A Cheap Fashionable Sun Hat with a Strap (for Women!)

It seems like a simple task, no? To find a classic, inexpensive wide-brimmed sun hat with a strap, that is decent quality, looks cute, and won't fly off the head in a strong wind? Well, it's not that simple, because it took me 5 years to find this one.

A little about me: I have terrible skin that reacts to everything. And by "reacts" I mean "breaks out in acne" and by everything, I mean basically anything that touches my face, including my own hands. SPF sunscreen has been a big problem for me, which is unfortunate because this bad skin of mine requires some upkeep that tends to make my skin sensitive to the sun. This is a problem because I live on the surface of the sun, aka Southern California. BIG HATS to the rescue! I love wearing big lady hats. I've also lost count of the amount of times my big lady hats have comically flown off of my head. BIG HATS WITH A STRAP to the rescue! I darn it. I can't find a cute one anywhere.

I stumbled upon my perfect sun hat when I wasn't even looking for it. Over the summer, I went on a weeklong hiking trip that totally kicked my butt. In between all the sweating and grumbling I was doing, I happened to notice that one of the women I was hiking with was wearing the exact kind of hat I had been looking for for years. I turned to her, wet faced and mouth breathing, "OH MY GOSH. WHERE DID YOU GET THAT HAT." She told me she got it at a gardening store and that it was dirt cheap. I slapped my face in earnest. "WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT."

As soon as I got home from my trip, I did a Google search for "garden hat" and found the same exact hat, ie the Slogger's sun hat, on the first page of results. This was much more satisfying than previous Google searches which yielded me hats with straps... for babies. I'm not a baby Google! Much to my surprise, I also discovered that the Sloggers hat came in a nice darker shade of brown that's much more inline with my style. I ordered it immediately.

This Sloggers Sun Hat has that classic braided straw look, and it feels nice and sturdy. I think mine will last for many years. The brim is just under 4.5 inches and provides a good amount of shade from the sun without being comically huge. It's not super floppy, but it also isn't stiff as a board; it's got a nice shape and "movement" to it, plus it looks like it costs more than it actually does. On the inside, there's an elastic band to keep it snug on your head (without squeezing your brain stuff out your nose). Did I mention this hat has a strap? It has a strap guys! Take that wind!

This hat comes in the darker brown shown here in the photos, but also comes in 4 other colors (classic straw and 3 greens). The Sloggers Hat is casual enough to wear for a walk around the neighborhood or gardening, but fashionable enough to wear to the beach, at a BBQ, or out and about around town. I can't wait to try it out on a boat.