Introduction
Having a gardening hat as a piece of clothing in the wardrobe is something that any person with an active lifestyle should have, as it will help not only an avid gardener, but other people spending a lot of their free time out in the sunny weather and survivalists as well.
Gardening hats are functional pieces of clothing, as they defend their owners from UV rays, and sunburns and allow them to see clearly when the weather is too sunny. Moreover, it will provide you with an opportunity to stay cool at a temperature that is not so common for you.
Did you know that skin cancer is one of the most widespread types of cancer throughout the world? And we are not talking only about people living in the southern hemisphere that have the most frequent access to the sun, as it is not about the amount of sunshine that you could catch, but about UV rays that might be present even in the cloudy weather.
Experts say that it is crucial for our skin health and cancer prevention to secure ourselves from the sun as much as possible, which is why it is always better not only to be using sunscreen but putting your hat on as well!
Due to this, having a gardening hat whenever you are outside and the UV level is higher than 2 is a must, especially if we are talking about survival situations, in which it is problematic to have constant access to sunscreen products.
The Best Gardening hat: how to find one?
There are quite a few things that you need to remember when considering buying gardening hats in a shop and now we will discuss them so that you could buy a functional hat that will serve you in many different ways.
Here are mode details about the most important characteristics of your gardening hat:
- The quality of the material.
In accordance with survival recommendations given out by the Skin Cancer Foundation, your gardening hats should have at least 30 UPF to be able to protect you from UV rays, UPF 50+ will be even better, as it will give 98% sun protection. The material should also be breathable for you to wear so that you would not get additional sweat.
You should always remember that gardening hats are not only for horticultural use, they will also protect you anywhere outside, from beaches to hikes and even fishing. For people living in warm climates, it is especially important to have additional sun protection in the form of gardening hats! - The form.
The shape of your gardening hat should cover your head and face completely, which is why a gardening hat with edges that are bent downwards would be the best choice, but, of course, it all also depends on your level of comfort with the shape of your head, which is why choosing a gardening hat size should be done by you personally. - The presence of a chin cord.
It is crucial for any decent hat to have a chin cord that would allow you to fix the hat on your head, as it is not common for the weather to be absolutely still and with no wind; Therefore, if you plan to use your hats for more than simple sightseeing in the summer, having such a chin cord would be a must. - The size of a brim.
As for the size of the edges of your gardening hat, it should be at least three inches: not only does the shape matter when choosing a gardening hat, but its wide brim size will also indicate how good it protects your face and shoulders from direct and non-direct sunshine.
When choosing a hat for yourself do not forget to check the reviews of other customers that bought the same one in a shop, as they might tell you something important: wearing the same hat under different conditions might bring you different levels of protection, which is why it is important for you to know not only the characteristics stated by the manufacturer, but find out about the usefulness of the hat for you!
We would not recommend you to buy a straw hat in a shop: it might be lightweight, but it does not keep you protected from the UV rays and barely covers your face from the sunlight.
Customizing the hat: Supplementary Features to Consider
For now, we have provided you with the most crucial information that would allow you to find your best hat to secure your head from the sun, sweat, and UV rays, but there are some additional features that might be important for some of you, which is why we will also discuss them now so that you could choose other hats if needed, as they are useful not only for some work in the garden.
For some of you it would be crucial to have stain-resistant hats, as, for example, you might use them while barbequing in the open air of your garden; So if you are planning to wear your hats in such situations, then keep in mind this fact when searching for the best hat for you.
Others might need a hat for their vacation to wear on the beach and secure their face from sunburns: in such a case, it would be important to have multiple stylish options to be able to choose from when searching for your beach hats, as the hat will need to suit your outfit.
The price could also be a property crucial for some people that might not want or could not afford to buy high-quality hats with big pricing but still need to have decent ones. For such people it would be harder to find a stylish, lightweight hat with good protection, but not impossible.
Yet another group of people that love hiking will need the maximum level of UPF protection and brim size, as they most probably are wearing their hats in the desert-like conditions with both sunlight and wind being present.
All in all, do not forget about your preferences when choosing the best hat for yourself, as it should combine all of the features important for you, not only those that are required for a good quality hat, such as a lightweight fabric or good sun protection but also those that are necessary for your situation, for example, if you need a hat for hiking.
Choosing the hat without these things under consideration will make you end up with a decent hat that you will not wear because it is not suitable for you!
Our Point of View: the Best Gardening hats
Now let us give you a few examples of decent garden hats that you could use for sun protection so that you would know our opinion and see the important aspects that you should take into consideration when making your own search for the best gardening hats to keep you protected.
EINSKEY sun hat
We can confidently say that this sun hat is one of the most popular ones on the market for many reasons: it has a four-inch-wide brim that is solid enough so that it would not be in your way too much on windy days.
What is more, this EINSKEY sun hat has a UPF 50, which means that you will have the best sun protection. The mesh material of this hat is also breathable so that you would have an opportunity to keep your head in a cool condition.
As for the sizes of this sun hat, you will be provided with an adjustable chin cord that would allow you to regulate this wide brim hat for the most comfortable position, and the elastic material placed on the back of this hat will also let you fix the size in accordance with your preferences.
Thus, this company has produced the best gardening hat both for men and women that has breathable material and decent sun protection!
Wide Brim sun hat
A wide brim sun hat is another great finding of ours that also has quite a lot of important characteristics with one additional improvement: as you could have understood with the help of the picture above, it also protects your neck.
For the people spending a lot of their time in the garden where there is a lot of open space with the hot sun, this garden hat seems to be the perfect solution for any sunburns that you could receive not only on your face but on the back of your neck and ears as well, which is very common for gardeners.
As for the more general features:
- The sun protection is also equal to 50 UPF so that the UV rays would not be able to touch you through this perfect hat;
- The brim size of the sun hat itself is equal to four inches, with the overall longitude being 8.5 inches (if we would also include the neck coverage material of this wide brim garden hat), which provides you with total protection not only for your face but of the neck and some part of your back as well;
- The lightweight fabric includes mesh side panels so that you could stay cool while doing some activities out in the sun;
- There is an elastic lightweight fabric on the back to help you fit the garden hat for your head and a chin cord to secure the hat on you and prevent it from falling off.
This garden hat is also suitable for both men and women, it allows you to keep your head in cool condition and secure your neck together with your face! What more is there to ask from a garden hat?
Columbia Bora Booney
Another great hat for sun protection was created by the Columbia company.
Here are its characteristics:
- This one might be considered a cooling hat, as it also has mesh side panels that make the bucket hat more breathable and thus, more comfortable for your use;
- Great sun protection is provided by a brim with a size equal to 3 inches;
- There is a flexible stretch band placed on the back of the bucket hat that allows you to fix its size and fit your head perfectly, which makes this a unisex sun hat;
- Ample sun protection is equal to 50 UPF, which is, as we remember, protects us from 98% of UV rays;
- However, the edges are not as solid as that of the previous sun hat, but this is up to your preferences, as some might like their sun hat to be in this way.
If you are worrying that the hat will not fit your unusually sized head, then rest assured that the flexible material of this sun hat will allow you to fix it in accordance with your needs!
Anything else that you might require from a hat will depend on your preferences, such as your style, the conditions in which it would be worn, and so on.
Frequently Asked Questions — FAQ
What is a gardener’s hat?
A gardening hat is a piece of clothing that you use on your head to secure yourself from sunburns and UV rays, as well as to help yourself to see better in the bright sunshine.
Not everyone can refresh their face and shoulders with sunscreen once every few hours, which is why such hats would save you from unnecessary sunburns during your yard work.
What are planting hats for?
Such sun hats are most commonly used by gardeners in the summer, but they could also help you out in some outside activities when the weather is hot and the sun is shining, such as spending time on the beach, hiking, or even fishing.
Does a cap keep the sun off your face?
In some way, yes, it does. However, caps’ brims are quite straight, which is why they will defend you only from direct sunlight and UV rays, while sun hats have more downward-looking edges, which allows them to protect you more decently. In addition, your lightweight hat might also have neck protection, which a cap will not.
Some caps might look more stylish, but it does not mean that you cannot find a lightweight hat that would also be in sync with your style.
Which material is best for sunhat?
Lightweight material that also allows you to keep your head cool is the best choice: when spending quite a lot of time outside, you do not need additional weight on you, which is why you should try to find sun hats that are as light as possible. Mesh side panels present in your hat will also save you from extra sweat.
What to consider when searching for a sunhat?
There are a few things that you should look at when going through the shops for the best sunhat: the material should be lightweight and breathable, yet provide you with solid protection from the sun, the brims should be large enough to cover your face completely and, at the same time, be stable enough so that they would not flop as much when the weather is windy.
A chin cord is an additional option that you might want to consider.
What is the Best Sunhat in the Current Market?
Well, it all depends on your needs and preferences. If you spend quite a lot of time out in the sun, you would want to have 50+ UPF protection and breathable fabric that would not make you sweat a lot. In addition, you might also want to have some protection for the back of your neck as well or make sure that your hat goes together with the various clothes that you have picked out for your vacation.
If you are not sure what to buy, you could look at the article above and learn about the hats that we have described there.
How much sun protection should my hat have?
In an ideal world, 50+ UPF will be the best option, as such material would be able to protect your face from 98% percent of UV rays. 30 UPF is also decent, but not for extremely sunny and hot weather conditions.