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Mission Cooling Performance Unisex Baseball Cap Check price at Amazon Check price at Dick's Sporting Goods 
Mission Cooling Bucket Hat Check price at Amazon Check price at Mission For someone who is pretty sensitive to the heat, I spend a ton of time outdoors. On any given weekend you'll find me hiking, trail running, gardening, or taking long walks with my wife.
To keep myself cool, I have a couple tricks: I carry face mist everywhere I go, I use a peppermint essential oil roll-on, and I always wear a lightweight cooling hat from a brand called Mission.
Mission, which was co-founded by Serena Williams and Dwayne Wade, makes hats, towels, clothing, and accessories from highly technical cooling fabric. They cater mostly to athletes and the outdoor community, but the thing that sets them apart (besides the fact that they actually work) is that not every style looks like it belongs on a fishing boat.
I have a regular baseball hat from the brand that I wear for more active days, and a trendy bucket hat that I wear at the pool or while gardening. Each comes in multiple colors, and the materials are extremely lightweight. Both styles are cute, comfy, and keep me from melting like a popsicle in the heat. After this Mission cooling hat review, you will basically never catch me outdoors without one.
How Mission cooling hats work
Mission is pretty tight-lipped about the technology of their material except to say that it "enhances" the process of evaporation, pulling heat away from the body and into the air. To activate the vaporactive cooling technology, the lightweight material has to be wet. The second you dampen it, you'll get an immediate cooling effect. But, unlike regular hats, the material remains cool-to-the-touch instead of trapping steam and warming up as the sun beats down on you.
Once the hat is wet, I've found that my sweat keeps it naturally damp and cool so I rarely (if ever) have to re-wet it on a long day out. But if you're just sitting by a pool or on a boat and you're not working up a sweat, you may want to re-wet the hat every hour or so. You can even hand-wash the hat with soap or detergent in between wears.
Temperature test
I did a little test outside on a 90-degree day using a laser thermometer where I measured the temperature of the hat before and after dumping room-temp water (about 70 degrees) on it.
The dry hat was 77.7 degrees and, after dumping water on it, the wet hat measured 54.5 degrees. For reference, I performed the same test with the same cup of water on a regular cotton hat, and it measured just over 74 degrees when wet — 20 degrees warmer than the wet Mission hat.
Comfort and fit
The baseball hat fits well and has an adjustable band like any other athletic hat. I have a small head, and it's not too big for me. Same goes for the bucket hat — it's not too big around my head, but has an adjustable chin strap that can be tucked into the hat or tightened against the chin for a more secure fit.
The Mission bucket hat is definitely a little goofier, but it's great for days on the water when I don't want my hat to blow away. The bucket hat is also UPF 50, so I know I won't get burnt through it if I'm out on a boat or experiencing extreme sun exposure.
The bottom line
Mission cooling hats are incredibly effective at regulating my body temperature when I'm outside on hot days. They keep me cool and comfortable, and I recommend them to anyone who spends a good bit of time outside.
Mission Cooling Performance Unisex Baseball Cap Check price at Amazon Check price at Dick's Sporting Goods Mission Cooling Bucket Hat Check price at Amazon Check price at Mission 
Sally Kaplan Executive Editor, Insider Reviews Sally Kaplan is the Executive Editor for Insider Reviews, the product review wing of Insider's service journalism team. Sally started at Insider in 2018 as an editor and has since held the role of senior editor and deputy editor on Insider Reviews. She has interviewed startup CEOs and brand founders, reported on the rebirth of a fashion company that narrowly escaped bankruptcy, written guides to wardrobe staples like the best loafers, developed testing methodology for hundreds of stories, and edited countless reviews, buying guides, deal articles, and gift guides. She has over 10 years' experience covering product reviews and major deal holidays like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Amazon Prime Day. Prior to joining Insider Inc., she was the lifestyle editor at Hearst's BestProducts.com, where she wrote product reviews and gift guides, and developed the site's coverage of big deal days. Previously, she helped to shape BuzzFeed's early shopping and reviews coverage, which included introducing its popular "What's trending on Amazon?" series. Say hi to Sally at skaplan@businessinsider.com, give her a shout on Instagram @saltykaplan, or follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter. Learn more about how our team of experts tests and reviews products at Insider here. Read more Read lessncG1vNJzZmivp6x7o8HSoqWeq6Oeu7S1w56pZ5ufonyowcidnKxno6nGrbGOpqCsq5mku26vzqijoqaXYrWiwIyrnK%2Bhlaw%3D