With thousands of options on the market, knowing how to buy a sun hat can be tricky. But one thing to keep in mind is that not all hats are created equal!

Some sun hats arrive at destination crushed and their sole purpose becomes to protect you from the sun - goodbye dreams of becoming a summer style icon, hello unflattering holiday selfies. Others, such as packable Panama hats, retain their shape and not only do they shield you from harmful rays, they make you look like a Hollywood starlet trying to hide from the paparazzi - just add dark sunglasses and none will be the wiser! Audrey Hepburn, is that you?

Packable Sun Hats

Most hats lose their shape if stuffed in a suitcase but not all - no, no. Some foldable straw hats were designed specifically for that purpose - the material used is flexible and allows them to bounce back to their original shape without any of the usual fussing, twisting and turning. Typically, these can be flattened, rolled or folded up to fit in the smallest of bags.

Mention the words “traveler hat” and an image of a beige safari hat complete with a chin strap usually comes to mind. But, thankfully, things have changed and fashion has evolved. Hats for travel are now as aesthetically pleasing as ever, travel hat box optional.

Long gone are the days when travel hats made you look like you were heading out into the jungle or simply meant borrowing your husband’s baseball cap - our range of stylish straw fedoras and sun visors are evidence of that. And most of the hats we stock are unisex so no need for your husband to be jealous, he can own one too. They even have an adjustable internal elastic to fit different head shapes and sizes perfectly (the larger the brain, the bigger the head - that’s what we like to tell ourselves anyway). And no, we promise they don’t look like safari hats! Just have a look for yourself:  

Fashionable, crushable hats? Yes, please. More importantly, most of the hats in this collection are UPF 50+ thanks to the way the fabric is woven, which is pretty much essential in our climate.

Have you checked out the Canopy Bay by Deborah Hutton range yet? All hats are made right here in Australia in collaboration with manufacturer Rigon Headwear.

What are the best hats for sun protection?

If you’re shopping for beach hats, you will want to make sure that the one you pick offers adequate protection from the sun’s lovely but harmful rays. Look for broad-brimmed hats to shade your face, forehead, neck and ears and go for ones that are tightly woven and that won’t let UV radiation through (is there anything more painful than a scalp sunburn!?).

Here's why you should go for a UPF 50+ hat.

But most importantly, keep in mind that no hat will fully shield you from the sun: you need to wear sunscreen every single day to keep sun damage at bay! Bonus points if you also add a pair of sunglasses, a long sleeve shirt and linen pants - all summer wardrobe-essentials.