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© Provided by INSIDER Mission Cooling Performance Hat- Unisex Baseball Cap$19.88 FROM AMAZON

© Provided by INSIDER Mission Cooling Bucket Hat$19.99 FROM AMAZON

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. You will basically never catch me outdoors without one.

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. 

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. 

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 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.

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.

© Provided by INSIDER Mission Cooling Performance Hat- Unisex Baseball Cap$19.88 FROM AMAZON

© Provided by INSIDER Mission Cooling Bucket Hat$19.99 FROM AMAZON