Recommendations for a good photography hat?

[joe c.]

I was braving the outdoors doing some street-type photography this

past weekend, when I dropped my trusty photography hat that I wedged

into a loop on my camera bag. When I backtracked the couple of

blocks I had walked, it was already gone. It was a nifty hat that I

picked up from the Discovery Channel Store a couple of years ago,

but they no longer carry it.

 

Can anyone recommend a good hat for photography in the outdoors? I

would like it to have a good brim to protect me from the sun, but

would like the brim to be soft and move easily so that I can push it

up when I hold the camera to my eye. I have used a baseball cap

reversed into a baseball catcher mode, but I prefer a flexible brim

that wraps all the way around. I would like a khaki or stone

color. And, while by the nature of the above description, this may

be tough, I would rather that it not make me look like a complete

nerd. OK, forget that last requirement, that is in the beholder not

that hat.

 

And, yes, I have tried a search to see if this has been asked, but

try punching in the word hat in the search function and you will

find that someone is taking his hat off to another for a great

photo, the gallery contains a shot of a cowboy with a nicely

composed hat, you can use your hat as a shutter in bulb exposure or

as a flare protector, etc.

 

So, what is your favorite photography hat?

[jason_tripp]

My suggestion would be to get yourself one of those "boonie" style military hats. The type with a full brim. Here's and idea of what might work: http://www.uscav.com/productinfo.aspx?productid=5503&tabID=1

[mawz]

Tried a Tilley hat?

 

http://www.tilley.com

[mendonphoto]

This is a joke, right? Recommend a good photography hat?

[derek_c.]

Clearly, you never shoot under hot Sun for hours at a time.<br>

[rob_murray]

This is a joke, right? Recommend a good photography hat?

 

Yup, think of it as a lens hood for the eyes.

[lancemcvay]

<a href="http://filson.com/"target="new">filson.com</a> has plenty that should do the trick.

[wyverndude]

I've had much the same issues as you. I found a Dorfman-Pacific hat at my local Orchard Supply Hardware (for $20) that they called an "Outback" hat. The sides of the crown are mesh, for ventilation, the top is solid, so it provides good shading. It has a wide brim; which stays straight, but folds/bends easily (it's called "crushable") and a chin strap so I won't lose it.<P>

It does a really good job of keeping the sun out of my eyes, providing portable shade to keep me cool, and protecting me from sunburn or worse. If I need it out of the way, I can smoosh it in a camera bag, or just let it hang over my back from the chin strap.<P>

It meets all the criteria you state. I bought mine specifically for my photography excursions, but now I take it everywhere if I expect to be outdoors for any length of time. Skin cancer is no fun, or so I've heard.<P>

 

I'm almost positive

<a href="http://www.hatsinthebelfry.com/page/H/PROD/mens-hats/864m-khaki"><u>this one</u></a> is the exact same one.

[pvp]

Go to Disneyland, buy an Indiana Jones style hat. You'll both look and feel intrepid...

[klix]

Any well-stocked military surplus store should have what you want.

[frank_miles1]

I second the Tilley Hat idea mentioned above. Mine is great for photography.

[pics]

I floss a do-rag myself

[Spearhead]

Sunscreen.

[NetR]

Another vote for the fantastics hats by Tilley. I have two. Regards, Ross

[Brian]

Tilley hats were, I believe, tested for durability by being passed twice throught the digestive tract of an elephant. If you buy one, be sure to ask for an untested sample.

[yakim_peled1]

In what way a photography hat is different from any other good hats?

 

Happy shooting,

Yakim.

[joseph_smith3]

I prefer a broad brimmed hat that is stiffer than many of the hats mentioned so far. I also like it to have mesh between the brim and the top for air flow. Why stiff? Sometimes I take it off and use the hat to shade the lens making sure it is not in the image. If possible, I get it in camo color or earth tone color. Try Cabelas on line. Joe smith

[phyrpowr]

Tilleys are mucho $$$ for what they are, a boonie hat is ok, what's called a "bucket" hat is good, narrower brim

 

Try an army surplus store, or

 

www.cabelas.com or

 

www.llbean.com just got a Bean hat, between a boonie and a Tilley, just right

 

I'm with you on "no ball caps", you forget and put the camera up, it hits the bill, and off it blows (TWICE, at nearly the same place in Santa Cruz, someone in Hawaii now has two UNC caps), and if you leave it on backwards, you look like a goober (sorry children, and those old enough to know better, but you do)

[Gup]

Tilley make the best hats available, you get what you pay for! Mine is a wide brim in forest green. It shades my zeiss 40mm wide when need be. It is insured by Tilley against loss. It is totally waterproof. I have worn it on roller coasters and water slides, motorcycles and while water-skiing-- it stays put with chin strap engaged. It snaps up on either side. I snap it up on the right and then spin it 90 degrees to accommodate my Nikon when tripod mounted. I wear it down if using my 45 degree prism finder on the Hasselblad. I sunstroke in minutes on a hot day so a hat is always part of my wardrobe and I have gone through many on my way to this one. You can crumple it up small as you want and it will just bounce back everytime. And, it floats! How's that for an endorsement? Are you listening Alex?

 

Gup.

[davidv1]

I've got a boonie hat that works well. And they're cheap enough that you can afford to have a spare. REI, EMS or any other hiking supply store will have something that works.

[robert_potts1]

I prefer a stocking cap. It keeps my head and ears dry and warm. It won't blow off my head. There is no brim to get in the way. I don't take photos during the sunburn hours anyway. I sometimes carry an extra one for my camera during rainy weather.

[J.W. Wall]

Tilley.

[joe c.]

Thanks to all for your responses!

 

Yes, Aaron, as you can see, others do agree that a hat is really an essential component of a photographer's equipment list (particularly for those with receding hairlines).

 

There are really some great ideas here. The Tilley hats seem to be a big vote getter, and I did appreciate the link to their lineup. If I do go that direction, I will be sure to follow Brian's advice! The Filson hats also seem very high end, although, some of those might be a bit heavy for summer use in sunny Southern California. The boonies, outback hat, and bucket hat (I believe the hat I lost most resembles this type -- thanks!) are terrific. I will check them all out carefully.

 

And, Yakim, I realize this is, as many things discussed on photo.net, a subjective decision. I do prefer a brim, so Daniel's rag or Jeff's sunscreen or Robert's stocking cap, won't best meet my needs. And, when I use the stiffer brim Joseph prefers or baseball caps some like, it ends up a bit slapstick when I forget I have them on and raise my SLR viewfinder up to my eyes. Bounce! Ouch!

 

I do appreciate the link to www.cabelas.com. Just reviewing their site was quite an experience. Suffice it to say, while we do have some army surplus stores around, and while there are a couple of REIs here in Southern California, we don't have many places like Cabelas in Blue States like this one.

 

And, speaking of living here in So. Cal., Alan, if I am going to be a poseur, I guess rather than being an intrepid archeologist, I would rather look and feel like an adventuresome ***photographer***, so rather than jump over to the Magic Kingdom, perhaps I will just have to don this hat instead: http://shop.nationalgeographic.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=1360&itemType=PRODUCT&RS=1&keyword=hat

 

Stay cool!

[eric merrill]

Joe:

 

Southern California, eh? Sounds hot!

 

I rotate between a 100% wool baseball cap, a Tilley, and a straw Stetson. The latter is best for when I have to be outside and the humidity and heat are awful. The Tilley doesn't get as much use as I thought it would. It's a pain in windy conditions. Yes, I could tie it to my head, but that's just as uncomfortable as it sounds.

 

The wool cap is surprisingly cool. I always thought of wool as being for winter, but it is fairly efficient at wicking perspiration away to evaporate. It's also easiest to put on backwards so I don't have a brim of any sorts interfering with the camera. If I tip the brim of either the Tilley or Stetson up high enough to be out of the way, the brims are also high enough to be of little use.

 

 

Eric