13 Packable Sun Hats for Your Every Outdoor Experience This Summer

editor@purewow.com (PureWow)
·6 min read

It’s the piece you’re going to reach for all season—yes, even more than that favorite sundress. We’re talking the perfect packable sun hat, the one that’s sun-shielding enough to wear with your new swimsuit on the beach and also flattering enough to wear to the café afterwards. It’s as important as luggage and sunscreen to ensure the perfect vacay experience—so we’ve collected our favorites for you to shop here.

The 13 best Packable Sun Hats At-A-Glance

RELATED: How to Wear a bucket Hat in 2022 (and the 17 Coolest Styles to Shop)

1. J. Crew Wide-Brim Packable Straw Hat

Best Overall

Why We Love It: Comes in three sizes, wire brim

This raffia hat is lightweight and the shape is reminiscent of a fedora, which is more sophisticated than most summer straw hats. And there’s a bit of wire in the brim to bend it so that it shades—but never obscures—your eyes.

Buy it ($60; $42)

2. Lululemon Wide-Brim Bucket Hat with Strap

Best for the Water

Why We Love It: Adjustable strap, lightweight fabric

This nylon blend hat is reversible, with a longer brim on one side and a shorter one on the other. Switch from one to the other depending on the angle of the sun—and thanks to the adjustable chin strap, you need never worry it’s going to blow off.

Buy It ($48)

3. Jenni Kayne Crochet Raffia Sun Hat

Best Bucket Shape

Why We Love It: Adjustable fit, chic shape

The sloping brim of this attenuated bucket hat shades your face and neck without getting in the way of your biking or window-shopping. And the adjustable sizing in the crown keeps it just snug enough.

Buy It ($175)

4. Furtalk Wide Brim Panama Hat

Best Unisex

Why We Love It: 16 colorways, fedora style

Easy to fold and stash in your carry-on or backpack, this straw hat with an inner sweat band uses velcro to tighten and loosen as necessary. And it’s versatile: The medium height of the crown and 2.75 to 3.25-inch wide brim is suitable for all genders.

$23 at Amazon

5. Eugenia Kim Cassidy Scarf Fedora

Best Designer Packable Sun Hat

Why We Love It: Silk chiffon scarf, bi-color straw

This woven hemp hat has a dramatic 4.5-inch brim and 14 karat gold grommets that wearers can pull a silk chiffon scarf through, to hold the hat on while creating a style reminiscent of Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

Buy It ($395)

6. Aisiyedo Outdoor Sun Hat

Best for Wilderness Adventures

Why We Love It: Supplemental drape protection, 50 SPF

You’ll be the envy of everyone on your desert trek, fishing trip or hiking experience when you bust out this breathable polyester hat that has a back flap and neck drape that can be snapped on for a level of coverage that leaves only your eyes exposed. In six shades, it’s worth ordering an extra color to coordinate with all your outdoors looks, or to share with a fellow traveler.

$16 at Amazon

7. Madewell Packable Braided Straw Hat

Best Self-Packing Design

Why We Love It: Elastic brim, universally flattering

Besides this hat drawing raves for its not-too-tall, not-too-floppy look which suits even non-hat wearers, this one gets our nod for its creative design. “Something that I didn't notice until I purchased it was that you can fold the hat up and the ‘ribbon’ is actually made of elastic material that is used to wrap the hat around for easy folding,” says one happy owner.

Buy It ($40; $32)

8. Hat Attack Packable Raffia Bucket Hat

Best Retro Style

Why We Love It: Lightweight raffia, raw edge

The unfinished edge and modified bucket style of this hat is a throwback to the ‘50s, and we see this style as a natural for donning poolside with a high-waist two-piece and a frozen margarita.

Buy It ($134)

9. Scala Women's Cotton Hat

Best All-Cotton

Why We Love It: UPF 50, inner drawstring

This foldover brim hat comes in 26 colors, so you can choose the perfect shade to flatter your skin tone, match your outfits or capture your mood. The 2.5-inch brim stays in place thanks to an inner crown drawstring and deep crown that you can pull down on your forehead or push backward depending on your preferred level of incognito.

$32 at Amazon

10. Coolibar Compact in a Snap Hat

Best Design

Why We Love It: Cute stripes, snap-assisted folding

Think you could never tote along a hat with a wide (we’re talking more than five inches) brim? Forget your hesitation with this sun protection hat that’s designed to stay folded thanks to a small ribbon on the reverse that snaps and unsnaps to keep the hat folded flat when it’s time to tuck it in your luggage.

$49 at Amazon

11. Madewell Packable Braided Straw Visor

Best Visor

Why We Love It: Rollable, comes in three colors

This visor rolls up into a tiny handful that fits into a medium-sized handbag or beach tote without getting crushed. It’s the perfect hat to wear with your new athleisure tennis skirt.

Buy It ($35)

12. Gone for a Run Ultra Pocket Hat

Best for Running

Why We Love It: Sturdy hook and loop closure, pockets

The technical fabric of this cap wicks away moisture while shielding you from UV rays. And there are 5.5-inch long pockets that are three inches deep on either side of the crown, so that you can stash everything from your house key to a protein bar in there.

Buy It ($35)

13. Sunday Afternoons Sunset Hat

Best Cowboy Style

Why We Love It: Breathable polyester braid, 3 3/4- inch brim

It’s no accident that a perfectly beat-up cowboy hat is de rigueur music festival wear—the rolled-up sides keep your audio and sightlines open, while the long forward brim shades you from the sun. This one’s great because once you flatten and fold it, you can even tuck it in your back jeans pocket.

$32; $29 at Amazon

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