The 10 Best Boonie Hats for Men to Wear This Summer and Beyond
Protecting yourself from the sun is no laughing matter, but that doesn’t mean there’s not some fun—or style—to be found in the process. Adding a hat to your outfit is an easy way to boost your defenses, and few caps are better at helping than the boonie hat. A military staple that dates back to the Vietnam War era, the best boonie hats offer a wide, stiff brim to ensure your face is more shielded while providing a bit of character. While the boonie hat started as purely functional, it’s now found quite a home in the menswear space.
Now, any outdoor or designer brand worth its salt has some sort of take or interpretation on a boonie hat, but which is the best version for you? Luckily, we’re here to help sort through the sound and noise and help you find the best boonie hats. Below, you’ll find ten recommendations for the best models on the market, ensuring you get something functional and stylish without compromising on either. Here are our picks for the best boonie hats.
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What’s a Boonie Hat?
A boonie hat isn’t something you wear out in the boonies, but rather, a specific style of sun hat. Traditionally seen in a military context (more on that in a second), it’s a wider hat with a stiff brim to help protect against the sun, particularly in hot and/or tropical climates. It also, but not always, features a bit of fabric around the hat’s crown that can include loops to store items. The critical distinguisher between a boonie hat and a bucket hat is the stiffness of the brim, which doesn’t sag or droop like a bucket hat often does.
A Brief History of the Boonie Hat
The boonie hat was introduced and became a fixture for the United States Armed Forces during the Vietnam War. It started as the cap of choice for U.S. Army Green Berets before finding a larger adoption rate among all the forces. The boonie came in a handful of patterns and became standard issue gear for the U.S. Army in 1967. Critically, the fabric loops around the crown could hold foliage to help troops better camouflage themselves among nature.
The U.S. military continued to issue the hat in various materials, including cotton and wind-resistant poplins, and it still sees consistent use to this day as part of the military uniform; service members have it as an alternative to a baseball cap.
Given the hat’s functionality, it didn’t take long for the boonie to find a use for civilians: It’s great for any outdoor activity, including fishing, hiking, camping, picnicking, or even as a functional hat for designers to interpret as they see fit.
The 10 Best Boonie Hats for Men
BEST OVERALL
Canada Goose Venture Bucket Hat
While Canada Goose is a household name beloved for its down parkas, the leading Canadian outdoor outfitter is more than just one thing—as evidenced by this take on the boonie hat. With a wider brim that almost feels more like a cowboy hat than a traditional boonies, this Venture hat features a water-repellent poly/cotton blend that’s handy to have in case it starts to drizzle. Air holes on the side make it very breathable, and the drawcord around it is reflective if you wear it at nighttime during a rainstorm.
Date of Brand Origin: 1957
Material: Polyester and Cotton
Colors Available: 2
Patagonia Quandary Brimmer Hat
Best Runner Up
Few do it better than Patagonia, and we’re not even talking about the company’s repeated and on-the-record commitment to the outdoors. It’s universally beloved for a good reason. For example, the Quandary Brimmer Hat is its take on a boonie that’s got a generously wide brim for solid sun protection, a variety of colors to ensure you can snag an option that works best for you, and includes a water-repellent coating to help weather the outdoors. We also love the sweat-wicking headband that comes in handy on warmer days.
Date of Brand Origin: 1973
Material: Nylon and Spandex
Colors Available: 5
BEST VALUE
Columbia Bora Bora Booney II Hat
If you’ve seen boonie hats out and about, there’s a strong chance Columbia made one of them. The stalwart outdoor brand’s take on the hat includes plenty of smart features that make it punch above its value, including vented netting to enhance breathability, an adjustments tab in the back to nail a personalized fit, and a drawstring neck cord so you can keep it in place when the wind picks up. But the best feature is the included UPF fabric, complementing any existing sunscreen you’re applying.
Date of Brand Origin: 1983
Material: Polyester and Nylon
Colors Available: 2
BEST MILITARY INSPIRED
Roark Beach Boonie Hat
Roark’s approach to the boonie hat is to play up the more utilitarian and militaristic heritage with a cotton construction—plenty of brim pockets for you to keep a few essentials in while you’re on the beach (we’re thinking TSA-friendly sunscreen or maybe even a set of AirPods). With a broader brim for protection from the heat and solar rays, a greenish hue, and a good chin strap to keep it in place, it’s a great foundation for a solid summer look.
Date of Brand Origin: 2009
Material: Cotton
Colors Available: 1
BEST COVERAGE
Lululemon All Sport Wide-Brim Hat
If your neck is susceptible to getting burnt, or you just want to ensure total coverage, Lululemon’s All Sport Wide-Brim Hat is the best choice for you. It doubles down on the boonie’s wide brim, and features a mullet-like construction with a bit of material trailing down the back for full coverage. Combined with UPF 40+ protection, this boonie hat is particularly well suited to those who hit the beach right when the sun comes up and stay until it starts going down.
Date of Brand Origin: 1998
Material: Nylon and Elastane
Colors Available: 3
BEST FOR WINTER
Arc’Teryx Wool Cranbrook Hat
Boonie hats, while useful in the summer, aren’t just for warmer temperatures. They can be just as handy in the winter when the sun still shines. To wit: the Wool Cranbrook Hat from Arc’Teryx is a great boonie selection for those colder days when you’re outside for long walks or on a hike and want protection. The textural elements of the wool blend make this a bolder sartorial choice in addition to keeping your head warm, and it even includes adjusters to help better lock in the fit you need or want.
Date of Brand Origin: 1988
Material: Wool, Polyester, and Viscose
Colors Available: 2
BEST DESIGNER
Jil Sander Cotton Bucket Hat
A decidedly swanky, luxe, and designer approach to a boonie hat, Jil Sander’s version is a crisp white that’s sure to pop with any outfit. The hat includes some snap buttons to leverage different looks depending upon the day—for example, you can snap a front button for less face coverage if you’re not directly in the sun. Drawstrings around the back and the bottom allow for a snugger fit when the time calls for it.
Date of Brand Origin: 1968
Material: Cotton
Colors Available: 1
BEST MINIMALIST
South2 West8 Crusher Hat
You might be unfamiliar with South2 West8, but the Japanese operation is among the best outdoor brands out there, as evidenced by its Crusher Hat. The boonie-style cap is made from a super durable cotton and nylon blend that’s very comfortable and well-suited to outdoor activities (South2 West8 has roots in Japanese fishing culture). In short, this is an all-around outdoor boonie hat whose simplicity is a feature, not a bug.
Date of Brand Origin: 2003
Material: Cotton and nylon
Colors Available: 1
BEST LOOKING
A-Cold-Wall* Utile Bucket Hat
A-Cold-Wall*’s more streetwear-focused approach often results in striking pieces that can be worn anytime, anywhere. Its take on a boonie includes some sharp details, such as a zip pocket for handy storage (an easy place to keep some cash or a key) in addition to providing good sun coverage. Plus, the branding that’s made A-Cold-Wall* so memorable is included here subtly and tastefully, making it quite a statement.
Date of Brand Origin: 2015
Material: Polyamide, Polyester, and Cotton
Colors Available: 1
BEST IF YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW
Outdoor Research Bugout Brim Hat
Outdoor Research is one of those beloved companies that real outdoorsy types know and love because of its deep attention to detail and desire to create products that punch above their price points. The perfect example of this is the Bugout Brim Hat, which includes an impressive number of features that other hats double or even triple the price don’t. The hat’s nylon material is treated with a UPF 50+ and has an insect-resistant coating to keep things comfortable. It’s well worth its price—and then some—and might serve as a great gateway to all the rest of Outdoor Research’s stellar products.
Date of Brand Origin: 1981
Material: Nylon
Colors Available: 1
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