get easily damaged.

Hat With UPF

Just as sunscreens offer SPF (sun protection factor) to shield skin against sunburn, clothes with UPF (ultraviolet protection factor ) block the sun's harmful UV rays, which could lead to skin cancer. This high UPF rating means that it blocks 97.5 percent or more of the sun's UV rays.

Also, look for hats with an adjustable chin strap — not only does this keep the hat in place to protect you while wearing it, but it also makes it easy to tie to your backpack or pocket when not in use.

Check out our selection of mens sun protection hats and womens sun protection hats .

Waterproof Hats

Whether you find yourself trekking through a tropical rainstorm or splashing around in a serene lake, a waterproof hat is a must. Hats that can withstand water come in different shapes, sizes, and fabrics. Read labels to determine the level of water resistance — while a polyester baseball cap or denim bucket hat might be fine completely immersed in water, a wool fedora or straw hat might only be able to repel a few sprinkles before getting ruined. Look for waterproof headgear such as those from Outdoor Research and Columbia Sportswear.

When it comes to traveling, you want to be prepared no matter the season or the destination. The best travel hat will suit your plans as well as your personality. Have fun, enjoy the journey, and safe travels.

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5 Classic Hat Styles for Travel (& How to Pack Them)

I love a good hat! They look great in travel photos, instantly elevate your outfit, and provide protection from the sun (not to mention giving you a stylish way to hide less-than-perfect travel hair). Whether I’m hiking in a National Park or galavanting through cities like Boston , you’ll catch me sporting a hat on nearly every trip. From the perfect sun hat to wool wide-brim boaters, there’s a hat for just about any occasion. In this guide, I’m breaking down which classic hat styles are my go-to and how to pack them for travel.

These are five classic women’s hat styles for travel and how to pack them.

How to travel with a wide brim hat.

Option 1: Place the hat upside down in your luggage and then fill the crown and pack around it under the brim. This helps protect the shape of the hat while also saving space.

Option 2: No room in your luggage? Use a hat clip (or this more budget-friendly hat clip ) to fasten it to your backpack or bag.

Option 3: Skip all the fancy packing hacks and just carry your hat with you on the plane! While you won’t want to wear it once you’re seated, I find that wide-brim hats make a pretty good phone stand when placed on a tray table. This way, you can Netflix and chill on the plane without having to hold your phone.

Packable Hats

If the above options don’t suit your needs, a packable hat may be the way to go! These wide-brim hats were designed to roll up easily to fit in your backpack, purse, or luggage.

5 Classic Women’s Hat Styles for Travel

Straw Sun Hat

Sun hats are such a classic because they’re one of the most practical hat choices out there. A wide-brim straw hat is my go-to for any warm-weather trips. They’re the perfect complement to any spring or summer dress, and the wide brim is key for protecting your eyes and skin from any harsh rays. Many even offer UPF sun protection!

Wide Brim Felt Hat

When I’m traveling in the mountains or during the fall, I usually reach for a wool felt hat. Equally as functional as a straw sun hat, felt hats have the added seasonal bonus of providing some added warmth as well. Not to mention, they look great in travel photos.

Chin Strap Hat

The wind might be my least favorite of the elements, particularly because it’s highly skilled at whisking away one’s headwear. When I’m out for a hike or visiting a city during some gusty weather, hats with a chin strap come to the rescue. Thankfully, these hats are another example of when practicality meets beauty. There’s something about a chin strap that’s just darn adorable!

Sometimes, a wide-brim hat just isn’t the most practical headwear for your outing. On those occasions, the classic ballcap is a go-to for providing some sun coverage. It’s also easy to pack and perfect for effortlessly covering your tresses in-between washes.

The ultimate classic and chic hat is definitely the beret. Perfect for the fall and winter months or just for elevating an outfit, a beret is undoubtedly my most frequented style. It’s also a favorite because it takes up virtually no space in your luggage!

The obvious choice for winter activities or cold-weather trips, it’s important to have a high-quality stocking cap in your arsenal. When choosing your winter headwear, opt for wool if you’re able. It naturally wicks away moisture, making it the best material for regulating temperature and preventing dampness from sweat or snow.

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The Best Sun Hat for Hikers

By Liz Thomas

Any time you recreate outside—on the trail, in a canoe, or just in your own backyard—you should protect your skin from the sun, and that includes the skin on your head and neck.

Everything we recommend

Sunday Afternoons Ultra Adventure Hat

The hat you’ll actually keep wearing.

This hat with UPF 50+ fabric is so airy and lightweight, you could easily forget you’re wearing it, which means you’re more likely to leave it on your head.

Buying Options

Columbia Bora Bora Booney II Hat

A less dorky option.

This fishermen’s hat that combines UPF 50 fabric, a 3-inch brim, and a sweatband was among the most breathable we tested, though it offers less coverage than our top pick.

Tilley LTM6 Airflo Hat

For less-aggressive activity.

Great for golfers, horseback riders, and walkers, this is a good (though pricey) option if you’re working up a sweat, but not hoofing it up a mountain all day.

After interviewing three dermatologists, an ultra-runner, and four ultra-hikers, and field-testing for a total of 200 hours, we’re convinced the sun hat that works best is the one you’ll actually wear.

A unanimous favorite among our testers, the Sunday Afternoons Ultra Adventure Hat provides the best balance of coverage and breathability, and is unobtrusive enough that you can forget you have it on.

The Sunday Afternoons Ultra Adventure Hat  provides breathability, venting, and packability yet is comfortable enough that you won’t mind wearing it. This design combines the best features of the previous model and improves on them, offering lighter fabrics (that are still UPF 50+) and a slimmer silhouette.

We had to remove other hats to see when navigating snow-covered mountain passes, but the clamshell brim on the Ultra Adventure stops just before the ear, balancing coverage with visibility.

The brim also stays rigid in the wind—protecting the face from the sun even during gusts. When the breeze picks up, you won’t lose it, thanks to adjustable sizing and a good chin strap.

Designed with holes to hold sunglasses plus reflective tape for low-light situations, it also packs down easily for travel and retains its shape afterward.

Our testers unanimously applauded the Columbia Bora Bora II Booney for its breathability, which makes sense as it has the most generous mesh venting of anything we tested. It kept our heads cooler than other hats, both in the field and in a controlled test. For a sun hat that falls higher on the style spectrum than most others we looked at, it offers a good amount of coverage, including UPF 50 fabric.

However, its brim is shorter than our top pick’s and it has no skirt, meaning your neck will be exposed. An adjustable neck strap and crown kept it on our heads when the wind picked up. In airplanes and at night when you don’t need it, the Columbia crams down to a minimal size in your pack.

The Tilley LTM6 Airflo is constructed with UPF 50+ fabric designed to keep your face and neck protected, and is especially good-looking. This durable, Canadian-designed hat also has a higher quality of craftsmanship (evidenced by the hand-sewn lock-stitching) than other hats we tested plus a firm brim that doesn’t lose its shape in wind or when compacted. The only drawback is that all this style comes at a price.

The research

Why you should trust us, who this is for, how we picked, how and where we tested, our pick: sunday afternoons ultra adventure hat, a less dorky option: columbia bora bora ii booney, for less-aggressive activity: tilley ltm6 airflo hat, why can’t you wear a baseball hat, the competition, care and maintenance.

I’m an avid long-distance hiker with over 16,000 miles covered on long trails. I once held the women’s unassisted speed record on the Appalachian Trail (2,185 miles from Georgia to Maine) and each year spend two to five months backpacking. I also teach Backpacker Magazine’s online Thru-hiking 101 class.

For this piece, we consulted with three dermatologists certified by the American Board of Dermatology to answer questions about sun exposure, what makes a great sun hat, and design features that make one hat better than another.

Lastly, we asked five outdoor athletes about the difference between a hat that looks good in the store and a hat that actually works in the field, including ultramarathoner David Jared and long-distance hiker and ultra-runner Lint Bunting . Jared, a runner and ultramarathoner based in Texas, runs long races with heat-themed names—such as the Jalapeño Half Marathon, Wildlfire Half Marathon, and Habanero Hundred—and typically trains 25 to 40 miles per week in 90- to 100-degree Fahrenheit full-sun temps. Bunting has over 20,000 miles of hiking on his shoes, including walking the Triple Crown (the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, and Continental Divide Trail) three times—which requires hiking across New Mexico and Southern California. He has also walked across Arizona.

Whether you’re running, hiking, backpacking, rafting, golfing, or just taking the dog for a walk, you are exposing yourself to ultraviolet radiation. Every dermatologist we interviewed warned that even during winter or on overcast days, UVR (ultraviolet radiation) hits the earth, and thus, you.

Health educator Lisa Quale of the University of Arizona Skin Cancer Institute mentioned in an email that “the face, tops of the ears, neck, chest, hands, and arms are some of the most common sites for skin cancer.” She suggested sunhats should be seen as just one part of your defensive lineup. In addition to wearing a sunhat, avoid the sun during peak times, wear clothing with high UPF fabrics and full coverage, wear sunscreen , and use a sun-shading umbrella.

Bad news if your excuse is that you have a great “base tan”—board-certified dermatologist and author of Asian Beauty Secrets: Ancient and Modern Tips from the Far East Dr. Marie Jhin warns us a base tan is just a sign that your cells are trying to protect themselves from further injury. She told us a so-called base tan “provides a sun protection factor (SPF) of 3 or less, and anything under SPF 15 provides inadequate sunburn protection.” Board-certified dermatologist Dr. D’Anne Kleinsmith put it more bluntly: “There is no such thing as a good tan.”

We spent 15 hours reviewing sunhat guides and customer reviews, interviewing dermatologists, and reviewing scientific literature on sun exposure for outdoor athletes. Based on this information, we developed criteria (in bold below) to judge our picks.

Sun protection is the reason anyone would choose to wear a sunhat, but it’s not as straightforward as measuring inches covered by the hat. Quale noted that a good sunhat should be made of fabric with an Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) rating of at least 30 . These fabrics have a very tight weave that prevents most of the ultraviolet radiation from getting to your body—even when the fabric is wet (or sweaty), which can pull fibers apart and expose the body to more ultraviolet radiation.

For hikers, mountaineers, or anyone recreating at altitude, ultraviolet radiation is going to be higher than for those playing beach volleyball. Dr. Jhin explained that the higher the elevation, the closer people are to UVA and UVB rays—the kind that cause sunburn, skin damage, and skin cancer. “The more exposure to these dangerous rays, the higher the risk,” she warned, noting, “I see a lot of airline pilots who are exposed to the rays in the air and get more skin cancer.”

Sun exposure can occur from above, but also from rays reflected from the ground, even in areas that may be shaded from trees. Water, sand, rock, concrete, and snow have higher reflection rates than other surfaces, which is of note to rafters, runners, climbers, and anyone on the snow. She also mentioned that a dark-underside brim can prevent further facial exposure.

Every outdoor athlete we interviewed told us that breathability and venting were the most important factors in determining whether they wore their hat or carried it balled up at the bottom of their pack. Ultramarathoner Jared told us that, as an active person, “I’m generating so much heat it can get to a point where I’ll want to take the hat off. It won’t do me any good in my hand and not on my head. If [the hat is] more breathable and letting some of that heat get away then I’ll be able to wear it longer.” We picked hats that featured highly breathable fabric and that also allowed heat to escape from the head through strategically placed vents.

We initially thought coverage was the most important factor to look for in a hat, but in our first hours of field testing, it was clear that our winner would be a sunhat whose coverage didn’t trump visibility. The hats with the most coverage give you a view of your feet—and that’s it. They work like blinders leaving the wearer with tunnel vision. But being able to see—to navigate, avoid rocks and wildlife (and the scariest encounter of all—motor vehicles), and otherwise enjoy nature is essential.

We tried to not let fashion sway us too much, but ultimately, comfort and stylishness are going to be a factors in determining if you will keep the hat on your head (or buy it in the first place). Comfort includes fabric feel, weight, fit, and adjustability. It also includes if flaps, Velcro, strings, or cinches rub against the body or hang annoyingly. Jared warned first-time sunhat buyers that “It’s easy to think that any hat will do, but I’ve learned that finding the right hat for you can be as difficult as finding the right shoe. Just make sure it’s comfortable and match[es] the conditions you’ll be facing.”

Sunhats can be pricey. That’s one reason why lifespan—including durability and warranties —were important to our decision-making. In particular, we were interested in how well a hat and its brim would hold up to an outdoor lifestyle. We investigated if the hat would maintain its original shape after being crushed or jammed into a stuff sack, the bottom of a backpack, or check-in on a long flight. We also wanted to determine the crushability of a hat and if seams would hold up to the abuse. In addition, losing a hat every time the wind picks up is a losing proposition for your long-term skin care. We chose hats with cinches, neck straps, and dongles that helped keep all hat parts attached in a breeze.

We tested hiking sun hats in two specific situations: in sunny, high-altitude desert and mountain passes, and also during overcast conditions (our dermatologists warned us that burns are almost as likely to happen on cloudy days as when the sun is out). Our six testers (three men, three women) took the hats on at least one 4-hour day hike at altitude (between 7,000 and 12,500 feet) in California and Colorado, totaling 100 hours of time that the hats were worn. The hikes included:

• California Riding and Hiking Trail, Joshua Tree National Park, California: A desert park the size of Rhode Island, it encompasses parts of the Mojave and Colorado deserts.
• San Jacinto Mountain, California: This almost-11,000-footer features altitude, wind, and Palm Springs-esque desert terrain.
• Ptarmigan Pass, Colorado: This high-altitude pass offers high winds and above-treeline sun exposure.
• Nancy Pass/Fancy Pass Loop, Colorado: These two high passes required some navigation through the snow, making them perfect to test visibility.
• Hanging Lake and Booth Falls, Colorado: Short day hikes that gain elevation quickly and can get warm, making them ideal to test breathability.

Additionally, two testers (one man, one woman) took the hats on a 100-mile backpacking trip of the West Highland Way in Scotland—the perfect place to test hats in serious wind. Testing the hat in cloudy weather ended up being a good way to determine if a hat really was comfortable, as it had to be really wearable because most of the time we felt like we didn’t need it (even though we knew we did).

In the “lab” at home, we tested the hats side by side in semi-controlled conditions. We predicted hats that offer better coverage will keep your head cooler. Using honeydew melons, a kitchen thermometer, and a lot of patience, we tested the internal temperature of 10 similarly sized, shaped, and weighted honeydew melons every hour over 6 hours in the Southern California heat. Each 8-pound “melon head” wore one sunhat from 1 p.m. until 7 p.m. in full-sun ambient temps ranging from 88 to 94 degrees Fahrenheit. Eighty pounds of warm honeydew melon later, there was a noticeable difference in the internal temps of the melon heads that wore hats with great coverage vs. those that wore hats with so-so coverage.

The Sunday Afternoons Ultra Adventure Hat is an improvement on a model that was already a favorite (a former top pick in our beach guide). It has higher vents and UPF 50+ mesh, something the previous model lacked. It provides full coverage, but still lets you see where you’re going, and is lightweight enough you actually leave it on. It’s packable and durable, and will stay on your head in the wind, too.

The light fabric provides UPF 50+ sun protection. It doesn’t get many style points, but one tester commented that it was so comfortable she “almost forgot” she was wearing it. And that’s the important part. It also has an adjustable cinch at the crown that allowed testers of multiple sizes to wear it securely, as well as a chin strap that holds it down in the wind.

Great coverage means a cooler head. The Ultra Adventure has a 3¼-inch clamshell brim and a flowing flap/neck skirt that provides ample coverage of the face, ears, neck, and upper shoulders. The stiff brim provides protection even in the wind, and extends to the ears, protecting them while also giving the wearer plenty of side vision for navigating and spotting wildlife.

It’s also a clear winner for packability and durability. The flexible fabric folded down in a stuff sack when flown across the country multiple times. Unlike other hats we tested, when we took it back out, it retained its original shape and didn’t appear crinkled or sloppy. We didn’t notice any durability issues, but should you have a problem, Sunday Afternoons will repair or replace any hat with a manufacturing defect for life, or otherwise repair the hat at minimal cost.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

Though the Ultra Adventure Hat was among the more breathable of the models we tested, our flap-free pick, the Columbia Bora Bora II Booney, offered more ventilation. When there was a breeze, our testers thought that the airflow to the head on the Ultra Adventure Hat was fine, however they agreed that more mesh and side vents would be an improvement.

It offers less sun protection than our top pick, but the Columbia Bora Bora II Booney has more ventilation and is arguably more stylish than our top choice. The brim is shorter—2½ inches versus the 3¼ inches found on the front of the Ultra Adventure Hat. Although both hats are made of UPF 50 fabric, the lack of skirt means lower cheeks, sides of the face, and long noses do not get the same coverage. Nonetheless, our testers were crazy about a thick layer of mesh that wraps around almost the entire crown of the hat, providing superior ventilation. Any remaining sweat was wicked away by a thick sweatband that dries quickly.

One thing we don’t like about this hat is the lack of a rigid brim. In the wind, the floppy brim flies up against the forehead, exposing the nose to sun rays.

Also, although this hat has the best packability of those we tested, it retained wrinkles longer than many of the other hats and took longer to regain a normal-looking hat form. One discontented REI reviewer described it as the “big floppy hats old women wear at the beach (think lady whose kid got eaten in the original Jaws ).”

The Tilley LTM6 Airflo Hat looks great, and if that’s the motivating factor needed to keep a hat on while outside, that’s good enough for us. The nylon and spandex fabric is rated to UPF 50+, and it’s more structured than our other picks, which means it’s not as packable—folding it can cause creases that won’t go away.

To test that, we stuffed it into a bag for a cross-country flight, and were pleased to find that it still looked pretty good on the other side, but we can see how folding and cramming it into a tight space could ruin the shape, so if you need something packable go with one of the two top picks.

The Tilley’s brim is not adjustable, so you’ll need to measure your head and select the perfect size when ordering. The upside is that you’ll get a perfect fit, and it should feel comfortable and secure on your head. There is a chin strap to cinch the hat down in wind. Its major drawback is its price tag: $99 for a hat that offers less coverage than our pick, which costs less than half as much.

Tilley does offer a lifetime warranty on this hat, though you must register yours within 60 days of purchase for the warranty to take effect.

Another drawback is that the Tilley’s ventilation couldn’t compare with that of our top picks, so if you’re going to be out for long periods of time in hot conditions, you might start to sweat.

Is there really a reason to pay nearly $100 for a Tilley hat when a 97¢ baseball cap from Home Depot works, too? Quale said if you’re choosing between baseball cap or no hat at all, “something is better than nothing.” But you can do better.

Dr. Kleinsmith warned that baseball caps “do nothing to protect the ears and sides of the face and neck.” It’s one reason she finds that “men in particular get a lot of skin cancers on their ears.” The trendy trucker could be even worse for sun protection than a baseball cap. “Mesh fabrics allow more damaging UVR to pass through,” advised Quale. Instead, she recommended choosing a hat with special UPF fabric, which is woven tightly to keep more UV rays out.

If you really want to use the ballcap you have lying around, pay attention to color. If you have a hat with a UPF rating of 30 or more, the color should not matter, but if it doesn’t have a rating, “as a general rule, darker colors are more sun protective due to their ability to absorb UVR before it reaches the skin,” said Quale. “Light colors let more UVR pass through (think of dark drapes vs. light drapes).”

You can even get a sense for how much light can filter through your hat: “Hold the hat up to the light. If you can see a lot of light through it, choose a darker hat with a tighter weave.”

If a ballcap or trucker is still all you’ve got, ultra-hiker and runner Bunting suggested tucking a bandana in the back to “create a little cape for [the] neck and ears.” This system has the benefit of being highly adaptable depending on heat and tree coverage, as well as giving the option to “dunk the bandana in streams to allow the moisture to evaporate and keep [you] cool.”

Neither the  REI Paddler’s Hat nor the Sunday Afternoons Derma Safe hats breathed as well as the Ultra Adventure or the Bora Bora II Booney. Both have also since been discontinued.

Kavu Chillba : The Chillba came out second on the melon test—keeping melon heads up to 10 degrees cooler than its counterparts. We also found it more stylish than other hats and loved that it could moonlight as a chip bowl. But it was bulky and harder to travel with than other options. Trail runners found it less secure than other hats—the one-size-fits-all fastener on the inner skullcap didn’t prevent the brim from catching the wind and inverting. Given that its design seems to be inspired by southeast Asian conical hats, as an Asian American wearing this hat—this is real—it prompted racist remarks from passersby.

Outdoor Research Sun Runner : Though our testers frequently received compliments from other folks on the trail about this hat’s color and innovative design, they all found this hat’s fabric too hot and not breathable enough to use. Indeed, the melon head wearing the Sun Runner was up to 8 degrees warmer than its counterparts. We interviewed two users who have hiked over 1,000 miles in their Sun Runners who reported the same problem.

Peter Grimm Sebastian Extra Wide Brim Lifeguard Hat : In the 1990s, this style of straw hat could be found on every beach in Southern California and can still be found in many a surf shop—and for good reason. Hands down, this hat offered the most protection of any that we tested. One tester noted that, “This brim is so wide, you could hike naked and not get an ounce of sun on your body.” (Side note: Sun exposure isn’t generally measured in ounces.) But if you wore it in the wind, it took off like a parasail. It also had some minor durability issues, could not fold down, and was a pain to transport on flights or on the back of your pack when you weren’t wearing it. Though we’d recommend this hat for gardening, sitting on the beach, or hanging out at the pool, it just doesn’t work for more active hobbies.

Washing your hat frequently will help avoid accumulation of sweat and associated salt that can deteriorate the fabric, permanently discolor your hat, and/or lead to rot (gross).

Never throw your hat in the wash. Instead, wash it by hand using cool water. You can use a gentle brush, like a soft toothbrush, and a mild dish soap to attack particularly difficult stains. Never use bleaches or fabric softeners, which may deteriorate some treatments in your hat.

When your hat is cleaned and still moist, reshape it, being careful to smooth out any wrinkles. Air dry.

Lisa Quale, health educator at the University of Arizona Skin Cancer Institute , email interview

Lint Bunting, long-distance hiker , email interview

Dr. Marie Jhin, board-certified dermatologist and author , email interview

Dr. D’Anne Kleinsmith, board-certified dermatologist , email interview

Meet your guide

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The 23 Best Things to do in Hat Yai- More Than Just 7-Elevens and Mass

Hat Yai, a growing commercial city in southern Thailand , is a popular destination for both Malaysian and international tourists. Things to do in Hat Yai vary from getting fresh noodles, birdwatching, and shopping as well to a vibrant nightlife. 

Hat Yai is 946 km from Bangkok and the largest metropolitan area in southern Thailand. It’s the largest city in Songkhla province and is mainly known for the economic growth it has shown. Hat Yai is a city full of sights, sounds and delicious foods.

The top attractions and things to do in Hat Yai are the municipal parks, buddha temples, the night market and nearby attractions just a few km from the city. Whether you are trying to plan a trip to Hat Yai or want a one-day tour, here are the hottest places to visit and things to do in Hat Yai.

The 23 Best Things to do in Hat Yai

1. visit hat yai municipal park:.

One of the liveliest places in the evening in Hat Yai, Hat Yai Municipal Park lights up in the evenings . 6km away from the city centre, the park is spread across Hat Yai Municipal Park has a Buddha statue of height and a few other small statues and beautifully decorated temples.

The locals enjoy cycling, jogging, and running in the park. You will get a stunning view of the city from the park. You will find Gondola riding (Cable car) to visit the temple. Go up on the hill to see a mesmerizing sunset. 

Attraction: Recreational park

Activities: Seeing the sunset, temples visit, cable car ride, cycling

Address: 2GR3+RQH, Kanjanavanich Rd, Tambon Kho Hong, Hat Yai

2. Visit Kho Hong Mountain Viewpoint:

Kho Hong mountain is refreshing green on Kho Hong Mountain, and it’s one of the signature mountains. The Kho Hong viewpoint gives a splendid view of the city. And you will see the tallest Buddha or Guan Yin statue.

The view from the hilltop is spectacular, provided in the morning and evening. The best transport you will get to the viewpoint is Tuktuk.

Opening Hours: 6 AM to 7 PM

3. Phra Maha Chedi Tripob Trimongkol Temple:

Located on Poonakan Road, Kho Hong, Phra Maha Chedi Tripob Trimongkol temple is an absolutely gorgeous Buddhist Temple in Hat Yai. The temple is shaped like a pagoda and the night view is stunning. And the temple’s upper part is made out of metal circles.

The futuristic structure made of steel makes the temple unique, and the ambience is serene and peaceful. You can rent a car or tuk-tuk for transport to the temple.

Address: 108 Poonnakan Rd, Tambon Kho Hong, Amphoe Hat Yai

4. ASEAN Trade Bazaar Shopping:

ASEAN Trade Bazaar is the place in town to visit to collect some goodies at a low price. ASEAN Trade Bazaar is a night flea market that sells clothing, phone accessories, shoes, and handbags for cheap. Enjoy taking a walk around the market, bargaining and shop some memorable souvenirs, clothing, and shoes for gifting. 

The market is open from evening to late at night. Along with clothing and accessories stalls, you can find a lot of food stalls with cheap menus. Popular food items include Tom Yum soup, fried glass noodles, and iced tea. 

Opening Hours: 5:00 PM to 2:00 AM ( Wednesday to Sunday)

Loacation: Near Hat Yai main bus stand towards the road of Songkhla

5. Greenway Night Market:

Just 5 minutes’ walk from the ASEAN Trade Bazar , the Greenway night market is one of the hottest night markets in town, which is a hub for finding lifestyle products for cheap. You will experience the influence of streets on fashion and lifestyle here. There will be street musicians.

The market has four sections and great deals on bundle buying. The clothing sections have a vast collection for men, women, kids and pets.  As you enter the market’s food section, you can purchase a card for easier transactions. You will find a huge variety of scrumptious street food with precisely clear halal choices.

Opening Hours: 4 PM to 10 PM

Address: 1406/4 Kanchanawanit Road Tambon Hat Yai

6. Kim Yong Market:

Another night market on this list you must visit is Kim Yong Market. You will find numerous stalls for buying dried foods, local specialities, and snack stalls. At the entrance, you will see a lot of grocery and meat stalls, and as you go deeper, you will see snack stalls. It is like a china town market. So you can expect a lot of narrow lanes and allies. 

You can buy amazing dry fruits, imported snacks, chocolates, souvenirs, and tea blends for lower prices. At the end of the market, there is also a clothing and accessories section to check you. It’s a superb market downtown. 

Opening Hours: 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM daily

7. Wat Hat Yai Nai Buddhist Temple: 

Wat Hat Yai Nai has a massive statue of the reclining Buddha. Wat Hat Yai Nai is one of the oldest temples in Hat Yai, and the Buddha Statue is the third largest statue in the world. The statue is 35m long, 15m high, and 10m wide and the god there is named Phra Phutta Hand Mongkhon L.

The temple has traditional Chinese architecture and multi-roof tiers with intricate details. The easiest way to reach the temple is via a tuk-tuk from Kim Yong market.

Location: 2 Wathatyainai Rd, Hat Yai

8. Visit Black Crystal Magic Museum: 

Black Crystal is a famous magician and artist in Thailand. He performs shows daily, including many genres of magic. The Black Crystal Magic Museum is a museum where he demonstrates illusions. If you are a lover of magic, you must visit the museum and also watch the shows.

There are four times for the shows daily. The experience is one of a kind, including comedy magic, closeup magic, and illusion magic. 

Black Crystal Magic Timings: 10:00AM, 12:00PM, 2:00PM, 4:00PM

Address: 414 Kanjanavanich Rd, Hatyai

9. Try Thai Boat Noodles: 

One of the many authentic noodle dishes of Thailand is boat noodles. It’s a must-try item in Hat Yai. Thai Boat Noodles contain quite a strong flavour and contain beef, curdled beans, and dark soy sauce mingled with other flavours.

The name of the noodle came from the sellers who originally cooked and sold the noodles on boats on Bangkok canals. The noodles are generally accompanied by meatballs. Some famous restaurants in Hat Yai are Anusawaree Famous Boat Noodles, Chen Loong Boat Noodles (Non-Halal), and Hamid Restaurant Hat Yai (Halal).

10. Visit Central Festival Multiplex Mall:

Located just 15 minutes away from the airport, central festival multiplex mall is the ultimate luxurious mall visitors can see. Central festival Multiplex Mall is the first-stop destination for watching movies, enjoying shopping and having a luxurious gastronomic experience in one place.

Central Festival Multiplex Mall has over 250 fashion brand stores, 10 movie theatres including 1 IMAX, ice-skating area, play courts and more. Visit the Central Festival Hat Yai for entertainment and fun things to do in Hat Yai.

Opening Hours: 11:00AM to 9:00PM ( Mon to Thu ) & 10:00AM to 9:30PM ( Fri to Sun) 

11. Khuan Chedi Trekking:

Khuan Chedi in Hat Yai is 900meters above sea level. Uninterrupted sheets of clouds wrap around the mountain. It stands tall on Thao Island, and there is also a temple on top of the mountain. Khuan Chedi is fairly to trek, and the trail is filled with wildlife and vegetation. 

Khuan Chedi Trekking is incredibly rewarding, with floating clouds and stunning scenarios. 

12. Khlong Hae Floating Market:

Khlong Hae is a one-of-its-kind floating market in southern Thailand. Located just opposite Wat Khlong Hae at Tamblon Khong Hae with many local food choices. On their boats, you will find vendors dressed in traditional Thai costumes serving Halal and non-halal options of local foods. You can expect food, drinks, and souvenirs from the boat.

Spend some time experiencing this new kind of shopping. Some foods you must try there are sticky mango rice, takoyaki, pad thai, seafood bbq and more. The market opens at 3 PM onwards and is lively with a crowd of tourists and music. 

Location: Khlong Hae

Opening Hours: 3 PM to 9:00 PM ( closed from Monday to Thursday)

13. Thale Noi Waterbird Park: 

Thale Noi Waterbird Park is Thailand’s largest waterpark sanctuary. It’s the biggest reserve for waterfowl. The diverse nature and awestruck scenario make the park a dream destination for most tourist and locals. A trip on the boat amidst the lotus-filled water body makes the experience surreal. 

The park has the most amount of birds during migration from December to February. You can either roam around the pavilion area to watch birds or ride boats to explore the birds. The waterpark has 180+ birds, including local & migratory birds. The fixed price for boat riding is 450 baht. Some of the popular bird species are Snowy Egret, Blue Tailed Bee Eater, Common Tern, Indian Cormorant, Little Grebe etc. 

14. Visit Ton Nga Chang Waterfalls

To visit Ton Nga Chang Waterfall, you will have to travel 26km by road from Hat Yai through Phetkasem Road. Ton Nga Chang Waterfall is one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Thailand. The cascade is located in the Ton Naga wildlife sanctuary. Ton Naga Chang Waterfall has total 7 levels, and the 7th level is 1550m in height. 

The stream gets divided into two sections creating a beautiful scenery which resembles elephant’s tusks on the third level. Walk up to the third level to enjoy a beautiful cascade scenario. The seven levels are 1. Ton Ba 2.Ton Pliew 3.Ton Nga Chang 4.Ton Dam 5.Ton Nam Ploi 6. Ton Rue Si Koi Bo 7.Ton Med Chun.

 To start the hike, you can go up to the first level just by walking 15-minutes from the parking area. On the second level, you will see a stream falling from a 20m cliff. And, from the third level, the cliff gets steeper. But nature lovers and adventure seekers will definitely enjoy the hike.

15. Exploring Songkhla Old Town:

Exploring the charming Songkhla old town should be on your to-do list if you are visiting Hat Yai. Songkhla Old town has a historical value. The cafes, wooden architecture with a hint of Chinese influence and good food make the Songkhla Old Town trip from Hat Yai valuable.

From Hat Yai, the easiest way is by bus or minivan to the old town, which takes around 40 to 45 minutes through route 414. The must-visit places and things to do in Songkhla are street arts along Nang Nam Road, trying southern Thai foods, seeing the Blue Smile Cafe gallery, and roaming around the street.

16. Songkhla Central Mosque

Songkhla Central Mosque is made with an architectural replica of the Taj Mahal. Hat Yai central mosque is on the highway to Songkhla. Hat Yai Central Mosque was established in 2001. The best time to visit the central mosque is in the late afternoon.

Hat Yai central mosque has a beautiful lake outside the mosque and halal restaurants nearby. You can go there for a quick afternoon tour or prayer. 

17. Wat Chue Chang Temple:

The Wat Chue Chan tower symbolizes the Chinese community’s presence and influence in Hat Yai city. The temple is just a 15-minute walk from Hat Yai tower centre & lee garden. Wan Chue Chang Temple is situated at 55 Supasarnrangsan Rd, the beautiful architecture, detailing, the green gate makes this temple a landmark. 

The walls of the temple are mostly built with tile and ceramic-like in the old Chinese temples in Malaysia. There is spectacular detailing of animals, dragons and other characters on the wall. Wat Chue Chang temple has Mahayana Bodhisatta like Guan Yin and other Chinese deities. 

Address: 55 Supasarnrangsan Rd, Tambon Hat Yai

18. Visit Hat Yai Clock Tower:

The Hat Yai clock tower is a landmark tower with stalls for street foods, markets for clothes, cosmetics and more. It’s a great place to visit to pick up some souvenirs, clothes and food for a low price. Enjoy roaming around the market, eating some laksa and buying local clothes and souvenirs. The market is open mostly on Friday & Saturday nights.

Location:  Phetkasem Road, Hat Yai

19. Take a tour of Wat Khok Saman Khun:

Wat Khok Saman Khun is a Buddhist temple located in Tambon, Hat Yai. For about 30 years, Wat Khok Saman Khun was an abandoned temple, and then it was registered by the government. The temple gate has detailed architecture, with Phra Prang Sam Yot in the courtyard.

There are statues of other deities than the main Buddha statue, including Phra Pikanet and statues of LP Thuad and monks. The temple has three main prangs. The old architecture and beautiful details of the temple will enchant you.

Opening Hours: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM

20. Visit Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Natural Museum:

Visiting Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Natural Museum, which is a natural museum is one of the best things to do in Hat Yai. Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Natural Museum is one of the places where Songkhla University students get educated. There is a great collection of zoological and geological samples, stuffed animals, seashells, exhibits of human evolution, and geological formations. 

The museum has got over 25000 samples of 2500 species. The tour takes around one hour, and the entrance fee is 30 Baht. Maha Chakri Sirindhon natural Museum is one of the great places to learn about flora and fauna and educate yourself about natural history. 

Opening Hours: 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM ( Tuesday to Saturday )

Location: Campus of Prince of Songkhla University

21. Visit Chang Puak Elephant Camp: 

One of the best tourist attractions in Hat Yai, which you can visit on weekends for some fun activities with animals. Chang Puak Elephant camp offers a ride on elephants, and also visitors can enjoy their elephant show, monkey show and crocodile show. The show cot around 200 THB per person.

Chang Puak Elephant Camp is located just 15 minutes outside the city, and the camp operates on large grounds enough for the animals. For touring the ground, you can also do dirt riding with a rental fee of 50 THB. You can feed the animals of 50 THB as well. Along with these animals, Chang Puak camp also has a parakeet enclosure.

Opening Hours: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM ( hours might differ on Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday)

22. Trip to Samila Beach: 

Samila beach is a hidden gem just 30-minutes from the city of Hat Yai. Samila Beach is known for its golden mermaid statue. The beach is a 3 km stretch of white sand and gives a spectacular view during the sunset. The beautiful golden statue of the golden mermaid is inspired by the earth goddess. 

Samila beach is known for sunbathing, taking a walk during sunset, and swimming. In front of the statue, there is a promenade for tourists and lining the promenade, there are stalls for food, clothes, local handicrafts and more. There are also options for horse riding on the beach. 

While you are going on a trip to Samila, you must try fresh seafood dishes at Sujinda Seafood. Sujinda Seafood is just a few minutes walks away from the beach.

23. Breakfast at Chok Dee Dim Sum:

Trying Dim Sum in this famous restaurant in Hat Yai. You can start your breakfast at this restaurant.  Chok Dee Dim Sum is very cheap and one of the most popular places among tourists. Each basket of dim sum starts from THB20. It’s recommended to go there as early as possible. By 10 or 11in the morning, their dim sums get sold

. Chok Dee Dim Sum’s menu has 30+ varieties of baos, and dim sums, along with drinks, pork rib soup, and a few more side dishes. Some of their most-ordered menu items are stuffed black sesame bun, pork dumplings, crab Chinese dumplings, and steamed gyozas.

Location:  Tambon Hat Yai

Conclusion:

Hat Yai is one of the biggest cities in southern Thailand. Hat Yai is a great destination for a one or two-day tour. People often combine Koh Lipe and Hat Yai trips. Hat Yai’s best places are listed here.

Visit the fourth biggest city in Thailand to enjoy the thriving nature of the city and local food and visit landmarks. With Klook , you can personalize your trip or choose a package.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is hat yai worth a visit.

Hat Yai is definitely worth a visit! With its vibrant markets, delicious street food, beautiful temples, and exciting nightlife, there is plenty to see and do in this bustling city. Whether you’re interested in shopping, exploring cultural sites, or trying local cuisine, Hat Yai has something for everyone.

What is Hat Yai known for?

Hat Yai is known for its vibrant markets, delicious street food, and beautiful temples. Some popular attractions include the Kim Yong Market, Hat Yai Municipal Park, and the Wat Hat Yai Nai temple.

Which is better Hat Yai or Bangkok?

Both Hat Yai and Bangkok offer unique experiences for tourists. Hat Yai is known for its vibrant street markets, delicious street food, and beautiful temples. It is a more relaxed and less crowded destination compared to Bangkok. On the other hand, Bangkok is a bustling city with a wide range of attractions, including grand palaces, vibrant nightlife, and world-class shopping. Ultimately, the choice between Hat Yai and Bangkok depends on your preferences and what you are looking for in a travel experience.

How do you travel around in Hat Yai?

In Hat Yai, there are several transportation options available for getting around the city. The most common mode of transportation is by tuk-tuk, which are small motorized three-wheeled vehicles. Taxis are also available and can be hailed on the street or booked through a ride-hailing app. Additionally, there are songthaews, which are shared pickup trucks that follow set routes and can be flagged down along the road. For those who prefer to explore on foot, many attractions in Hat Yai are within walking distance of each other.

Related Posts

Top 30 best things to do in krabi thailand, an ultimate guide to the 18 best places to visit in thailand, thailand elite residence program or thai golden visa and how to apply for it, top 31 things to do in bangkok thailand for first-time visitors.

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The 13 Best Packable Sun Hats of 2024

These are the most stylish, functional, and packable sun hats of the year.

In This Article

• Our Top Picks
• Tips for Buying

Frequently Asked Questions

• Why Trust T+L

Travel + Leisure / Kristin Kempa

A sun hat is a crucial part of a traveler’s wardrobe, acting as both a style statement and a layer of protection from the natural elements. It’s an especially important piece for those who are conscious of the sun’s harmful effects on their skin and those who spend a significant amount of time on the beach, by the pool, or partaking in other outdoor adventures during their travels.

While donning a floppy, straw, or bucket hat is par for the course on many vacations, there is one question that regularly precedes departure: what’s the best way to travel with a sun hat? After all, many of them can be big, bulky, and awkward to maneuver through airports, or impossible to fit into a suitcase without getting destroyed. There are a variety of tips, tricks, and tools to the art of packing this type of accessory — more on that below — but the easiest answer is to find a packable hat, one that’s designed to be folded or shaped into something more transportable. Read on to discover the best packable sun hats of 2024.

Best Overall

San diego hat company collapsible crown sun hat.

San Diego Hat Company 

The collapsible crown allows the hat to be flattened and packed into a suitcase.

This style is not water-resistant.

The San Diego Hat Company Collapsible Crown Sun Hat earns our best overall pick for a few key reasons. Perhaps the most important feature is its ability to protect the wearer from the harsh light and damaging effects of the sun. This particular style is marked with a UPF 50+ rating, and its 4.5-inch brim offers an impressive amount of shade.

It also receives credit for its smart construction. The paper and polyester material is formed into a style that can be easily flattened (hence the term “collapsible” in the product name) and stored in a suitcase or other piece of hand luggage. Since you won’t have to travel with it in hand, you’ll avoid any accidental bumps, spills, or chances of damaging the hat. Finally, the sun hat’s overall look and feel can only be described as classic. The natural fibers coordinate with most summer outfits, and the white, red, or black hatband gives an interesting touch of contrast without taking away from the accessory’s versatility and wearability.

The Details: One size | 75 percent paper, 25 percent polyester

Best Budget

Hzeyn wide brim bucket hat.

It’s under $20 and comes in seven different colors.

The thicker cotton construction is best suited for summer days with more moderate temperatures.

You don’t have to spend a lot of money for a good packable sun hat, a fact proven by the HZEYN Wide Brim Bucket Hat. Coming in at under $20, the casual cotton hat is defined by its protective 4-inch brim, trendy frayed edges, and various colorways (there are seven total to choose from). When it comes time to start packing for your trip, you don’t need to be concerned with how the bucket hat will fit alongside your other belongings. Simply roll it, fold it, or toss it in with the rest of the contents of your suitcase; upon arrival, remove and reshape it as needed.

The Details: One size | 100 percent cotton

Best Designer

Janessa leone felix bucket hat.

It’s a casual style that isn’t just limited to vacations and trips to the beach.

The shape can become distorted from exposure to water.

Janessa Leone counts the likes of Meghan Markle, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Eva Longoria among its fans — so you know you can expect both quality and fashion points from the Los Angeles brand’s hats. Take the Felix Packable Hat, for example. Available in black, chestnut, and natural, the crochet bucket is made of a durable raffia material that’s designed to promote packability; it can be lightly folded without experiencing any long-term damage. The unique short-brim style is also extremely versatile. While you’ll want to bring it on every warm-weather vacation in the foreseeable future, it can also be worn as an everyday hat, especially if you live in a coastal city or town.

The Details: S to XL | Woven raffia

FURTALK Sun Visor

It’s designed to be rolled or folded when not in use.

The top of your head won’t have as much protection as it would when wearing a non-visor sun hat.

Anyone with thick or long hair knows beach days are usually more comfortable when you opt for a visor instead of a full sun hat. The open top leaves room for a bun or ponytail, circumventing any situation where you’d get too hot from your hair being completely tucked under the hat.

At the same time, there’s a decent amount of coverage; the Furtalk Sun Visor’s wide brim extends all the way around, and the paper straw material is certified UPF 50+. Although it only comes in one size, the sun hat can be adjusted via the velcro closure in the back. There’s also a  detachable chin strap in case you’re concerned about a breeze blowing the visor off your head and down the beach.

The Details: One size | Paper straw

Best Bucket Hat

Echo raffia packable bucket hat.

The fit can be adjusted by a nifty drawstring.

It doesn’t provide as much coverage as a floppy or wide-brim hat does.

The bucket hat is said to have originated with farmers and fishermen in Ireland. While it’s gone through several iterations since its earliest days, it’s maintained its position as a piece of headgear that efficiently provides the wearer with relief from the sun’s rays. You wouldn’t necessarily wear this version from Echo on the water (it isn’t waterproof), but it's small and sturdy enough to be folded to fit into any travel bag, beach tote, or suitcase. Not to mention, the adjustable drawstring on the inside of the hat helps to maintain a comfortable, custom fit.

The Details: One size | Raffia and cotton

Best Fedora

Wallaroo hat company outback fedora sun hat.

Wallaroo Hat Company

The fabric is certified UPF 50+, and a soft taco fold can be used to pack it away in your suitcase.

Any dirt or stains will need to be spot cleaned.

A fedora hat might be synonymous with a city aesthetic, but it can also be used as a way to elevate a beachy look; you just need to opt for one made of a more warm-weather-friendly material. The Wallaroo Hat Company Outback Fedora Sun Hat is the perfect example. The paper braid fabric is certified UPF 50+, and both colors (brown and natural) wouldn’t look out of place by the beach or pool. The fedora style comes in two sizes, M/L and L/XL, but the inner drawstring can also be adjusted to find the ideal fit. If you take the proper precautions — don’t overpack, and be sure to support the brim — you can use a taco fold to gently store it in your suitcase during your travel days.

The Details: M/L and L/XL | Paper braid (exclusive of trim)

Best for Hiking

Einskey waterproof wide brim bucket hat.

The built-in sweatband and mesh panels help keep sweat at bay.

It can’t be thrown in the laundry when it needs a refresh; you’ll need to wash it by hand.

The Einskey Waterproof Wide Brim Bucket Hat is every outdoor adventurer’s dream. The unisex style has multiple features and characteristics that align with hiking, camping, or any extended period of time spent outside. For starters, the water-repellent polyester material is incredibly lightweight and effective at preventing rain from getting through the barrier.

The hat maintains a UPF rating of 50+, and the brim measures nearly 4 inches, which means it works wonders to shield your eyes, face, and neck from the sun. Additional attributes include breathable mesh panels, a built-in sweatband, and a convenient ponytail hole. To ensure a proper fit, adjust the elastic drawstring and chin strap as needed. When not in use, it can be folded and stored in your hiking backpack.

The Details: One size | Water-repellent polyester

Best for Boating

Coolibar unisex convertible boating hat.

The neck drape comes in handy on sunny days, but it can also be folded up when it’s not needed.

It’s not the most fashion-forward style.

When hunting for a hat to bring on a boat, you’ll want to look for styles with three specific features. For starters, it needs chin straps; without a way to secure the hat, there’s a very good chance you’ll lose it the second the captain shifts the boat into high gear. You’ll also need a sun hat that provides significant coverage, preferably a style that notes a UPF 50+ rating. Finally, given the nature of boating, the hat should be water-resistant. The Coolibar Unisex Convertible Boating Hat checks each of those boxes and still manages to take it several steps further.

Not only is the polyester hat crushable and packable, but it also comes with an internal cooling mesh sweatband, a removable neck drape, an adjustable elastic cord and toggle, and an anti-glare under-brim lining. Plus, the foam brim is floatable — a feature any regular boater will very much appreciate.

The Details: S to L | Polyester

Best Wide-brim

Free people shoreline bucket hat.

Free People 

The removable ties will keep it on your head, even when a breeze catches the extra-wide brim.

The thicker cotton material isn’t designed to wick away moisture.

A wide brim often means the hat itself will take up a lot of precious suitcase real estate, but that’s not the case with the Free People Shoreline Bucket Hat. The slouchy cotton silhouette can be folded as easily as your favorite T-shirt, so it’s perfect for taking along on your next trip to the beach, pool, or lake. It’s especially notable for its exaggerated wide brim — read: your entire face will be shaded — and the removable ties that can be used to secure the hat on your head. It also serves as a closet staple; the two neutral colorways, black and sand, will go with just about everything in your summer wardrobe.

Best Floppy Hat

Free people shady character packable wide brim hat.

The extra-large brim can be reshaped or adjusted based on personal preference.

The 8-inch brim is larger and significantly floppier than your average sun hat.

The appeal of a floppy sun hat — particularly this one from Free People — can be broken down into two categories: fashion and function. The former is all about the chic silhouette; there’s an elegance to the floppy hat that has transcended decades of summer getaways. The latter takes into account how the wide brim (this one measures in at 8 inches) expertly fulfills its duty of shading your face from the bright sunlight. This style, which comes in four different shades, is especially great as its unstructured design allows the wearer to pack it away in a suitcase without ruining any of its noteworthy floppiness.

The Details: One size | Paper and polyester

Most Stylish

Janessa leone harlow open weave straw hat.

The 5-inch brim creates a dramatic silhouette (and provides plenty of shade).

It’s pricier than some of the other styles on this list.

A good sun hat should never sacrifice function in the name of style — and the Harlow Open Weave Straw Hat from Janessa Leone gets top marks in both categories. The brim is completely shapeable, meaning you can lie back in a beach chair without taking off the hat, or pack it without worrying about irrevocably altering its shape. Plus, the open-crown design ensures breathability is never an issue. You’ll just want to be wary of any activities where the hat could get dirty, as you can’t toss it in the wash. Given the construction and raffia material, it’s spot clean only.

The Details: S to XL | Raffia

Best Straw Hat

Eric javits squishee a list packable fedora hat.

Courtesy by EricJavits

It has a simple, timeless design, but the fringed brim adds a touch of personality.

With a price tag of nearly $300, it’s an investment piece.

At first glance, you might think the Eric Javits Squishee® A-List Packable Fedora Hat — with its high-quality material and traditional indented crown — is the type of accessory you’ll need to wear on the plane in order to avoid in-transit damage. But when you look closer, or read the design details, you’ll realize the trademarked straw material can be easily rolled and folded to fit in a suitcase or hand luggage.

Don’t store it too far away, though; as soon as you arrive at your sunny destination, you’ll want to don the hat to protect your face and eyes. The Squishee® straw and 4-inch brim take their job of blocking the sun’s ultraviolet rays seriously; when wearing the straw hat, 95 percent of UVA/UVB rays won’t reach your skin.

The Details: One size | Squishee® straw

Best with UPF Protection

Solbari holiday sun hat upf50+.

Solbari 

It offers the most possible sun protection (with a UPF 50+ rating), and the brim shape is customizable.

It might not be as breathable as a straw hat.

If your main priority is finding a packable sun hat that shields you from the sun, you’ll love all of the coverage and travel-friendly features of the Solbari Holiday Sun Hat. The linen and cotton hat boasts a UPF 50+ rating, and its 4-inch brim can be adjusted to block the sun as needed.

The customizability doesn’t end there, though. Feel free to adjust or remove the chin strap, or flip the hat inside out to show off a different color and entirely new look. You’ll also never have to worry about fitting the wide-brim sun hat in your suitcase; the packable construction can be folded as needed.

The Details: S/M and L/XL | 50 percent linen, 50 percent cotton

Tips for Buying Packable Sun Hats

Choose a hat with a high upf rating and adjustable features.

A summer hat’s first job is to protect you from the sun’s harmful rays. To determine just how well it will perform, look for its UPF (UV Protection Factor) rating. This number indicates how much a piece of clothing or accessory will protect against ultraviolet energy — and how much UV radiation could reach your skin. A good rule of thumb is to aim for a sun hat with a UPF of 30 or higher; the higher the UPF, the better. The highest UPF rating is 50+, which means the hat will block at least 98 percent of UV radiation. You’ll also want to consider a sun hat that has adjustable features — whether the brim itself can be molded to your preference, the chin straps can be tightened or loosened, or the band can be taken in or out to perfect the fit. This flexibility guarantees the hat will sit atop your head properly, and you’ll get the most wear from your purchase.

Think about your intended activity

Before you purchase a new sun hat for your Caribbean trip or Florida vacation, take a look at your itinerary. While a wide-brim sun hat is ideal for lounging at the beach, you may want something more secure for more active pursuits like hiking or running. Visors combine protection with ventilation (and they’re more comfortable for lying back in a chair). And if you’re going to be on a boat or somewhere especially windy, choose a hat with a chin strap to ensure it doesn’t blow away.

Consider the material

Sun hats come in a variety of different materials and fabrics, but some will keep you cooler and more covered than others. For the most part, you’ll want to stick with breathable, quick-drying, and lightweight materials, such as nylon, linen, straw, palm, and cotton. You can then narrow down your selection based on the materials’ qualities: straw is one of the most breathable options, but it’s harder to clean. Nylon, palm, and linen all serve to wick away moisture; cotton, although comfortable, doesn’t hold its shape when wet.

There’s a reason many of the summer hats you’ll find are made of straw. Thanks to its open weave and overall better circulation, straw tends to keep you the coolest while in the sun. Straw, however, isn’t every traveler’s first choice for a sun hat (as it’s more susceptible to damage caused by moisture and general wear and tear). Travelers in search of an alternative material should look for hats made out of linen, cotton, or sweat-wicking polyester.

There are a few ways to transport a packable sun hat. For the most part, you’ll be able to fold or roll the hat into a more manageable shape; just be sure to check the brand or manufacturer’s instructions first. Another packing hack is to lay the upside-down hat in your suitcase and support the inside of the crown and the brim with clothes (filled packing cubes are also great for this trick). If neither of those strategies works for your particular hat, consider investing in a hat clip; this one from Lindsay Albanese uses magnets and a clip to secure the hat to your tote or luggage.

The wider the hat brim, the more sun protection you can expect. Most travelers should aim to wear a hat with a brim of 3 or more inches; this size usually falls in the “wide brim” category. Of course, wide brims aren’t suitable for all activities, but a wide-brim hat is highly recommended for anyone who will experience prolonged exposure to direct sunlight.

Why Trust Travel + Leisure

Lydia Mansel is a travel journalist and the founder of the packing site, Just Packed . She chose the sun hats featured on this list based on thorough research, customer reviews, and her own on-the-ground experience in some of the world’s sunniest destinations — including Anguilla, St. Martin, and St. Barts.

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Hat-making, watch parties, bourbon crawl: Here's what to expect at Fond du Lac's Downtown Derby Day

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect the cancelation of Derby Day activities at Wonder.

FOND DU LAC — Downtown Fond du Lac Partnership will celebrate the Kentucky Derby with its own Downtown Derby Day this month.

Festivities start at 11 a.m. May 4 and run all day, with various derby-themed activities, contests and photo opportunities, as well as free Breezy Hills carriage rides until 3 p.m.

Downtown area businesses will also host food, drink and retail specials, as well as games, raffles and other activities. The full list of participating businesses and their specials is updated regularly on the event page of the Downtown Fond du Lac Partnership website .

Derby-inspired attire will be highly encouraged, as one of the prizes will go to the Best Dressed Competition at Beauty Republic & Co., 131 S. Main St., Suite 100. Participants can get their photos taken at the salon on Derby Day, and the community can vote on the salon's Facebook page until May 6.

Festivities include hat-making at the THELMA

Thelma Sadoff Center for the Arts , 51 Sheboygan St., will host a hat-making workshop from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. for $30 including the hat, or $15 if you bring your own hat. The Fountain City Ballroom bar will be open for mimosas, Bloody Marys, Julips and more.

Tickets for hat-making will be available at thelmaarts.org .

Fond du Lac's favorite third places: Here’s what Fond du Lac readers said are their favorite third places and what more they’d like to see.

Here's where to watch the derby or live music

The THELMA will host derby-watching watching parties from 1 to 3 p.m. and 5 to 6 p.m. in the Fountain City Ballroom.

18 Hands Ale Haus & Biergarten, 18 E. Division St., will televise race-day events all day on both indoor and outdoor screens. Other watching opportunities will be available at Craft City Bottle Shop & Taproom, 103 S. Main St., and Top Shelf Sports Bar & Grill, 90 S. Main St.

18 Hands Ale Haus will host live music, including Brent Bel singing country tunes and taking requests from 1 to 4 p.m. and The Local Favorites Band taking the stage at 8 p.m.

At Top Shelf, Midwest Radio Band will play from 1 to 4 p.m., followed by Until Dawn at 7 p.m. and Club DJ at 10 p.m.

THELMA will host Sundae and Mr. Goessl in the Fountain City Ballroom between watch parties from 3 to 5 p.m.

Beer and Bourbon Crawl coincides with Derby Day

In Downtown Fond du Lac Partnership's inaugural Beer and Bourbon Crawl, pre-registered ticketholders can tour participating businesses, which will turn into "tasting rooms" for the occasion.

Each stop will feature a beer or bourbon selection and a unique mocktail recipe or other non-alcoholic option. Beer and Bourbon tickets are $30, while Mocktail tickets are $20.

For more information, visit downtownfdl.com/beer-bourbon-crawl .

Youth cycling team: Fond du Lac youth cycling team launches this summer. Here's how to sign up or learn more.

As of May 1, previously listed family-friendly activities at Wonder Cafe will not be happening as scheduled.

For the full list of downtown activities and updates on Downtown Derby Day, visit downtownfdl.com .

Daphne Lemke is the Streetwise reporter for the Fond du Lac Reporter. Contact her at  [email protected] .

This article originally appeared on Fond du Lac Reporter: Hat-making, watch parties, bourbon crawl: Here's what to expect at Fond du Lac's Downtown Derby Day

11 Packable Travel Hats for Men [Crushable & Stylish]

Heading out? Traveling in style is easy with with our guide to the best packable travel hats for men. We men carefully choose our headwear to block the sun, cover up our unkempt hair, or to make a fashion statement on the road. That’s why we’ve compiled this list of versatile hats and caps from trusted industry leaders like Melin, Scala, adidas, and more.

Grab any one of these slick toppers and you’ll turn heads all the way from Auckland to Zurich.

I’ve done my best to cover all the bases here, with everything from baseball caps to bucket hats to Indiana Jones fedoras. And all of our top picks are crushable, packable, collapsible, or foldable and built to survive the abuse of travel.

Just grab one of these out of your pack, pull it over your noggin, and transform into Brad Pitt in his signature newsboy cap or Heisenberg at a meth meetup. (OK, maybe not that last one. At least not around TSA.)

So before you grab your passport and pack your bags, let’s get you outfitted with one of our top picks for our top-rated men’s travel hats.

Best Travel Hats for Men

• Best Performance Snapback: melin Trenches Icon Hydro
• Minimalist Do-Everything Cap: Western Rise Versa
• Dad Hat With Airplane Logo: NxTSTOP Liftoff
• Crushable & Ventilated Sun Cap: Coolibar Kaden
• UPF 50+ Straw Sun Hat: Sunday Afternoons Havana
• Indiana Jones Style Outback Fedora: Dorfman Pacific
• Wear-Anywhere Cowboy Hat: Teton
• Crushable Wool & Felt Fedora: Scala Classico
• Made-in-Ireland Flat Cap: Biddy Murphy
• Stylin’ Washed Bucket Lid: adidas Originals
• Beanie for Cold Weather: American Giant Shop
• Factors We Considered When Reviewing Products

Final Thoughts: Best Men’s Travel Hats

Best overall performance snapback melin trenches icon hydro.

Material : Varies by model Pros : Waterproof, stylish, floatable, breathable Cons : A little pricey for a ball cap Best for : Active lifestyles

I’m usually a baseball hat guy when I travel, and melin makes some of the sturdiest and most customizable lids around. The Trenches Icon Hydro is perfect for men who lead an active lifestyle. If you’re searching for a hat that’s equally at home on a sunny beach, coast to coast road trip , or an urban cafe, this is the one.

Melin makes this hat in a load of configurations, styles, and sizes, each made from lightweight, breathable material that floats on water and has a hidden image that’s only visible when wet. It also has a crushable front panel which makes it perfect for people on the go.

Minimalist Do-Everything Cap Western Rise Versa

Material : Polyester, spandex, EVA foam bill Pros : Versatile, crushable, lifetime warranty Cons : May not fit larger heads Best for : Small-to-Medium heads wanting a does-it-all hat

The Western Rise Versa is a no-nonsense, minimalist baseball cap with no logos, designs, or distractions. This allows you to wear it with any outfit you please and make fussing over fashion old news.

Its modest looks are only half the story: The four-way stretch material is breathable, waterproof, and wicks moisture away. Its versatile design means you can jam it into your bag and use it anywhere from the gym to crowded city streets.

Dad Hat With Airplane Logo NxTSTOP Liftoff

Material : Polyester, Spandex Pros : Curved bill, great for medium-to-large heads Cons : Some may find it a little dorky Best for : Dads, travel addicts

Here’s a ‘cool’ hat on Amazon with a classic dad hat design with a curved bill that’s clearly  made for travel. I like the ballcap design and may snag one of these bad boys for my upcoming trip to San Francisco.

In particular, I like the lightweight and breathable mesh and the front airplane logo so I can let others know exactly where my priorities lie. The NxTSTOP liftoff is the only hat on this list that’s not marketed as “crushable,” but it’s still travel friendly as can be.

Crushable & Ventilated Sun Cap Coolibar Kaden

Material : Cotton, polyester Pros : Easy to pack; ample sun protection Cons : Even with ventilation, it can run warm Best for : Long days in the sun – hiking, biking, beaching

I found two scabby ‘sunspots’ (keratosis) on my face the other day, so I’m taking sun protection seriously here in my mid-thirties. When I visit super-sunny South Africa this summer, I’ll be wearing a hat like this!

I like that this good-looking safari sun hat has a ‘stampede string’ like my favorite cowboy hat, plus it’s crushable, breathable, and extremely well-reviewed. Protect that precious skin, fellas.

UPF 50+ Straw Sun Hat Sunday Afternoons Havana

Material : 90% Paper, 10% Polyester Pros : Inexpensive, stylish, packable Cons : I honestly don’t see any cons here Best for : Protecting your head from the sun

Release your inner Hunter S. Thompson and embark on your very own Rum Diaries  adventure. This Sunday Afternoons faux-straw hat is perfect for blocking the sun as you slyly gallivant around the Caribbean looking for trouble.

It’s a classic travel hat — affordable, stylish, and packable — and a favorite of both men and women. So, like a good sweater, keep your eye on it or your lady friend may run away with it while you’re sleeping one off.

Indiana Jones Style Outback Fedora Dorfman Pacific

Material : 100% wool Pros : Waterproof, crushable, mysterious Cons : A little stuffy in hot weather Best for : Looking dashing as you swing from vine to vine

Just a heads up, you’ll need to be a particular type of traveler to do justice to this hat. So ask yourself — am I the kind of guy who can steal cursed artifacts, run a gauntlet of booby traps, fend off snakes, and still somehow manage to escape with his life? If so, proceed.

If you’re not already Indiana Jones, don’t expect this hat to make you his dead ringer. But you can count on it to reliably protect your melon from sun and rain while conferring a certain panache. Take that, René Belloq !

Wear Anywhere Cowboy Hat Overland Teton

Material : 100% wool Pros : Easy to pack, waterproof, classic style Cons : City slickers need not apply Best for : Country music stars and their fans

Here’s our favorite cowboy-style travel hat on the market. It’s easy to figure out why: The wide brim casts a lot of shade, and like others on this list, you can jam it into your pack and have it bounce back into shape when you get to your destination.

It’s 100% wool, so it will repel the occasional monsoon and dry quickly. Teton makes this hat in three different colors and five different sizes. And it saves time, too — you won’t ever need to pull out your passport to prove you’re an American.

Crushable Wool & Felt Fedora Scala Classico

Material : 100% Wool Pros : Attitude, weather-proof, travel-friendly Cons : You have to be worthy of it Best for : Cool and confident dudes with a sense of style

This ain’t your grandpappy’s fedora, gents. The Sala Classico is a century-old style that will make you look hot off the press. And durable? Try crushing it, rolling it, and jamming it into your pack — it’s up for anything.

With a bit of Bogart attitude and a soft-spoken tip of the brim, you’ll have the ladies ready to swoon. Scoop them up before they hit the floor revive them gently with a scotch. That’s ageless gallantry, and this is the travel hat for you, comrade.

Made-in-Ireland Flat Cap Biddy Murphy

Material : 100% wool Pros : Compact, unique, and oh-so continental Cons : Would be fightin’ words to diss this Irish classic Best for : Bald fellas like me

Guess what? With a last name like mine (Riley), I’m duty-bound to love the timeless Irish styling of this cap. Next time I tour my ancestral island, I’ll definitely be sporting one of these puppies and doing my best to blend in.

The Biddy Murphy is an Irish newsboy hat made in County Kerry, Ireland. This 100% wool cap is naturally weather-resistant and sheds rain, sleet, and snow. So pop it into your travel bag and get ready to down a Guinness (or several).

Stylin’ Washed Bucket Lid adidas Originals

Material : Cotton Pros : Keeps the sun off your neck Cons : Looks kinda ’90s, cotton doesn’t shed water Best for : Looking cool while turning back the clock

My big head doesn’t look good in most bucket hats, but Adidas has me pondering long and hard over their dazzling assortment of colors and patterns. I might just toss one of these into my pack the next time I’m traveling in Eastern Europe or Asia.

The Adidas Originals bucket hat is versatile and relaxed and goes with any travel attire. It’s also the most affordable hat on this list, so if you’re traveling on a budget, this might save you a few quid.

Beanie for Cold Weather American Giant Shop

Material : 100% acrylic Pros : Simple, warm, made in the USA Cons : Colors are a bit bland, not waterproof Best for : Cold ears on cool dudes

My great-uncle Leon is 80-some years old and has a cool AF sense of style. Nowadays his ears get cold easily, so I bought him this beanie to take on our trip to DC last month. Boom, toasty ears, no problem.

He loves his new beanie from American Giant Shop. It’s so simple, comfortable, and warm. Leon is a traditionalist and loves that this made in USA cap has minimal branding. Throw one in your winter travel bag next time and pretend you’re as cool as Leon. (Good luck with that.)

Factors We Considered When Picking Products

There’s no magic formula for choosing hats in general — if it feels good and looks good, you’re off to a good start. But when you add “travel-friendly” as a requirement, you’ve got to consider specific attributes, including:

When traveling, a hat will either be on your head or mixed in with your other gear. When it’s on your head, it may be there for hours, exposed to sun, wind, and rain. You’ll sweat into it, and at some point it may start to itch. Choose hats that are soft, properly sized, and won’t lose their shape.

In general, wool and synthetics are more water-resistant, breathable, and odor-free than cotton. I mostly prefer 100% wool because it doesn’t get soaking wet the way cotton does, and it stays fresh-smelling for longer periods.

Style of Hat

Headgear comes in two basic flavors — Hats (‘has a brim but no visor’) and Caps (‘has a visor but no brim’) — and both travel equally well. Choose from this list based on the conditions you’ll encounter when traveling and then add a dash of your personal style. You can’t go wrong… unless you choose a neon plaid propellor beanie.

On a serious note, please  do  choose hats that offer good sun protection. The folks at  SkinCancer.org say, “the best hats for sun protection have a brim of at least three inches to shade the face, scalp, neck, shoulders and upper back.”

Packability/Crushability

Once you take off your hat, it’s got to go somewhere… in a coat pocket, perhaps, or flattened and layered into your luggage. If you want it spring back into proper shape, look for products that advertise as ‘crushable’ or ‘packable.’ Wool felt performs well, as do many synthetics. However, straw is brittle and will crack or crumble, and cotton will wrinkle and crease.

Sad story: I took a spiffy fedora with me to Europe last year, but had to hastily jam it into my bag at one point. In Italy, it emerged crushed and never regained its former glory. Since then I’ve only traveled with caps that can take a beating and still look fresh.

You put a lot of effort and expense into planning the perfect trip, so don’t cheap out on that fashion statement sitting above your ears. Invest in one of these quality products that are sure to survive your globetrotting adventures. Go for it.

When you look good, you feel good. Spending a little extra on an accessory like a hat may seem superfluous, but in reality, can you put a price on self-confidence? Yes. Yes, you can. But most of these hats are affordable and can be the perfect accent for any travel outfit. Splurge a little, buddy!

Wherever you’re headed next, you can’t go wrong with any of the best men’s travel hats. But which one? Will you tour the Temple of Doom in your Indiana Jones Hat from Dorfman Pacific ? Swing up into the saddle in a cowboy hat from Overland ? Or make evening rounds in NYC wearing a snapback from Melin ?

Of course, there’s no reason to stop at just one new hat. I’ve got busy travel plans and the hat I take skiing in Telluride isn’t likely to be the same one I’ll need while sailing in the Mediterranean. And I’m always in the market for a new EDC hat for running errands or people-watching on the mall.

Just remember that the key element of any good travel hat for men is that it must be crushable, packable, and weather resistant. ‘Stylish’ is my close second consideration since I need all the help I can get in that department.

And third, let’s not forget why hats were invented in the first place — to protect us from the imposing sun. A hat that aces all three of those considerations will be your reliable travel companion for years to come.

Last Updated on March 19, 2024

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Collection Overview

Traveling light and stylish has never been easier. Introducing our Packable/Travel Hat Collection from Conner Hats. Designed for the wanderers and the explorers, for those who crave adventure without compromising on style. Our hats effortlessly blend function with fashion, ensuring that wherever your journey takes you, your hat is right there with you.

Product Highlight

The Mountain Packer Bucket Hat is designed to repel rain and is suitable for travel as it can roll up flat. It features snaps on the side for keeping the brim up, a secure chin cord for windy days, and wide metal mesh screen eyelets for extra ventilation. The hat is made with weathered cotton (52% Cotton, 48% Polyester), has a 2.25" brim, 3.5" crown height, and offers UPF 50+ protection. Additional features include an organic cotton sweatband, an organic cotton inner pouch with care instructions, and eco-friendly labels and tags. This hat is handmade in China (PRC) from Australian Wool and also has a production line in Sri Lanka.

Material Spotlight

Crafted for the journey, every Packable/Travel hat boasts: High-quality Fabrics: Ensuring longevity, our hats are made from materials designed to withstand the rigors of travel. Flexibility: Materials that allow the hats to be folded, bent, and crushed, only to return to their original shape. Breathable Design: Using fabrics like mesh for better air circulation, keeping you cool as you explore new terrains.

Why Choose Our Packable/Travel Hats

Versatility: From caps to mesh hats, our collection caters to every traveler's taste. Durability: Crafted to endure, our hats can withstand the challenges of constant travel. Space-saving: Designed to be easily packed without occupying too much space. Stylish Choices: With options available in both men's and women's styles, there's a hat for every fashion-forward traveler.

Let customers speak for us

Upon opening the box, I was a bit disappointed. I didn't expect the hat to be as "floppy" as it is. But it looks great on, it's comfortable, and so I decided to give it a go. So far I am delighted with it!

This hat is my second favorite hat, only because my first favorite hat was the Jonathan Boater also made by you but unfortunately not made any more (very disappointed because that was absolutely the the most comfortable hat I ever owned) but my new hat is comfortable also so now I just have to adjust to that comfort, and maybe someday I will find that comparison to my first

Any Conner hat I have ever ordered has been just as advertised. I have never had a complaint, I love each one I own,they arrive completely protected and in perfect condition.

Bought this hat as a birthday gift for my husband. He loved it. Fit was great and he loved the color.

This is my third hat I’ve purchased, it is my go to hat looks great and fits perfectly. I’m trying to decide which to buy next! There will be a next!

This summer has STYLE in spades! I have (too) many hats in my collection and this one has rapidly become my absolute favorite summer hat. So stylish, yet very cool at the same time. As always with Connor hats, the material and quality is exceptional and the price is never outlandish.

I bought my first Sinclair Gentleman’s Newsboy from Village hat shop. The second too, just a few months later after I left it somewhere unknown. But after several years of ownership of the second, I lost it in the public toilet at an airport.

So I bought number three.

A really well made simple cap,this thing will last.

I’m a hat freak. This cap is freaking awesome! It’s suitable for almost any occasion, especially driving in my convertible. I wear size XL+ so when this arrived I put it through my Jack Hat stretcher which made it fit perfectly. Every hat freak should own a hat stretcher, they are worth their weight in gold. Hats off to Conner!

Fantastic craftsmanship. Shipping was not the best but the packaging was good.

I just received my Kangaroo Crossing Buffalo Hide Hat and couldn't be more pleased. I am a bald guy who wears hats 365 days a year while walking my dogs, driving and doing anything outdoors. I've always worn canvas safari type hats. I stumbled across Conner Hats being recommended on reddit and was thrilled to see leather hats.

First, the hat looks fantastic. Second, I was hoping it would be a bit warmer so I can wear it during colder months. Third, it's a bit "dressier looking" than my other hats. Even though it is leather, I expect I can wear it most of the year here in Raleigh NC except for the hottest summer days.

Most of all, I think it looks cool (see for yourself in my pics - at least I think I look cool).

This is my first Conner hat but definitely not my last. I've got my eye on the Leather Nickel Hat, the High Sierra and possibly one of the cotton hats down the road.

I have a big head which measures 22 5/8 inches. My other hats (different brand) are size 7 5/8. Based on the circumference of my head, I purchased size L. It's just a smidge snug so I've been stretching it over my knee and will wear it inside for a day or two to see if that works. If not, I'll exchange it for an XL. (Update: I exchanged it via ReDo for an XL because it was still too tight after stretching).

Lastly, my order didn't ship immediately so I emailed customer service after a couple of days and was pleasantly surprised to get an email back within a few hours from Will himself explaining there was a backlog at the warehouse. I like that I'm buying from a small business staffed by real people (vs. a corporate behemoth).

My hat shipped the next day and arrived two days earlier than the tracker had originally estimated.

Looks and feels great on my head. Fits perfectly with the sizing. Glad I found Conner hats just looking for a Gamblers hat. I would recommend.

Best golf hat I have ever owned for hot environments

Bought this hat mostly for sailing but am using it all the time! Love it!

This one of the best hat I've ever wore. I'm a Superintendent on a golf course in the mid west. The weather is the extremes so with that being said this hat breathes It's very comfortable and fits great to size. I can't wait till it gets hot to try out the the soakable time , I'm sure it will stand up to the conditions well. I recommend this hat to anyone. Oh also it covers my ears which is very important to me.

Styling Tips

Casual & Cool: Pair your Packable hat with a loose tee, denim shorts, and sneakers for a relaxed tourist look. Elegant Explorer: Team your travel hat with a summer dress and sandals, perfect for those sunset dinners. Beach Ready: Combine with swimwear, sunglasses, and flip flops. Your Packable hat is the perfect shade provider. Mountain Trek: Wear with a sweatshirt, cargo pants, and hiking boots for that adventurous mountain trek. Discover the world, one hat at a time. With our Packable/Travel collection, your style remains uncompromised, no matter where the road takes you. Travel light, travel smart, and most importantly, travel in style with Conner Hats.

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Best little primitive campground in... - Sleeping Bear Campground

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• Camping in Mexican Hat    

Sleeping Bear Campground

Hat Rock Inn

San Juan Inn

Valley of the Gods Bed and Breakfast

Canyonlands Motel

Mexican Hat Lodge

Sand Island Campground

The View Hotel

The View Campground

One of the most beautiful campgrounds we have ever stayed! It is in the shadow of Monument Valley and easy to feel the tremendous beauty and stillness of the place at a visceral level. It is a tidy rustic campground with 10 well-marked and spaced-out sites. Many have hand-built covered tables. When we were there, we were the only people. It is a great place to see the stars and sunrise. Early in the morning, you can see the tracks of insects, lizards, birds and other small animals from the evening before. Call them to make a reservation – they did not have any online presence as of 2023 – but worth the effort to find them and stay. Headed there, make sure you follow the signs for Mexican Hat rather than staying on 191. This is a family operation whose owners are friendly and helpful, and will come out to collect payment in cash. We had a 32 ft Class A RV and it was easy to accommodate. It is about 15 minutes to Monument Valley; please note that RVs cannot drive the loop there and it's worth hiring a tour guide and taking the longer tour that goes on private roads. We hope to stay again someday!

This place is outstanding! There are no frills like hook ups, but the area is excellent. Look at my pictures of site 7. Easy pull in, picnic table, & the most quiet campground in the area. Fantastic views that will make your stay truly memorable. The price is $20 bucks, but the views make it priceless. If we ever come through this area this will be the only place we will consider. The entrance road is a little rough, but if you take your time it is nothing to drive in. Sites are far apart & mostly level. All dirt sites, but well packed. Owner owns most of the land around the campground 250ac so he is ok with you hiking all of it as long as you stay away from his family’s homes. He was very informative on things to do in area. Easy drive to Monument Valley, Bears Ears, Natural Bruges, Gooseneck State park, too many things to post here. This is a 1st come gets the sites only, no reservations. We were there in Oct., pulled in had the Campground to ourselves. The four days we were there we saw only 5 other campers. The sunrise & sunsets are to die for. There is one portable potty on site, clean, but we didn’t use it. People not in RV’s were. Campfires were allowed & you can bring your own wood. Do not harm local junipers or gather wood. Some of my pics show the formation that is the camps name sake. Our dogs loved the freedom of running around when there were no others on site. **there are reservation dogs roaming around & livestock, so please be respectful to others **everything you bring in you MUST pack out **some sites will accommodate large RVs ours was 31ft. **the stars are amazing, even seeing the Milky Way, no light pollution. **there is NO internet, cable, & our phone service was sketchy Owner or family member will come to take your money, there are no pay stations. You will love this campground due to views, peacefulness, distance from others, just a total immersion into the environment.

Beautiful spot near NP Monument Valley. In between the big monuments Stagecoach and Eagle Claw in the middle of nature. Primitive but very quiet and peaceful.Definitely worth a stay for a couple of days. Drive past the roundabout at Monument Valley, direc tion Mexican Hat, slow down at the next turn around the mountain, Sleeping Bear will be on your left. Sign says Campground. Beautiful 😍

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An underseen side of David Bowie and more of the week’s best films in L.A.

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Hello! I’m Mark Olsen . Welcome to another edition of your regular field guide to a world of Only Good Movies.

It’s no secret that one of my favorite contemporary filmmakers is Andrew Bujalski. In films like “Beeswax,” “Computer Chess,” “Results” and “Support the Girls,” Bujalski has shown an emotional vitality, thematic depth and plain wisdom about people’s behaviors and inner lives that makes each outing feel honest and fresh.

His 2022 film “There There” was in some ways a product of the pandemic, but also continued many of Bujalski’s longstanding preoccupations. Told in a series of vignettes, the movie is unique in that no two actors were ever actually in the same place as they were filming; careful planning and editing brought the characters together in their scenes.

Now Bujalski has expanded the concept into his first foray into the art world, a gallery installation that opens Saturday at L.A.’s Rusha & Co. gallery . The two sides of each conversation will play on screens on opposite walls, while a third screen will feature additional imagery. The goal is to seemingly drop the viewer directly into the conversation itself.

“I’ve suspected all along that maybe I was doing something a little art for the movie world and a little too movie for the art world,” Bujalski said in a phone call this week from his home in Austin, Texas.

“As we were finishing it, I just had this idea of how we could push it further,” Bujalski added. “Take the experiment we were already doing, which in a lot of ways was already essentially a deconstructed movie. So I thought, we can pull this apart further and in fact kind of blow it open.”

The installation will be up through June 15, with more cities likely to follow.

A David Bowie caper-comedy finds new life

Last year, Richard Shepard revisited his youthful moviegoing with the essay film “Film Geek.” Now, Shepard is revisiting his debut feature film, “The Linguine Incident,” released in 1991 and made when he was only 25.

A crime comedy about the employees of a trendy New York City restaurant who attempt to rob the place, the film stars David Bowie, Rosanna Arquette, Eszter Balint, Buck Henry, André Gregory and Marlee Matlin. Cinematographer Robert Yeoman would go on to work extensively with Wes Anderson.

In a phone interview this week from his home in Los Angeles, Shepard said the production was a fast education in how movies really get made, as he recalled shady financiers delivering money in suitcases. Eventually he alienated himself from his producers and they took the movie away from him to recut.

A new director’s cut of the film will play at Vidiots on Thursday, with Shepard, Balint and Arquette in attendance for a Q&A. There will be another screening of just the movie May 10. A Blu-ray release is set for July.

As every company involved with the movie had gone bankrupt during the intervening years, it was a three-year odyssey for Shepard and his friend and producer Sarah Jackson to unravel the rights issues. Eventually they discovered the rights were actually held by the Screen Actors Guild because residuals hadn’t been paid. Then began the process of finding the original elements of the film. Thanks to an Austrian revival house that had played the film some eight or so years ago, a 35 mm print and a copy of the negative of a longer European version were discovered and a new 4K transfer was created.

Working with editor David Dean, who also cut Shepard’s 2018 film “The Perfection,” Shepard was able to add in some footage not in the original U.S. version, create zooms and reframing and generally tighten the film to improve its pacing.

“I’m very well aware that this isn’t like the restoration of ‘Touch of Evil,’ ” said Shepard. “But it is a very particular movie about a very particular time. Rosanna Arquette’s great in it, Buck Henry and André Gregory and Marlee Matlin and really, most of all, David Bowie in a role no one’s really ever seen him play before. And that was sort of the motivator: Hey, let’s reintroduce this movie to a different audience.”

Shepard had originally conceived of getting Bowie and Mick Jagger to play the roles of the two restaurant owners ultimately played by Henry and Gregory, so he sent the script to the two rock stars. He never heard back from Jagger, but Bowie quickly got in touch to say he’d read the script and wanted to play the lead.

On working with Bowie, who died in 2016 , Shepard said, “There’s been a lot of discussion about Bowie since he’s passed away, and a lot of looking back at his films. And my film is never mentioned. I accept that it’s not in the same pantheon as ‘The Hunger’ or ‘The Man Who Fell to Earth,’ but it is such a specifically different sort of role for him. It’s always been frustrating and I think it’s because people just don’t even know it exists.

“But the fact was that the movie very much captured him,” added Shepard. “At least in my brief four months of my life in his presence, he was just an engaging, engaged, lovely, funny man. He was interested in everything in a way that seemed definitely genuine. And so much of the funny stuff that he does in the movie was completely improvised by him.”

Bowie had finished his extensive worldwide “Sound + Vision” tour just before filming, which was billed at the time as the music superstar saying goodbye to many of his greatest hits and dropping the varying personas he had previously adopted on stage.

“I think he just loved playing someone a little bit more like himself or a little bit more grounded as a human being,” Shepard noted. “He very much wanted to show that he had the chops to be funny and to be charming. And he just was that, both in front of the camera and then going out to dinner or going to clubs or listening to music or all the things that I got to do with him. He just had that energy.”

Shepard added that the process of creating this new director’s cut has also been meaningful for allowing him to reconnect with Arquette and Balint.

“We’ve really become close,” Shepard said. “And to be able to have them back in my life and to be able to talk about the good things and the bad things from that experience is actually its own level of gift. You know, movies that are hits, the cast always stays in touch. And whenever you see each other, it’s all great. Movies that don’t work, it lends a pall over the experience. To be able to sort of reclaim the experience in its own way, I think has been actually really satisfying for me and for them.”

‘I Saw the TV Glow’

One of the most talked-about films of the year since it premiered at Sundance is Jane Schoenbrun’s “I Saw the TV Glow.” Set in the 1990s, the story follows two teenagers (Justice Smith and Brigette Lundy-Paine) bonding over a mutual fascination with a “Buffy”-esque television series, “The Pink Opaque.” Over time, their sense of reality begins to blur and transform, keeping the two of them connected even as they go their own ways.

Though admitting to some restlessness while watching the film, Amy Nicholson, reviewing for The Times, owned up to being “haunted by its residue.” Her review is here .

In an interview with Carlos Aguilar for the paper, director Schoenbrun said , “The movie is interested in the sadness, loneliness or perhaps even sinister nature of emotionally investing so deeply in fandom.”

Without spoiling the enigmatic conclusion, it is fair to say that the film also examines how people can change and develop over time.

“That’s maybe me exploring my relationship with myself and not wanting to play into the very Hollywood, Western-narrative idea of resolution or catharsis that allows an experience or a book to be closed,” Schoenbrun, who is trans, said. “Because to me, transition is lifelong. And in fact, I don’t know that I like the word transition. I like the word healing.”

Other points of interest

Warren Beatty’s ‘Dick Tracy’

The Branch Selects series at the Academy Museum, in which members of the different branches of the academy select a movie, is honestly one of the best, most consistently invigorating series in town. It’s as if a friend said, “Hey, you know what movie we should watch?” and then was able to show it to you in one of the best theaters in town .

On Wednesday, the program will show Warren Beatty’s 1990 adaptation of “Dick Tracy” in the gigantic David Geffen Theater. The film has been selected by the visual-effects branch with an introduction by Harrison Ellenshaw, who worked on the film.

“Dick Tracy” is a deliriously strange movie, with a whimsical, knockabout energy and every shot being a feat of technical imagination achieved by an impossibly accomplished team of craftspeople, including the production designer of “Chinatown,” the costume designer of “Barry Lyndon,” the cinematographer of “Apocalypse Now” and the editor of “Broadcast News.” Additionally, there are original songs by Stephen Sondheim. The cast includes not just Beatty but Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, Paul Sorvino, Seymour Cassel, James Caan, Mandy Patinkin, Kathy Bates, Dick Van Dyke and Madonna . The film would go on to win three Oscars.

In her original review of the movie, Sheila Benson wrote , “You gotta give it to the gumshoe: ‘Dick Tracy’ is brash, irresistible fun. Warren Beatty’s vision of a comic strip on film comes in paint box-bright colors with nicely irreverent dialogue, a gaggle of crisp performances and one with million-dollar moxie. It’s a film of enormous style, with a sure sense of itself. You may not exactly brood about the inner lives of these characters for days after you leave the theater — then again, for better or worse, that may be one of the definitions of a summer movie.”

The Times covered the release of the film so extensively — 15 stories across three weeks in multiple sections of the paper — that it raised questions of whether the paper had become too friendly in its coverage of Hollywood. The film editor at the time, Jack Matthews, wrote an epic profile of Beatty , in which a scheduled two-hour interview turned into nine hours and dinner at Mandarette Chinese Café. (Still open, by the way.) In what is perhaps the most Warren Beatty line ever spoken by Warren Beatty about Warren Beatty, he addressed his public image by saying to Matthews, “Listen, I’ve been famous since 1960 and… and… I’ve been lucky.”

Matthews also wrote a piece on achieving the jewel-toned comic-strip look of the film.

“It’s impressionistic, but to use Warren’s phrase, it’s impressionistic apple pie, simple American values,” said art director Richard Sylbert, who would win an Academy Award for his work on the film. “This is not ‘Metropolis.’ This is about a guy who has a girlfriend and hates lawbreakers.”

As Beatty put it, “I don’t know if I have fun watching myself, but I do enjoy watching my hat and coat.”

Michael Mann’s ‘Blackhat’

Tonight, Vidiots will be screening Michael Mann’s 2015 “Blackhat” with an introduction from actor Timothy Simmons, an avowed fan of the film . It is a rare chance to see the film in a theater; “Blackhat” flopped at the box office on release but has acquired a feverish fandom in the years since.

The story is a globe-hopping cyberthriller starring Chris Hemsworth as an imprisoned computer hacker who is released on furlough to assist in catching the unknown criminal behind a series of sophisticated global online attacks that have brought down a nuclear power plant in Hong Kong and an American commodities exchange. The cast also includes Viola Davis, Leenhom Wang, Tang Wei, Holt McCallany and John Ortiz.

In his original review of the film, Times critic Kenneth Turan noted that “at its heart this is a traditional crime story, with the good guys straining every sinew to keep evildoers from their moment of triumph.” However, he declared Hemsworth the weak spot in the film: “Oddly reminiscent of Marlon Brando’s anti-social glowering in ‘The Wild One,’ the sullen cast he gives to the role testifies to his lack of comfort as much as anything else.”

I interviewed Mann ahead of the film’s initial release . He spoke about his exhaustive pre-production research process and how that informs his storytelling in a way that could also apply to many of his other films, from “Heat” to last year’s “Ferrari.” As Mann said, “I like doing immersive research. You bring yourself into a culture to the point where you can get some semblance of an understanding of the patterns and the rhythms and the mores and the values and how people think, how they feel, what they want. I like that journey.”

Late last year, a home video release from Arrow Video — with a dazzling 4K transfer of the theatrical cut and a lower-resolution disc of Mann’s director’s cut that restructures the film — cemented the burgeoning status of “Blackhat” among Mann aficionados. It also made the case for why physical media can be so vital.

In other news

Slamdance is moving to L.A. This week I broke the news that the Slamdance Film Festival will permanently move to Los Angeles beginning with the 2025 edition. The festival will also move to a spot on the calendar in February.

Slamdance was started by a group of filmmakers who had been rejected by programmers at the Sundance Film Festival and has long taken place in Park City, Utah, concurrently with Sundance. Over the years, filmmakers including Christopher Nolan, the Russo brothers, Lena Dunham, Greg Mottola and Bong Joon Ho have had their early works screen at Slamdance before they broke big elsewhere.

“We felt that there was space for us in the Los Angeles melting pot to really contribute and to continue the mission of what Slamdance is all about — discovering filmmakers,” said Peter Baxter, president and co-founder of Slamdance.

The news comes in the face of the recent announcement that Sundance is accepting applications from other potential host cities for 2027, when its contract with Park City expires.

‘The Idea of You’ producer Cathy Shulman

For his “The Wide Shot” newsletter this week, Ryan Faughnder spoke to Cathy Schulman , the Oscar-winning producer who is behind the new Amazon Prime Video release, “The Idea of You,” a sexy rom-com directed by Michael Showalter and starring Anne Hathaway as a divorced Sliver Lake mom who finds herself in a fling with an international pop star.

Having premiered at South by Southwest in March, the film is going straight to streaming. Considering the recent box office success of “Anyone But You,” there is an apparent audience for escapist romantic fare, which begs the question of how much “The Idea of You” might have made with a theatrical release.

“The whole decision rested in Amazon’s hands and we heard a lot of analytics about why they made that decision,” said Schulman. “As a filmmaker, I just come out firmly on the side that I love the theatrical experience, and so it’s hard for me to imagine not wanting that, especially with something that I think crowds will love. Amazon’s analysis of the marketplace suggested that the greatest chance of success would be done this way, and those are our partners and we have to follow their lead. It’ll never make that soulful missing of the theatrical experience go away. But as a businessperson, I have to look to the distribution experts.”

‘The Fall Guy’

With both “Civil War” and “Challengers,” there have been actual good, original movies atop the box office charts in recent weeks. That looks to continue with “The Fall Guy,” director David Leitch’s affectionate adaptation of the 1980s television show about a Hollywood stuntman named Colt Seavers.

Starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, the film is a tribute to the stunt community , but it is also a surprisingly effective romance , with the palpable chemistry between its two leads making for a fleeter, more tender energy that the typical thudding Hollywood action flick.

In Glenn Whipp’s review of the movie , he notes the “easygoing groove” between Blunt and Gosling in scenes such as one where they talk out their relationship issues while also filming an action sequence with Blunt as director and Gosling as stunt performer.

As Glenn wrote, “It’s one of several scenes where the film smartly uses stunts to reveal character, advance the story and make good use of Gosling’s gift for physical comedy. If Colt can’t signal thumbs-up at the end of a stunt, it’s not just a blow to his ego. He’s working his way through a bewildering cloud of confusion — not to mention being a suspect in a murder investigation — that even a pitcher of spicy margaritas (nobody says ‘spicy margarita’ better than Emily Blunt) with his lovely lady won’t be able to solve.”

‘Blood In Blood Out’ streaming at last

Taylor Hackford’s 1993 crime drama “Blood In Blood Out” is at long last available for streaming, arriving this week on Hulu .

The film follows the lives of three cousins in East Los Angeles and though it had a stunted initial release — Disney didn’t quite know what to do with it — once on home video it was widely embraced by Latino audiences. One unauthorized YouTube upload brought in more than 6 million views.

At an event in January , hundreds of fans packed an auditorium at Cal State L.A. for a screening in celebration of the release of a book on the film.

“This 30th anniversary of ‘Blood In Blood Out’ — both the screening at Cal State L.A. and the publication of our book by Hat & Beard Press — has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the entire cast and crew,” said Hackford.

“Now, Hulu’s decision to stream the original unedited version is the cherry on top of the cake, both for us and for the Latino community across the U.S. who have made this film the classic that it is.”

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Operation Hat Trick Earns GuideStar’s Highest Seal of Transparency For the Sixth Year in a Row

Operation hat trick (oht) makes additional donations to seven organizations supporting veteran outreach, ice vets & oht, operation hat trick february 2024 newsletter, operation hat trick (oht) makes additional donations to six organizations supporting veteran outreach, operation hat trick and red river charitable foundation continue their support of nine warrior ice hockey programs, over $4.5 million donated since 2014, helped more than 120 veterans’ organizations from 41 states, almost 400% growth in oht donations over the past 5 years, 500 colleges and universities proudly supporting oht, 100+ professional and minor league teams.

A radio trivia contest question leads to the formation of OHT

Our Mission

OHT provides critical support to those who defend us

OHT has donated over $4.5 million to 120 organizations across 41 states that fulfill its mission.

Support OHT

"Purchase with a purpose" by buying OHT hats, apparel, and other merchandise

There is no greater threat to our freedom than the lack of gratitude to those who provide it.

Travis Mills, SSG-Retired, Quadruple Amputee

Our history

Click on year for more info, 2007: the seeds of an idea.

In 2007, OHT Founder Dot Sheehan was listening to a Boston radio station, where a trivia contest was underway. The question was: “What’s the one thing most wanted by head-wounded soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan?”

2008: A small-town hockey beginning

OHT sprang to life in 2008, when tragedy hit Dot’s University of New Hampshire community. Nate Hardy and Mike Koch, two Navy SEALs trained together, fought together and died together on Feb 4,2008.

2012: OHT turns into a national movement

OHT is supported by over 500 leading colleges and universities in 50 states, two living Presidents, NHL, NBA, MLB and major corporations.

2018: OHT reached a landmark of $1M in donations

Operation Hat Trick continues to generate awareness, support and funding for the recovery of America’s wounded service members and veterans.

2024: OHT passes $4.5 million in donations

What People Say

From my time at Walter Reed to today, Operation Hat Trick has been a true friend and partner in the success of the Travis Mills Foundation.

Travis Mills

I love the fact that OHT is helping those who have been wounded and trying to recover from their visible and invisible injuries.

President George W. Bush

Thanks to OHT’s donations over the last few years, we've been able to reduce the homeless population and get those in need into liveable, sustainable housing.

Neal Loidolt

Operation Hat Trick’s grant supported an ambitious statewide educational tour in Montana for our veteran suicide prevention program. We hosted eight trainings in four cities and trained 350+ veterans and service members. In just the last six weeks, we have already heard directly from four people who used what they learned at our events to save a veteran’s life. These events would not have been possible without Operation Hat Trick’s donation. Their motto is: “They promised to defend. We promise to support.” -- and they live up to that motto every day. We’re deeply grateful for their support in our shared mission of saving veteran lives.

Casey Woods

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Operation Hat Trick is dedicated to Nate Hardy and Mike Koch, two Navy SEALs who trained together, fought together and died together on Feb 4, 2008. Nate and Mike are buried side-by-side in Arlington National Cemetery.