Guide
Hemp hat vs straw hat
A straw hat looks great until you sit on it. A hemp hat looks a little more rustic and survives almost anything: a suitcase, a summer storm in Vermont, a toddler. We've made hemp hats in Kathmandu since 2010, and here's how they honestly compare with straw, cotton and polyester sun hats.
| Hemp | Paper or wheat straw | Cotton | Polyester | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breathes in heat | Yes | Yes | Yes | Less |
| Folds into a bag | Yes, with a wired brim | No, it cracks | Yes | Yes |
| Light rain | Fine, reshape and dry | Can warp or go soft | Fine | Fine |
| Over the years | Softens, keeps its strength | Goes brittle | Brim goes floppy | Stays stiff |
| Holds a shape you bend | Yes, with a wire brim | Only the shape it was made in | No | Sometimes |
Is hemp cooler than straw?
They're close. Both let air through, so heat doesn't build up under the crown. Straw has an open weave that's very airy; hemp fabric is a little denser, which gives slightly more shade, and hemp fibre pulls sweat away from the skin and dries quickly.
Which lasts longer?
Hemp. By a long way. It's one of the strongest plant fibres there is, and fabric doesn't crack when you fold it. Paper and wheat straw go brittle after a couple of summers in the sun, and once a straw brim cracks, that's it.
Which one is better for travel?
Hemp. Roll it into a carry-on in New York, unroll it in Lisbon, bend the brim back and go. A straw hat has to travel on your head or in a hat box.
When is a straw hat the better choice?
For a wedding, a garden party or a beach photo shoot where the hat stays on your head all day and you want that crisp, classic look. For gardening, farm work, festivals, hiking and travel, hemp wins.
