Best hat for filming in sun/heat?

I also have a couple of wide brim hats but for me they have two major drawbacks. #1 The wide brim can interfere with the viewfinder. #2 You are glued to the viewfinder following fast action like motorsport in strong windy conditions and your hat gets ripped from your head or blows forward straight down over your face. In a number of cases I have had to ditch a wide brim hat in windy conditions because it was causing major issues and impacting my ability to shoot accurately and securely. Cap and towel for me. Might look weird, that doesn't worry me because it just works.

Chris Young
 
Agreed. In some ways better off without the chin strap. Rather the hat took off! Nothing worse that the strap around your neck with the hat beating you to death around the back of your head and neck in a strong gust of wind while trying to execute a fast pan and follow focus and zoom at the same time :)

Chris Young
 
The Tilley hats have a dual cord setup that hooks under the chin and around the back of the head, so the hat can't lift off from the back. Like the back straps on some highway patrol officer's hats. I've sailed with mine in 20-30 mph winds. It is light and flexible canvas, it doesn't beat you up at all and it stays in place.
I've used mine for a french flag a few times too.
 
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.

Check out https://www.hatsbythe100.com.au

Enjoy.
 
I swear by Coolibar:

https://www.coolibar.com

An Australian company that makes clothes specifically to protect against the harshest sun conditions; Austrailia has particularly harsh sun, with very high UV count - as a result, skin cancer in Australia is off the charts compared to any other place on earth (for Caucasians). And they make a range of hats too for both men and women - here's their page for men:

https://www.coolibar.com/sun-hats/mens-sun-hats.html

I like the stiff peak in front, the floppy ones don't work for me, because with any small gust of wind, I find that frequently the floppy just folds over my eyes blinding me - unacceptable. So I need something that's stiff, that won't fold in the wind. That of course means having some way of keeping it on in the wind, so usually some kind of cord/strap. While big cowboy style hats (straw or otherwise) are nice visually, I find that I prefer something that's smaller around so that if needed, I can move the peak sideways (or backward) when I bring my eye to the camera - you can do that with a peak, but you can't do that with a cowboy hat, so advantage - peaked cap. Of course, it should have some kind of cloth in the back to cover your neck (and part of your shoulder), but I like the ones where the cloth is detachable, and can be moved around a bit with velcro, that way you can position it just the right way at any given moment; also ventilation design is important to minimize heat. The Coolibar hats use special fabric that's not penetrable by UV - that's very important, because most fabric actually lets UV through! But Coolibar has experience with sun protection, so they design from the point of view of maximum protection and comfort. I've bought Coolibar hats, pants, jackets, shirts, you name it - I live in CA, and love to hike and spend time outdoors, so to me, good sun protection is very important... especially that I'm light skinned northern European, and I've already had one skin cancer removed (fortunately not super aggressive basal cell carcinoma) - so my dermatologist is adamant that I need maximum protection. I hate sunscreen creams, so I have to rely on clothing - and Coolibar is my go-to vendor (I'm not affliated with them in any way, just a satisfied customer)... they're a bit more expensive, but the quality is very high and it's super durable, so you get what you pay for - not worth saving on your health!
 
I swear by Coolibar:

https://www.coolibar.com

An Australian company that makes clothes specifically to protect against the harshest sun conditions; Austrailia has particularly harsh sun, with very high UV count - as a result, skin cancer in Australia is off the charts compared to any other place on earth (for Caucasians). And they make a range of hats too for both men and women - here's their page for men:

https://www.coolibar.com/sun-hats/mens-sun-hats.html

I like the stiff peak in front, the floppy ones don't work for me, because with any small gust of wind, I find that frequently the floppy just folds over my eyes blinding me - unacceptable. So I need something that's stiff, that won't fold in the wind. That of course means having some way of keeping it on in the wind, so usually some kind of cord/strap. While big cowboy style hats (straw or otherwise) are nice visually, I find that I prefer something that's smaller around so that if needed, I can move the peak sideways (or backward) when I bring my eye to the camera - you can do that with a peak, but you can't do that with a cowboy hat, so advantage - peaked cap. Of course, it should have some kind of cloth in the back to cover your neck (and part of your shoulder), but I like the ones where the cloth is detachable, and can be moved around a bit with velcro, that way you can position it just the right way at any given moment; also ventilation design is important to minimize heat. The Coolibar hats use special fabric that's not penetrable by UV - that's very important, because most fabric actually lets UV through! But Coolibar has experience with sun protection, so they design from the point of view of maximum protection and comfort. I've bought Coolibar hats, pants, jackets, shirts, you name it - I live in CA, and love to hike and spend time outdoors, so to me, good sun protection is very important... especially that I'm light skinned northern European, and I've already had one skin cancer removed (fortunately not super aggressive basal cell carcinoma) - so my dermatologist is adamant that I need maximum protection. I hate sunscreen creams, so I have to rely on clothing - and Coolibar is my go-to vendor (I'm not affliated with them in any way, just a satisfied customer)... they're a bit more expensive, but the quality is very high and it's super durable, so you get what you pay for - not worth saving on your health!

I have a Coolibar that I wear around the house when doing yard work and running errands. It is a good hat. My dermatologist recommended I wear a hat with a 4" wide brim all of the way around the hat. The Coolibar's brim is wider in the front and back than the sides. When I am shooting a long outdoor event, I take my Akubra Golden Spur hat https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WndKBDcq8no https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snwmD3V65rY. It is more stylish than the Coolibar and has a 4" wide brim. In my opinion Akubra is the Arri of hats.
 
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Another vote for the Tilly. I've been wearing for some 25 years. The current Airflow model is a great improvement on the classic style, as it is lighter and holds its shape better. And has a high UPF rating also.
 
Another vote for the Tilly. I've been wearing for some 25 years. The current Airflow model is a great improvement on the classic style, as it is lighter and holds its shape better. And has a high UPF rating also.

I have a Tilly winter hat that I have been wearing for years. They are good quality hats made in Canada.
 
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