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A boonie hat is a form of wide-brim hat commonly used by militaries. Its design is similar to a bucket hat
Bucket hat

A bucket hat is a soft cotton hat with a wide and downwards sloping brim which is worn by both men and women. The brim offers shade from the sun for the eyes and face....
 but with a stiffer brim. Often a fabric tape band of 'branch loops' is sewn around the crown
Hat

A hat is a headcovering. It may be worn for protection against the elements, for religious reasons, for safety, or as a fashion accessory. In the past, hats were an indicator of social status....
 of the hat. This 'foliage ring' is meant to hold additional vegetation as camouflage
Camouflage

Camouflage is a method of cryptic or concealing coloration that allows an otherwise visible organism or object to remain invisibility through deception....
. A strap provides stability. The crown may be vented with rivets or mesh panels. Snaps may also be provided with which to fix the brim in the style of an Australian bush hat
Slouch hat

A slouch hat is a wide-brimmed felt hat with a chinstrap most commonly worn as part of a military uniform. It is a survivor of the felt hats worn by eighteenth century armies....
.






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A boonie hat is a form of wide-brim hat commonly used by militaries. Its design is similar to a bucket hat
Bucket hat

A bucket hat is a soft cotton hat with a wide and downwards sloping brim which is worn by both men and women. The brim offers shade from the sun for the eyes and face....
 but with a stiffer brim. Often a fabric tape band of 'branch loops' is sewn around the crown
Hat

A hat is a headcovering. It may be worn for protection against the elements, for religious reasons, for safety, or as a fashion accessory. In the past, hats were an indicator of social status....
 of the hat. This 'foliage ring' is meant to hold additional vegetation as camouflage
Camouflage

Camouflage is a method of cryptic or concealing coloration that allows an otherwise visible organism or object to remain invisibility through deception....
. A strap provides stability. The crown may be vented with rivets or mesh panels. Snaps may also be provided with which to fix the brim in the style of an Australian bush hat
Slouch hat

A slouch hat is a wide-brimmed felt hat with a chinstrap most commonly worn as part of a military uniform. It is a survivor of the felt hats worn by eighteenth century armies....
. They are also known as bush hats.

U.S. Military Boonie Hat

The boonie hat was introduced to the U.S. military during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War

The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina Wars, the Vietnam Conflict, or often in Vietnam the American War occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia from 1959 to April 30, 1975....
, when U.S. Army Green Berets began wearing them in the field, along with Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
n and ARVN units. These tigerstripe
Tigerstripe

Tigerstripe is the name of a group of camouflage patterns developed for close-range use in dense jungle during jungle warfare by the Army of the Republic of Vietnam/US Forces....
 boonie hats were locally procured, the tiger stripe camo cloth was usually salvaged from other uniform items or made up by the tailor. In 1967, the US Army began issuing boonie hats, as the "Hat, Jungle, with Insect Net", made of cotton and wind-resistant poplin, in olive drab, tigerstripe, and M65 ERDL. It was meant to supplement and replace the fatigue hats and baseball style caps that had been in service since World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
. While it was liked by troops in the field, it was scorned as slovenly by spit and polish officers such as Creighton Abrams
Creighton Abrams

Creighton Williams Abrams Jr. was a United States Army General officer who commanded military operations in the Vietnam War from 1968-72 which saw U.S....
. As the U.S. military evolved away from a garrison
Garrison

Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, of more than 50 men, but now often simply using it as a home base....
 mentality, the boonie found a permanent place as part of the uniform of all services. The boonie has changed little through the decades since Vietnam and is still in use in Iraq
Iraq

Iraq , officially the Republic of Iraq , is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros Mountains, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
 and Afghanistan
Afghanistan

Afghanistan , officially the Islamic republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country that is located approximately in the center of Asia....
 as an alternative to the patrol cap
Patrol cap

A patrol cap, also known as a field cap is a soft cap with a soft, rounded visor, and flat top, worn by military personnel in the field when a combat helmet is not required....
. The U.S. Military boonie hat has come in a variety of camouflage patterns; the current assortment includes US M81 woodland
M81 Woodland

Woodland pattern is the name of the default camouflage pattern issued to Military of the United States United States Army, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S....
, three-color desert, ACUPAT, and both desert and woodland versions of MARPAT
MARPAT

MARPAT is a pixelated camouflage pattern in use by the United States Marine Corps, introduced with the Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform , which replaced the Battle Dress Uniform....
. Early issue boonie hats were olive drab.

Hat, Camouflage (Tropical Combat) Type II

Us Navy Seals in From Water
In 1968 the Army authorized use of the woodland ERDL pattern
ERDL pattern

ERDL pattern is a camouflage pattern developed by the United States Army at its Engineer Research & Development Laboratories , in 1948, but first issued to elite reconnaissance and special operations units in early 1967, during the Vietnam War....
 (Engineering Research Development Laboratory) material, used in the 1969 and later production of hats in cotton rip-stop material. These were labeled, "Hat, Camouflage (Tropical Combat) Type II" with contract dates starting in 1968. They were in use from 1968 for both the Army and Air Force, and from 1969-70 for the Marine Corps and Navy.

Hat, Sun, Hot Weather

Later boonies are called "Hat, Sun" or "Hat, Sun, Hot Weather", which is still the designation for this type of cover. They are made in various patterns, in cotton rip-stop or nylon blend cloth.

See also

  • Patrol cap
    Patrol cap

    A patrol cap, also known as a field cap is a soft cap with a soft, rounded visor, and flat top, worn by military personnel in the field when a combat helmet is not required....
  • PASGT
  • ACUPAT