Add a Nautical Flair to Your Outfit With the Best Captain Sailing Hats
If you spend long hours at sea, especially behind the helm of a ship, yacht, or boat, you certainly need some proper headgear for many different reasons. The biggest one is to keep you safe from the brutal summer sun and burn, flaking, or aging your skin faster than your ship moves! Secondly, it also gives a nice look to your overall outfit. This way, you kill birds with one stone — captain sailing hats!
These can instantly make you look like a naval chief, even when paired with a regular white shirt. It doesn’t just look like the real deal but also offers real-world practicality as the black visor is great at blocking out the sun when it’s right on top of you. Besides, it can easily double up as a great touch to your kids’ Halloween costume. But you wouldn’t want the cap to wear out after a single trip at sea, right? Sadly, most cheap quality caps do just that. Don’t worry, though. We’ve scoured the internet to gather the highest-rated captain sailing hats that you can buy in 2024. Let’s have a look!
Our Top Picks
What Is the Great Captain Sailing Hat in 2024?
Best Overall
Sitting at the top of this list is the Bestoyard Captain Sailing Hat. It leads the charts with its 100% cotton build, exquisite quality, and a realistic-looking yacht captain’s cap with a quintessential design. From children to adults, anyone can rock this with a perfect fit thanks to the easily adjustable snapback design. It’s commonly purchased for masquerades, Halloween, and costume parties but still packs enough practicality for sailors who want to use it at sea.
The pure cotton material composition ensures long-lasting durability, breathable comfort, and premium looks — making it the best option available on this list.
Pros
- Quality hat with top-notch workmanship
- Made up of 100% cotton
- Long-lasting durability
Cons
- It may run slightly small for some adults
Best Comfortable
At number two, we have the SATINIOR Captain Sailing Hat. It comes as a two-pack, so even if one of them wears out, you’ll still have headgear backup to keep you safe from the summer sun! Speaking of which, the elongated black visor certainly fulfills that purpose, while the golden olive branch symbolizes peace. The classic twisted golden rope and the word “Captain” embroidered onto the hat help you look the part when you’re at the ship’s helm.
The material is soft, skin-friendly, soft, and breathable — which are all essential boxes to check for something you plan on wearing for long hours. So, whether you’re attending a nautical party, driving your yacht, or simply taking a boat trip — this two-pack has you covered on all fronts.
Pros
- Very realistic design
- Soft, comfy, and breathable for all-day wearing
- Can serve function or aesthetic
Cons
- Relatively poor packaging
Best Package
Next up, we have a six-pack of captain sailing hats — and such a large number of hats makes it evident that this one’s designed to be a costume piece rather than a genuine sailing accessory. It’s meant to be distributed around the family or fraternity to have a lit roleplaying party or a masquerade. It’s also great for a group cosplay to turn the whole family into eye-catching navy captains!
The hats are adjustable to fit different head shapes and sizes well. They’re also breathable, washable, and relatively lightweight with a blend of materials like lightweight till cotton and shiny patent leather.
Pros
- Easy to clean as it’s washable
- Great comfort with lightweight cotton
- Adjustable tightness offers snug fitting for all
Cons
- Fabric is comfortable, but not long-lasting
Best Multipurpose
At number four, we have a yacht captain sailing hat from BBTO — and it’s genuinely designed to get you some real-world practicality at sea. The hat is mostly made of polyester and machine washable, which is incredibly useful since the white color gets dirty quickly. You get golden metal buttons with an icon embroidered at the front of the unisex navy hat.
The strap has seven holes that offer lots of adjustabilities, making it a great choice for men, women, children, and teens. The sunshade is long and dark, helping you block out the sun and avoid its glare as you focus on your line of sight. There’s also a sweat-absorbing belt on the inside, a game-changing feature for ladies to keep their makeup intact. Overall, it’s a great buy for both real-world sailing and cosplay use.
Pros
- Polyester material that’s durable and machine-washable
- Lots of adjustability with a seven-hole strap
- Great sunshade blocking out the sun
Cons
- Polyester isn’t the comfiest material
Best Costume
Last but not least, we have the Valley Mall Captain Sailing. This one isn’t supposed to be a legit captain’s hat for your boat but rather a decorative piece that’s worn as a costume or cosplay accessory. It’s unisex and features sufficient adjustability to fit adults and children well.
While it’s ideal for raves and themed parties, you can always bring it along on your boat to add a fun twist to your outfit. But, everything about the build quality tells you that it’s supposed to be a low-cost costume item rather than a practical hat for real-world sailing use.
Pros
- Very realistic-looking design
- Can easily fit adults and children
- Great for themed parties and navy costumes
Cons
- Not meant for real-world sailing use
Buying Guide: Captain Sailing Hat
So, with some of the internet’s finest captain sailing hats out of the way, let’s have a brief look at the key factors that should determine whether or not you buy a certain hat or pass on it.
Size
First and foremost, you’ve got to make sure that your hat fits you well. Whether you’re buying it for boating or just for a fun frat party costume, you can’t make compromises if the fit is too loose or too tight. It should neither fall off your head nor pinch on your ears, especially if you plan on wearing it for long hours at sea. So, the right size is the most important thing to look for before you examine a hat any further.
Comfort
Next comes comfort — and it’s especially important if you’re buying it as a legit sailing hat for your yacht or boat. That’s because in that case, you’d be wearing it for hours, and that too in the sun. So, the hat should be breathable, lightweight, and well-fitted to feel as comfortable as possible on your head.
Sun Protection
Here’s another key consideration to keep in mind if you plan on using it as a proper sailor’s hat. Sun exposure is a real issue that boaters and yachters have to deal with, and if that’s your primary reason for buying a sailing hat, look for a long and dark visor. It should be large enough to at least keep your eyes in the shade at all times since you don’t want a sun glare blocking your line of sight as you navigate through the dangerous ocean waters.
Material
The material of your captain’s sailing hat is another essential factor to look for. Ideally, it should be strong, light, and moisture-wicking to make sure you stay dry throughout the day.
As some parting words from this buyer’s guide, keep in mind that while fashion and looks are important, they’re never as meaningful as your overall user experience. So, never go for a flashier-looking captain sailing hat in place of one that’s more practical to use and offers better sun protection, breathability, and moisture-wicking capabilities.
People Also Asked
Why are captain sailing hats shaped the way they are?
For over a century, the navy has maintained the same dixie cup shape on their hats, giving them a decent level of individuality in personal style. Uniform regulations forbid stylistic improvements on such accessories as reshaping or updating, but some sailors still try new things out.
What kind of hat do you wear sailing?
Captain sailing hats aren’t the only types you can wear for sailing. In fact, they’re some of the least practical ones out there — but still, they look the best as they instantly make you feel like the captain of your own ship. But, they can blow off pretty easily, so you can wear baseball caps with retaining clips for a secure fit.
What is a hat pin used for?
Hat pins have been used for the longest time for holding your hat to your hat, usually by pinning it with your own hair. Today, these pins are mostly used by women yet offer the same amount of utility to men to keep their hats from falling off. After all, it’s a pretty significant investment, and you have to protect it somehow.