Trucker hats have been my headwear of choice for 25 years. From middle school through high school, a green-billed, white-topped trucker lived on my head nonstop. (I ditched it when my college girlfriend said she didn’t like it—huge mistake.) Since thenI’ve worked, played, and lived in a shifting cast of netbacks.
But when I got serious about running, I had a problem: I found that my favorite lids wereterrible for exercise. Just one jog would render a hatforever dirtied, lined with grosssalty marks. The non-breathable front panelsturned my noggin into a sauna, and cheap liners mainlined sweat directly into my eyes. Thankfully, we now have performance truckers that offer all the shade and steeze of their predecessors but with workout-focused details that make them comfortable on the hottest, hardest runs. That said,they’re not all created equal: we put these five to the test to determine which could take the heat.
The Test
Over the course of aswelteringspring and summer, I ran in each hat for a minimum of 60 miles. Myroutes and conditions varied, but I wore every model on at least one run when the temperature was over90 degrees, I gainedmore than 1,300 vertical feet, or I was out for morethan three hours. I tooknotes onthe materials and fit systems, weighed the hats on my kitchen scale, and measured the brims to gauge coverage.
The Results
The Winner:Sunday Afternoons Vantage Point ($32)
Fit: 5/5
Comfort: 5/5
Moisture Wicking: 5/5
Temperature Regulation:5/5
Weight: 2.2 ounces
Brim Coverage: 7 by3 inches
Full disclosure: I already loved this hat going into the test. I gavethe others a fair shot, but when I compared notes, the was the clear winner in every category except coverage. The seven-by-three-inch bill did provide plenty of shade for my large beak, so I couldn’t even complain about that.
I tried to distill my love for this hat down to one attributebut couldn’t, so here are two:the fit and moisture mitigation were far superior to any other athletic hat I have used and made for a more comfortable run every single time I wore it. To the side of the rear size adjuster, Sunday Afternoons attachedabout an inch of stretchy plastic—so it’s notentirely made ofrigid plastic, like all of its competition except the Patagonia, below—which afforded a completely dialed fit without being restrictive. As aresult, my head was noticeably more comfortableat the end of a four-hour run from my house to the top of MountAshland, Oregon, a climb with5,764 feet of elevation, on a hot summer day. The amply holedmesh front, plus the largest moisture-wickingliner in the test, gave the hat a swamp-cooler feel on runs over 90 degrees. Sweat never dripped into my eyes, and I’m anextremely sweaty person, so that is no small feat.
Runner-Up: Boco Trail($30)
Fit: 4.5/5
Comfort: 4.5/5
Moisture Wicking: 4/5
Temperature Regulation: 4/5
Weight: 2ounces
Brim Coverage: 7 by 3.5 inches
The soft foam front of didn’t look breathable, but it was surprisingly so.At the end of the day, though, it didn’t vent as well as its all-mesh competition, landing it in second place. It was the lightest hatin the test, and the malleable brim conformed to my forehead for a comfortable fit while still remainingrigid enough to offer amazing coverage. All in all, itssimplicity makes thisa great running hat, but it was outgunned by the feature-rich Vantage Point.
For Cooler Temps: Patagonia Duckbill ($35)
Fit: 4/5
Comfort: 4/5
Moisture Wicking: 3/5
Temperature Regulation: 2/5
Weight: 2.4 ounces
Brim Coverage: 6.75 by 3.25 inches
I liked the looks of the best—it offered the perfect balance of casual style but retainedkey performance details, like a flexible fabric strap and a water-resistant front panel. This was not a style competition, though, and the Duckbill had one serious issue for this hot-headed runner: the front’s recycled nylon grabbed onto moisture and held it. This would probably be a plus for blocking rain in inclement conditions, but it made thingsnotably hotter in sweltering ones. The adjustable rear buckle allowed for a dialed fit, and the design’s wide mesh in the back did breathe well. It’s a comfortable hat, but perhaps one just better suited for cooler temperatures.
For Small Noggins: The North Face Trail ($30)
Fit: 2.5/5
Comfort: 3.5/5
Moisture Wicking: 4/5
Temperature Regulation: 5/5
Weight: 2.7 ounces
Brim Coverage: 7.5 by 3.35 inches
This mesh-dominant trucker hat’s cooling powers were on a par with the first-place Vantage Point, and it offered the most coverage of the bunch. However, ittook a solid hit for its fit—although, to be fair to the North Face, I have a pretty massive noggin. I wear most of my hats with the adjustment system maxed out, and the fit my dome more like a novelty hat than a functional one. It was outmatched on fit and moisture wickingby the Vantage Point, but this could bethe best hat on the list if you have a small or midsizehead.
For Casual Wear: Nathan Sports Runnable ($25)
Fit: 3/5
Comfort: 3/5
Moisture Wicking: 3/5
Temperature Regulation: 2.5/5
Weight: 2.5 ounces
Brim Coverage: 7.25 by 3 inches
On first sight, I thought the wouldn’t perform any differently than a normal hat. Nathan proved me wrong. Its looks are the most casual of the test, but it did a commendable job of wicking moisture, thanks to its internal mesh headband. Astructured front panelcreated space between it and my forehead, and the hat helped move heat, as did the netsides. That rigid front did make the hat a little less comfortable and a bit hotter overall, though. Paired with a middling fit, those qualities put this otherwise awesome lidat the bottom of a stacked test.