Hemp hats

Hemp hat guide

Hemp hats: what they are and why hemp works for a sun hat

By Jenia, founder of manaKAmana. Updated October 2026

A hemp hat is a hat made from fabric spun from the fibre of the hemp plant. Hemp makes a good summer hat because it breathes, pulls sweat away from your skin, is very strong and gets softer every time you wear it. Our hemp sun hats are sewn by hand in Kathmandu, Nepal. The brim is two layers of hemp with a wire inside, so you can shape it and it holds that shape.

What is hemp fabric?

Hemp fabric is cloth woven from the long fibres in the stalk of the hemp plant. People have made rope, sailcloth and clothing from it for thousands of years. Columbus sailed with hemp rigging. In Nepal, hemp still grows wild on the hillsides around the Kathmandu Valley, and families there have spun and woven it by hand for generations.

New hemp fabric feels a little coarse, a bit like linen. That changes. Each time you wear it, wash it or squash it into a bag, the fibre relaxes, so a hemp hat feels softer in its second summer than in its first.

Are hemp hats good for hot weather?

Yes. Air passes through hemp fabric, so heat doesn't build up under the crown, even on a July afternoon in Arizona. Hemp fibre also pulls moisture away from the skin and dries quickly. Handy if you weed tomatoes in it. And it's light. You feel the shade, not the hat.

Are hemp hats durable?

Very. Hemp is one of the strongest plant fibres there is. Sit on it in the car. Stuff it in a backpack for a week in Joshua Tree. Get caught in a Florida downpour. A hemp hat doesn't crack the way a paper straw hat does, and the frayed edge on our signature hat is meant to soften and fluff up over the years.

Hemp vs straw, cotton and polyester hats

A straw hat looks lovely until you fold it. Cotton is soft but loses its shape. Polyester is tough but warm. Hemp sits in the middle: tougher than cotton, cooler than polyester, and you can fold it.

Why is hemp grown for fabric?

Hemp grows quickly and densely, so it shades out weeds on its own. It usually needs less water than cotton, too. That's a big part of why it's been grown for fibre for so long. The colour of our natural hats is simply the colour of undyed hemp.

What makes manaKAmana hemp hats different?

The brim. On most hemp hats, the underside of the brim is a layer of cotton. Ours is hemp on both sides: two layers of hemp fabric with a wire sewn in between. Hemp on both layers makes the brim sturdier, gives denser shade, and the whole brim softens and ages the same way. The wire lets you decide the shape: flip the front up, pull it low against the afternoon sun, or give the edge a wave. If it gets squashed, bend it back.

Our hats aren't woven as one piece. Our makers in Kathmandu cut woven hemp fabric into pieces and sew each hat by hand: crown, band and brim. We've worked with them since 2010, and you can read more in our story.

Which hemp hat should I choose?

What size hemp hat do I need?

Measure around your head just above the ears, where the hat will sit. Then check the size chart on the Amazon page for that hat. If you're between two sizes, take the bigger one. Can't ever find a hat that fits? You're who we make XL/XXL for.

How do I clean a hemp hat?

Brush off dust when it's dry. For a mark, use a damp cloth and a little mild soap. Reshape the brim while it's damp and let the hat dry in the shade. Keep it out of the tumble dryer. That's it. A hemp hat is meant to be worn, not kept in a box.