Outdoor Research Sun Runner Cap
UPF 50+, detachable sun cape
4.2 on Amazon
The cape covers the ears and neck that burn first and that no sunscreen ever gets reapplied to; you will look faintly ridiculous, and everyone who has burnt their ears at 4,000 m stops caring.
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Do not buy this if: Winter trekking, where the problem is cold rather than sun.
Not every route needs it. These are the ones where our guides would put it on your list.
Everything else we recommend in hats, caps & buffs, including the ones we think suit a different trekker.
Most useful single itemBuff Original Multifunctional Headwear
The best value item in this entire catalogue — it does five jobs badly enough to be worth carrying two, and none of them well enough to replace a real hat.
Best warm hatSmartwool Merino Cuffed Beanie
Merino stays warm when it is damp with sweat, which a cotton beanie does not — it is thin enough that in real wind you still want a hood over it.
