By Diane Spicer
A Streamaroo camera hat mount is a nifty solution to the problem of how to capture POV (point of view) hiking memories without interrupting the flow of the trail.
By using a hat or visor to mount your action camera, you have your hands free for your trekking poles as you capture video of whatever you're observing.
A review of this Streamaroo product is the result of Hiking For Her's curiosity about what hands free photography with an action camera perched on a hiking hat would be like.
Hiking For Her received a Streamaroo camera hat mount to try out on a hiking trail of her choice.
The camera used was made by ThiEYE (camera review & video footage coming soon).
All opinions, comments and some of the photos (as marked) belong to Hiking For Her.
If you purchase a Streamaroo camera hat mount through this Amazon link Hiking For Her receives a small percentage of your purchase price. Yet you pay nothing extra.
Thanks for supporting quality outdoor gear merchants like Streamaroo, who are thoughtful about how to put great gear into your hands.
If you own a Go Pro or some other brand of action camera, you already know how much fun it is to play with it.
If you don't own one yet, this review will give you an idea of how easy it is to take POV video on your next hike.
Just attach your camera to something you're already using: your trusty hiking hat.
To demonstrate the attachment process, let's use my own beloved hat. (Actually, I'm using the one which is least battered and stained. You're welcome.)
Note the metal clip which slides onto the brim of the hat.
Above the Streamaroo logo, you can see the round metal plate which holds the camera mount.
The 2 plastic prongs on the bottom of the camera case slip into the two spaces on the metal clip.
These two pieces are held firmly in place by an easy to turn metal screw attached to the black plastic handle sticking out on the right side of this photo.
Here's a close up look at the three pieces you will be using to plastic waterproof case pictured without the camera in it):
If you'd prefer to clip your camera directly to a hat, without using the plastic waterproof case, you can do that quite easily.
Simply remove the camera from its case.
Unscrew the metal camera mount from the hat clip.
Then join the attachment point on the base of the camera to the screw sticking up on the metal clip.
Voila! You're ready to start shooting action videos.
And yes, the camera will be off center as shown below if you use this particular camera.
This review is being written in late spring/early summer here in the Pacific Northwest.
That means every trail I tackle will be snow covered, muddy, running with ice cold water, or all three.
So it won't surprise you to learn that I used the waterproof case on my camera :)
The Streamaroo camera hat mount was tested on my own hat during a 10 mile hike, with an elevation gain (and loss) of 2400 feet over a seven hour period.
The camera was not worn for the entire hike, as the trail was somewhat dull until views of Mount Rainier and the Mount Stuart range came into view.
The camera was controlled by hand, rather than using a smartphone app (which would have been a lot easier, in retrospect).
For these reasons, I recommend that you try out your camera hat mount in the safety of your own back yard or a nearby open space before taking it onto a trail with uneven footing or variable lighting.
And
double check that the hat is seated firmly on your head before you
start moving (we can talk about how I learned how important this safety check is at a later date).
Rest assured, the camera stayed firmly in place on my hat as I hiked, regardless of the terrain under my hiking boots.
So I have no hesitation in recommending this approach to shooting POV hiking videos.
The hat mount is designed to accept any action camera, so whatever camera you own will be compatible.
And it's so much fun!
As noted, you can use your own hat, or purchase one with a permanent camera mount from Streamaroo.
If you don't own an action camera but do own a smart phone, you can still capture great hiking videos using Streamaroo ingenious hat mounts.
If you have both an action camera and a smart phone, you can decide which camera suits your hiking video needs best by carrying mounts for both.
So really, there's no excuse for not bringing home awesome hiking videos to share with your friends and family.
Please send them to me here.
A Streamaroo camera hat mount adds a lot of fun to a hiking trip, and think of the memories you'll have as you document your adventures year after year!
Home page > Hiking Gear Reviews >
Streamaroo Camera Hat Mount