Straw hats are a beach essential but more than often they are the most difficult to pack. Sharing the best hats that will be perfect for a beach vacation and also easy to travel with.
Table of Contents
What Are We Looking For
There are certain key features we look for when we are researching for a good beach straw hat for travel.
- Easy to pack: This is important, and size is a factor. so if you have a really big straw hat, you can carry it in a suitcase.
- Lightweight: It should not be too heavy, so we can easily pack more than one.
- Looks stylish: Looking nice means your accessories should also be good. Wo, while we don’t go all designer on these straw hats, we still look for good style.
- Rigid Brim: All of the hats I am sharing have somewhat rigid brims, in other words they are not floppy. Floppy hats don’t look good unless they are really big.
Our Top 3 Picks
Don’t have a lot of time to read through and find what’s the best one out there? You can check out our top 3 picks.
Albion Georgia Safari Hat
PRICE: $50
Best Straw Hats for Travel
Lack of Colors Spencer Hat
The Lack of Colors Spencer Hat is the perfect ladylike straw hat that you can use at the beach and also afterwards. Its really important that when you are traveling, your travel wardrobe works double duty. And this straw hat will absolutely do that.
Its wide brimmed, so your face will be protected even when you will be under the sun. And its not flimsy at all. This is the biggest factor in why this hat looks chic and stylish.
I also love the black band around the top of the hat which gives it a modern and elevated boater hat look.
If you are worried about the hat not fitting your head, then you can pick the right size as this hat comes in different head size.
Nikki Beach Tulum Hat
The Nikki Beach Tulum Hat is a fedora style hat in straw material. This hat looks bohemian and perfect for you if you love fedora hats in general. The nude band around the top part adds more detail and elevates the hat but at the same time its not as over the top.
The brim for this hat is also wide and rigid which looks really chic. This hat comes with the tie strung in the back which makes it easy for you to tighten or loosen it as you need.
A fedora style hat looks great with all the tropical bohemian outfits, so your face stays covered and you still look chic.
Gigi Pip Gwen Sun Hat
Gigi Pip Gwen Sun Hat is a wide brim straw hat with fine weaves. Which means its going to protect your face very well from the sun. The hat has a soft look, that would work for everyday use as well as on a beach vacation.
Gigi Pip is a new brand I discovered that specializes in hats, so of course, their hats will be of utmost quality. This hat also comes in different sizes, so you can pick them based on your head space.
Albion Georgia Safari Hat
I know keeping a hat on your head when its windy which is almost always on a beach is tough. If you are looking for a hat with front tie that can stay secured, then Albion Georgia Safari Hat is perfect for you.
This hat has a fedora style top and comes with a matching shade of chin strap which can be adjusted. The hat is made out of 100% wheat grass and has wide stiff brim to protect your head.
Now, if you don’t need the string you can always hide it, but this feature is definitely helpful.
San Diego Hat Company Scarf Bow Hat
The San Diego Hat Company Scarf Bow Hat is the best lady beach hat that you can find. The ribbon on the head ihas a bow detail which gives you the lady look. This detail makes the hat perfect for dresses, shorts as well as swimwear.
So, you can wear this hat to the beach or for a fancy lunch by the beach with a cute dress.
The hat is a paper and polyester blend making it waterproof and great as a beach essential. The wide brims are just wide enough for sun protection, but has the stiffness to look chic.
Eric Javits Haven Hat
If you are look for a luxurious hat for the beach, Eric Javits Haven Hat is just the right one. The straw hat has printed silk blend scarf that looks like an actual scarf. And you know what you can actually remove the scarf if you don’t want to. This makes cleaning and maintaining the hat really easy as well.
This beach hat is classy and elegant and would look great with elegant hat styles. The fine weave style also elevates this hat and guarantees 90% UVA/UVB protection.
If you want this hat in a different shade it comes in cream and pink tone.
Hemlock Hat co. Toluca in Saddle Hat
The Toluca in Saddle Hat from Hemlock Hat Co. is stylish fedora style straw hat. that’s unisex. You, it’s made for both men and women. That us what the hat has a structure sophistication to it.
With the rigid brim and the tall fedora top style it looks beautiful as well as strong. The hat is finely weaved with 100% pine straw and looks so expensive despite the price point.
And it also comes in different head size so you can customize based on yours. The fine weave will keep your face protected from sun and look sophisticated as well.
Will + Bear Sawyer Sand Hat
The Will + Bear Sawyer Sand Hat is another unisex hat that is perfect for beachwear. The hat features lightweight zigzag weave with stitching. The wide brim is stiff so it looks structured and stylish on both men and women.
It also comes with an internal sweatband which you can use to adjust the fit of the hat. But this hat also comes in different sizes, so pick the one for your head size.
And this is a surfer favorite for a reason. It provides sun protection too.
Etsy Boater Hat with White Ribbon
I bought this boater hat from Etsy a few years ago and have been wearing this to my beach vacations non stop. So, I had to share. Now this hat is a little heavy, but it’s a good thing, it does not fly away that easy.
I got this with the white ribbon and its still available and is under $100.
The round head shape makes it really stylish and looks great with sundresses.
Etsy Hepburn Style Beach Hat
This Hepburn style beach hat became really popular after Jacquemus 2020 spring summer show. And I can see why, the hat looks elegant and simple and would work with casual everyday wear as well as at the beach.
The upside down brim helps with protecting your face under the sun. But the hat is soft enough that you can fold it and pack it in your suitcase for a beach vacation. I own this in maple shade but I also love this in black.
Best Straw Hats for Beach Comparison
For more on women's beach style, please read:
- What To Pack on a Beach Vacation: Your Essentials List
- What To Wear to Beach Resort Vacation: Day and Night
- The Only Hair Products You Will Need For The Beach
- The Only Makeup Products You Need for Your Beach Vacation
- Best Pool Slide Sandals That Can Be Worn Everyday
- Best Straw Bags For Your Next Beach Vacation
- Resort Wear Outfits that Won’t Break Your Bank Account
Great article on the best straw hats for a beach vacation. I appreciate the detailed breakdown of what to look for in a good beach straw hat. I have a question, though – which of these hats would be the best for windy beach days?
Yoy Edib
That’s a great question? Albion Georgia Safari Hat and Eric Javits Haven Hat come with prebuilt strings that you can tie around your head to keep it from flying. But if you want to look cute, then checkout Gigi Pip Gwen Sun Hat which comes with internal bands that you can tighten so the hat stays on the head tight. Or you can get the Hepburn hat that will block wind because of the downward brim. Hope this helps.