Father's Day Gift Guide: Best sun hats for dads

June 11, 1:13 PMEarly Childhood Parenting ExaminerAngele Sionna

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This Father's Day how about getting Dad something useful instead of such boring notions like a tie or aftershave. Instead - how about a sun hat to keep your greatest guy shaded and shelter from the dangers of UV rays. My husband and myself searched high and low, trying all sorts of sun hats for dads. Here are our favs...

Tilley LYM6 Airflo - The self-proclaimed Rolls-Royce of hats lives up to their hype. It has a stylish look and is designed to be loose fitting and comfy. It stays put nicely but if it is windy it has a cord to hold the hat to your head. The wind cord is like a shoe lace that goes in front and behind your head and is surprisingly comfortable. This hat has a secret pocket in the top that is perfect for holding an ID or credit card if you are at the beach or pool. Like all Tilley hats, it offers UPF 50+ protection and comes with a lifetime
guarantee. (This is the first hat that I have seen with an owners manual.) We're not alone in our love for this hat, Backpacker Gear Testers found the Airflo top quality after a 6 months field test in rugged conditions. Note these hats come in specific sizes, so you're going to have to sneak a measurement of pop's head... maybe say the kids are making him a special gift to keep the surprise!

The Coolibar Crushable Ventilated Hat lives up to its name. It is cool looking and helps keep you cool in the summer sun. Its wide brim shades your face nicely. As recommended by the American Academy of Dermatology, all Coolibar hats have at least a 3 inch brim and are rated to block 98% UV. Coolibar hats have been recognized by the American Academy of Dermatology, the Skin Cancer Foundation and the Melanoma International Foundation for their sun protection benefit. This hat is unisex too so mom can "borrow" it from dad or get herself a matching one if that's your thing. This Coolibar hat is top quality and made to last.  Added bonus: while Coolibar hats look really expensive, they aren't! This hat is on sale right now for about $33.

Simms Solar Sombrero is made for fishing but has so many uses. This hat is made with 100% lightweight nylon with HT Teflon treatment and has a cool look. The base of the hat is elastic with an adjustable cord that runs around your head that allows this hat to fit tight or loose. The underside of the brim is soft and it has an adjustable chin strap. All and all an very comfortable hat with UPF 50 to boot. This one also is priced right at about $30.

Tuga's hats are all unisex and have a UPF rating of 50+. What varies are the brim sizes, styles and colors. Their Playa hat is very good looking and extra affordable at $20. It has a mesh area to allow air in and keep you cool. My husband wore this hat to play golf last weekend and reported "it provided excellent shade all day and was light and non intrusive. The only issue with the hat is the clips that attach the hat to the chin strap can be uncomfortable when you have to tighten up to handle the wind." It has a 3" brim and 50+ sun protection. Tuga's Cabo Is rugged and can take a beating - whether that's being crushed in a suitcase or pool bag or rafting down a river. The Cabo is made of thick breathable cotton with a polyester lining and comes in several colors from bright blue to neutral tan. It has a 3.5'' brim, an adjustable head band, vent holes on the sides for cooling and an easily removable chin strap.

If you want a gift for dad long these lines but a little bit different, check out Nobis' hats. They'll bring some suave to Daddy-O's style and up his cool factor. It's hard to find the summer styles online in the USA but you can check them out in person in stores across the country. They're cool looking and have quality construction. Make sure you know what size to buy and save the receipt just in case Pop's head is bigger than you think.