My “go-to” hat for many years for sun protection has been a wide-brimmed “boonie” style hat.
From Joan.
It is still my hat for warm (~65F) to hot weather, especially when paired with my trusty button-down Western snap shirt. I find a sun hoodie much too hot when appropriately worn with the hood up instead of just a fashion piece.
However, I’ve started using sun hoodies more and more for cooler weather as I can pack just one shirt that functions as a light, warmer layer. The hood provides more heat and sun protection during cooler and very sunny weather, and it is a practical garment to keep in the kit.
On a local Moab hike, I am using the Squawk Swell sun hoodie.
A sun hoodie is often best used with a ball cap-style hat.
The standard trucker cap does not extend as far as my wide-brimmed hat nor sit as well on my bald head.
In the Abajos, after a backpacking trip.
The solution? I find a longer billed GADIEMKENSD long-brim foldable “running hat“ to work well for me and my needs.
From GADIEMKENSD
It’s light; the mesh allows it to breathe a bit; it dries quickly, is compact, easily washed, and provides more front-face protection than a standard ball cap. And it comes in at only $14 in various colors (including blaze orange, just in time for hunting season); it’s a bargain, too.
I used it in camp before a backpacking trip in August this past year.
At 8 cm / 3.15 “, there is more sun protection for the face vs. the more common 5 cm / 2” of the more common ball caps.
When paired with a sun hoodie, there is more overall sun protection vs. the shorter-billed hat.
From this past late winter.
Overall? At $14 and with various colors, the GADIEMKENSD long-brim foldable “running hat” makes a light, quick-drying, and inexpensive hat for outdoor use and works better than a trucker-style hat for me and my needs.
Disclosure – I paid for the hat with my funds.
I’m usually not a ball cap fan, but I did get a cap similar to this for the tri-fold bill – very handy to stuff in back pocket when not wearing. I use it traveling when a Tilley isn’t convenient. The brand I bought on Amazon had comments that it fits large heads, and it does – 7 7/8” or more.