I'm a surveing student with pale skin in a hot part of the world. I keep getting sunburnt doing pracs. One thing I've realised is I need to apply sunscreen more frequently than during our breaks. I'm also having trouble working out the best hat for the job. I've tried a broad (stiff) brimmed hat but had to take it off too much so as not to bump the total station. I've tried a baseball cap which leaves me with burnt ears. It looks like something with a soft brim is the way to go and just turn up the brim. I'm wondering what the experienced guys prefer to wear and why?
Also, us students all take off our sunglasses to do readings - I'm wondering if that's necessary or can you get used to using a total station with sunglasses on?
I have two of these:
Our friend Jamie of Baseline Equipment, one of our forum advertisers, sells them. I have one orange and one yellow.
I also have one of these from Bass Pro for when I am not working, and do not want to glow 😛
Bass Pro Soft Brim Hat
try this set up 
or this one 
That first picture will protect the operator and instrument from sun, which may help with accuracy as well as comfort.
But heaven help you if a sudden gust of wind comes up and tips the tripod over. I wouldn't tie the pole to the tripod.
I wear a soft brimmed 'boonie hat' similar to what was issued to jungle combat troops. The brim will squish when you look through the gun. The sides of the brim keep the sun and rain off. They have vegetation loops that I tie flo pink flagging to during hunting seasons.
Anther option is the 'flap cap' or lobster tail issued by the Portuguese. They have a split flap that covers the neck. Some models have ear flaps as well. They look thoroughly ridiculous, but you can laugh when your detractors are getting skin cancer burned off every year. Actually laughing would be bad form but you get the drift.
Good Luck, Tom
Absolutely not a baseball cap.
I used a Tilley hat for years, but last year switched to a hat with the strange name Sunday Afternoon. I found it in a pool supply place, but you can research it on line. Best sun protection I've ever had. No question this is the best.
I agree with the others on the boonie hat. Keeps the sun off and isn't too hot. Some have mesh parts around your head to help with ventilation.
>flo pink flagging to during hunting seasons
The legal requirement for hunters is to wear orange, and that's what they are watching for, so they don't shoot each other. It's optional for other potential targets, but I'd probably use orange flagging.
I use something similar to this. Spring sun reflecting off snow will fry a guy real quick. My favorite by far.
Make sure to get one with a gator clip you can clip to your collar so it blows off it doesn't go bye-bye.
Or maybe one of these
Keep those nosy neighbors at a distance, plus doubles as a hard hat.
I wear a hooligan cap. If you are pale and sensitive, you'll need long sleeves and sunscreen most of the year.
I also wear a field cap with the short brim.
Unfortunately the only job site approved headgear is a hard hat. If the sky ever falls I'm covered but in the meantime I get burned a lot. The SPF 50 lotion for little kids seems to work well for me. There is a brand that only needs a touch-up reapplication at lunchtime but I don't remember the brand right now.
This one?
http://www.rei.com/product/767086/sunday-afternoons-adventure-hat
http://www.sundayafternoons.com/men.html
My heatwave head ware consists of a doorag that I can keep wet with cool well water covered by a 4in brim straw hat drawn down like a farmer's hat for shade.
Wet weather calls for a boonie hat and cold weather brings out my Border Patrol wool cap.
B-)
Sun Shade for Hard Hat
I use a similar product to this for shade with a hard hat, mine attaches with a strip of velcro instead of the elastic bit.
Pretty good ideas above. Out here in sunny AZ my hat d'jour is a very wide brimmed Gillegan style light weight cotton hat I can pour water on if I want. If it's not to windy I've got a straw cowboy hat style hat I'll don at times, it breaths well.
The back neck cover is a great one too, but the one I have doesn't seem to fit any more. Gotta get another one.
Put the sun screen on your nose & hands, maybe grow a beard for the chin... 😉
Cover your arms with long sleeve lightweight shirts. I wear shorts, but my legs don't get bothered too much, unless I encounter a cactus or a friggin cat claw bush.
Don't forget your water to stay hydrated!!
I like Duluth Trading Products and have had the previous hat that was replaced by this new offer. The brim is floppy enough to not interfere with the instrument and it's light enough to not be a bother.
I have used it working, sailing, and traveling.
Dtp
Lincoln's Hat
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/abraham-lincolns-top-hat-the-inside-story-3764960/?no-ist
I'm fair skinned also. I've tried em all. The boonie hat is the best way to go. As others mentioned, the brim will bend out of the way while looking through the gun. I would rather look through the scope without any king of glasses because you get a wider field of view the closer you get your eye to the scope. I also wear light weight cotton shirts to keep the sun, bugs and briers off. You can get cheap shirts at Goodwill or on sale at Walmart during their seasonal close out sales. The shirts are going to get ripped and snagged so don't pay a lot of money for them.
lots of hats for surveying..
take your pick. They're all good choices.
But make sure they have a stampede strap on them.
A lot of folks sell hats down here and think they're only for wearin' indoors.:pinch:
When I was an instrument man, I was nearsighted and wore corrective lens glasses. When doing a higher-accuracy traverse, to reduce pointing error, I would take off the glasses when I turned the angles. You want your eyeball as close to the eyepiece as possible. You can adjust the lens and the crosshairs to accomodate your particular eyesight. I used to get very good angular closures in huge traverses.
When doing a simple topography survey I would often just leave the glasses on. I could get pretty darn good aim that way too. One problem was, though, that I would end up with scratches on the lens that I used to aim the instrument.
I hope that helps. I don't know much about hats. I never got used to wearing one and suffered sunburns.
