Surf Hat Everything You Need To Know Before You Buy14 min read

September 30, 2021

Wearing a surf hat is more than just fashionable. It is an essential part of the evolution of surfing today; providing major protection against sunburns or skin cancer from exposure to ultraviolet rays while enjoying time by the water!

However, there are other occasions when this type of headgear can come into play. Let’s say—you’re an instructor who works in and around the water every day. Or any avid action sports enthusiasts who: bikes, skates, skis, and more!

Surf hats should be versatile; in and out of the water and shouldn’t be limited to surfing. That’s why our hunch 5 panel hat was created. To be the one and only, land and sea designed hat on the market today.

What is a Surf Hat

A surf hat is a type of headgear that provides a protective barrier from the blazing sun. Surf hats are often worn when surfing shoreys on casual laid back days. They’re also great to wear during other outdoor activities and occasions when a hat feels necessary. The most popular types of surf hats are ones with a secure chin strap or wide-brimmedbucket hats.

Why Wear a Surf Hat

No one wants to look like the “kook” in the hat when paddling out to the line. But it’s better to be protected from sunburn today than to give any attention to what others think. The long-term effects of sun exposure are irreversible. You’ll be sorry you tried harder at protecting your stick from dings to your ego rather than your skin suit.

This is why melanoma is the fifth most common cancer in America and the third most prevalent across Australia. Surfers are six times more likely to develop this type of skin disorder than an average citizen. So it’s no surprise that surfers are at risk for melanoma and why a surf hat can limit this exposure. The sunlight can also be harmful to your vision and limit your ability to perform out on the water.

What Makes a Best Surf Hat

Simply put, a good surf hat should protect your: face, scalp, ears, and eyes from the sun; withstanding the all the elements. The functions of a good surf hat should not limit your intuitive abilities when surfing. The ones that get it right maintain a good sense of style and fashion. So that your focus is on one thing—catching more waves.

When a surf hat is durable, stylish, and versatile then you have yourself a bitchin’ hat.

Surf Hat With Chin Straps Are Important

A surf hat without a chin strap is like driving without seatbelts; you’re going to need it on impact. After bailing or eating it on a wave you don’t want your surf hat to fly off and get robbed by the current. They should always have a secure, comfortable, and durable connection point (strap) under the chin.

When paying for a surf hat you should always get what you paid for, a surf hat that—does the job. Although many of the hats today are overpriced for the functionality they provide.

What is the Best Surf Hat

The question for best surf hat is debatable. But for the most part it comes down to personal preference and it should be one that suits both 🏄‍♀️ women and 🏄‍♂️ men. The alleged “best” can be found on a few articles online of the very few surf hats that exist on the market.

We say the best surf hat is the one you don’t know about, but soon you will know (once we release ours).

Many of the surf hats on the market that are not the best are: old, outdated, unstylish and monopolized by the big surf brands. Brands like Dakine, FCS, Billabong, O’Neill, Hurley, and others surf caps are not well thought out. Many people will still settle for these hats. However, the reviews complain about the quality or design flaws.

Examples of Big Brand Outdated Surf Hats

It’s time to move from some of the big-name players and explore some of the new innovators on the block.

How to Wear a Surf Hat

Generally, when wearing a surf hat it’s best to do your research before just buying the most popular brands. Many of the common issues among different brands are their head sizing guides. Either fitting too big or too small; hence why we created our hat to fit just a wide range of individuals.

Once you do have your hat follow the 5 simple steps below to make sure you are protected.

5 Steps to Follow

Take the time before your surf to get accustomed to the feel of the surf hat and make suitable adjustments to the chin strap and back closure
Unclip the back closure and ensure that your surf hat fits snug and sits level on your head right above your eyebrows and grips the circumference of your head, then clip the closure together
The straps shall be adjusted for comfort and security on impact (duck dive, wipeouts) and should hang just below your ear lobes and cover your ears when clipped
Make sure you can fit two fingers underneath the secured chin strap and move the buckle under your jawline and tilt head side to side to test the comfort
Apply sun protection to your face and neck before you head out to sea and enjoy catching some sick waves 🌊

Surf Hat Features to Know

When exploring the world of buying a surf hat you have to be willing to invest more than $30 on a well-built hat. You can do your own research or finish reading this post. We have already done the 90% of research in this post for you, the 10% is you deciding on what hat you desire.

That investment you made towards learning about the best gear for you to shred should also apply when buying a surf hat. Going with the cheapest option will prove to you all the reasons it was cheap. There are a few brands that get it right.

The main objective of a surf hat aside from the style is protection against the sun. Understanding the various features is key to help you decide on what makes sense for you.

UV Protection

This is a must have for a surf hat and should always be an easy indicator of narrowing down your options. If the hat you are looking into doesn’t include UV or UPF50+ in the description of the item, then move on.

A surf hat that holds its value should always have been treated with a weather protective coating in the manufacturing process.

Coverage

Bucket hats are popular options for surf hats because of the longer round brims that provide more head coverage. Although the downside to bucket hats is that brim can get too floppy when wet. Distorting and limiting your vision when surfing.

They might look cool but they can become a quick annoyance when it falls back or folds over the eyes when duck diving, popping up and on wipeouts.

Normal style surf hats are just as popular and do a better job at keeping good visibility and staying on your head. They are versatile and are more likely to become an everyday style hat rather than wearing a bucket hat all the time.

Materials

Always make sure you find a material that feels good on your skin and holds up when soaked. If the surf hat you are searching for doesn’t include one of these top 3 materials listed below, we suggest doing more research. Below are the most common materials that make the best surf hats on the market use.

Nylon

Is the most common lightweight material used to make hammocks and athletic materials because of its moisture-wicking abilities. Nylon has excellent abrasion and inherently water resistance. The strength and durability of nylon material are also one to highlight offering high wear tolerance.

A disadvantage to nylon is that it can melt if thrown in the dryer on a high heat setting; it’s recommended to always drip-dry nylon materials.

Polyester

Can also be found as a material used in surf hats because it is lightweight and durable. It takes a lot to damage polyester. Unlike nylon, polyester lacks moisture-wicking abilities causing a lack of breathability. Known to cling to your sweaty skin and hold onto orders. And it can also cause comfort issues.

Neoprene

Neoprene is great because like nylon it’s ultra-lightweight and durable. Commonly used inwetsuits and as the chin strap material on many surf hats. Neoprene material supports great resistance from stretching, flexing, and twisting. Aiding in the overall secure fit, comfort, and protection that it also provides from UV sun rays. We can agree that this is a great material to include on a well-designed surf hat.

Breathability

A side note here is that a surf hat should provide a source of ventilation. Either on the top of the hat or on the side panels to enhance the breathability and keep your head cool.

Proper Care Instructions

Caring for your surf hat isn’t a life of death option, but if you want it to last it’s best to follow the care instructions based on the material composition of the hat. When you find a hat that you love, it quickly becomes your go-to accessory. To limit having to buy another, take care of it so it can take care of you.

Did you know? That a single liter of seawater has around one billion bacteria and 10 billion viruses. It’s nothing to worry about but after a few sessions it’s always best practice to rinse your hat to limit antimicrobial growth. Occurring when marine microbes such as bacteria,parasites, algae and fungi build up and create a smelly odor.

Proper Care for Nylon Materials

Always check the inside of the tag of your hat for the proper care instruction relative to your hat. Sometimes it can vary from different manufacturers. We have provided the care instruction below as a *reference for our 100% Nylon, hunch 5 panel surf hat, please do your research for proper care instructions relative to your hat.

Hunch 5 Panel Surf Hat Care Guideline

Do NOT Bleach
Do NOT Tumble Dry
Drip Dry *recommended
Wash at or below 40° C (104° F)
Hand wash or rinse with water *recommended

Secure Fit

A lot of the hats designed today are leaning towards a “one-size-fits-most” genre; in most cases for eco-friendly measures. The most common sizes among a solid surf hat also falls into that category. This can make it difficult to choose the right fit, although there are solutions to help. Reading the reviews on websites help limit the mistake of buying a hat that doesn’t fit you.

Surf hats are specifically designed to be highly adjustable; fitting a wide range of individuals that (don’t have such big heads.) The secure fit of a surf hat is critical against windy conditions and various quick-maneuvers made in the water at high speeds.

To ensure a good secure fit it’s important to look for a surf hat that will not fly off under any circumstance; preferably one that includes a chin strap.

Surf Hat With Strap

As we mentioned above this feature is a no brainer when it comes to the best surf hats. Chin straps should be comfortable, adjustable and extremely secure. The most common surf hats available include a variety of buckle clip options varying in size length and style.

This is a feature you need to be aware of because you need a buckle that locks into place firmly. Not a dainty light weight clip that pops off after impact.

Drawstring Cord

A surf hat with dual capabilities is one that includes a drawstring cord to provide an extra barrier of security and styling options. Drawstring cords are not found on any of the surf hats available, although this feature can come in handy for many reasons.

Removable & Adjustable Drawstring Cord

Simply adding an adjustable drawstring cord elevates the surf hat into an adjustable, multi-purpose casual wear item. You can let the hat hang behind your back on a casual day when not in use. Or use it as a double chin strap using the adjustable drawstring feature.

Thats why we made sure to add this stand out feature to our surf hat, it’s truly one of a kind.

Ear Covering

Mesh ear coverings are an over-looked feature for surf hats. This provides ear protection needed to limit sun burn, ear infections and most importantly from developing “surfer’s ear”, a condition due to prolonged exposure to cold water or wind. That develops multiple boney growths called exostoes. Surfers who surf cold waters are six times more likely to get this condition than warm water surfers.

Over time without early detection, can cause complete blockage of the ear canal, requiring surgical removal of the boney growth with chances of damaging the ear drum.

With mesh ear covering you reduce the risk from happening dramatically. For total preventative measures it’s best to wear ear plugs when surfing. A surf hat with mesh ear coverings not only protect your ears they make it easy to hear your friends down the line. Also allows a good circulation of airflow and protects those ear plugs from falling out!

Size Guide

It’s best practice to follow a sizing guideline when making a decision on a surf hat but take them with a grain of salt. If the company doesn’t include a sizing guideline then, move on to the next. A thoughtful company that cares will always provide the customer with this option.

Reading through reviews on products is also very helpful to identify what size will be best for you. If you want to get it right from the beginning then look for a surf hat made from flexible and adjustable materials. Narrow it down to the ones that have high functionality to get your money’s worth.

Womens Surf Hat

Back in the early 1990’s women made up roughly 5-10% of the community of surfers. Fast forward to today, women now make up 20-30% of the surfers worldwide!

The numbers have been increasing to that percentage ever since surfing made its debut in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Women surfers also have their amazing sense of style and grace out on the water. Many of the surf hats available today lack the style and functionality a female surfer would appreciate.

More women today are looking for a surf hat that compliments them in and out of the water. But a few brands have catered to this genre of individuals in the surf community.

But not us here at hunch! We specifically designed our surf hat for female and male surfers or any action sports person.

How We Created The Hunch 5 Panel Hat

We thought out all the details before slapping our label on just any hat. For us it’s all about the quality, service and value it adds to your life. Our hunch 5 panel surf hat was designed to make your life easier all in one hat, all while carrying the message of always following your hunch!

We invested many months of researched and studied intently the necessity of surf hats. Then diving right into identifying the significant pain points we have experienced with other surf hats. Alongside trusted advice from other fellow surfers and their experience.

We noticed to make a surf hat takes a lot of thought, research, and design collaborations. You can try to jerry-rig a lace to your baseball hat at home; odds are it won’t last against the sea.

Our intent was simple, the most versatile land and sea hat ever made.

It was not created just to fit into the category of best surf hat. Our brands designers for this hunch hat looked into at all the overlooked details. We had a definite purpose and hand-picked skilled professionals to help create this never seen before hat.

It is hands down, the most versatile land and sea hat ever made with a wide range of practical uses.