Bucket Hats vs. Booney Hats: What’s the Difference?

Two of the most commonly misidentified hats in the outdoor world are bucket hats and booney hats, one often mistaken for the other. The confusion makes sense—both are similar in size and shape, and tend to be made of similar materials. But they each have some unique features, both in terms of style and function.

To help explain the differences between bucket hats and booney hats, we enlisted Meghan Baldys, principal apparel designer for Columbia Sportswear. Read on for her expert breakdown of these two popular hats.

Both hats can be worn for outdoor adventures, but booney hats tend to have more performance-focused features typically intended for hiking, camping, fishing, paddleboarding, or other outdoor pursuits, while bucket hats are also often worn in urban settings.

“Bucket hats can be worn out hiking or doing outdoor activities, but they're also geared for wearing around town,” Baldys explains. ““A booney hat, on the other hand, is more of a hat you wear hiking on the trail or on the river. From that perspective, bucket hats are more versatile.

“Bucket hats can be geared towards rain too—you can wear them year round. Bucket hats have almost become the new ball cap.”

One key performance feature found in many booney hats is UPF sun protection. Booneys made with fabric that uses special technologies like Omni-Shade or Omni-Shade Sun Deflector can block UV rays and provide extra protection when spending more time in direct sunlight.

A recent study found that UPF fabric works better than sunscreen, partly because fabric is more consistent, Baldys explains.

“You don’t have to apply fabric to your body over and over again,” she says. “That’s one thing that's really great about getting your sun coverage from the UPF protection in your booney hat—you're not having to constantly reapply sunscreen.”

You can also find bucket hats made with sun-protective fabric, as well as water-resistant bucket hats if you need additional rain protection. But those features are not as common in this hat that often serves as around-town wear. (Some booney hats feature water-resistant fabric as well.)

Booney hats tend to be made with cooling technologies like Omni-Freeze Zero or Omni-Freeze Zero Ice and also offer wicking technology. These two features help prevent overheating while also wicking away sweat to keep you from feeling sticky and uncomfortable.

A final performance feature of the booney hat is ventilation, which is especially helpful in hot weather. This typically comes in the form of mesh panels or vents that accommodate airflow. Mesh panels are usually seen in the form of a ring around the crown, whereas vents are often concealed by a flap.

“In a booney hat, you'll often get a vent built-in,” Baldys says. “That helps you stay cool.”

Bucket hats can be found with vents built into the crown as well, but it’s nto as common.

Traditionally, bucket hats tend to be found in more fun and colorful styles and patterns. Booney hats, on the other hand, have typically been made with neutral solid colors, but are now being made with more color options as well as creative patterns or floral prints, like camo booney hats for hunters with special camouflage patterns and fishing booney hats with angler-themed prints.

The booney hat was largely popularized by Columbia Sportswear’s Bora Bora hat. Baldys explains that this is not just her own bias—it’s a truly iconic hat. “It's one of those hats you'll see often in TV shows,” she says. “It's been around forever and people recognize it.”

Booney hats also gained popularity after the military used them to replace standard field caps and continued to utilize them in hot climates to provide soldiers with protection from the sun and overheating. Being rollable, portable, and packable appeals to soldiers and civilians alike.

Bucket hats started becoming fashionable in the 1980s and continued into the ’90s. Now considered retro, many millennials find the bucket hat nostalgic, while Gen Z sees them as fun and youthful. Plus, a brightly patterned bucket hat makes a stylish accessory at an affordable price.