Surf hats reviewed: floating hat, canvas hat, cap or helmet
Updated 2026-09-19
There is no single best surf hat, only the right one for the conditions. A floating brim hat covers the most skin for strong sun, a canvas hat suits a relaxed longboard session, a clip-on cap survives a wipeout better than either, and cold water needs a completely different piece of kit: a neoprene skull cap or a helmet.
The floating brim hat
The typical surf hat is a stiff-brimmed style like a Billabong, with a strap under the chin and enough foam or closed-cell material to float if it comes off. You can wear the strap loose or done up. Done up, it looks a little silly, but if you surf somewhere the sun is genuinely strong, the coverage is worth feeling like a kook. If a set catches me and the strap feels restrictive, I push the hat back rather than fight it, and I have never lost one that was strapped on properly. I did lose the Patagonia version of this style, which runs about twice the price of the Billabong for a broadly similar hat.
The canvas hat
A softer, more casual canvas hat, the kind Rip Curl makes, suits longboarding at a point break on a small day. It gives real sun protection without looking as try-hard as the floating brim style, and you can leave the strap loose around your neck between waves for a bit of shade and rest, or do it up if losing the hat is a real risk. I lost one of these in open water on a trip once, and I like to think it is still out there on someone's boat.
The clip-on cap
A surf cap with a clip, like a Creatures cap, attaches to your rashie or wetsuit zip so it genuinely does not come off. It protects your face well but leaves the back of your neck exposed, which is worth knowing before a full day in strong sun. It looks less kooky than the floating brim hat and shows up constantly on boat trips, where losing gear over the side is a real cost.
Cold water: skull cap or helmet
None of the sun hats above do anything for cold water. For that, a sealed 3mm neoprene skull cap, the kind Rip Curl calls a squid lid, cuts down the ice cream headache that comes with a cold duck dive. It looks about as good as it sounds, which is not very, but the function is real and I have worn mine in New Zealand more than in Australia.
For surfing bigger waves over a reef, a hard helmet changes the calculation completely. A Gath-style helmet gives good visibility and real confidence over a shallow reef, though the shell design has barely changed in decades. A lighter, closed-cell foam helmet built by a big-wave focused maker like Gamebreaker is a more modern option: it does not look good either, but it gives excellent visibility and real protection if you are worried about a board, a reef or another surfer.
Questions people ask
What is the best surf hat for strong sun?
The floating brim style, worn strapped on, covers the most surface area and is built to survive being knocked off in the water. A canvas hat is the more relaxed alternative for a mellower session where you do not need maximum coverage.
Will a surf hat actually stay on in a wipeout?
A clip-on cap attached to your wetsuit or rashie is the most secure option, since there is not enough surface area on it to get grabbed by whitewater. A strapped floating hat comes next, and an unsecured canvas hat is the easiest to lose.
Do I need a helmet for regular surfing?
No. A helmet earns its place over a shallow reef or in genuinely heavy waves, not on an average beach break day. For everyday sun protection, a hat is the right tool.
What keeps my head warm in cold water?
A sealed neoprene skull cap is the standard answer, and it noticeably reduces the cold headache that comes from repeated duck dives in cold water, even if it is not a flattering look.
For the rest of the body, see wetsuits for how I rate six suits across warm and cold water. The gear hub has the full set.