High Sierra Topix

What type of hat do you wear on the trail, and what while in camp?
Is it a style thing for you, like say a Tilley, or just something to protect you from
the rays or cold like a baseball cap, smaller brim hat, or a visor?
In camp as it starts to cool down do you wear a beanie, balaclava or nada?

I am a baseball cap guy, and depending on the trip it may be beanie or
balaclava, sometime both.

It's all about function for me. I need two of them. My sun hat is a cheap cotton "booney" style hat I bought a Wal-Mart. It keeps the rays off my head and neck. Since it's cotton, it folds up when not in use and is even great for blotting the sweat off your forehead.

I took me quite a while to find my perfect knit cap. I have a rather big melon and most seem a bit small. The ultimate one for me is the Carhartt Acrylic Watch Cap. Very warm and big enough to pull down over your ears. I also bring along a "neck gaiter". That's just a knit tube to keep your neck warm. Thanks mom, you sure can knit!

I went with a Tilley, not for style, but for construction, and it keeps the sun off me. Very good hat, even in windy conditions. For night time, I usually use a baseball cap with a wrap around ear band to keep my ears warm. I sleep in a knit cap since I no longer have insulation on the top of my head.

Tilley (covers ears from the sun plus stays on in the wind) plus superlight balaclava plus hooded windbreaker in the summer. I know one person on this forum that uses a ballcap plus sticks a kerchief in the hat to cover his ears and back of neck.--Too complex for me, though the ball cap does have an advantage when wearing a poncho. Last year in late summer when I knew it was going to be cold I took a synthetic fleece hoody, too.

Mike

I have a Sunday Afternoon - best coverage overall, has a veil instead of a brim in back so it doesn't interfere with the top of a pack. Nice broad brim.

Ball caps and whatnot, I still burn. The Sunday Afternoon does the job nicely.

For sun: when backpacking I use a Mountain Hardware cape hat - ball cap style with a oversized brim and a cape down over the ears and neck, because a broad brim hat hits my pack when I look up. I also like that it keeps skeeters off my neck and ears. It has less lift in the wind, but has a chin strap to hold it on If i need it. The chin strap and the cape can be tucked up in the crown if I don't want them down. Works well under raingear too, I need a good brim to keep the rain off my glasses.
In camp for cold, usually a fleece beanie, sometimes either a silk balaclava under it or a fleece balaclava for those fall trips.

An REI outrigger bucket hat (I had to look up what it's called). The brim is broad enough for sun protection but not too broad to get in the way. Mine is now at least 5 different colors due to sweat, rain, sun bleaching, etc. My wife insists I only wear it camping and she got me another one for wearing in civilization, but it doesn't fit as well - the older hat now feels almost molded to my head.

I hike in a baseball cap. But before I put it on I tie on a scarf that covers my ears and keeps the stray hair strands from blowing in my face. Since I have long hair, I really need that "ponytail hole" that the baseball cap provides. Stylish? Absolutely NOT. The scarf makes me look like a geeky old Russian lady. For warmth I take a fleece cap with long enough roll-down brim to cover my eyes at night - I cannot sleep in full moonlight. Shoulder season I add a fleece balaclava. My rain jacket has a hood. In the past when I hiked in a lot wetter areas then the Sierra I wore a high quality wide-brim cowboy/ausie outback hat - sort of like wearing an umbrella.

Nothing fancy for me. On the trail, either a ball cap with a bandana or an old cotton boonie hat from the VVR. Not really one over the other, just what happens to seem best at the time, but the ball cap wins out about 70% of the time. I used to hike with a Aussie style outback hat and still have one, but it doesnt make it Bpacking much these days. In camp, I have a fleece beenie for those really cold nights.

I think mine is a REI or Columbia floppy hat for sun protection. If windy, something that I can put a ponytail thru to hold on if it gets away.