More often than not, when people think of bow hunting accessories, they think of additions related to the actual bow such as kisser buttons and forget about accessories that will boost themselves in order to make hunting more efficient. Hunters can use many accessories such as camouflaged clothing and hunting hats among many others.
Hunting hats are particularly important because they protect you from 2 major things: sun and rain/snow. A typical day might start off with warm sunlight that is very soothing to the skin but later gets too hot, causing sunburns and glares that might severely affect your hunting performance. It might also get cold or wet, with the cold wind causing some kind of brain freeze and the water affecting your vision. Hunting hats are designed to help you bypass all these and continue hunting uninterrupted and therefore are quite useful accessories.
Table of Contents
The 10 Best Bow Hunting Hats
Below are the 10 best bow hunting hats suitable for bow hunting: click on the bow hunting hat names in the box below to read the corresponding review and learn about their features.
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1. Buck Wear Buck Hunter Hat
This hat has a rusty color that blends well in the woods, giving you a camouflaged look. If used with similar colored hunting jackets and pants, it would enable you to hide and maintain invisibility from the prey you are hunting while keeping a close distance. This gives you a proximity advantage, which means you have a very high possibility of making consistent accurate shots.
Apart from its main rusty color, it has white stitching all round, which gives a touch of class and makes it look good. This impressive design is topped off with a deer and eagle pencil-like drawing on the left side of the logo, giving it an artistic detail that stands out and identifies you as a hunter.
Whether you have a big head, small head or any size in between, this hat fits all. It is available in one size but has an adjusting strap at its back, making it capable of having “different sizes” in one. This strap is easily adjustable, making it quite easy for anyone to fit in his/her head in a few seconds.
Features at a glance
2. Alpacas of Montana Hunting Hat
This multi-purpose hat is specifically meant for use in the cold weather such as during winter season. It is made of an alpaca fleece material (Alpaca yarn and polar fleece), with the alpaca material forming the outer layer and the wind stop polar fleece forming the inner lining of the hat.
This dual layer design protects you from the strongest winds while also adding a water resistant characteristic to this hunting accessory. This ensures you are warm when the temperature drops and winds hit you hard, and dry when the clouds let loose, enabling you to continue hunting uninterrupted.
It comes in 4 sizes: small, medium, large and extra-large. These sizes are based on the head’s circumference with the small one suitable for an 18.5-20.5 inch head circumference. The medium one is suitable for a 21 - 22.5 inch circumference head while the large one suits a 23-25 inch head. The largest hat is for the 25.5 - 27 inch head. This range of fit size is enabled by the hat’s bungee adjustment system, which requires a little pull or button press to adjust to your head size. These sizes and adjustments give you enough options to find the perfect fit for your head.
Features at a glance
3. Lethmik Hunting Hat
This hunting hat has a flat hat design and is made from pure New Zealand cowhide leather. This makes waterproof as well as windproof. These characteristics make it good for hunting in cold and/or wet weather because it will keep your head warm and dry, enabling you to carry on hunting uninterrupted.
Additionally, it has ear flaps that can be folded and hidden within the hat when it gets warm and brought out when cold to cover your ears so as to keep most of your head dry and warm.
It has a satin inner lining that gives it another insulation layer which keeps the head warm. Satin is a smooth material so the lining also serves as a smooth layer that gives your head comfort whenever the hat is on your head.
It comes in 3 sizes: small, medium and large. The small hat is suitable for a 22-22.5 inch size head while the medium one fits 22.75-23 inch sized heads. The large hat is for the big heads measuring 23.5-24 inches in circumference length. The hat’s leather material is a bit elastic and this enables it to fit snugly while also giving you some room for expansion, enabling it to have these fit range sizes for the small, medium and large hats.
Features at a glance
4. Sitka Hunting Hat
This baseball like design hunting hat has all the benefits of a baseball hat – such as having a bill for protecting your eyes from the sun – and adds on its own of being water resistant. It is made using Gore Tex fabrics, which are waterproof and breathable.
It achieves these properties because it has microscopic pores which are 20000 times smaller than water droplets, keeping the rain and snow from penetrating through. However, these pores are 700 times larger than water vapor molecules and this gives it its breathable property which enables perspiration to evaporate through, effectively enabling you to regulate your body temperature.
Sitka hat comes in 2 colors. The waterfowl marsh hat camouflages well in dry fields and wetlands, enabling you to hunt in such areas with ease. The waterfowl timber hat blends well in the woods or on open water, making it easier to hunt in such areas.
It is available in one size with Velcro straps on the back that makes it adjustable, giving you a comfortable fit for most head sizes.
Features at a glance
5. Filson Mackinaw Hunting Hat
This hat is made using mackinaw wool, which is heavy and densely compacted to prevent water from penetrating through. This ensures your head is kept dry when hunting in rainy or snowy conditions. Its crown is insulated with a nylon lining and this protects the front part of your head from cold winds.
It has a short 2 inch bill that protects your eyes from the sun and your face from rain and snow without limiting visibility, which is crucial for hunting. The hats ear flaps protect your ears from the cold and can be tucked away when it gets warm. These ear flaps are joined all the way back, making them double up as a neck cape that keeps your neck warm.
It comes in 5 sizes: small, medium, large, XL and XXL. The small hat fits a head circumference of 21.1-21.5, medium fits 21.9-22.3 and large fits 22.6-23 inches. The XL fits a 23.5-23.9 inch head circumference while the XXL fits a 23.9-24.3 inch head. These fit range sizes are quite small and this is because the filson hat has no adjusting mechanism so you must get the size right before buying one.
Features at a glance
6. Buck Wear One Shot One Kill Hunting Hat
This hat has a baseball cap design, which makes it ideal for hunting, leisure and normal day to day use. It has a black and grey camo accent that blends well in the woods, giving you the perfect cover to kill your game from close range. Its crown is stitched all round with a deer skull buck wear logo at the middle and the writing “one shot one kill”, giving it a pretty good look.
The crown of the hat is made of a closely knit fabric, which protects your forehead from strong winds while the rear and side panels are made of a net like fabric. This fabric is breathable and ideal for controlling your body temperature by letting off perspiration with ease.
It comes in one size but has an adjustable back strap closure on the back side, which gives it the flexibility of fitting on heads with different sizes. This strap is easy to use and this makes it quite a breeze to fit around your head straight out of the shipping bag.
7. Conner Down Under Leather Hat
This hunting hat is made entirely from buffalo hide leather, which is extremely tough which means it can be crushed or squeezed but still reforms back to its shape. This also means that even in its old age, it still retains its cowboy shape, making it very durable. This leather is treated with waxes and oils, which protect it from the elements and keeps it from fading in its entire lifespan.
Leather ensures the hat seals your head completely from the rain, snow and wind. This keeps your head warm and dry while three eyelets on each side of the hat make it breathable, which is ideal for letting off perspiration during warm weather.
The hat has a 2.75 inch brim all round which protects your eyes, ears and parts of the head from the sun. Leather is quite solid and this particular one has a UPF rating of 50+. This means that less than 2% of the sun’s UV radiation reaches your skin. By covering most of the head, this hat, therefore, protects you from sunburns, premature skin aging, cancer and all UV related harmful effects on the skin.
Features at a glance
8. Conner Indy Jones Hunting Hat
Conner made this hunting hat with a bucket hat design. This means that the hat has a reasonably sized brim (2.25”) all round which keeps the sun from hurting your eyes and directs the elements away from the lower part of the head. It is made from weathered cotton which has a ratio of 52% cotton and 48% polyester. This material gives the hat various benefits such as being water resistant. It also takes care of your skin by preventing harmful UV rays from the sun from reaching your skin. Additionally, it is strong enough to withstand crushing and easily regains its shape because weathered cotton is quite strong.
The hat has a 5 inch crown height, which is quite big to fit in a huge chunk of the upper head while still leaving plenty of room between the head and the top part of the hat. It has 2 eyelets on either side that provide ventilation to this space, making the hat breathable. They maintain air circulation above the head, keeping you cool while letting perspiration escape and this makes it comfortable to wear during warm weather.
Features at a glance
9. Scent Blocker Hunting Hat
As the name suggests, this hat is specifically designed to keep you smelling fresh regardless of whether you sweat or not. It incorporates a revolutionary concept in its design called Trinity Scent Control Technology, which is designed around a synthetic polymer that is capable of absorbing human odor. This means that bad odor from sweat or other bodily reactions will be eliminated, leaving you as fresh as the time you wore it.
Apart from keeping you fresh, this hat also keeps you dry and protected from the rain. Its outer fabric layer is treated with a hydrophobic water-repellent layer that forces water to accumulate into larger drops on the surface then fall off, leaving the inner layers, as well as your head, warm and dry.
It has a beanie hat design and fits snugly around the head, with little or no room for breathability. However, its fleece material is soft and lightweight, which adds a very tiny layer of fabric over the head such that heat is not a big issue. If it gets too hot, its flaps can be folded to leave your ears exposed, allowing for more aeration and body temperature control.
Features at a glance
10. Henschel Men's Aussie Hunting Hat
This hunting hat has a similar design to a fedora hat and is available in 2 camo colors: mossy oak and timber. Mossy oak blends well with the green part of the woods while timber has a more dry grass and dry leaf country look, making each perfect for its own special hunting ground.
It has a 3 inch brim which is lined to make it more durable. This brim is large enough to protect your eyes, ears and most parts of the head from the sun’s harmful UV rays and also keep you covered in case the clouds open up. This brim can be snapped to the hat’s side panels, giving it a cowboy hat appearance, which leaves your ears opened up for better air circulation.
The hat is made from weathered cotton, with a huge percentage of polyester (65%) and 35% cotton. This ratio makes it strong and sturdy and it can withstand crushing and still regain its shape.
It has a leather strap wrapped halfway round the brim with a plastic fastener on the bottom side for wrapping it around the face to keep the hat firmly attached on the head. This gives you the freedom to run around and bend your head without worrying about the hat falling off. This makes it very convenient to use because you are free to work on almost anything while the hat is still held firmly in place.
Features at a glance
Buying Guide & Things you need to know about the best bow hunting hats before you buy:
Before acquiring any hunting hat, there are some important things to consider. These are:
1. Type of hat
Just like regular hats, hunting hats come in different types. The most popular types of hunting hats are baseball, flat and cowboy designed hats. Some argue that hats with long bills might limit your visibility while another like long one to protect their eyes from the sun and the rest of the face from the elements. The choice of hat is simply left to personal preference. Some other factors might affect the choice of hat you need but basically what you want is what you should buy.
2. Weather
Apart from personal preference, the weather is the other factor that determines which type of hat to buy. Each type has its own advantages for instance baseball style hats offer good sun protection and basic warmth while beanie hats provide a lot of warmth, making them ideal for cold climates. Bucket hats and cowboy hats are usually made from thick materials that protect you from harmful Ultra Violet rays from the sun, preventing you from getting skin related diseases. This means it is ideal for sunny conditions like during summer. Before buying any hunting hat, consider the climate of your hunting ground and pick the best one for the job.
3. Size
Some hunting hats come in different sizes. These variations are meant to get everyone a good fit. It is important to consider your head size before ordering any hat. Hat sizes are given according to head circumference and might require you to measure your head size in order to get it right.
Measuring is quite easy. With a tape measure, simply wrap it around your head about 1/8 inches above your ears and around the mid forehead. The idea is to get the length of the path where your hat will rest on. Hold the tape firmly but not too tight and get the reading in either cm or inches. Use this circumference to get the right hat size for your head.
4. Adjustability
Getting the right size is good but adjustability is way better. Maybe your head might increase or decrease a little bit with time or you might need a loose fit for a different occasion. It would be better off to get some room to play with just in case of anything and therefore adjustable hats are the best option.
5. Material
Hunting hats are made from different materials. Cotton hats might feel more comfortable but are not weatherproof. Hats made using fleece are usually waterproof but not breathable. Leather hats might get too hot in case you are hunting in the summer but are completely windproof and might protect your head from cold winds in the winter. Gore-Tex fabrics claim to have it all: windproof, waterproof and breathable. These might get you mixed up and make it hard for you to choose a hunting hat but the most important thing to note here is that no material can give you all the benefits 100%. You need to know what you want for instance if perspiration is your main problem, cotton hats would be the best bet.
6. Camouflage
The last thing to consider is the color of the hat. The goal during hunting is to remain invisible to the prey and hope to shoot it accurately in close range. Basic colors such as black or brown might not be very ideal but camo colors such as mossy oak can be very effective especially if you match it with the whole body outfit.
Conclusion
Bow hunting hats come in different types and sizes. Getting the right one to suit your hunting needs might be difficult especially if you are new at it and you do not have the right information. However, if you pay close attention to the hat’s material and camouflage properties then select the right size for your head, with adjustability in mind, you will not go wrong.
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