Conner Airflow Review
Cons: Warps out of shape easily and is hard to fix, sizing is inaccurate
Manufacturer: Conner Hats
Our Verdict
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
Conner Airflow | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  | |  | | |
| Price | $59 List | $29.40 at Backcountry Compare at 3 sellers | $75 List $75.00 at Backcountry | Check Price at Backcountry Compare at 3 sellers | Check Price at REI Compare at 2 sellers |
Overall Score  |
|||||
| Star Rating | |||||
| Pros | Lightweight, good ventilation | Lightweight, durable, great sun protection | Very stylish, well ventilated, packable, comfortable | Excellent protection, removable cape, good in the wind, good value | Comfortable, very breathable, good color, great value |
| Cons | Warps out of shape easily and is hard to fix, sizing is inaccurate | Not super stylish | Somewhat narrow brim, not adjustable, expensive | Looks a little funny, can get hot on the back of your neck | Not very stylish, brim could be wider |
| Bottom Line | This inexpensive hat looks similar to other western hats but performs far less impressively in every category than some | This hat wins our Editors' Choice for Technical Use for being the highest performing and most versatile of the bunch | This versatile, stylish, durable hat stole our hearts and earns one of our top awards | This super protective hat is lightweight, versatile, and an excellent value, winning our Best Buy Award | One of our top choices for a full brim hat that is extremely comfortable and breathable and a great value |
| Rating Categories | Conner Airflow | Sunday Afternoons U... | Filson Summer Packer | Outdoor Research Ru... | The North Face Hori... |
| Protection (30%) | |||||
| Comfort (25%) | |||||
| Breathability (15%) | |||||
| Durability (15%) | |||||
| Style (15%) | |||||
| Specs | Conner Airflow | Sunday Afternoons U... | Filson Summer Packer | Outdoor Research Ru... | The North Face Hori... |
| Weight (ounces) | 2.8 oz | 2.6 oz | 3.9 oz | 2.8 oz | 2.9 oz |
| UPF rating | Unspecified | 50+ | 50+ | 50+ | 40+ |
| Size of Brim (inches) | 3.25" | 3.25", with 6" neck cape | 2.25" | 2.75 brim, 7.25" neck cape | 2.9" |
| Material | Recycled plastic, organic cotton | 88% nylon, 12% polyester dobby | Dry finish shelter cloth | 100% Supplex nylon | Nylon Ripstop, 97% recycled polyester mesh lined |
| Cinch Cord | Yes | Yes | Optional | Yes | Yes |
| Packable/compressible | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Size tested | M (7-7 1/8) | L | Large | L | L/XL |
Our Analysis and Test Results
We got bent out of shape about the Conner Hats Men's Airflow Hat when we could not bend ours back into its original, stylish shape.
Performance Comparison
Protection
The Conner Airflow is not the most protective hat of the bunch. Its brim measures 3 inches around, which is somewhere in the middle compared to the other products we tested. The brim is a lightweight material that is covered with mesh, providing reasonable sun protection. The top of the crown is also covered, but the sides are pure mesh. This lets plenty of sun through, which could allow your scalp to burn if you have a deep part or don't have much hair to begin with.
Conner does not specify a UPF rating for the Airflow. As a result, we can't compare it directly to the other products in this review. The Airflow's brim bends out of shape easily, too. This can cause this hat to have even less sun coverage.
Comfort
The Airflow is a lightweight hat, particularly for its rigid cowboy style. It is lighter than some of its competitors. However, its sizing is very off. The size medium we purchased is supposed to fit a circumference of 22 ⅜ inches, but it barely fit on our tester's 21.5-inch, size small head. If you are considering purchasing this product, definitely size it up.
The Airflow is comfortable otherwise, with a soft brow lining material and a removable chin strap to keep it on when it's windy.
Breathability
This product excels in this category. As we already mentioned, the sides of the crown are made of mesh. This makes the Conner Airflow one of the most breathable products we tested.
Durability
The Airflow is not particularly durable. Conner Hats claims it is crushable, so we threw it in our suitcase with little regard for maintaining its shape during our travels. We were very disappointed when we took it out of our luggage. It was wildly misshapen, and we could not make it go back to its original form. After this, it was a very strange and misshapen hat.
The recycled materials that Connor uses to construct the Airflow are very lightweight. While this helps keep the hat comfortable and airy, it does not seem like it will stand up to much abuse as a result.
Style
At first glance, this hat seems very stylish — if you're into the Australian outback cowboy kind of look. If you are careful with it and maintain its shape, it could work for you. But if you aren't vigilant and the hat gets bent out of shape. Then it becomes very un-stylish very quickly.
Value
The Connor Airflow is a decent value. Still, we'd pay more for something more durable if we wanted a hat with this type of style.
Conclusion
The Connor Airflow is a stylish hat with an eco-friendly conscience. But its recycled materials let us down by getting completely bent out of shape. Its inconsistent sizing is also a pain. This could be a good choice for many outdoor activities, from boating to yard work, if you size up and treat it with care. But there are more durable and protective options available to keep you out of the sun.
— Jessica Haist
Ad-free. Influence-free. Powered by Testing.
GearLab is founded on the principle of honest, objective, reviews. Our experts test thousands of products each year using thoughtful test plans that bring out key performance differences between competing products. And, to assure complete independence, we buy all the products we test ourselves. No cherry-picked units sent by manufacturers. No sponsored content. No ads. Just real, honest, side-by-side testing and comparison.
Learn More