Montane Waterproof hat

I’ve never worn a hat running before but decided to give this a go. I’m not a fan of the full waterproof hats with the ear coverings as I felt I would get too hot so I bought this thinking I could add a buff underneath for my ears if needed. This particular hat was a sample found in Ambleside and was made of Gortex material.

I was made very aware of the consequences of wearing a hat if you are not used to it when my brother decided to run in one for the Paris marathon. When we got to Paris we realised it was going to be a hot one so thought a hat would be good to keep the sun off his face. As a result he over heated and had a very difficult marathon! Always practice first to find out what works!!

I found this hat very useful in keeping the rain off my face, this was particularly beneficial when you are trying to map read. I didn’t over heat, I found that my body temperature stayed pretty constant however I think in sunny conditions I would prefer a visor perhaps. It assisted in keeping my body temperature constant by keeping my head nice and dry too. 

My only real negative was trying to keep it on my head when it is blowing a gale. This particular hat had a toggle at the back so I could put my hair through it and tie it quite tightly which was definitley helpful in windy conditions. I think if it had a standard cap fastening at the back I would have really struggled. As an extra precaution when I was high up on the fells I put the hood of my jacket over the top too but then swiftly took this off once lower again so not to overheat. 

In conclusion….great to wear in very wet conditions when navigating, less ideal in gales but with this particular hat not horrendous given the toggle fastening at the back.