Best hat for filming in sun/heat?

Ridj

New member
Hello all, what hat/type of hat would you recommend for filming in the sun? something with neck protection would be ideal.
 
If you use a viewfinder you don't want something with too wide a brim so a boonie or bucket hat is my recommendation. A turned up collar will save your neck.
 
Outdoor Research has a few different Sun hats with different designs to suite your functional needs. You can often get them on discount from places like Campmor and REI.
 
It frequently gets very hot here in inland Australia. We have quite often filmed sport in 45-52 degrees C under blistering sun. Last seasons Japan Australia baseball was days in a row of 48-49 degrees. The French had it right when they developed their French Foreign Legion caps. You can buy them on eBay.

What I find works best is a smallish towel, like 24 x 18" and a ball cap. Soak the towel ring it out and place it over your head hanging right down your neck onto your shoulders and hold it in place with the cap. Keeps the sun off your neck and the evaporative cooling does wonders for the head, neck and top of the shoulders. Cheap and works a treat. Just re-moisturize the towel as it dries out. When I'm actually shooting I spin the peak of the cap towards the back like a homeboy and that gives unobstructed viewfinder access, no peak in the way.

Chris Young
 
Hello all, what hat/type of hat would you recommend for filming in the sun? something with neck protection would be ideal.

The neck protection of the modern "bucket" style hats can be hot against the neck. I prefer a hat with a brim that is sufficiently wide to shade the back of the neck. I often see members of film crews wearing "mexican" style palm-leaf hats. With those the only part of the hat that touches your head is the brim. As a result the top of your head is shaded but still gets air to it. And the hats just look cool.


cuerda-toyo-straw-wide-brim-fedora-hat.jpg

mauicowboyhat.jpg

And modified version is the Outdoor Research "Longboard" hat:

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If you want a hat that can roll up into a small size for packing and has a brim sufficiently wide to shade the back of the neck, I have one like this and have been happy with it:

Outdoor Research "Sombriolet"-

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Seeing the color choices available for the hat that McGeed linked brought to mind a common dilemma in regard to clothing for Camera Dept.- When do you abandon camera-black for comfort?

It isn't uncommon to see members of the Camera Dept. working outside in the broiling sun and still wearing "camera-black" ( or "show-black" in the concert / theater world ).

Do any of you even bother with wearing black / darker colors when you are shooting / operating? On some jobs it is speculated on the call sheet that the crew must wear "show black".
 
I only remember being asked for "show blacks" once in 20+ years and thankfully it was indoors. Generally my comfort is priority, but I still strive to look professional and fall within the "dress code", if there is one.

I've never been a "hat guy", but as I get older and it seems to be getting hotter every summer with more intense sun(and less hair), I keep thinking about going the brimmed hat route.
 
Koala used to make a Soundman Sun Hat, that was kind of a wide-brimmed Australian-style outback hat with neck flaps and opening so you could slip your full-sized headphones through openings. Alas, it looks like the hat is no longer made.


But there is this. Wouldn't work for everyone and not so well with shoulder-mounted cameras I'd think, but that general style of hat can work with Canon C300 etc (at least it does for me)
http://www.coolhats.com.au/pg_ultimate_outdoor_workers_hat.php
Ultimate Outdoors Workers Hat Banner.jpg
 
I vote big stupid looking safari hat (like many above). Would like a more “cowboy” looking hat so I can at least look stupid in style but dont want something will get crushed if I carry it in a backpack.

As for black I never wear it unless it’s requested by whoever I’m working for. Not wearing white on set is one thing (but nonsensical for outdoors), black is miserable.
 
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I'm with JPNola, a wide brim straw hat is best. lightweight, cool, ventilated, not floppy. I've used every kind of hat otherwise and keep going back to the straw hat. I also keep a nylon foldup boonie type in the bottom of my set bag just in case.
 
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