.jpg?w=1280&resize=1280,640&ssl=1 "11 Finest Winter Operating Hats | 2025 Picks")
For each jogger who switches to the treadmill when the temperature drops, there’s one other who breaks out their base layers and braves the chilly to log their miles. If that sounds such as you, an excellent hat ought to be a part of your ensemble. “Operating within the winter with out correct head safety can result in warmth loss and can make that run lots much less snug,” Gemma Ward, a Highway Runners Membership of America (RRCA)-certified coach and a runner coaching and merchandise specialist at New York Highway Runners, tells SELF.
She provides that one of the best winter operating hats are fairly spectacular multitaskers—they’ll enable you keep heat whereas stopping you from overheating (and having to cope with a sweaty head). So, when you definitely can put on any previous hat on your outside runs, one which’s particularly designed for motion will preserve you extra snug in the long run. If you happen to’re able to stage up your headwear, you’ve come to the fitting place. We spoke to operating consultants about the right way to discover the fitting hat on your winter runs and acquired their takes on one of the best ones you should buy.
Our high picks
- Finest Total: Smartwool Thermal Merino Reversible Cuffed Beanie
- Runner-Up: The North Face Oh Mega Beanie
- Finest Price range Decide: Levi’s All Season Leather-based Brand Patch Beanie
- Cutest: Tracksmith Varsity Runner’s Cap
- Finest Headband: Ondo On a regular basis Merino Wool Headband
- Finest Ponytail-Appropriate Beanie: Smartwool Merino Sport Fleece Coaching Beanie
- Finest Pontytail-Appropriate Brimmed Hat: TrailHeads Fleece Ponytail Hat
- Finest for Sweat: New Steadiness Sport Efficiency Trucker
- Finest Splurge: Arc’Teryx Grotto Toque
- Most Versatile: Buff Unique EcoStretch
- Finest Balaclava: The North Face Freedom Fleece Balaclava
On this article
What must you search for in a winter operating hat?
Your hat ought to be made of cloth that retains warmth however nonetheless breathes (bonus factors if it’s machine-washable), Ward says. As SELF has beforehand reported, Merino wool is a good possibility for chilly climate activewear as a result of it naturally regulates your physique temperature and wicks away moisture.
Ward says artificial materials, like polyester, fleece, and spandex, may also have sweat-shedding properties and can preserve your head lots heat too. Simply attempt to keep away from hats solely fabricated from cotton, which might sop up moisture and make your head chilly, she says.
As a lot as we love a slouchy beanie, a operating hat ought to match intently round your head—cosy sufficient that it gained’t shift or fly off, however not so tight that it pinches you, Ward says. She additionally recommends taking the hat’s protection into consideration: Does it go over your ears? Does it shield your neck from the chilliness? If you happen to’re heading out into frigid temps, a bit additional material can go a good distance.
Relying in your private preferences and traditional operating situations, design parts like waterproofing, windproofing, reflective particulars, or ponytail compatibility could make an excellent hat actually distinctive. These options could be tougher to search out, to allow them to enable you slender down your choices as you browse.
Store one of the best winter operating hats
Able to gear up for wintry runs? Longtime runners and coaches say these top-performing hats are one of the best of their class. (Oh, and don’t overlook some gloves.)
Finest Total: Smartwool Thermal Merino Reversible Cuffed Beanie
Execs
- Light-weight but heat
- Temperature-regulating
- Adjustable cuffed size
- Machine-washable
Cons
- Some Smartwool reviewers discovered that it’s not very stretchy
A favourite of Katie O’Reilly’s, a runner and supporter of Women on the Run Worldwide, Smartwool’s Thermal Merino Reversible Cuffed Beanie ought to preserve most winter runners from freezing. It’s cuffable, so you’ll be able to alter the size to your liking; it’s made solely of Merino wool; and its double-layered design holds warmth, however doesn’t add bulk.
Actually, some REI reviewers have been stunned to search out how skinny—but heat—this beanie was (which is one of the best of each worlds for winter operating hats). That additionally makes it simple to roll up right into a pocket in case you determine to go hat-free in the course of your run—a perk that Ward all the time likes to have in her headwear.
Runner-Up: The North Face Oh Mega Beanie
Execs
- Thick and heat
- Adjustable cuffed size
- Machine-washable
Cons
- Not very sweat-wicking
- Pricier than our total decide
A chunky, cable-knit beanie is a wintertime staple, and this one performs nice on chilly climate runs, Brittany Kenst, a coach from Women on the Run Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, tells SELF. It’s made to insulate your head and has a comfortably roomy (however not outsized) match. Learn: It’ll keep on and lock out the chilly, even on windy days.
“Good and heat, and loads of house for all my hair,” one reviewer for The North Face wrote. “And let’s not overlook heat.”
Finest Price range Decide: Levi’s All Season Leather-based Brand Patch Beanie
Execs
- Below $30
- Obtainable in 21 shade choices
- Adjustable cuffed size
Cons
- Doesn’t successfully block wind
One SELF contributor’s neon inexperienced Levi’s beanie is each an excellent accent and a motivational merchandise: “Because it will get darkish so early within the winter by me, the intense shade helps with security (and brings a bit enjoyable to one thing I do not actually take pleasure in—operating, haha),” she says. “[It also has a] good steadiness of heat with out overheating.”
The All Season beanie feels gentle and heat, though some Amazon reviewers observed that it let the wind in. But when spending rather less and staying extremely seen (simply look at how that neon pops!) are your priorities, that is nonetheless an excellent possibility.
Cutest: Tracksmith Varsity Runner’s Cap
Execs
- Trendy, however made for efficiency
- Very heat
- Regulates temperature
- Doesn’t retain odors
Cons
- Colorways are inclined to promote out
- Model recommends hand-washing solely
The lovable, collegiate vibes of Tracksmith’s Varsity Runner’s Cap caught our eye, however its efficiency is why UESCA-certified operating coach and frequent SELF contributor Jennifer Heimlich frequently wears it on winter outings.
“I really like the load of this beanie for sub-freezing temps—it is heat however mild sufficient that I do not overheat,” she says. “Plus, it would not get smelly (even when I do get tremendous sweaty)!” She provides that she’s by no means observed any tightness or pinching whereas carrying the Varsity Runner’s Cap, both—no brow indents right here.
Finest Headband: Ondo On a regular basis Merino Wool Headband
Execs
- Obtainable in two sizes
- Simply-right stage of protection
- Machine-washable
Cons
- Some Ondo reviewers had a tough time discovering the fitting dimension
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