The best hat for gardening

What is the best type of hat for gardening?

An Akubra. I have tried traditional straw hats, which look beautiful, picturesque and like something out of a story book. I have tried canvas wide brim style hats. I have tried wide brim ‘gone fishin” style hats. Each slowly became increasingly floppy, or because misshapen or shrunk over time. They were all not cheap and cost upward of $30 or $40. However, after the investment and years of wear and tear, wearing my Akubra in rain, hail or shine, in my opinion the Akubra hat is the best hat for gardening.

A quiet note to say: this is not a sponsored post. I wrote this simply to help other fabulous kitchen gardeners, like yourself, to find the best hat for gardening (though if Akubra would like to sponsor me I wouldn’t say no lol :)!).

A while ago I decided to ‘bite the bullet’ and invest in an Akubra. Akubra are an iconic Australian brand, famous the world over for making hats and now also make other apparel and have an impressive heritage, still being owned and run by the 5th generation of the family. You can read more on Akubra’s history on their website by clicking here. They are not cheap hats, I bought the Riverina model, which retails for $299 Australian dollars (Akubra’s website’s link here). So before I bought my hat I did endless research on how long the hat would last and how tough are they really……

From all online opinions I read, an Akubra hat would outlast most hats out there, the only possible downside I came across is that if you got your hat wet and then left it e.g. on the dashboard of your car or truck, the rapid change in temperature may cause your hat to shrink a bit. Much like a wool sweater that has accidentally been dried in the clothes dryer at too high a temperature.

Which model of Akubra is best for gardening

I brought Akubra’s Riverina style, as it is one of Akubra’s widest brim models of hat, and here in the harsh Australian sun the wider the brim, the better, especially for long hours gardening in the sunshine. The wide brim of the Akubra Riverina makes a solid shadow that helps protects my face, neck, décolletage and shoulders from getting sunburnt by the harsh U.V. rays (along with a sunscreen with a high SPF, long sleeve shirt with the collar turned upwards and all the other things to help protect one from getting sunburnt of course!).

Which size of Akubra should you get?

My head measures about 55cm in circumference, but I bought the 57 size hat, this was to make sure I could twirl my hair up inside my hat if I needed to, or in case the hat shrunk for any reason, I would still be able to wear it.

But I’m not a farmer, nor do I live in the ‘Countryside’, should I still get an Akubra hat?

Yes, you should still get an Akubra. To be honest, part of me felt a bit silly buying a hat that very much has the image of ‘Australian Outback’ (countryside) when I live in a town, but once I got over that feeling and embraced the fact that the Akubra is actually very stylish (even Hollywood stars wear them!), iconic and purpose built, I love it. I even wear it down the street to the shops or to pick up the kids from school on a sunny day. Because you know what? It looks really good! I even wear it in pouring rain to keep my head dry and warm, no wrestling with an umbrella in the wind, or having cold drips of rain from my hood running down my face for me.

Is the price of an Akubra really worth it?

Yes. Like my post on Ariat boots, in my opinion it is worth investing in good quality equipment, because of the higher quality, it will withstand daily use and last for many, many years. Like many other things in life, if you buy cheaper items, mostly (not always) they will wear out and need replacing sooner, so over a decade or two (or three!) you will end up spending more than if you had invested in an item that is more expensive initially, but outlasts its cheaper counterpart many times over.

I have found the same to be true of my Akubra hat, it has been worth every penny invested in it, and in many years from now, when it does finally need replacing, I will have no hesitation in going out and buying another Akubra. So when your gardening hat next needs replacing or upgrading, do yourself a favour, get an Akubra. You won’t regret it.