# Please recommend a hat for mowing the lawn/yard work
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-hat-for-mowing-the-lawn-yard-work/655531
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [April 12, 2013, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-hat-for-mowing-the-lawn-yard-work/655531 "2013-04-12T18:46:14Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@CT\_Damsel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CT_Damsel)
#### Post date: [April 12, 2013, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-hat-for-mowing-the-lawn-yard-work/655531/1 "2013-04-12T18:46:14Z")
Soon it will be lawn mowing season for my area of the planet and I need a hat for sun protection and to keep my head cool.
I am female, not vain and have a large head (one-size-fits-all never fits me.)
Thanks
🙂
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### Author:  [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)
#### Post date: [April 12, 2013, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-hat-for-mowing-the-lawn-yard-work/655531/2 "2013-04-12T18:55:03Z")
Straw hat with a wide brim. Cheap, useful, green.
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### Author:  [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)
#### Post date: [April 12, 2013, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-hat-for-mowing-the-lawn-yard-work/655531/3 "2013-04-12T19:03:43Z")
> [@](#):
>
> Please recommend a hat for mowing the lawn/yard work
My hats don’t do any work around the yard. If you fine one, please share.
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### Author:  [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)
#### Post date: [April 12, 2013, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-hat-for-mowing-the-lawn-yard-work/655531/4 "2013-04-12T19:08:03Z")
[This](http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/Roman_Helmet(Costume).jpg&imgrefurl=http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Roman_Helmet(Costume).jpg&h=2000&w=3008&sz=715&tbnid=cAs1FMJIKZSvwM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=135&prev=/search%3Fq%3Droman%2Bhelmet%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=roman+helmet&usg=__tI-YUmxT-ryG5WYEfVdrbIgpxNc=&docid=SG2vZEYLvg8eDM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=MFtoUeGwHIab2wW5goC4DQ&ved=0CF8Q9QEwAQ&dur=875) one is good for rows and borders.
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### Author:  [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)
#### Post date: [April 12, 2013, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-hat-for-mowing-the-lawn-yard-work/655531/5 "2013-04-12T19:26:04Z")
Seriously what **campp** said. A good straw hat will do fine. However, if style and one-uppin’ the neighbors are considerations, **lieu’s** suggestion cannot be, pardon the pun, topped. 😃
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### Author:  [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)
#### Post date: [April 12, 2013, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-hat-for-mowing-the-lawn-yard-work/655531/6 "2013-04-12T19:30:02Z")
Yeah, a widebrim straw hat is perfect because it offers appreciable shade, the weave allows your head heat to escape so you don’t get too warm, it’s fairly resistant to dirt from hands and gloves and when necessary it even can become a decent enough handheld fan. You can find these for $10 or so at most any nursery, home improvement store, hardware store, etc. If you want you can even find stiffer ones with a tiny, solar-powered fan incorporated to cool your brow.
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### Author:  [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)
#### Post date: [April 12, 2013, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-hat-for-mowing-the-lawn-yard-work/655531/7 "2013-04-12T19:31:05Z")
Get a cloth baseball cap. If you’re hot, soak it in water. You can also get it wet and put it in the freezer for really hot days. Make a Foreign Legion style flap from a bandana or something to cover your neck. The standard type of hat has the logo for a truck, tool, or construction equipment company on it. Bar and alcohol product logos are also common. Sports team hats should be reserved for social events. Yankees caps are definitely not allowed.
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### Author:  [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)
#### Post date: [April 12, 2013, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-hat-for-mowing-the-lawn-yard-work/655531/8 "2013-04-12T19:44:24Z")
Speaking of cooling and bandanas, on the hottest days I’ll roll several pieces of ice lengthwise in my bandana, put a little water on it and wrap it around my neck to cool me as it melts.
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### Author:  [@PurpleClogs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PurpleClogs)
#### Post date: [April 12, 2013, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-hat-for-mowing-the-lawn-yard-work/655531/9 "2013-04-12T19:44:28Z")
I invested in a [Tilley](http://www.tilley.com/LTM8-Mesh-AIRFLO-Nylamtium.aspx) a couple years ago and I love it! You can toss it in the wash! I like having a chin strap so it goes nowhere in high winds (or 60mph down the freeway).
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### Author:  [@Fear\_the\_Turtle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_the_Turtle)
#### Post date: [April 12, 2013, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-hat-for-mowing-the-lawn-yard-work/655531/10 "2013-04-12T21:23:01Z")
I’m a big fan of the Boonie Hat.
> **[Boonie hat](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boonie_hat)**
>
> A boonie hat or booney hat is a type of wide-brim sun hat commonly used by military forces in hot tropical climates. Its design is similar to a bucket hat but with a stiffer brim.
> The Australian giggle hat has a thinner brim. Often a fabric tape band of "branch loops" is sewn around the crown of the hat. This "foliage ring" is meant to hold additional vegetation as camouflage. A strap provides stability. The crown may be vented with eyelets or small mesh panels. Snaps may also be provided with w...
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### Author:  [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)
#### Post date: [April 12, 2013, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-hat-for-mowing-the-lawn-yard-work/655531/11 "2013-04-12T22:02:14Z")
Light and cool: [nón lá](http://newsday.vn/images/news/chiec%20non%20la%20cua%20me.jpg)
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### Author:  [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)
#### Post date: [April 12, 2013, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-hat-for-mowing-the-lawn-yard-work/655531/12 "2013-04-12T22:16:26Z")
I have a cheap version of an Australian [bush hat](http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=1390485&productVariantId=3268936&WT.tsrc=CSE&WT.mc_id=thefind&WT.z_mc_id1=03522395&rid=40&mr:referralID=0cc749a3-a3be-11e2-a969-001b2166c2c0) that I wear while gardening, especially in the back yard where I don’t have to worry about how it looks\*.
It covers the ears and protects areas I have to put sunscreen on if I wear a baseball cap. I ditched the chin strap a long time ago.
\*and g’day to you too, bub.
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### Author:  [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)
#### Post date: [April 12, 2013, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-hat-for-mowing-the-lawn-yard-work/655531/13 "2013-04-12T22:18:44Z")
Who woulda thunk there’d be so many fashion choices in a hat for yard work. Obviously this will entail a major shoppin’ trip before **campp** can even begin to think about yard work.
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### Author:  [@Turble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turble)
#### Post date: [April 13, 2013, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-hat-for-mowing-the-lawn-yard-work/655531/14 "2013-04-13T16:39:39Z")
If you’re looking for actual protection from the sun: [Sunday Afternoons hats](http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_p_lbr_brands_browse-_0?rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Asunday+afternoons+hat%2Cp_lbr_brands_browse-bin%3ASunday+Afternoons&keywords=sunday+afternoons+hat&ie=UTF8&qid=1365870740&rnid=2528832011).
The Adventure Hat is my hiking hat. Definitely not a fashion statement, but I’ve lost track of how many skin cancers I’ve had removed.
The sizes run large.
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### Author:  [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)
#### Post date: [April 13, 2013, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-hat-for-mowing-the-lawn-yard-work/655531/15 "2013-04-13T16:52:15Z")
> [@PurpleClogs](#):
>
> I invested in a [Tilley](http://www.tilley.com/LTM8-Mesh-AIRFLO-Nylamtium.aspx) a couple years ago and I love it! You can toss it in the wash! I like having a chin strap so it goes nowhere in high winds (or 60mph down the freeway).
I have one of theirs, wore it on a Grand Canyon trip. If it was good enough for that, it should be more than enough for mowing the lawn.
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### Author:  [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)
#### Post date: [April 13, 2013, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-hat-for-mowing-the-lawn-yard-work/655531/16 "2013-04-13T17:01:54Z")
It gets in the 90’s+ here in suburban Atlanta. Most people hire Hispanics to do their yard work, and are prone to look askanse at anyone who wears anything unusual.
Nonetheless, I wear a [white pith helmet](http://www.villagehatshop.com/french-pith-helmet.html). The liner creates open air above my head, it’s lightweight but thick, so it shields from heat, and the pith fiber can be soaked to cool during evaporation.
I also wear a neck-wrap with freezer-pack inserts, that sit over the base of my skull like a cold compress.
I’d also recommend a Camelback hydration container, with the straw that sets under your chin. You just blow air into it, and it squirts water back.
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### Author:  [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)
#### Post date: [April 13, 2013, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-hat-for-mowing-the-lawn-yard-work/655531/17 "2013-04-13T19:04:15Z")
> [@TriPolar](#):
>
> Get a cloth baseball cap. If you’re hot, soak it in water. You can also get it wet and put it in the freezer for really hot days. Make a Foreign Legion style flap from a bandana or something to cover your neck. The standard type of hat has the logo for a truck, tool, or construction equipment company on it. Bar and alcohol product logos are also common. Sports team hats should be reserved for social events. Yankees caps are definitely not allowed.
Not the best choice, IME. The brim doesn’t really cover your face very well, and even with the flap in the back, your ears and the sides of your face are exposed. A lightweight straw hat can breath and provide shade, as mentioned. Two or three hours of gardening while wearing a ball cap is going to be a painful lesson.
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### Author:  [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)
#### Post date: [April 13, 2013, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-hat-for-mowing-the-lawn-yard-work/655531/18 "2013-04-13T20:12:17Z")
> [@Chefguy](#):
>
> Not the best choice, IME. The brim doesn’t really cover your face very well, and even with the flap in the back, your ears and the sides of your face are exposed. A lightweight straw hat can breath and provide shade, as mentioned. Two or three hours of gardening while wearing a ball cap is going to be a painful lesson.
Except for my fancy schmancy dress hats, baseball caps are all I wear. Nothing wrong with wearing straw hats though, except for the dorkiness factor.
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### Author:  [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2013, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-hat-for-mowing-the-lawn-yard-work/655531/19 "2013-04-14T14:55:36Z")
If you have deer flies (they look like houseflies except for a broad dark band across the middle of the wing, and they bite), you might take into consideration that they generally go for the highest point on their prey, and they are attracted to bright blue. Choosing a bright blue hat may keep them off the rest of you, or may bring more to you in total. I have contemplated a bright blue hat covered with flypaper-like adhesive for this reason.
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### Author:  [@bobkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobkitty)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2013, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-hat-for-mowing-the-lawn-yard-work/655531/20 "2013-04-14T17:24:23Z")
I have one of these and [love it.](http://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Protection-Outdoor-Cap-Cape/dp/B000S94F4K/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1365960045&sr=8-2&keywords=foreign+legion+hat) Prior to that I had a big straw hat, but struggled a bit with keeping it in place.
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