Wondering about the best sun hat for Thailand? The bigger the brim, the better.
On our first visit to Koh Samui, we wore visors for sun hats (hey – they were cool in 2003!). Worse than the total lack of scalp cover, we soon realised that their baseball hat-style brim wasn’t sufficient protection (and did our ears no good whatsoever).
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The Best Sun Hats for Thailand
In later years, we tried to buy sun hats on Koh Samui before finally accepting that what’s available locally is pretty ugly and in large part made of plastic (or materials with very poor breathability). Hat sizes are limited and styles are mostly fedora variations. Like the bad-choice visors, they have a pretty small brim. While high-end resorts might have a few options in their gift shops, your sun hat options are often plastic and priced in the land of “we know you need it”. Older and wiser, here’s what we recommend for your sun hat for Thailand:
1. Bring your own – with a big brim!
Fedora Sun Hat + ‘Hello Sunshine’ Floppy Sun Hat
First, bring it with you! You’ll need it from the very first day. As for packability, you can easily find sun-hats on Amazon that are totally rollable-foldable – there are even Panama hats that offer this batter-proof feature:
Men’s Straw Hat + Packable/Crushable Havana Hat
If you burn easily, pick the biggest brim you can find. It means you can be a lot lazier with sunscreen on your face, which is nice when you just want to get outside.
2. Consider a UPF sun-hat
UPF 50+ SolarShield Sun Hat + UPF 50+ X-Large Brim Hat
If you get excited when fabric combines with technology, you won’t find any UPF-protective hat options in Thailand (maybe in Bangkok, after a real search).
3. Can it fly?
Columbia Omni-Shade UPF 50 Hat + UPF 50+ Boonie Hat
Next, consider your plans and preferences. If you’ll be spending time on boats or ferries, you’ll want something with a drawstring that won’t fly off your head.
4. Can it float?
Finally, can it float? This little beauty can.
Plan B (The Totally Terrifying option)
Perhaps you’re convinced of the need for facial UV protection, but you also love to terrify small children and rob beachfront banks. In which case, enter a ‘Facekini’ … which is actually a real thing.
‘Facekini’ UV Face Mask … yikes
Perfect prep (from head to toe)
Now you’ve got your head covered, what about your toes? Sunscreen? Find everything I recommend – and roughly a million more ways to protect yourself from the sun:
- Sunscreen: The absolute best toiletries for Thailand
- My favourites: sun safety tips for Thailand
- Shoes: Why these are the only shoes you need in Thailand
P.S. You can find every tip for Thailand packing in the archive, or subscribe by email and get all the details straight to your inbox. Enjoy!
