Best Hiking Hats of 2026

Quick verdict: The Ultra Adventure is the hat three separate test teams land on. OutdoorGearLab gives it Editors' Choice with the top score of 21 hats, Treeline Review calls it Best Overall, and CleverHiker names it Best Ultralight. It weighs 2.5 ounces.

The design is why. A 3.25-inch brim covers the front and sides and a six-inch cape hangs behind, so nothing stiff sits between your head and your pack. The brim is split so the hat folds flat, mesh panels vent the sides, and a slot on each side holds your sunglasses.

It has drawbacks. CleverHiker found it runs large and that the cape flips up in strong wind. It also looks like a piece of hiking gear, so don't plan on wearing it around town.

Quick verdict: The Trekker is CleverHiker's Best Overall, ahead of the Ultra Adventure, and the reason is coverage. Its front brim is 3.5 inches and the back extends into a cape that CleverHiker measured at 6.75 inches. That's the most neck shade on this page from a hat with a real brim.

Solbari is an Australian sun-protection clothing company, and the fabric shows it: a UPF 50+ nylon and elastane blend with mesh side panels, a chin strap, and a toggle at the back for fit. CleverHiker praised its comfort and how the neck flap held up in wind.

It's second because of weight and bulk. At 4.2 ounces on CleverHiker's scale it is the heavier of the two cape hats, and it doesn't fold as small. Its Amazon rating also rests on a few dozen reviews, so lean on the test results more than the stars.

Quick verdict: The Sunbriolet is the full-brim hat to buy if a cape is a dealbreaker. Outdoor Research lists a 3.3-inch front brim and a 4.1-inch back brim, so your neck gets real shade from the brim alone. It weighs about three ounces.

The fabric is lightweight UPF 50+ nylon over a mesh-lined crown. A cinch at the crown adjusts fit and the drawcord detaches. OutdoorGearLab's test covers the Sombriolet, a near-identical Outdoor Research hat at the same published weight, and found it wind-resistant with a stiff brim. Treat that as a close guide, not a review of this exact hat.

That stiffness is also the catch. The rear brim will touch a tall pack when you tilt your head back, and it doesn't fold as flat as a soft hat. The listing is new enough that its review pool is small.

Quick verdict: The Sun Runner is a running-style cap with a cape that snaps on and off. With the cape on, fabric hangs nearly eleven inches from the back of the cap and wraps the sides of your face. With it off, you have a plain vented cap for the forest.

OutdoorGearLab gives it Best Bang for Your Buck, CleverHiker calls it the best cap with a cape, and Treeline Review describes it as a favorite among ultralight backpackers. It weighs 2.8 ounces with everything attached and packs to nothing.

It ranks fourth because of the bill. At 2.75 inches and front-only, it shades less of your face than any brim above it. The cape is rated UPF 40+, lower than the brimmed hats. CleverHiker also found the cape fiddly to remove and poor in wind.

Quick verdict: The Latitude has the widest brim here on every side: 3.75 inches in front, four at the sides and 4.75 behind. CleverHiker picked it as the best wide-brimmed hat it tested. If you want the most shade and won't wear a cape, this is the one.

It's UPF 50+ polyester with a dark underbrim, a chin strap, a hidden pocket and the same split brim as the Ultra Adventure so it folds flat. It floats, and the water-repellent finish is PFAS-free.

It ranks fifth because all that brim gets in the way under a backpack. CleverHiker noted the back brim hits a pack when you look up, and that the hat runs very large. At 4.3 ounces it is also the heaviest hat here with a published weight, just ahead of the Solbari.

Quick verdict: The LTM6 is the top of the price range for a technical sun hat and the only one here you could wear to lunch afterward. It's UPF 50+ recycled nylon with a band of polyester mesh around the crown, sold by measured hat size.

CleverHiker and Treeline Review both give it their style award, and Treeline notes it is machine washable and backed by Tilley's lifetime guarantee. That guarantee is most of what the extra money buys.

It's sixth because you get less coverage for the money. OutdoorGearLab measured the brim at about 3.4 inches front and back but only 2.25 at the sides, all three review outlets found it runs small, and Treeline Review notes it lifts against a tall pack. It also doesn't fold.

Quick verdict: The Swift Cap is a plain, very breathable cap, and it's here for people who already hike in a hooded sun shirt. The hood covers your ears and neck. All you need on top is a bill for your face and something that doesn't trap heat, and this does both at a listed 2.4 ounces.

The crown is lined with large-panel mesh, which is where the airflow comes from. Outdoor Research's listing rates the solid fabric at UPF 50+, while the listing's own title says UPF 40+. Assume the lower figure.

On its own it ranks seventh, because a cap shades the least of anything here and this one has no cape and no chin cord. The mesh crown also means little protection for a bare scalp.

Quick verdict: The Bora Bora II has far more Amazon ratings than anything else on this page. It's a simple nylon booney rated UPF 50, with a three-inch brim by CleverHiker's and OutdoorGearLab's measurements, a mesh vent band, a chin cord and a weight of 2.6 ounces.

Both outlets call it comfortable and breathable. Both also call the brim floppy: it deforms easily and flips in wind. CleverHiker adds that the mesh band is woven loosely enough to let some sun through. It comes in one size, which OutdoorGearLab found runs large.

It ranks last because every other hat here does something better. The price on the tile is for the one color with a buy box on the day I checked, and it was well above the price CleverHiker and OutdoorGearLab both list for this hat. Check other colors before you buy.