The weather is starting to turn cold up in the mountains and I have
been reaching for the cold weather clothing already. I tend to chill
easily and having lightweight and warm items are crucial for me to stay
warm without killing my pack weight. So when it came to a lightweight
and warm hat I was having trouble finding something. I had a
lightweight down jacket and lightweight down socks, why not a
lightweight down hat? I didn’t know if such a think existed until I
read about Black Rock Gear and their down hat. So I had to have one to
fit in with my cold weather gear.
The Black Rock Gear Down Hat is a very lightweight down hat that
compresses very small. It is the shape of a beanie, fitting close to
the head, covering the ears and forehead. The hat has sewn through
construction following the latitude and longitude lines as on a globe.
The down used to fill the down hat is 900 fill power insulation. The
main material is Momentum-MR which is down-resistant and has a DWR
finish. Inside the down hat along the bottom there is a band of Dryline
which is a stretch polyester capable of wicking away moisture and
drying rapidly.
Down hat in use
The down hat, according to Black Rock Gear is suitable for climbing,
hiking and backpacking while being stylish for around town use. While I
haven’t worn it around town or while climbing, I have found that the
down hat is quite comfortable for sleeping in on very cold nights and
wearing while hiking/backpacking and snowshoeing. Because of the
lightness and compressibility, this down hat has been a great addition
to my cold weather gear. I find I can shove the down hat in a pocket or
in warmer weather, I can keep the down hat in the same stuff sack as my
sleeping bag and have it handy at night when it cools off. The down
hat has for the most part stayed on my head through the night. On some
occasions the down hat has popped off, but I suspect that I pulled the
down hat off during the night when I warmed up sufficiently.
Down Hat Detail
My main use of the down hat was with my sleep system. I have been
using a quilt system that has no hood. I have been substituting the
Black Rock hat for my hood and it works great even in very cold weather.
The only issue I sometimes get is a cold neck if I haven’t pulled the
quilt up enough or it is really cold. I can snug the hat down and pull
the quilt up staying plenty warm.
Down Hat in Great Basin National Park
I have been doing some hiking with the Black Rock down hat and so far
haven’t had any issues with wind cutting through the hat. My head
stays warm and the down hat remains on my head. Since this is a beanie
style hat, I find that the fit is a little low over the forehead while
giving just enough coverage on the ears. The wicking band does a good
job of pulling the moisture away from my forehead. I try to not build
up a huge sweat while winter hiking. The only thing I didn’t take into
account when measuring my head for sizing was my mass of hair. I
measured my head with shorter hair and it has since grown longer. The
hat still stretches over my hair but isn’t as comfortable over a
pony-tail.
When I first got this down hat, I loved it but was a little concerned
that the sewn through construction would be a weak area that could
allow cold to creep through. After wearing the down hat around and
using it as a sleeping hat I see that this isn’t an issue.
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