Best Fishing Hats – How To Buy A Good Fishing Hat

Even on the gloomiest of days, anglers are exposed to a considerable amount of UV rays.

The best protection that you can provide for your head is a fishing hat.

Unlike typical hats, fishing hats have been specifically designed to offer as much shade as possible to your entire head and even your neck.

In this guide, We have outlined several features that make up the best fishing hats.

This includes the amount of protection and ventilation offered and the level of comfort provided.

These are some of the best options that are available to you:

Best Fishing Hats

Columbia Bora Bora Booney II

This Columbia Bora Bora Booney II hat is made completely from Omni-shade nylon material, with the exception of the mesh panel.

Omni-shade is material that has been enhanced with UPF 50 which blocks up to 98 percent of the harmful rays emitted by the sun.

Therefore, in terms of protection, you are well shielded with the Bora Bora II.

The mesh panel in the hat allows for there to be improved air flow inside of the hat, reducing the amount that you will sweat, even when standing in the heat of the sun.

The hat is also equipped with Omni-wick technology.

This is wicking material inside of the hat that pulls sweat away from your skin and outwards to evaporate.

“This way, the hat doesn’t stick uncomfortably to your head”

It also stops sweat from falling into your eyes.

The brim of the hat is wide enough to ensure that your face and your neck are well shielded.

Although this fishing hat is a one-size fits all, it comes with a toggle at the back.

You can use this to create a more custom fit for you.

The Bora Bora II is equipped with an adjustable chinstrap to secure the hat to your head.

Specs:

• Made from Omni-shade nylon
• Mesh panel
• Omni-wick sweatband

LETHMIK Fishing Hat

The first thing that We noticed about the LETHMIK fishing hat was its weight.

Since it is made from polyester fiber cotton, it is quite lightweight and therefore more comfortable to wear in warm weather.

In fact, it is one of the lightest hats on this list.

Despite this, the material does offer up UPF 50+ sun protection, which helps to keep the harshest of rays at bay.

The brim of the hat is quite wide, allowing for 360° shielding but what I liked most about it was that it was adjustable.

There are brass buttons on this hat which allows you to bend or fold the brim, depending on the type of protection you want.

While the hat is foldable it is able to maintain its shape.

This means that you can even store it in your pocket and have it retain its structure.

The inside of the hat is lined with light and breathable material.

This prevents too much heat from accumulating inside of the hat.

This fishing hat has an adjustable chin strap to keep the hat secured on windy days.

Specs:

• Polyester fiber construction
• UPF 50+ protection
• Breathable lining

Home Prefer Fishing Hat

If you are looking for a hat that can provide you with a little more safeguarding action from the sun, then the Home Prefer hat is a great choice.

Although it resembles a typical booney hat, the Home Prefer version has an added feature – a long neck cover.

The wide brim ensures that your face is properly covered while the neck cover offers additional protection, for a variety of heights.

Sunburned necks will be a thing of the past with this hat.

The material also provides you with UPF 50 sun protection.

The hat is made from polyester nylon poplin which is a quick drying material.

Therefore, it is quite suitable for all types of fishing.

What is truly notable about this hat, however, is just how comfortable it is to wear even when the sun is very harsh.

This is largely to do with the moisture-wicking sweatband lining the inside of the hat.

This prevents sweat from accumulating inside the hat and running down your face.

There are also mesh vent eyelets around the hat which allow for a steady air flow and allowing your head to remain cool.

The width of the hat can be adjusted with the help of a Velcro band to give you a better fit.

Specs:

• Made from polyester nylon poplin
• Moisture wicking sweatband
• Mesh vent eyelets
• Neck cover

Camo Coll Sun Hat

Made from cotton and polyester, the Camo Coll sun hat is an incredibly light hat.

Not only does this add to your comfort, it also makes it an ideal option for warm, humid weather.

The lightness of the hat reduces the amount that you will sweat while wearing it.

The material, however, is sturdy and has been created to thoroughly protect you from the sun.

The brim is wide enough to keep the sun off both your face as well as your neck.

It is also stiff enough to not fall into your eyes, even when the wind is blowing.

For windy conditions, there is an adjustable chin strap to prevent the hat from flying away.

A considerable portion of this hat is made from mesh, which allows cool air to flow in, preventing you from sweating.

Although it is a one-size fit all hat, the diameter is good enough to fit a variety of head shapes and sizes.

It comes in lots of different colors making it ideal for both men and women.

Specs:

• Cotton and polyester material
• Mesh panel
• Chin strap

DDYOutdoor Fishing Hat

For those that burn in the sun quite easily or who will be fishing in an extreme climate, the DDYOutdoor hat will be quite useful.

This is because in addition to protecting your head, you will also be able to cover your neck and most of your face.

All of the flaps can be removed.

This allows you to adjust the hat according to the type of protection that you require.

To top it off, the material offers UPF 50+ protection.

Despite the all-over coverage, this fishing hat still allows you to remain cool.

On the hat, there is a mesh vent as well as eyelets surrounding it.

This means that there is constantly cool air blowing through.

The portion of the flap that covers your face is also made from mesh to aid with breathing and also to help your neck stay cool.

This material is quick drying, making it excellent for fishing expeditions.

The inside of the hat has a soft lining which makes it comfortable to wear for long periods of time.

There is an adjustable chin strap to help with windy situations.

The most frequent complaint regarding this hat is the sizes, as its measurements tend to fit only certain head sizes.

Specs:

• UPF 50+ protection
• Removable flats
• Mesh vents and eyelets

DealStock Fishing Cap

One of the benefits of baseball caps is that they make for a more comfortable fit.

The DealStock fishing cap improves your average baseball cap to make it suitable for fishing as well.

There is a long cover that surrounds the rim of the cap, protecting the sides of your face and neck quite well.

The prominent bill makes certain that the sun stays off the front of your face.

Made from cotton and nylon, this cap is lighter and more breathable than typical caps.

This cap suits a variety of head sizes, to make adjustments, you simply have to use the adjustable drawstring lock at the back of the cap.

In particular, it fits those with larger heads quite well.

There are mesh eyelets on the hat to ensure that your head stays as cool as possible.

One of the advantages that this cap has above the others is that it is machine washable.

This makes it easy to maintain and the cap will retain its shape even after being washed.

The cap comes in different colors and patterns.

Specs:

• Made from nylon and cotton
• Face and neck flap
• Adjustable drawstring lock
• Machine washable

How to Buy a Good Fishing Hat

When choosing a fishing hat, you have to consider a few more factors than with other types of hats.

Since there is a specific purpose behind these hats, this is what you will need to think about:

Sun Protection

The main purpose of any fishing hat is to keep the sun off your face as much as possible.

There are a couple of aspects that come into play when thinking about sun protection.

Therefore, the first thing you will have to tackle is just how much of your face the hat is able to cover.

For instance, the wider the brim, the more that your face and neck are shielded.

For some, however, this is not enough.

In this case, you will want to think about getting a hat with a neck cover or even one that has material to cover your face.

Some hats have snap up brims.

Here, with the help of buttons or snaps, you can roll up the brim and affix to the hat.

This allows you to adjust the hat to suit the severity of the sun.

Such hats are great for all day fishing expeditions.

The other aspect would be the material itself.

The best materials for the job are ones that have been designed to offer UPF protection.

You should look for those that have been graded with at least UPF 50.

These materials do more than just keep you from getting burned by the sun.

They also work to keep harmful UV rays at bay.

This is especially important if you spend frequently go on long fishing trips.

Waterproof or Quick Drying Fishing Hats

There are some fishing hats that are waterproof.

Typically, you will only require a waterproof hat if you are planning on fishing in the rain.

Even then, these types of hats offer minimal protection during a heavy downpour.

If you are not worried about the rain, you should still try to look for materials that are quick drying.

Since there is a chance that your hat might get wet, you should consider materials that don’t soak through.

These also have the advantage of letting your sweat dry off quite fast as well.

Cooling Features

If you are going to spend long periods in the sun, it is quite likely that you will sweat.

Since having a sweaty head and a wet hat is less than ideal, there are some features that you should look for to help minimize the discomfort.

For starters, mesh panels offer a lot of ventilation.

This allows a steady stream of cool air to pass into your hat so that your head doesn’t heat up.

This reduces the sweating. In the same vein, small ventilation holes provide a similar purpose.

There are also many hats that have sweat wicking bands sewn inside of the hat.

“Sweat-wicking materials are what is used on most activewear”

This is because it prevents the sweat from staying on your skin.

Instead, the moisture absorbs the sweat and exposes it to air.

By doing so, it allows the sweat to evaporate and for the inside of the hat to remain dry.

The material that is used to make the hat also determines just how cool it.

You should look for hats that are made largely from cotton or lightweight nylon.

The more breathable the material, the better it will be at keeping your cool.

Sizing

Most hats and caps tend to be of the one-size-fits-all variety.

Due to this, it can be quite difficult to determine whether or not a hat is going to fit you, especially when buying one online.

A good way to predict whether the fit is right is to consider the internal dimensions of the hat.

Measure the circumference of your head to see whether or not the hat will provide a good fit.

Ultimately, the best way to ensure a hat will fit you is to get one that can be adjusted.

Due to the design of fishing hats, there is a token or a lock around the band of the hat.

You can then tighten or loosen this lock, dependent on your preference.

Wind Protection

Even with a good fit, fishing hats are not meant to tightly fit your head for comfort purposes.

Therefore, it is not uncommon to find them flying away with a gust of wind.

To counteract this problem, many fishing hats have adjustable chin straps around them.

Make sure that the string is long enough to tangle halfway down your chest for a more comfortable fit.

These are the factors to look at when choosing a fishing hat for yourself.

Look at some of the options available in this article for some high-quality hats.

This page was last updated on 2022-08-29. Affiliate links and Product Images are from Amazon PAAPI