# Warmest winter hats **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 26, 2024, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warmest-winter-hats/1010798 "2024-11-26T13:14:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warmest-winter-hats/1010798/21 "2024-11-26T17:18:16Z")
I have a “Mad Bomber” winter hat, which was a Christmas gift from my sister, twenty years ago. It is tremendously warm, even in very cold weather, especially if you fold down the ear flaps. The fur “brim” (on the right side of the picture below) can also be folded down, and becomes a very warm neck covering (one turns the hat around to wear it that way). Be forewarned that the fur is actual rabbit fur, in case that’s a moral or allergy issue for you. [![](https://i5.walmartimages.com/seo/Mad-Bomber-Supplex-Bomber-Hat-L-Olv-Brn-Faux-Fur_5591b5a6-6909-40d6-80aa-2529a0ebbee4.2257d65602742598c4524900132d87e2.jpeg) ](https://i5.walmartimages.com/seo/Mad-Bomber-Supplex-Bomber-Hat-L-Olv-Brn-Faux-Fur_5591b5a6-6909-40d6-80aa-2529a0ebbee4.2257d65602742598c4524900132d87e2.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warmest-winter-hats/1010798/22 "2024-11-26T17:21:25Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > Does _Merino_ wool work for you? Aha, they’re back! Thanks for the info. I hadn’t tried to find one in some time, and when I last looked couldn’t find any not lined with synthetics. Merino should be excellent, I like merino socks. ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warmest-winter-hats/1010798/23 "2024-11-26T17:34:32Z")
I like beanies but 99.99% of the beanies I find are made of acrylic, which holds no heat whatsoever – I have no idea why it’s so popular. So wool it is. I have a couple of [these](https://www.duluthtrading.com/s/DTC/tougher-guy-wool-knit-stocking-cap-80304.html?color=BLK) from Duluth Trading. The knit is thick and tight so they are very warm and quite comfortable. The price is right, too. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warmest-winter-hats/1010798/24 "2024-11-26T17:36:57Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > . Be forewarned that the fur is actual rabbit fur, in case that’s a moral or allergy issue for you. Yeah, i like fur. I’m careful about sourcing it, since some farmed fur animals and basically tortured, and some traps and pretty bad, too. But despite it being really easy to raise rabbits humanely, i can’t wear rabbit fur due to allergies. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warmest-winter-hats/1010798/25 "2024-11-26T17:38:10Z")
> [@Lancia](#): > > So wool it is. Just so long as it isn’t steel wool. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warmest-winter-hats/1010798/26 "2024-11-26T17:47:38Z")
> [@Lancia](#): > > which holds no heat whatsoever – I have no idea why it’s so popular. Cheap. Much of the public just shops price. With no objective standards agency measuring the warmth of clothing, price and appearance is all that’s left. Sigh. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warmest-winter-hats/1010798/27 "2024-11-26T18:20:46Z")
You need to define _cold temperatures_ because my answer will depend on the range. The warmest headgear I wear is a ski helmet, typically with a balaclava, neck tube, and hood, sometimes with a head sock over the top. That’s for temps below -15F when skiing. For regular cold weather activities (temps above 0F, walking or not moving quickly) I have a wool hat with ear flaps, similar to but not a deerstalker, and a nice heavy fleece hat that pulls down over the ears. Combinations are really the best option for headgear. In the coldest of temps, full face coverage is critical. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warmest-winter-hats/1010798/28 "2024-11-26T18:50:12Z")
I wear a close fitting woven cap on my head most of the time during the serious cold of January and February , often indoors too. In addition to that I’ll wear a coat with a hood outside, or maybe a hoodie with jacket. I’ve had warm hats, including one of those Russian soldier hats made out of sable fur but I don’t want to keep track of them when taking them on and off while indoors or in the car. Also it looks goofy with the ear flaps down, as do most hats of that style. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warmest-winter-hats/1010798/29 "2024-11-26T19:43:11Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > For me it’s a Carhartt Knit Cuffed Beanie. I got one of these. I wear it in the desert when I take the dogs for a ride. > [@Horatius](#): > > Most people seem to call them “Sherpa hats”, a knit wool hat with built-in ear flaps, and strings attached to the flap. I got one of these, too. I sewed some Hondaline helmet speakers into the ear flaps (these are really good speakers!) and I wear this skiing so I got my tunes with me. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2024, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warmest-winter-hats/1010798/30 "2024-11-27T00:38:49Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Also it looks goofy with the ear flaps down, as do most hats of that style. That’s a feature, not a bug. I prefer a regular scarf to a balaclava or facemask for covering my face; I find it easier to adjust how loose or tight I want it to be. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2024, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warmest-winter-hats/1010798/31 "2024-11-27T00:47:53Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I have a [Russian Navy ushanka](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/tomclancy/images/4/40/Marko_Ramius.jpeg) I have a vintage Persian lamb version that my dad traded his military cap for with a Russian soldier. It has a nice large red enameled star with a hammer and sickle embedded in it. The story was they met on a train after the war was over (WWII, btw) and did the trade then. Well, after my dad died I found paperwork that he had been part of a joint American/Russian (and maybe British, too?) project. This was in Iran, where I knew he’d been, but he never mentioned what he’d actually done beyond being in the motor pool. So, I was wondering if he traded with a soldier he knew and liked, but didn’t want to say that because of all the anti-Russian feeling in the late 50s/early 60s when he told us the story. ETA: I don’t think I ever wear a hat for cold. I do wear a hat for sun shade and to prevent sunburn. ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2024, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warmest-winter-hats/1010798/32 "2024-11-27T13:41:43Z")
I have this one too, and it’s my go-to winter headwear when I need to shovel the driveway. I also have a much older [Stormy Kromer](https://www.stormykromer.com/the-bergland-cap/) with earflaps that’s an old favorite, but is in kind of sad shape that I still wear from time to time. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2024, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warmest-winter-hats/1010798/33 "2024-11-27T14:19:23Z")
My very warmest head covering, for barn chores when it’s well below zero and windy: a liner beanie, then a woven not knit wool balaclava, I think it is Scandinavian, then a woolen navy surplus watch cap, with my fur-lined parka hood over all. Basically, my eyes are uncovered and that’s it. Barn chores are the cold test, because it’s not aerobic and it’s mostly standing, bending, lifting, outdoors. And it is not discretionary (if it’s that bad outside I’m not going to be snowshoeing or riding my horse). ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2024, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warmest-winter-hats/1010798/34 "2024-11-27T14:26:43Z")
Maybe it’s just me, but wool is itchy. It’s why I never wear sweaters (long sleeves in general are uncomfortable). People tell me that certain wools aren’t itchy, but they are to me. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2024, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warmest-winter-hats/1010798/35 "2024-11-27T14:36:24Z")
It varies from person to person. I don’t find smooth wool itchy, and don’t especially mind the itchiness of, for instance, my Icelandic wool throw blanket. But i think a lot of people are more sensitive to that than i am. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2024, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warmest-winter-hats/1010798/36 "2024-11-27T15:09:51Z")
Wool, except for angora and cashmere, is itchy. I always wear something under it, like a cotton turtleneck, or a synthetic layering shirt. But nothing is warmer nor ages more gracefully than wool. I’m wearing a medium-heavy turtleneck right now that I have owned for thirty years. When holes wear in them, I darn them. I also used to find turtlenecks irritating, until I removed to the land of Real Winter. Suddenly turtlenecks were perfectly fine. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2024, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warmest-winter-hats/1010798/37 "2024-11-27T15:10:35Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Maybe it’s just me, but wool is itchy. It’s not just you; but it varies from person to person (as well as to some extent by the kind of wool.) For me, wool is far less itchy than polyester, and most wool not itchy at all; but, judging by the amount of next to the skin polyester stuff on the market, that’s an idiosyncratic reaction, at least as far as the polyester (the amount of merino wool socks on the market means I’m probably not all that unusual about the wool). It’s a big problem for me in finding bras, and was how I first figured out what was causing the itching. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2024, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warmest-winter-hats/1010798/38 "2024-11-28T14:08:23Z")
If it’s not too cold out, but it’s snowing, sometimes I just pop on my [Tilley hat](https://www.rei.com/product/721740/tilley-ltm6-airflo-broad-brim-hat?sku=7217400147&store=&CAWELAID=120217890000773946&CAGPSPN=pla&CAAGID=135229340129&CATCI=pla-1597529055099&cm_mmc=PLA_Google%7C21700000001700551_7217400147%7C1597529055099%7CNB%7C71700000062011487&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAxqC6BhBcEiwAlXp45xMZhcFbS1W5KqIFdK84xG6HTTXQw-2KXMmdDl0u68z2cL_BKWzvJRoCABkQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds) . Keeps the snow off of my sun glasses. This is really just for getting to the car and running into the store. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2024, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warmest-winter-hats/1010798/39 "2024-11-28T14:23:38Z")
Merino will is much less itchy than most wool, though. I find most wool a little itchy. I wouldn’t want it for a bra or underpants, but it’s okay on my arms and head. But i don’t find merino will even a little itchy, and like it in socks. I don’t really like sweaters, but i do have a collection of silk turtlenecks that are a nice base garment in cool weather. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2024, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warmest-winter-hats/1010798/40 "2024-12-01T01:51:38Z")
My mom got _really_ itchy in wool, and I heard her talk so much about it when I was a kid, I thought it was universal. However, I’m happy to say it’s not! I can sometimes get a little itchy with certain wools in certain knits (and especially if I get too hot) but mostly I’m o.k. I like sweaters, but it often isn’t cold enough here to wear the majority of them. I can have sweaters for _decades_ because I wear them so few times per year. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warmest-winter-hats/1010798.md?page=1)