Mountain Hardwear | Mountain Tech Dome Beanie | 2018 | $12.50 | 38g
A lightweight and completely windproof fleece beanie made of Polartec WindBloc. The face fabric isn’t the softest and has negligible stretch but there’s a wedge of stretchy fleece on the back to ensure a snug fit.
I’ve been wearing this around town in temperatures ranging from 30F to the high 40s in varying amounts of wind. I find that it keeps my head warm during light activity (walking the dog) down to the mid 30s. It is completely windproof – I love the whoosh of air over your face when you put it on quickly.
I initially passed this beanie over due to the feel of the fabric (I was worried that it wouldn’t be comfortable enough to sleep in) but having both slept in it and worn it for entire days at a time has shown this to be a non-issue. I also chose it over competitors because it was offered in a non-skull-crushing fit. Later I realized that wind-blocking beanies are probably designed to be extra snug so that they don’t blow away in the wind but the looser fit of the large size hasn’t resulted in any mishaps.
Note that the logo on the front is non-reflective.
This is a significant warmth upgrade from my previous beanie, A Smartwool Merino 150, at two-and-a-half times the weight.