10 Fashionable Sun Hats You Won't Be Embarrassed to Wear (2024)

Exceeding all our expectations is The North Face’s sun hat. Made of recycled materials, The North Face’s sun hat is an easy, breezy summer option thanks to the outdoor retailer’s moisture-wicking Flash Dry technology that fights to keep you as fresh and cool as possible. And we love that it's made with elastane to be stretchy for a better fit.

With its airy full-brim design and UPF 40+ protection, it's perfect for long, sun-soaked days. The FlashDry-Pro™ sweatband works wonders by actively wicking away moisture to keep me dry and comfortable. The nylon fabric feels breathable and lightweight, and the adjustable chin strap actually feels good and easy to maneuver. Plus, the hat has a bona fide endorsem*nt by The Skin Cancer Foundation, earning their Seal of Recommendation for its excellent UV protection.

A headpiece in durable ripstop nylon is an ideal fabric choice for outdoor adventures that expose you to the elements. This water-resistant number utilizes piping along the brim edge of the hat to aid in wind resistance. Designed to keep your head cool and shielded from harmful UV rays, we found that it boasts side vents and a mesh lining for optimal breathability. With a UPF 50+ rating, this hat also offers superior sun protection. In our testing under the sun, we found that its wire brim edge binding ensures a flat and stiffened brim to provide full, well-rounded coverage.

In addition, this hat is crafted from a blend of 89% nylon and 11% polyester, meaning it is lightweight, breathable, water-resistant, and quick-drying. We tested the headband to be moisture-wicking, and the crown to be mesh-lined and therefore very breathable. We also found in our testing outdoors that the dark fabric under the brim helped reduce glare.

We recommend this hat for any sun-exposed explorer. Its wide-brim design and UPF 50 fabric provide excellent UV protection and coverage, shielding your head, face, and even neck from harmful rays thanks to the added neck cape.

Even during peak sun hours, this sun hat will keep you comfortable thanks to the brand's HydroActive™ tech in the fabric that once met with water will be able to cool instantly up to 30 degrees. Our editor found that the coolness could stay up to 2 hours, even under the sun, ensuring lasting comfort during your outdoor activities.

The fit is great too: we tested it to be lightweight and the elastic pull cord to be able to smoothly adjust the crown and chin strap. All in all, this hat combines superior cooling technology, sun protection, and a perfect fit.

This aptly termed sun hat by the brand with just as clever a name should top your list if you’re one to spend a great deal of time outside. During our backpacking trips, we found that this sun hat provided great protection from the sun while remaining lightweight, breathable, and packable. One of its leading feats includes a brim with a neck cape in the back for maximum coverage. While it does look huge, the neck cape fully safeguards your skin from UV rays. We also found that it's super easy to travel with because the brim will fold in half for compact packing and can be easily stuffed in our backpacks.

In addition, we love that the fabric is made with an Ultraviolet Protection Factor of 50+, the crown provides ventilation, and it has an inner quick-wicking sweatband. We also found the materials to be anti-glare as well.

From our first try, we found that L.L.Bean’s sun hat offers a comfortable and breathable fit. Crafted with a blend of 55% polyester and 45% cotton, it comes with mesh side panels to increase airflow and keep us cool even under the blazing sun. With a UPF 50+ rating, this hat also provides the highest level of sun protection possible, shielding you from harmful UV rays.

We also love how fully adjustable this sun hat is, and found that it offered a secure, snug fit even when the weather got windy. (By the way, the mesh panels will really help maximize cool breezes when it gets windy.) Whether you're enjoying outdoor activities or simply lounging under the sun, this hat offers the coverage and comfort you need.

Crafted with a combination of cotton duck and poly mesh, this hat offers exceptional breathability and durability. In our testing of it in a heatwave, we found that its ventilated mesh crown was able to keep us cool, and that its shade-making brim and hatband helped shield our face and neck from harmful UV rays. With a UPF value of 50+, this hat also provides excellent sun protection.

We also praise the fit. The chin cord not only ensures a secure fit but can also be tied back around the brim when not in use. Additionally, we found this hat to be extra packable and crushable without losing its impeccable shape, making it convenient for travel.

Sun Protection: The primary purpose of a sun hat is to shield you from harmful UV rays. The best sun hats for men should thus come with a wide brim, ideally at least 3 inches to effectively shade your face, neck, ears, and even shoulders from direct sunlight. A broad brim helps to block direct sunlight, reducing the risk of sunburn and protecting your skin from long-term damage. Additionally, the best sun hats for men will be made from materials with a high Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) rating. UPF-rated fabrics provide enhanced sun protection by blocking a significant amount of UV radiation.

Comfort: For outdoor activities under the scorching sun, sun hats that are lightweight and breathable will maximize airflow to keep your head cool. Therefore, the best sun hats for men will be made from materials like cotton, linen, or straw due to their breathability that'll prevent overheating and excessive sweating. Additionally, consider sun hats with moisture-wicking properties that draw sweat away from your skin to keep you dry, typically with fabrics in a blend of polyester or nylon.

Fit: Opt for hats that offer adjustable features such as drawstrings, chin straps, or internal bands. These allow you to customize the fit to your own head size, ensuring a secure and comfortable feel even when you're out and about and moving your head constantly. Keep in mind that a properly fitting sun hat will stay in place even during windy conditions or active pursuits.

Wide-Brim hat: Featuring a broad, expansive brim that extends all the way around the hat, a wide-brim hat is known for its ability to provide extensive coverage and sun protection, effectively blocking direct UV rays and reducing the risk of sunburn and long-term skin damage on your face and neck with the wide brim. The wide brim also helps to keep your face and eyes shaded, reducing glare and improving visibility.

Bucket hat: With a wide and downward-sloping brim that circles around a soft rounded crown, the practical design of bucket hats offers good sun protection for the face and neck. They're usually often made from lightweight and breathable materials as well to give you that laid-back look and thus are perfect for outdoor activities and easily packable for travels and adventures.

Neck cape hat: This type of sun hat features an extended fabric piece or cape at the back that covers the neck. The purpose of the neck cape is to provide additional sun protection to the neck area, shielding the neck from direct UV rays. This extra layer of protection makes this type of sun hat popular among outdoor enthusiasts who spend extended periods in the sun, such as hikers, fishermen, and gardeners.

Can I fold or pack my sun hat for travel?
Many sun hats are designed to be travel-friendly and thus can be folded or packed without losing their shape. But not all sun hats are foldable, so check the product description or care instructions for information on its packability. For instance, materials like straw or synthetic fibers are often more flexible and can withstand folding without losing their shape. Pack sun hats properly by either folding the brim upwards or downwards to flatten it or rolling the hat from one side if it's designed to be rolled. To prevent deformation, you can stuff the hat's crown with soft clothing items, like socks or underwear. Avoid creasing the hat as much as possible: some materials like linen are more prone to creasing or losing their shape.

Can I wear a sun hat during outdoor physical activities or sports?
Definitely—in fact, it is highly recommended to protect yourself from the sun's harmful rays during outdoor exercises or sports by wearing sun hats. In this case, look for sun hats specifically designed for active use, made from lightweight, breathable materials that allow for ventilation and moisture-wicking. Adjustable features in these sun hats like chin straps or drawstrings will help keep the hat securely in place, even during vigorous movements. Additionally, consider sun hats with sweat-wicking properties or built-in sweatbands to keep your head dry and comfortable.

Do all sun hats provide equal protection against UV rays?
Not all sun hats for men are equally effective in protecting against UV rays. The level of sun protection depends on various factors, such as the hat's design, materials used, and UPF rating. Look for hats with a wider brim as they provide better coverage, and hats made from materials with a high UPF rating, such as UPF 50+, as they offer superior UV blocking. It's important to check the product description or label to ensure that the sun hat you choose provides adequate sun protection.

To find the best sun hats for men, our style and gear editors have personally tried on at least 20 sun hats since 2021, and tested each of them for at least two weeks by wearing them on different occasions, such as hiking in Sunday Afternoons' Ultra Adventure hat, running errands and going about a weekend in The North Face's Brimmer hat, sporting Quiksilver's straw sun hat to the beach, etc.

Read more: Learn How Men's Health Tests Products

To get a feel for how these sun hats really felt and looked, we vetted our tested options by taking notes of their weight, style, price point, versatility, durability, comfort, and performance such as moisture-wicking, UV protection, and breathability. We examined whether they fitted well and true to size, whether their fabric could wick away sweat and withstand hours under the hot sun, and whether they could be worn for more than one occasion.

At Men’s Health, our testing editors and writers always make sure to actually test and use the products ourselves before considering whether to include them. Therefore, rest assured that our product recommendations derive from first-hand experience, and you can read more about our testing process here.

In addition, we have a whole fashion closet in our NYC office dedicated to calling in, trying out, and selecting the best and newest menswear products. We put them on stylish, fit guys to hear their opinions and see how the items look on them before making our final decision. And as style editors, we constantly go into the fashion closet to feel a product’s materials—even put it on ourselves for a spin—to test it.

Lastly, you can trust our opinions on shopping recommendations, whether it’s the products, styling tips, or trends. Not only do we have Fashion Director Ted Stafford and Deputy Editor, Commerce Christian Gollyan, but we also have a panel of style experts—including stylists, fashion influencers, designers, etc.—whom we regularly seek shopping guides from. Therefore, our product recommendations and buying tips are all driven by professional, expert opinions.