Hats?

I’m curious what people wear for hats when they intend to shoot outside all day.

I would love to use a regular, cheap baseball cap but the brim always gets in the way when I have the camera to my eye, especially if I’m shooting portrait mode. I’m too old to get away with the backward cap look, also (anyone over 30 looks silly to me when they do that IMHO).

So that leaves a shorter brimmed hat like the classic fishing/boonie-type hats.

At beach events like volleyball or surf events, I’ve seen people walk around with those huge, straw hats as well.

So what is your hat of choice?

I think it's location specific. I use to wear ball caps all the time when I lived in Chicago, but down here in TX, your ears would burn to a crisp in a hour or so. I prefer one of these, a TX straw cowboy hat. Very comfortable and cool and keeps the sun off.

I use a boonie hat. Had the same problem with ballcap bill. Too bald to go without something on sunny day if out much.

I just flip the baseball cap back to normal after I'm done shooting for a bit. And, as far as "getting away" with the look, nobody is going to care except maybe ur wife. And if she objects it overrides anyone else's opinion .

If I’m shooting from my kayak or at the race track I use a hat with a long floppy back. Otherwise I wear a regular cap and turn it backwards to look silly.

Outdoors I use a Boonie hat. Brim all around protects the tops of the ears and the brim is soft enough that it'll just bend out of the way. I've sprayed a lot of DEET on mine to keep these Minnesota bugs at bay and, when it's hot out and I find a water source, a quick dunk in with the Boonie and then wring it out and it feels oh, so good, on the ol' noggin.

Best of all, they are only around $12 so if one gets lost, no worries.

Boonie hat, like in Daniel Boone?

Boonie hat for me. Outdoors in Florida the sun will fry exposed skin on your head and neck in short order.

btw, my avatar pic shows me wearing one at a softball game.

Bonnie hat or baseball hat - my go two hats

UK specific but I guess they might ship international or you can find someone local with a similar stock

https://www.hatsandcap​s.co.uk …utback-hat-black-p135002/

This is what I wear when out all day shooting for clients. Keeps the sun out of my eyes, brim is soft so will fold up if i have to shoot hand held and portrait (almost never happens) and can be squished up and stuffed into bag if you need to get it out of the way. Only draw back I have with it is that it doesn't have a chin/neck strap so in very windy conditions it may make a break for it. It has a small company label loop inside the brim (like at the collar of a t-shirt) threading a soft hairband through it and then popping a ponytail through that and that solves the problem for me. If you are pony tail free then you could use a card holder lanyard instead and clip that onto the hairband.

Be aware people will talk to you in this hat, for some reason its a great icebreaker however that does mean that it replace the invisible sign that says please talk to me that only special people can see.

It does also make a good shade for the front of the lens if your lens hood isn't deep enough.

All the best

BearSummer

I use a folding leather cowboy hat I picked up in Australia. Nice wide brim so I get good ear, neck and nose coverage, but brim is flexible enough to move out of the way. And the brim flexes in high wind so it is less likely to blow away. I treat the underside of the brim with bug stuff to keep the mosquitoes at bay.

I use a floppy gardeners hat. I started with baseball hats, but the hard brim was an issue. So these worked out best. Today the people I was shooting with - one had a fishing hat, the other something similar. All had soft brims on them. Not the strongest fashion statements, but they do the job.

Tilly hat for me. Sun can be pretty brutal here in Hong Kong.

Dan Marchant wrote in post #18865907
Tilly hat for me. Sun can be pretty brutal here in Hong Kong.

Can't beat a tilley.

Dmab wrote in post #18864612
I’m too old to get away with the backward cap look

just wait a few years, then (like me) you become invisible! then you can do exactly what you like. The backward cap look works well as you get sun-cover for the back of your neck as a bonus.