Coolibar Charlie Cotton Bucket Hat: This waxed hat is made of 100% cotton. It was quite stiff and less comfortable than other hats. It was also notably wrinkled out of the box.

Coolibar Women’s Etta Shapeable Sun Catcher Hat: This hat had one of the widest brims at 4 inches, but it made seeing difficult, and the pattern on the underside of the brim was surprisingly distracting.

Cotopaxi Tech Bucket Hat: This hat comes in only one size, and testers said it ran too small. It lacks a UPF rating but performed well in our UV card test.

Kavu Chillba Hat: The Chillba was bulky and harder to travel with than other options, and testers found it less secure than other hats. Its design seems to be inspired by Southeast Asian conical hats, and it prompted racist remarks from passersby toward the original writer of the guide, Liz Thomas.

Lack of Color Holiday Bucket: We quite liked the look of the wide, structured brim on this cotton hat—its brim is one of the widest we found at over 4 inches—and its UPF 50+ protection. It also comes in multiple sizes, so testers were able to find a good fit. For summer days, however, the heavy material and lack of ventilation had us running hot. It’s also one of the more expensive hats we tested, at just under $100. We plan to try this hat again in cooler, fall weather.

Lululemon Women’s Cinchable Wide Brim Bucket Hat: This hat was one of the lightest and most packable we tested, but its brim was too wavy and floppy for our liking, and its neck cape was too short to cover longer necks.

Nike Apex Dri-Fit Bucket Hat: This hat was comfortable but lacked ventilation. It could be a fine choice for casual adventures, if you don’t mind having a Nike logo front and center.

Outdoor Research Oasis Sun Hat: Similar to Outdoor Research’s Sunbriolet, this hat has a slightly larger brim. But it lacks the Sunbriolet’s ventilation.

Patagonia Quandary Brimmer Hat: This hat has a shape similar to that of the Outdoor Research Sunbriolet, but its brim is smaller and less protective in the back. Its sizing ran small, and its chin strap felt cheaper than those on other hats we tested.

Peter Grimm Sebastian Extra Wide Brim Lifeguard Hat: In testing for a previous version of this guide, many testers liked this hat. Worn in the wind, however, it took off like a parasail. It also could not fold down, and it was a pain to transport on flights or on the back of a pack when we weren’t wearing it.

The North Face Horizon Breeze Brimmer Hat: Like the Columbia Bora Bora II Booney, this hat offered good ventilation, but it fared even worse than that Columbia hat after being packed down; its brim was wavy, uneven, and difficult to reshape.

Outdoor Research Sun Runner Cap: Though our testers frequently received compliments from other folks on the trail about this hat’s color and innovative design, they all found this hat’s fabric too hot and not breathable enough to use. We interviewed two Sun Runner owners who have hiked over 1,000 miles in their caps who reported the same problem.

Solbari Go-To Bucket Hat UPF50+: For our testers, this hat neither felt as comfortable nor looked as good as Solbari’s other bucket hat, our pick for casual adventures.

Solbari Ultra Wide Cotton Linen Hat UPF50+: The brim on this hat was expansive, measuring 5 inches in front and even longer in back. Unfortunately, the brim felt too floppy and made it hard for the wearer to see the trail.

Uniqlo UV Protection Wide Brim Hat: This hat is made of 100% linen. It’s affordable, it has a very large 4-inch brim, and it’s comfortable, though not as breathable as the Sunday Afternoons Ultra Adventure Hat and Columbia Bora Bora II Booney. Unfortunately, at this writing it’s out of stock, and we’re not sure when it will be available.

Coolibar Charlie Cotton Bucket Hat: This waxed hat is made of 100% cotton. It was quite stiff and less comfortable than other hats. It was also notably wrinkled out of the box.

Coolibar Women’s Etta Shapeable Sun Catcher Hat: This hat had one of the widest brims at 4 inches, but it made seeing difficult, and the pattern on the underside of the brim was surprisingly distracting.

Cotopaxi Tech Bucket Hat: This hat comes in only one size, and testers said it ran too small. It lacks a UPF rating but performed well in our UV card test.

Kavu Chillba Hat: The Chillba was bulky and harder to travel with than other options, and testers found it less secure than other hats. Its design seems to be inspired by Southeast Asian conical hats, and it prompted racist remarks from passersby toward the original writer of the guide, Liz Thomas.

Lack of Color Holiday Bucket: We quite liked the look of the wide, structured brim on this cotton hat—its brim is one of the widest we found at over 4 inches—and its UPF 50+ protection. It also comes in multiple sizes, so testers were able to find a good fit. For summer days, however, the heavy material and lack of ventilation had us running hot. It’s also one of the more expensive hats we tested, at just under $100. We plan to try this hat again in cooler, fall weather.

Lululemon Women’s Cinchable Wide Brim Bucket Hat: This hat was one of the lightest and most packable we tested, but its brim was too wavy and floppy for our liking, and its neck cape was too short to cover longer necks.

Nike Apex Dri-Fit Bucket Hat: This hat was comfortable but lacked ventilation. It could be a fine choice for casual adventures, if you don’t mind having a Nike logo front and center.

Outdoor Research Oasis Sun Hat: Similar to Outdoor Research’s Sunbriolet, this hat has a slightly larger brim. But it lacks the Sunbriolet’s ventilation.

Patagonia Quandary Brimmer Hat: This hat has a shape similar to that of the Outdoor Research Sunbriolet, but its brim is smaller and less protective in the back. Its sizing ran small, and its chin strap felt cheaper than those on other hats we tested.

Peter Grimm Sebastian Extra Wide Brim Lifeguard Hat: In testing for a previous version of this guide, many testers liked this hat. Worn in the wind, however, it took off like a parasail. It also could not fold down, and it was a pain to transport on flights or on the back of a pack when we weren’t wearing it.

The North Face Horizon Breeze Brimmer Hat: Like the Columbia Bora Bora II Booney, this hat offered good ventilation, but it fared even worse than that Columbia hat after being packed down; its brim was wavy, uneven, and difficult to reshape.

Outdoor Research Sun Runner Cap: Though our testers frequently received compliments from other folks on the trail about this hat’s color and innovative design, they all found this hat’s fabric too hot and not breathable enough to use. We interviewed two Sun Runner owners who have hiked over 1,000 miles in their caps who reported the same problem.

Solbari Go-To Bucket Hat UPF50+: For our testers, this hat neither felt as comfortable nor looked as good as Solbari’s other bucket hat, our pick for casual adventures.

Solbari Ultra Wide Cotton Linen Hat UPF50+: The brim on this hat was expansive, measuring 5 inches in front and even longer in back. Unfortunately, the brim felt too floppy and made it hard for the wearer to see the trail.

Uniqlo UV Protection Wide Brim Hat: This hat is made of 100% linen. It’s affordable, it has a very large 4-inch brim, and it’s comfortable, though not as breathable as the Sunday Afternoons Ultra Adventure Hat and Columbia Bora Bora II Booney. Unfortunately, at this writing it’s out of stock, and we’re not sure when it will be available.