I鈥檓 a hat person out of necessity. Thanks to several years of high-alpine living and more than my fair share of sunburns, I鈥檝e tried embracing trendy wool wide-brim hats and summer sun hats made of straw. However, nothing really fits the, ahem, bill for me like a trucker hat.
Now a staple for bad-hair days and a symbol of a life lived outdoors, trucker hats get their name from the fact that they were originally given away as freebies to truck drivers, farmers, and other rural workers in the 1960s as promos from farming-supply companies.听But over time, their popularity has grown to the point where nearly every outdoor brand has at least one in its lineup. With so many options on the market, I picked these favorites by focusing on a few key things鈥攃ompany ethics, overall quality and durability, and听style. Here are the ones that rose to the top.
Meridian Line

鈥淢y Meridian Line hats are designed from the inside out鈥攅very stitch and piping and internal art considered,鈥 says Jeremy Collins, an illustrator whose imagery has saturated nearly every niche of the outdoor industry. He鈥檚 worked with everyone from Keen to Protect Our Winters on highly recognizable marketing听campaigns. In 2014, he cofounded his own brand, .
鈥淭ruckers have become an unignorable commodity for most brands, but that doesn鈥檛 mean I鈥檓 comfortable just slapping some art on a stock hat and calling it a day,鈥 Collins says. Known for his highly detailed line drawings of nature and wildlife, he applies the same meticulous approach to quality to the brand, and hats are arguably the best canvas for artwork in his line of soft goods.
All of the Meridian Line hats showcase his art, but my favorite is the听 ($25), because the faint linework on each one intentionally stands out more and more as the hat fades with time, meaning the more wear and tear you put it through, the more interesting and unique each design gets.
NativesOutdoors

There are听a lot of brands out there combining social or environmental responsibility with product, but NativesOutdoors听founder Len Necefer听uses his brand to create space for indigenous听artists and outdoor athletes. His goal? To empower听through representation.听鈥淲e鈥檙e looking to cultivate artists who are natives and who are doing cool things with design,鈥 says Necefer, 鈥渂ut our imagery isn鈥檛 necessarily recreating what you鈥檇 see on a Navajo rug or a Gwich鈥檌n beaded piece. It鈥檚 using that as the influence or base.鈥
NativesOutdoors hats feature geometric patterns and bright colors听and are an indigenous response to the plethora of culturally appropriated imagery currently saturating the outdoor market. I especially love the five-panel听 ($24). It听stands out in a crowd thanks to the plays on modern colors and graphic elements听that still honor听a traditional indigenous aesthetic. The company works with听 to create the hats, which Necefer chose for their durability. BoCo uses a woven鈥攔ather than foam鈥攆ront panel, which reinforces the sturdy feel of the hat.
This item is currently out of stock.听
Bigtruck

With its听bold graphics and听trademark off-center logo, there鈥檚 a lot to love about Bigtruck. The company specializes听in trucker hats, which allows it听to really hone in on not just the technical features but also pack tons of personality into each design. 鈥淏igtruck got its start making a simple yet symbolic beacon of California mountain life: the trucker hat,鈥 says Bill Sinoff, the company鈥檚 general manager.
From the scenic prints on the听 line to the eye-catching and easily recognizable听 designs (both $35), each Bigtruck hat speaks to an outdoor lifestyle. The company is also a , which means you can听feel good about the environmental and social impact of each hat it听makes.
Bristlecone Designs

Artist Ann Piersall鈥檚听bold line drawings of the eastern Sierra听are unmistakable听but only available in a handful of area shops听(that luckily have online stores), including听. The natural and often neutral palette听of her artwork on the front of each hat is听offset by bold, jewel-toned flat bills and mesh backs. The听combo looks great on folks who like walking around with fine art on their foreheads (and covering up their dirty hair).
Piersall, who sells her original paintings as well as prints in addition to the hats, says, 鈥淚 started printing my art on hats with the intention of making the art accessible and available to people, like most of my dirtbag friends, who wouldn鈥檛 traditionally purchase art.鈥
Piersall鈥檚 brand is under the radar, but that鈥檚 one of the reasons I love it. It鈥檚 tough to pick a favorite design, but if I had to, it鈥檇 be听the听 ($28).