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American Needle’s soft canvas bucket is a good place to start if you prefer a brim all the way around. The Zion, Grand Canyon and Arches park stores carry versions in two sizes, and their profit supports the parks.
Our picks
Bucket hat$34.50
Wide Brim Bucket Hat, Grand Canyon National Park
American Needle
A wide brim and a raised Grand Canyon logo.
Rope cap$35
Roscoe Hat, Yosemite National Park
American Needle
Washed twill with a braided cord across the front.
Trucker$30
Valin Hat, Rocky Mountain National Park
American Needle
A mesh-back trucker with a Rocky Mountain patch.
Flat brim$42
Buxton Pro Hat, Yellowstone National Park
American Needle
A structured Yellowstone cap with a silicone patch.
What it sells
American Needle started in 1918 as an importer of sewing needles and is now a fourth-generation family business in Buffalo Grove, Illinois.
On its own site there are wide-brim buckets for Grand Canyon, Zion, Yosemite and Joshua Tree, and Roscoe rope caps for Yosemite, Zion and Sequoia. A few more caps cover Yellowstone, Rocky Mountain, Joshua Tree and Arches.
Where to buy
Grand Canyon Conservancy’s $35 bucket and Canyonlands Natural History Association’s $32.99 Arches bucket come in S/M or L/XL. Zion Forever’s Zion bucket is $34.99.
American Needle’s own site sells one adjustable size and takes back unworn hats within 30 days.
The hats
Best for a bucket hat with the park on it
Wide Brim Bucket Hat, Grand Canyon National Park
American Needle
- Style
- Bucket hat with a wider brim
- Design
- Raised embroidered logo
- Made of
- Soft washed canvas
- Fit
- Pull-tie adjuster
- Sun
- None claimed
- Giving
- None stated
The washed canvas gives this bucket a softer shape than a structured cap, with a raised Grand Canyon logo on the front. The pull-tie lets you adjust the fit, and the same design comes for Zion, Yosemite and Joshua Tree.
Downsides
It comes in one adjustable size, so buy it at a park store if you want S/M or L/XL.
Best for a rope cap for Yosemite
Roscoe Hat, Yosemite National Park
American Needle
- Style
- Soft-structured 5-panel rope cap with a slightly curved visor
- Design
- Twill patch or embroidered logo on the front (the maker lists both), plus a braided nylon cord
- Made of
- Washed twill
- Fit
- Plastic snapback
- Giving
- None stated
The Roscoe is the softer option among American Needle’s rope caps. Its washed twill crown and slightly curved brim give it a different shape from the deep, flat-brim Buxton, and it also comes for Zion and Sequoia.
Best for a Rocky Mountain trucker
Valin Hat, Rocky Mountain National Park
American Needle
- Style
- Structured 5-panel trucker with a curved brim
- Design
- Embroidered patch with a merrowed (overlocked) edge
- Made of
- Brushed cotton twill crown; mesh sides and back
- Fit
- Plastic snapback
- Giving
- None stated on page.
The Valin is American Needle’s $30 option for a familiar patch-and-mesh trucker. The Rocky Mountain patch has an overlocked edge, and there’s a Joshua Tree version too.
Downsides
Mesh lets the sun through.
Best for a structured, flat-brim cap
Buxton Pro Hat, Yellowstone National Park
American Needle
- Style
- Structured deep-crown 5-panel rope cap with a flat brim
- Design
- Raised matte silicone patch; diamond-pattern paracord rope across the brim
- Made of
- Polyester dobby
- Fit
- Plastic snapback strap
- Giving
- None stated
The Buxton has the deepest, most structured shape of these caps. A raised silicone Yellowstone patch and paracord rope suit its flat brim, though the tall crown won’t appeal to everyone.
Downsides
At $42, it’s American Needle’s priciest park cap.
Compare the Valin in embroidered national park hats and its Grand Canyon and Zion buckets in national park bucket hats.