Warmest hat ever.

March 2, 2015 12:56 PM

When I go running or for longer walks, even with a hat on my ears can get painfully cold especially if there is any wind, and even if the temperatures are relatively warm. I need a really warm, dense hat that is impermeable to the weather. (I am flexible with style and color, but ideally it would not have any branding and for a woman, if that matters).
posted by nanook to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (26 answers total)

Smartwool buff
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 1:00 PM on March 2, 2015

Would you be able to come up with any way to hold reusable hand warmers against your ears in pockets inside a fleece ear warmer headband?
posted by biffa at 1:02 PM on March 2, 2015

What about a wide fleece headband/ear band *and* a hat?
posted by Flipping_Hades_Terwilliger at 1:03 PM on March 2, 2015 [1 favorite]

Go to an army surplus store and get yourself a fur-lined ushanka!
posted by phunniemee at 1:06 PM on March 2, 2015 [1 favorite]

On failure to edit, that's more of a "walk" hat solution than a "run" hat solution. They're bulky.
posted by phunniemee at 1:07 PM on March 2, 2015

Search for "windproof hat". Here's an example.
posted by quince at 1:08 PM on March 2, 2015

It's not the most attractive hat I've ever owned, but it is the warmest:

Mountain Hardwear Dome Meritage

Tested snowboarding/skiing as well as on my everyday commute.
I bought it because I can. not. tolerate. my ears being cold.
posted by xiaolongbao at 1:11 PM on March 2, 2015

Here are some ideas from etsy.com. Here are some good ideas from REI. Here's what LL Bean has. If you are OK with fur, I think this hat will certainly keep you warm. And if you don't wear fur, I think this one will do the trick.
posted by bearwife at 1:12 PM on March 2, 2015

And I'll add that I got this hat to deal with frozen ears on my bike commute and it really has fixed that problem.
posted by bearwife at 1:17 PM on March 2, 2015

Have you tried Earbags? I'm a huge huge fan. They're basically little fleece things that slip over your ears, with a curved piece of cardboard inside to "clip" onto your outer ear, no around-the-head band or anything. I promise they stay on, I wear mine during winter soccer games and have never had any problems. If you want to check them out/try them on in person, many outdoors-type stores will have them. I don't have any ear piercings or anything, so I can't speak to personal experience in that regard. You can also wear a hat over them if you like.
posted by Bunny Boneyology at 1:39 PM on March 2, 2015 [1 favorite]

Oh, forgot to add: I've had the painfully cold ears too, so I know what that's like and the Earbags are definitely warm enough. Also, I am a woman with fairly small ears and they still fit me.
posted by Bunny Boneyology at 1:46 PM on March 2, 2015

I'm going to second the Mountain Hardwear Dome Meritage. I don't have the furry fleece one [it's, uh, normal fleece] but I do own a jacket made out of that furry stuff from Mountain hardware and both the non-fury-fleece hat and the fury-fleece-jacket have made it through 100s (?) of washer dryer cycles and they're not all pilly and still super awesome. I've had my black one for years and it's kept my ears and head fabulously toasty, even as a subway/walking commuter in the middle of winter. And I look pretty damn good in it. Kind of like a cloche silhouette around my face.
posted by atomicstone at 1:46 PM on March 2, 2015

Lowe Alpine Classic Mountain Cap.

I am seriously in love with this hat. Weatherproof outer, fleece inner. For the ears it's like being inside even in a howling gale, and the cut about the face is extremely comfortable, non-intrusive and practical. The peak is a little puny but quite handy in light rain. It's so so warm and comforting.
posted by mymbleth at 1:48 PM on March 2, 2015 [1 favorite]

Get an ushanka. Tie the ear flaps under your chin. Run. Be warm.
posted by I-baLL at 1:49 PM on March 2, 2015

I layer this thing (which seems similar to the last one bearwife addded) under a plain wool stocking cap I knit. It keeps the wind out really well on my bike commute, and it's low-profile enough that you can't tell I'm wearing two hats.
posted by torridly at 1:59 PM on March 2, 2015

I am going to second the idea of Earbags; they're what I use in conjunction with my hat in the coldest part of Alaskan winters.
posted by My Top Secret Sock Puppet Account at 2:09 PM on March 2, 2015

I have an Outdoor Research beanie made of windstopper Polartec fleece and it is rarely cold enough here in the mountains of East Tennessee for me to wear it without overheating.

I also have a Smartwool buff as suggested above. I love it and it has its uses, but it is not as warm as my OR beanie.
posted by workerant at 2:15 PM on March 2, 2015

I'm sure there are many "high tech", multilayer solutions out there, but I found the

Carhartt Men's Wetzel Watch Hat

to be the warmest hat I've ever had...
posted by NoDef at 3:51 PM on March 2, 2015

I recommend a wool watch cap like this Women's Carhartt. I wear a men's wool Filson or Carhartt cap of a similar style when I run and it's in the mid teens or lower and never lacked for warmth.
posted by qsysopr at 5:15 PM on March 2, 2015

I have something similar to this fleece lined beanie that works a treat for running, and I also suffer from very painful ears in cold wind.
posted by katya.lysander at 5:35 PM on March 2, 2015

You can get headband/earcoverings for runners, then a hat over. A runner I know likes this inexpensive cold weather running hat, sometimes uses it with an Underarmour "Coldgear" earband that is very wide at the back of the head/nape (the Underarmour stuff has prominent branding).

Turtle Fur has very warm fleece/wool beanies in many configurations.

For super warmth, you could try a thrummed hat (there are some on Etsy), tho I don't know how well it would work for running.
posted by LobsterMitten at 5:44 PM on March 2, 2015

Most of those don't look that warm, honestly. The warmest hat I've found looks kind of like this, but honestly, I didn't bring it out to Vancouver with me, as it doesn't get cold enough to need it, so I can't say the brand or anything. I got it at a big box store of some sort, and it has kept my ears unfrozen down to about -30 C (-22 F), so I'd look into hats like that if your ears are freezing.
posted by Canageek at 6:25 PM on March 2, 2015 [1 favorite]

My warmest-hat-ever method was to take a thin soft scarf (fleece would work but I had a slightly moth-eaten cashmere one), wrap it around my head, ears, and neck, and then put a fleece bucket hat (like this one) on top. If you have an appropriate scarf and hat, I'd suggest you try it out.

I guess if it's warmer then your neck might get too toasty, though. You could try an earband/hat combo to avoid the neck warmth.
posted by that girl at 7:54 PM on March 2, 2015

I'm putting my vote in on military surplus hats. I got This and I love it. The nice part is that it has tiny flaps that cover a hole for your ear on the larger flaps so that if you want to hear better you can open them up without getting too much heat loss.

Got me through a brutal MN winter.
posted by Ferreous at 8:57 PM on March 2, 2015

These quilted down beanies from Black Rock Gear look warm.
posted by wherever, whatever at 12:46 AM on March 3, 2015

I had one of These and it was super lovely, and I live in cold windy crappy Calgary, and have tiny sensitive ears. I get like.. inner ear headaches if the wind gets into my ears. It doesn't work well with a ponytail, unfortunately.
posted by euphoria066 at 11:09 AM on March 3, 2015