The best bushcraft hat for most people is a crushable wool felt hat with a brim of at least 3 inches, and the Outback Trading Broken Hill is our pick: 100% Australian wool, a 3 1/4 inch brim, a UPF 50 rating, a chin cord, and a list price of $79.99. Wool chars instead of melting when a spark lands, it sheds a passing shower, and it packs. The word "bushcraft" on a label adds nothing. The fabric and the brim do the work.
Who this guide is for
This guide is for people who spend whole days outside around fire, tools and weather and want one hat that copes with all three. If the hobby is new to you, our page on what bushcraft is explains the ground it covers, and our bushcraft starter kit shows what to buy first. The $20 cotton boonie below is a perfectly good first hat.
A note on labels. Our essential bushcraft gear list puts bushcraft-branded clothing on its skip list, and hats follow the same logic, as do the bushcraft pants we cover separately. A "bushcraft hat" is any hat that handles sun, rain, branches and sparks. None of the picks below is sold under that name, and none needs to be.
How we chose
Every recommendation here is research-based: we have not worn these hats in the field. We worked from the makers' spec sheets, care guides and size charts, confirmed that each hat was listed for sale in October 2026, and checked each one against published guidance from the Skin Cancer Foundation and the CDC on brims and from the NSW Rural Fire Service on fabrics that melt. Our full process is on the methodology page.
Hat round-ups rarely print brim widths, weights or prices, and few explain why a nylon hat is a poor choice at the fire. This guide gives the numbers each maker publishes and says plainly where a maker publishes none.
What a bushcraft hat has to do
A bushcraft hat has to shade your face, ears and neck, keep rain out of your collar, take a slap from a branch, survive a spark, and stay on while you work bent over. Packing down without damage is a bonus.
- Sun. The CDC advises a brim all the way around that shades your face, your ears and the back of your neck, in a tightly woven fabric such as canvas. A baseball cap leaves your ears and neck bare.
- Rain. The brim should carry water past your collar and keep drips off your face while you tie off a ridgeline for a tarp shelter. Felt, waxed cotton and leather shed water on their own, while plain cotton soaks it up.
- Branches. A brim with a wire, brim lock or spring inside bounces back after a snag, and a chin cord stops a branch sweeping the hat off. Very wide, floppy brims catch brush more often.
- Sparks. Wool, leather and heavy cotton scorch where a spark lands. Nylon and polyester can melt.
- A headlamp. A lamp strap has little to grip on a tapered felt crown, and a 3 inch brim sits in the beam when you tilt the lamp down at your hands. After dark, push the hat back and wear the lamp on your forehead, or swap to a knit cap. Our camping headlamp guide covers lamps whose bands sit flat against your forehead.
- Packability. Crushable wool felt, folding leather and nylon all pack. A firm fur felt hat does not, so it stays on your head or clipped to your bushcraft backpack.
The best bushcraft hats in 2026
These seven hats cover every material worth considering for bushcraft, from a $20 cotton boonie to a $320 fur felt Akubra. Each one is here for a specific job, and each has a drawback you should know about before you buy.
Outback Trading Broken Hill: about $80
Best overall. Outback Trading makes the Broken Hill from 100% Australian wool felt rated UPF 50. The brim is 3 1/4 inches with a brim lock, the crown is 4 1/4 inches tall, and it has a chin cord, a woven leather band and a sateen lining. The maker calls it water resistant and crushable, and lists it at $79.99 in sizes S to XL.
It suits anyone who wants one hat for summer sun, autumn rain and evenings at the fire: the brim clears the 3 inch sun guideline, the wool is safe to wear at the fire, and crushable felt survives a day in a pack. The drawback: it is wool felt made in China, not the denser fur felt of an Akubra, and the care label says soft brush and light water only, never submerge. For days of steady rain, leather or waxed cotton is the safer bet.
Akubra Snowy River: about $320
Best premium felt. Akubra handcrafts the Snowy River in Australia from rabbit fur felt, with a teardrop crown, a leather sweatband and a leather band, in sizes 53 to 64 cm. US hat retailer David Morgan describes it as a pre-creased stockman's hat with a 3 1/4 inch raw-edge brim and a UPF 50+ rating, and sells it for $320.
This is the hat for someone who wears one most days and wants it to last decades. The drawback is more than the price. Akubra's care guide says its hats are not waterproof, should dry at their own pace away from heaters and direct sun, and should be stored upside down on the crown. It is not sold as crushable, so it lives on your head, not in your pack.
Filson Tin Cloth Packer Hat: about $89
Best for wet woodland. Filson builds the Packer from 14 oz oil finish Tin Cloth, its waxed cotton canvas, with a leather hatband, a cotton sweatband and ventilating grommets in the crown. The brim is 2 1/4 inches. It costs $89 in sizes S to XXL.
Pick it for wet, brushy forest where rain matters more than sun: the short brim snags less, and the oil finish sheds water without the routine leather asks for. The trade-offs: 2 1/4 inches falls short of the 3 inch sun guideline, Filson lists no chin cord, and the finish needs care. Filson says never to wash it, to brush it or wipe it with a damp rag, to rewax it as needed, and to keep it off light-colored clothing in warm weather because the oils transfer.
Barmah 1018 Squashy Kangaroo (Red Rock 1078 in the US): about $125
Best leather bushcraft hat. Barmah makes the 1018 in Melbourne from full grain kangaroo leather with a crackle wax finish. The brim is 8 cm (3 1/4 inches) at the front and 7 cm (2 3/4 inches) at the sides, Barmah says its leather carries a certified UPF 50+ rating, and the hat folds into its calico bag and springs back into shape.
Barmah does not sell direct, and its US website is Red Rock Hats, where the closely matching 1078 Kangaroo Classic (full grain kangaroo, crackle wax, a steel spring in the brim, made in Australia) lists at $125 in sizes S to XXL. Choose leather if your hat lives a hard life: it takes branches, rain and sparks, and it still packs. The drawback is upkeep, meaning conditioner on a schedule and slow drying after a soaking, both covered below.
Outdoor Research Sunbriolet Sun Hat: about $40 to $56
Best for hot, open country. The Sunbriolet weighs 3.02 oz (86 g) and is made of bluesign approved 100% nylon rated UPF 50+, with zoned mesh panels, a crown cinch and a detachable chin cord. The brim is 3.3 inches at the center front and 4.1 inches at the center back. It lists at $56, with some colors at $39.20 when we checked, in sizes S to XL. Searching Outdoor Research's site for the Sombriolet that older hat lists mention now brings up this hat.
It is the lightest and coolest hat here, quick drying and water resistant, and the right call for summer paddling or open hillsides. The drawback: nylon melts. Swap to a wool cap before you lean over the fire to cook.
Rothco 100% Cotton Rip-Stop Boonie Hat: about $20
Best budget pick. Rothco's boonie is 100% cotton rip-stop with four screened side vents, an adjustable chin strap and foliage loops woven into the sides. It lists from $19.99 in sizes 7, 7 1/4, 7 1/2 and 7 3/4, made in China.
For a first kit or the odd weekend it covers the basics: an all-around brim, a chin strap, and cotton that scorches rather than melts. Check that any boonie you buy says 100% cotton, since many are cotton and polyester blends. The drawbacks: no published brim width or UPF rating, cotton soaks up rain, and the size run covers only 7 to 7 3/4.
Filson Mackinaw Wool Cap: about $129
Best for winter. Filson makes this cap from 24 oz per linear yard 100% Mackinaw wool, which it calls warm and water resistant, over an insulated crown. A wool flap tucks inside and pulls down over your ears and neck, and the bill is 2 3/8 inches. It costs $129 in sizes S to 2XL. The Double Mackinaw, at $199, adds a sheepskin shearling flap and a 3 inch bill.
It suits winter camps where you sit close to the fire for hours. The drawbacks are the price and a nylon and polyester lining, though that sits under the wool where sparks cannot reach it. For warmth alone, a plain 100% wool watch cap does most of this job for much less.
Wool felt vs waxed cotton vs leather vs nylon: fire and rain
Near a campfire, wool felt and leather are the safest hat materials, cotton comes next, and nylon or polyester should stay back from the coals because it can melt. In rain, leather, waxed cotton and good felt shed water, nylon dries fastest, and plain cotton does worst.
The NSW Rural Fire Service tells people facing embers to wear natural fibers such as pure wool, heavy cotton drill or denim, warns that synthetic fabrics can melt or burn, and lists a wide-brimmed hat first because it stops embers dropping onto your head or down your shirt. That guidance is written for bush fires, but a campfire throws the same embers in smaller numbers. Our guide on how to build a campfire covers clearing the ground and picking a layout.
- Wool felt. Sheds a shower, insulates, and chars instead of dripping. It is not waterproof, and Akubra warns that heaters and direct sun can shrink a hat or pull it out of shape, so never dry a wet one beside the fire.
- Waxed cotton. Water resistant thanks to the oil finish, and you can rewax it when it starts to wet out. It will not melt like nylon, but the dressing is no fire retardant, so keep your head back from the coals.
- Leather. Sheds rain, blocks sun and takes sparks well. Heat is its enemy more than water: Barmah explains that leather fibers contract as they lose moisture, so a wet hat dried fast by a fire can shrink and curl at the brim.
- Plain cotton. Breathes well and only scorches where a spark lands, but soaks up rain. A finish helps: Tilley's $99 T3 Wanderer is 100% cotton with a durable water-repellent finish, is rated UPF 50+, and floats.
- Nylon and polyester. The lightest, coolest and quickest to dry, so excellent sun hats on the trail, and the wrong hat for leaning over a fire.
How wide should a bushcraft hat brim be?
Aim for at least 3 inches all the way around. That is the Skin Cancer Foundation's guidance, along with fabric rated UPF 50 or higher, and its write-up cites a 2018 study in which the wide-brimmed hat gave the whole face the most protection on a cloudless summer day. No hat in that study protected the face and neck completely, and the nose stayed the most exposed spot, so a brim works alongside sunscreen, not instead of it.
Published brim widths for the picks:
- Outdoor Research Sunbriolet: 3.3 inches front, 4.1 inches back
- Outback Trading Broken Hill: 3 1/4 inches
- Akubra Snowy River: 3 1/4 inches, per David Morgan
- Barmah 1018 Squashy Kangaroo: 3 1/4 inches front, 2 3/4 inches at the sides
- Filson Mackinaw Wool Cap: 2 3/8 inch bill
- Filson Tin Cloth Packer Hat: 2 1/4 inches
- Rothco cotton boonie: not published
Wider is not always better in the woods. A 4 inch brim catches wind and brush and blocks your view when you look up at a limb or a line you are rigging, so for mixed forest work 3 to 3 1/2 inches is a sensible middle. Keep after-sun and burn dressings in your bushcraft first aid kit whichever hat you wear.
Leather bushcraft hats: kangaroo vs cattle hide
Kangaroo leather gives you a thinner, lighter hide for the same strength, and cattle leather gives you a thicker feel for a little less money. Both block sun, shed rain and fold for packing in Barmah's styles.
Barmah explains kangaroo's strength this way: elastin spread evenly through the collagen fibers, low fat, and a grain layer thin enough that it needs no shaving, unlike cattle hide. That is why kangaroo also goes into motorcycle protective clothing. Neither Barmah nor Red Rock publishes hat weights, so "lighter" describes the hide, not a gram figure. On price, Red Rock lists the 1078 Kangaroo Classic at $125 and the 1072 Classic Traveler Bronco, in full grain cattle leather with an oil and wax finish, at $105. Barmah's best-selling cattle hat, the 1060 Foldaway Bronco, has a 7 cm (2 3/4 inch) brim all around.
Oiling and storage. Barmah and Red Rock give the same routine: condition the leather regularly, store the hat flat on its brim rather than in its bag, keep it out of extreme heat such as a closed car, and spot clean the sweatband with mild detergent and warm water so sweat salt does not build up. A white, waxy film on the surface is wax bloom, which Barmah calls cosmetic.
When it gets soaked. A soaked leather hat is not ruined. Barmah's fix for a shrunken hat is to soak it on purpose, stretch the wet leather so the brim sits flat, dry it slowly over an upturned bowl, and then condition it. The damage comes from fast drying, not from rain, so dry it in the shade and away from the fire.
How to measure your head for a hat size
Wrap a soft tape around your head about 3/8 inch (10 mm) above your ears and a finger's width above your eyebrows, keep it level, and read the circumference: that number is your size. Barmah gives the 10 mm guide, and Akubra adds the eyebrow line and says the tape should sit firm but not tight.
US hat sizes are roughly your head circumference in inches divided by 3.14. Filson's chart shows it: a 21 1/8 to 21 1/2 inch head is size 6 3/4 to 6 7/8 (S), and 24 1/4 to 24 5/8 inches is 7 3/4 to 7 7/8 (XXL). Barmah sizes in centimeters, from Small at 55 cm to XX Large at 62.5 cm, and says 70% of its customers fit Large (59 cm) or X Large (61 cm).
Between sizes, go up. Barmah and Red Rock both recommend the larger size padded with sizing tape, since a tight hat presses all day and a loose one leaves with the first gust. Check the range too: the Rothco boonie only comes in 7 to 7 3/4, while Tilley's T3 Wanderer runs from 7 to 8 1/8.
Winter: when to swap the brim for wool
Swap the brimmed hat for a wool cap when cold, not sun, is the main threat: short days, low sun, wind, and temperatures where your ears start to sting.
Wool matters more in winter because you sit closer to the flames, often for hours, and a fleece or acrylic beanie is a synthetic sitting right where the embers land. Filson says its Mackinaw wool keeps insulating when wet, which counts when snow melts on your head by the fire. The Filson cap above is the full-featured option, and a plain wool watch cap is the cheap one.
The layering rule from our winter bushcraft guide applies to your head as well: take the cap off before you sweat into it while sawing or hauling wood, and put it back on when you stop. A felt brim still earns its keep in wet snow under trees, where it keeps meltwater off your neck.
Is a premium felt or leather hat worth it?
A $125 to $320 hat is worth it if you wear a hat outdoors most days and plan to keep it for years, and not worth it for a few weekends a year. The premium buys denser material, Australian construction and a hat that can be restored, not a hat that keeps you drier on a Saturday.
In its favor, Akubra handcrafts its hats in Australia and lists refurbishers on its site, and Barmah makes the 1018 in Melbourne from leather it processes itself. Against it, the $80 Broken Hill covers the same jobs for a quarter of the Akubra's price, and the $20 boonie keeps the sun off and survives sparks. No hat here works better because of the name on its sweatband, and if your kit still has gaps, the difference buys a good knife.
Which bushcraft hat should you buy?
Buy the Outback Trading Broken Hill if you want one hat for sun, rain and the fire at a fair price. It has the brim, the chin cord and the wool, and it packs. For other needs:
- Tight budget or first kit: the Rothco 100% Cotton Rip-Stop Boonie at about $20.
- Wet, brushy forest: the Filson Tin Cloth Packer Hat, accepting a narrower brim.
- Hard use, still packable: the Barmah 1018 Squashy Kangaroo, or Red Rock's 1078 in the US.
- Hot, open country or water: the Outdoor Research Sunbriolet, with a wool cap in your pack for the fire.
- One hat for life: the Akubra Snowy River, if you will wear it often enough to justify $320.
- Winter: the Filson Mackinaw Wool Cap, or any plain 100% wool watch cap.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best material for a bushcraft hat?
Wool felt is the best all-round material, because it sheds light rain, holds its shape, and does not melt when a spark lands. Leather is tougher, and nylon is the best pure sun hat as long as it stays away from the fire.
How wide should a bushcraft hat brim be?
At least 3 inches all the way around, which matches the Skin Cancer Foundation's sun advice. In thick brush, 3 to 3 1/2 inches balances shade against snagging.
Can a leather hat get wet?
Yes, as long as you dry it slowly away from heat and condition it afterwards. Barmah's own fix for a shrunken hat starts by soaking it in water.
Do I need a chin cord on a bush hat?
You do if you work in wind, on water or in thick brush, where a gust or a branch can take the hat. The Broken Hill and the Sunbriolet include one, the Rothco has a chin strap, and Akubra sells chinstraps separately.
Can you crush a felt hat to pack it?
Only if the maker sells it as crushable, as Outback Trading does with the Broken Hill. Akubra advises lifting its fur felt hats by the brim and storing them upside down on the crown, so do not fold one into a pack.
Is a boonie hat good enough for bushcraft?
Yes, a 100% cotton boonie handles sun and the odd spark for about $20. You give up a published UPF rating, a stated brim width and real rain resistance.
Sources
- The Search for the Perfect Hat, The Skin Cancer Foundation
- Sun Safety Facts, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- What to wear, NSW Rural Fire Service
- Broken Hill Wool Hat, Outback Trading Company
- Frequently Asked Questions, Barmah Hats Australia
- Leather Shrinkage Care Guide | How to Prevent & Fix Shrinkage, Barmah Hats Australia
- Hat Size Guide, Barmah Hats Australia
- How to Clean an Akubra Hat | Felt Hat Cleaning Guide, Akubra
- Sunbriolet Sun Hat, Outdoor Research
- Waxed Canvas Packer Hat, Filson
Affiliate disclosure: Some links are affiliate links. Commission earned at no extra cost to you, and it does not influence our picks. Read the full affiliate disclosure.