Your running hat. A seemingly small part of your ensemble, but an important one. Vital for keeping the sun off, a key tool for cooling you down when dipped in a stream and a handy piece of kit for spectacle wearers in the rain. I have on several occasions made a hat choice that proved to be: too small, too big, annoying when worn with sunglasses, or a bit itchy. All incredibly annoying over long distances.
We tested out some hats to give you some ideas for your headwear.
This hat looked like a fashion hat (is that a thing?) but it had lots of good details. There are good vents on the top and it had a nice defined shape, sitting slightly lower than the other hats we tried. It’s got a very sturdy brim, which has kept its shape over many wears and there’s a good amount of padding on the forehead, which made it very comfy. You can tell this is a well-made hat from the little details like a rubber, grippy bit on the adjuster at the back of the hat.
This was the lowest-priced hat that we tested, but it had lots of good points. It’s got vented panels with nice detailing on and it’s made of a good, breathable material. It was less structured and more moulded to your head than the other hats we tried - so that might be good if you have a funny-shaped head. However, it didn’t have a padded inner and the material felt a bit heavier than the others we tested. So it’s a good, budget hat, but maybe not for those really hot days.
This hat seemed very well built and structured. The fit was the best of the hats we tried. It’s made of very light material (91% polyester, 9% elastase), which wicked sweat away from the head nicely. There are lots of nice little touches that cry quality, like a grippy rubber bit on the edge of the peak, another rubber gripper on the adjuster at the back and smooth velcro on the adjuster so you can’t get your hair caught in it. They thought of everything!
If looking cool as well as being cool is a consideration then this hat is one for you. It’s a halfway house between the trucker cap style and a normal running hat, made of a sort of soft t-shirt material. It’s incredibly light and comfy, but it keeps its shape well. It’s good quality, with little details like a stretchy elastic bit on the adjuster so it has a bit of give. Probably the most comfy hat we tested. The only downside is that the grey t-shirt type material does show up the sweat but that only proves how hard you’re working, right?
With big thanks to our hat model, Pip Haylett
