I have a hard time finding winter hats. It doesn’t help that I live in Northern Illinois – northwest of Chicago and just south of the Wisconsin border. It gets cold here between January and April. Really cold. So in the dead of winter, acrylic and acrylic blends won’t cut it when the wind is howling and temperatures drop into the single digits (or worse). Wool is the best and only option. The other problem is my hat size is 7 3/4 and so coverage is an issue. Most hats just aren’t large enough to fit me properly. Over the years, I’ve tried many. Notably the Triple Aught Design Warden Watch Cap that I reviewed here. And the Prometheus Design Werx A.G. Watch Cap reviewed here. The later was my favorite for the past couple of seasons. This winter, I decided to try something different. I had heard good things about the Filson Watch Cap Beanie and so on a whim I decided to give one a try.
Filson Watch Cap Beanie
Filson is an iconic outdoor brand so you expect a certain level of quality from them and this product didn’t disappoint. The Watch Cap Beanie is made from 100% Virgin Wool sourced domestically and sewn here in the USA. High quality virgin wool is taken from a lamb’s first shearing. Fiber/yarn from yearlings will be finer and softer than anything from an adult animal because all mammal’s hair coarsens as they age. Smoother fibers tend to itch less. The exception is if you have a lanolin allergy which I don’t (some sheep’s wool naturally has lanolin oil in it). Because of the quality of the wool, the Filson beanie doesn’t cause my head to itch. I’ve worn it 4-5 hours at a time without issue.
It’s one size fits all, but coverage-wise it’s just about perfect. I’m able to pull it down over my ears and still have plenty of cuff to work with.
Out of the box, it was a little tighter than the PDW A.G. Watch Cap but it has stretched slightly with wear and now fits great. The Filson’s weave is a little looser. I’ve not had any snags so far but it bears watching because I do venture off-trail from time to time and therefore durability is important.
The biggest difference between the two is that the Filson version is thicker and warmer. When temperatures with the wind chill really drop here (say below -10°C), there have been times when my head got cold wearing the PDW cap. Especially if I was static. That hasn’t been the case with the Filson. In fact, I’ve been downright toasty. That tells me this hat will keep me warm when most sane people would be indoors. An old buddy of mine, who is an Alaskan guide, likes to say – “there’s no bad weather, only bad gear.” I’ve definitely found that to be true. The Filson Watch Cap Beanie is not cheap. It retails for $45. But I always stress quality over quantity and I’d rather have one great hat than a box or drawer full of mediocrity.
The Watch Cap Beanie comes in a number of colors and can be ordered directly from Filson from their website or other online retailers.
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