What is a drover hat? The Australian outback hat explained
A drover hat is a wide-brimmed Australian outback hat, named for the drovers who moved cattle and sheep over long distances. The brim angles down at the front and back, the crown is soft, and there’s usually a chin cord, so it shades your face and neck and stays on in the wind.
We’ve been making outback hats for over 30 years. This guide covers where the style comes from, how it differs from cowboy, bush and slouch hats, what health groups say about sun hats, and how to choose a drover from our range.
Drovers and the hat they wore
In Australia, a drover is an experienced stockman who moves cattle or sheep from one place to another on the hoof. That might mean taking a mob to market, delivering it to a new owner, or walking it to better feed and water in a dry year.
The work was done on horseback. A drover kept several horses for a trip, including a steady night horse for riding around the mob after dark. Cattle and sheep walk slowly, so a single drove could last weeks. Some ran for months.
Think about what that means for a hat. Sun from dawn to dusk, with very little shade along the way. Dust. Sudden rain. Wind across open country. Drovers wore broad-brimmed hats for exactly these reasons, and the wide, practical outback hat that went with the job came to be called the drover hat.
Railways took over some of the long walks, and trucks and road trains took over most of the rest. Droving still goes on, but on a much smaller scale. The hat outlived the job, though. Gardeners, anglers, hikers, ranchers and travelers wear it for the same reasons the drovers did.
From felt to leather and canvas
The traditional Australian outback hat was made from rabbit fur felt. Today you’ll find the same basic shape in leather, canvas, cotton and wool felt. People often call the outback hat Australia’s answer to the American cowboy hat, and that’s fair: both grew up as working hats in cattle country under a hard sun. They just went different ways in the details, as you’ll see below.
Our drovers come in canvas and leather. Canvas is light and cool for summer. Leather is heavier and builds character over years of wear.
Anatomy of a drover hat
Every part of a drover hat has a job. Here’s what to look at when you compare one hat with another.
- Crown. The top of the hat. On a drover it’s soft and rounded, with at most a light crease. On the hats in this guide it’s 3 3/4″ to 4 1/8″ tall.
- Brim. Fairly level, angling down at the front and back. On our Squashy shape it’s 2 5/8″ at the sides, 2 7/8″ at the front and 3 1/8″ at the back, so the longest part shades your neck.
- Hatband. The band around the base of the crown. Some of ours have a Cooper Crossing hatband or a two-tone band.
- Sweatband. The inner band that sits on your forehead. The foam strips in our free sizing kit tuck in behind it to fine-tune the fit.
- Chin cord. A cord with a slide that keeps the hat on in wind. The hats we handcraft in Minnesota have a chin cord loop, so you can add a removable chin cord any time.
- Vents. Mesh panels or small eyelets in the sides of the crown let heat out. Our canvas coolers use mesh panels.
- Sun liner. On several of our coolers, a sun protection liner sits at the front, where the sun hits your face most of the day.
Drover hat vs cowboy hat
Set the two side by side and the difference is in the brim. A cowboy hat’s side brims curl up, and the crown is usually taller, with a firm pinch or crease. A drover’s brim runs flatter and angles down at the front and back instead, so it throws shade where you want it.
The crown on a drover is softer. That’s why many outback hats can fold or crush for packing and then come back into shape.
Then there’s the chin cord. Out in open country the wind is a fact of life, and a cord keeps the hat on your head instead of in the next county.
Both are working hats. Pick the drover when shade and a hat that stays put matter more than a sharp crease.
Outback, bush, slouch and safari hats
These names overlap a lot, and shops use them loosely. Here’s how they’re usually meant.
Outback hat is the family name for wide-brimmed Australian working hats. A drover hat is one member of that family, with the brim down front and back.
Bush hat is a loose term. It can mean an outback hat, the army slouch hat, or a soft cotton field hat, depending on who’s talking.
Slouch hat is the Australian army hat, with one side of the brim pinned up against the crown. It has been part of the uniform for well over a century. A drover leaves both sides of the brim down.
Safari hat is mostly a catalog name for light, wide-brimmed travel hats, often in cotton with a chin cord. Some of them are drovers under another name.
Our advice: ignore the label and look at the brim, the crown and the material.
| Style | Brim | Crown | Usual materials |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drover / outback | Fairly level, down at front and back | Soft, rounded, light crease at most | Felt, leather, canvas |
| Cowboy / western | Sides curled up | Taller, pinched or creased | Felt, straw, some leather |
| Slouch (army) | One side pinned up | Soft | Felt |
| Bush / safari | Wide and soft | Soft | Cotton, canvas, felt |
What makes a good sun hat
Skin cancer groups in the US and Australia give much the same advice about hats, and it lines up well with the drover shape.
- Health groups recommend a brim of about 3 inches (7.5 cm) or more, all the way around, so it shades your face, ears and the back of your neck.
- Baseball caps aren’t recommended for sun protection, because they leave your ears, cheeks and neck out in the sun.
- Hold a hat up to the light. The less light that comes through, the better it blocks UV. Loosely woven straw lets a lot through.
- Look for a UPF rating. UPF 50+ is the top band on the scale.
- A hat in your hand protects nothing. In wind, a chin cord earns its keep.
- A hat works alongside sunglasses and sunscreen on the skin it doesn’t cover, not instead of them.
Here’s how our drovers measure up. The 1057, 1047 and 1058 have a 3″ brim all around. The 1087 Extra Wide Brim Canvas Cooler goes to 3 1/2″, and in leather the 2080 Wide Brim Foldaway Bronco Cooler has 3 3/4″. All are rated 50+ UV protection, and the canvas drovers are made of poly cotton canvas or waxed canvas.
Mesh sides and sun liners
Looking for a mesh sun hat? The canvas coolers are what you want. On the 1057, 1047 and 1087, mesh panels in the sides of the crown let air flow through, so heat doesn’t build up under the hat on a still afternoon.
The same three have a sun protection liner at the front, where the sun hits your face most of the day.
Every hat in this guide is water resistant too. Rain beads off the waxed canvas on the 1058 in particular.
Choosing a color for heat
Lighter colors reflect more of the sun’s heat, so a cream, beige, khaki or natural hat feels cooler on a hot day. Darker fabric blocks a little more UV. Health groups say the weave and the rating matter more than the color, though, and every one of our drovers is rated 50+ in every color.
So pick for comfort and for what you’ll wear it with. For high summer in the garden or on the water, many people go light. Brown and black hide dirt and dust better, which counts on the ranch or the trail.
Our canvas drover hats
We have four canvas drovers. Three share the same 3″ brim and 4 1/8″ crown, and the fourth has a 3 1/2″ brim all around. They’re sized on our canvas chart; see the hat sizing guide for how to measure and which size to pick. You’ll find them all in our canvas hats.
1057 Canvas Drover
Our classic canvas drover. Durable poly cotton canvas with mesh sides for airflow, a sun protection liner at the front and a chin cord. It’s lightweight, and it comes in five colors.
- Material: poly cotton canvas, mesh sides
- Brim: 3″ all around, crown 4 1/8″
- Colors: beige, black, brown, cream, khaki
- Includes: chin cord, free sizing kit
1047 Ladies Canvas Drover
The women’s version, handcrafted in Minnesota. Same poly cotton canvas, mesh sides, front sun liner and chin cord, so it stays cool and stays on.
- Material: poly cotton canvas, mesh sides
- Brim: 3″ all around, crown 4 1/8″
- Colors: beige, brown, khaki
- Includes: chin cord, free sizing kit
1058 Waxed Canvas Drover
Premium waxed canvas, handcrafted in Minnesota. It’s light, it has a chin cord, and it folds into the travel bag that comes with it.
- Material: premium waxed canvas
- Brim: 3″ all around, crown 4 1/8″
- Colors: brown, natural, field tan, sage
- Includes: chin cord, travel bag, free sizing kit
More shade: 1087 Extra Wide Brim Canvas Cooler
If shade is the whole point, start here. The 1087 Extra Wide Brim Canvas Cooler has a 3 1/2″ brim all around on a 4 1/8″ crown. It’s handcrafted in Minnesota from poly cotton canvas, with mesh sides and a sun protection liner at the front, and it’s extremely lightweight.
Colors are beige, brown, cream and khaki.
Close relatives: the Beachcomber and the leather coolers
A few of our hats aren’t called drovers but share the same outback shape.
The 3360 Beachcomber is heavy duty cotton canvas with a natural frayed edge, so no two look quite the same. Its brim is 2 3/4″ all around and the crown is 3 3/4″. It’s handcrafted in Minnesota, lightweight, and folds into its travel bag. Black, natural, olive and navy blue.
On the leather side, the 1062 Foldaway Bronco Cooler is a drover-style hat in full-grain cattle leather with mesh sides. The oiled, waxed finish is designed to look old when new. The 1038 Kangaroo Cooler pairs Australian kangaroo leather with mesh sides and a front sun liner. For a leather hat with more shade, the 2080 Wide Brim Foldaway Bronco Cooler has a 3 3/4″ brim. Our leather hat guide goes deeper on the hides, and the foldaway hats are all in one place.
Drover hat comparison
| Hat | Material | Brim | Crown | Mesh sides | Included | Colors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1057 Canvas Drover | Poly cotton canvas | 3″ | 4 1/8″ | Yes | Chin cord, front sun liner, sizing kit | Beige, black, brown, cream, khaki |
| 1047 Ladies Canvas Drover | Poly cotton canvas | 3″ | 4 1/8″ | Yes | Chin cord, front sun liner, sizing kit | Beige, brown, khaki |
| 1058 Waxed Canvas Drover | Waxed canvas | 3″ | 4 1/8″ | No | Chin cord, travel bag, sizing kit | Brown, natural, field tan, sage |
| 1087 Extra Wide Brim Canvas Cooler | Poly cotton canvas | 3 1/2″ | 4 1/8″ | Yes | Front sun liner | Beige, brown, cream, khaki |
| 3360 Beachcomber | Heavy duty cotton canvas | 2 3/4″ | 3 3/4″ | No | Travel bag | Black, natural, olive, navy blue |
| 1062 Foldaway Bronco Cooler | Full-grain cattle leather | 2 3/4″ | 3 3/4″ | Yes | Travel bag, sizing kit | Black, brown, driftwood, olive, rustic |
| 2080 Wide Brim Foldaway Bronco Cooler | American cattle leather | 3 3/4″ | 3 3/4″ | Not listed | Travel bag, sizing kit | Black, brown, driftwood, rustic |
How to wear a drover hat
- Get the size right first. A drover should sit level and snug, just above your ears, without pressing. Measure with a soft tape around your forehead, about a finger’s width above the eyebrows and just above the ears, then check the chart in our sizing guide. Between two sizes? Choose the larger size and use the sizing kit to fine-tune the fit.
- Wear it level. Set the brim level or tipped very slightly forward. The front brim then shades your eyes and the back brim covers your neck, which is the point of the shape.
- Use the chin cord. In a breeze, slide the toggle up under your chin. On calmer days, many people run the cord around the back of the head instead, or tuck it up inside the crown.
- Settle the shape. A drover’s brim and crown are meant to be soft. After a foldaway comes out of its travel bag, push the crown back out from the inside and run the brim between your fingers to settle it. Over time a hat takes on the shape of the way you wear it.
Need a spare? The removable chin cord and the sizing kit are both in our accessories.
Who wears a drover hat
Anyone who spends long hours outside. Here’s how a few of them use one.
Gardeners
Bent over a bed of tomatoes, the back of your neck takes the sun. The 1087’s 3 1/2″ brim covers it, and the mesh keeps your head cool. The 1057 has a 3″ brim and a chin cord for breezy days.
Anglers and boaters
Water reflects light and the wind never quite stops. Mesh sides and a chin cord earn their keep here, which makes the 1057 and 1047 easy picks. If you’d rather wear leather, look at the 1062 Foldaway Bronco Cooler.
Hikers and travelers
The 1058 Waxed Canvas Drover sheds a shower, has a chin cord for exposed ridges, and folds into its bag when you’re indoors. The Beachcomber folds up too. Our packable travel hats guide covers more hats that pack flat.
Ranch and farm work
For long days with livestock or along a fence line, a lot of people go with leather. The 2080 Wide Brim Foldaway Bronco Cooler gives you the most shade we make in leather. Browse the rest of our Squashy hats for the classic outback shape in full-grain leather.
Caring for canvas and waxed canvas
Canvas drovers don’t ask for much. If one gets soaked, shake off the water and let it air dry at room temperature, away from a heater. Brush off dried dirt once it’s dry.
Waxed canvas has its own personality. It scratches and shows markings easily, and that’s part of the design and the look. Scuffs, creases and the odd darker patch build up as you wear it, and after a season the hat looks like yours and nobody else’s.
Store the 1058 in its travel bag when it’s not on your head.
Drover hat questions
What is a drover hat?
A drover hat is a wide-brimmed Australian outback hat named for drovers, the stockmen who move cattle or sheep over long distances. The brim angles down at the front and back, the crown is soft, and it usually has a chin cord.
Is a drover hat the same as an outback hat?
A drover hat is one kind of outback hat. Outback hat is the family name for wide-brimmed Australian working hats, and a drover is the version with a fairly level brim that angles down at the front and back.
What is the difference between a drover hat and a cowboy hat?
A cowboy hat has side brims that curl up and usually a taller, firmly creased crown. A drover hat’s brim angles down at the front and back for shade, the crown is softer, and it usually has a chin cord.
What is the difference between a bush hat and a slouch hat?
A slouch hat is the Australian army hat with one side of the brim pinned up. Bush hat is a looser term that can mean an outback hat, the slouch hat or a soft cotton field hat. A drover keeps both sides of the brim down.
How wide should a sun hat brim be?
Skin cancer groups recommend a brim of about 3 inches (7.5 cm) or more, all the way around, to shade the face, ears and neck. The 1057, 1047 and 1058 drovers have a 3 inch brim, the 1087 has 3 1/2 inches and the 2080 leather cooler has 3 3/4 inches.
What color hat is best for hot weather?
Lighter colors such as cream, beige, khaki and natural reflect more of the sun’s heat, so they feel cooler. Darker colors block a little more UV, but the weave and UV rating matter more than color. All of our drovers are rated 50+ UV protection in every color.
Why do drover hats have a chin cord?
A chin cord keeps the hat on in wind, on horseback, on a boat or on an exposed trail. The 1057, 1047 and 1058 come with one, and the hats we handcraft in Minnesota have a chin cord loop for our removable chin cord.
Why do some drover hats have mesh sides?
Mesh panels in the sides of the crown let air flow through, which keeps your head cooler in hot weather. The 1057 Canvas Drover, 1047 Ladies Canvas Drover and 1087 Extra Wide Brim Canvas Cooler all have mesh sides.
Are canvas drover hats waterproof?
Our canvas drovers are water resistant and rated 50+ UV protection. Waxed canvas, like the 1058 Waxed Canvas Drover, sheds water well. If a hat gets soaked, let it air dry at room temperature, away from a heater.
Which canvas drover has the widest brim?
The 1087 Extra Wide Brim Canvas Cooler, with a 3 1/2 inch brim all around. The 1057, 1047 and 1058 have a 3 inch brim.
Can you fold a drover hat?
Many can. The 1058 Waxed Canvas Drover and the 3360 Beachcomber fold into the travel bag that comes with them, and so do our leather foldaway and Squashy hats. Push the crown back out and smooth the brim by hand when you unpack it.
How do I care for a waxed canvas hat?
Let it air dry at room temperature if it gets wet and brush off dried dirt. Waxed canvas scratches and shows markings easily. That is part of the design and look, and it builds character as you wear it.
Find your drover
Browse by style, or call us at 800-984-8549 and we’ll help you choose.