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 Inov8 baseball cap, beany underneath if nippy. Hood up if really chucking it down. http://www.inov-8.com/Products.asp?PG=PG5&L=26 You will inevitably end up looking a gimp in a paramo cap or God forbid one of those Lowe Alpine goretex mountain hat horrors....
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| Edited: 12/10/09 17:38 |
 I've seen a lot of people wearing the Innov8 cap it looks good. The Innov8 one has a good sized peak on it too from the looks of it. I use a Mountain Hardwear one and when it dies I'll try and find the same one. It is nothing technically special. I don't agree with waterproof caps tbh, they don't really need to be and if it runs off too easilly then it will just go down you face and neck, its better if it soaks it up a bit as the heat of your head evaporates most of it anyway. One thing I absolutely would recommend is the clip type fastening on the back. I hang my cap off my walking to work bag every day and on my walking pack at weekends and because I can open the clip fastening with one hand it means I just put my arm behind me and grab it off the sack by holding the cap and pushing my thumb on the clip and voila in one second I have my cap without the need to take off my pack! It is one of the best things about the cap! This is the one I have, I use it every day and its tough as boots and fits perfect, the fit was the selling pont in the shop, I actually wanted a full on brimmed sun hat but in the end got both the sun hat and this as it looked so good and is so comfy, I wear it every day!
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warhippo---if you buy a TN hat please keep it ----don t think i could stand another-------------i sent my hat back to TN FOR A REFUND AND------saga
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 More excellent suggestions - thanks again guys. The Inov-8 range looks pretty interesting (inexpensive too).
The reason I'm after a waterproof (or at least a reasonably waterproof hat) is that I very rarely hike with a waterproof coat. My upper body clothing consists of a merino wool long sleeved zip neck T, a montane lightspeed windshirt and a Buffalo windshirt. In really cold conditions I'll also take a Paramo Torres gilet.
All of my kit remains warm when wet and although on a couple of occasions I have hiked (wearing this kit) and got soaked to the skin, I was still comfortable. I also tend to do overnight hikes rather than day trips and so always have a tent / bivi if things get hairy.
What all this waffling boils down to is that I don't have a waterproof hood and so a cap, with at least a DWR coating, is what I'm after.
I've tried hard to find a clothing system that works regardless of weather and season and this is what I've come up with. It's reasonably light / packs small and although probably a little too soft shell for everyone's taste, it works for me : )
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 Ah. Well since you're after an outright hood substitute the Paramo cap is probably as close as you'll get. Can just about cover sunhat duty too at need, although for me a specialist sunhat (or cap) would make a useful addition.
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| Edited: 13/10/09 10:32 |
 Do you only walk in lowland/warmish areas, Warhippo? I would worry about being soaked in winter mountains.
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Dartmoor and Brecon are my usual haunts - haven't done any high level winter / wet hiking for a long time.
A few years back, during a hike with a few mates in Brecon, we had 70+ mph gusts and hideous icy rain. The temperature also dropped hugely. They were the worst conditions I have experienced, whilst hiking, for a long time. Everyone except me was wearing GoreTex / multilayers, they were all cold and stayed wet for hours after we made camp. I was soaked to the skin but stayed warm on the hike and within an hour of setting up my tent, my clothes had almost dried. Soft shell is my preferred clothing system and for me, that starts with Buffalo.
However, if I were hiking in a place where the conditions were more extreme than Dartmoor / Brecon, then I would include a waterproof for the sake of safety.
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I agree with using Buffalo, Warhippo. I like it myself in winter. I thought you said you only wore a windshirt over a merino base-layer though? With a Paramo vest for insulation?
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Not quite Mike - here's the quote "My upper body clothing consists of a merino wool long sleeved zip neck T, a montane lightspeed windshirt and a Buffalo windshirt. In really cold conditions I'll also take a Paramo Torres gilet".
If it's cool (perhaps with light rain) then the long sleeved T and Montane Lightspeed are usually more than enough. If the temperature drops or the rain becomes heavier / protracted, then out comes the Buffalo. I use the Paramo gilet for overlayering on stops / camping as required.
I also have a merino wool buff / head tube thing and I use that when it's hot or cold but it doesn't have a peak and it's not waterproof. A decent cap should keep the sun out of my eyes and at least some of the rain off my very shiny bald head : )
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Still, i wouldn't fancy my chances just wearing a merino base-layer and 2 windshirts in cold rain, especially if there was any windchill. I started to go down with hypothermia years ago through not bothering to stick on my waterproof breeks. It happened very quickly, too. Luckily i was with folk who spotted what was happening.
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Scary! The only time I've come close is through canoeing - once I got so cold I could barely pick up my own paddle and hyperthermia wouldn't have been far behind.
Saying that, the Buffalo windshirt is very warm (it's one of their original Mountain Shirts - I've had it for over 20 years would you believe?).
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Are you meaning a Mountain Shirt (pertex and pile) or a windshirt? We may be talking about different things. 
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Ah. Sort of looked like you were talking about their unlined windshirts! Rather different to the fully pile lined thing you've seemingly got  (which yes should do nicely vs pretty well anything.). You do know that you can get velcro on hoods for them?
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| Edited: 13/10/09 11:35 |
Well you see, there I am believing that everyone can read my mind : )
Yup, it's a fully lined Mountain Shirt. Yes, I also have the hood AND the trousers (though I've never been anywhere cold enough to warrant their use). As for the hood, it's of no use in the summer (at least not to me). Also when I wear one, I look like a complete arse.
You guys must have thought I was as smart as a bag of wet mice! I can imagine the mental conversation "why is he taking two windshirts? Surely one is enough? Why not lose one and carry a coat if he's that worried about weight / performance. He's as sharp as a bag of ... etc etc".
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 Expanding this thread a bit ,would appreciate comments on my clothing set up.I have walked in the Alps,Sierras using a football trainer vest , hiking shirt(not cotton),Rab vapour rise smock and a Berghaus paclite jkt. I would like to do some winter hiking in Scotland,Lakes .I have ski jacket but I think that will be too warm. I now have somer Icebreaker merino base layers . I seem to have lots of layers just wonder if I need to get a new jacket to cut down on the two jkts .The paclite doesn,t stand up to long periods or severe rain, I have reproofed it after a recent hike.Though I have never been really cold on the move. Or am I just keen to spend some cash.
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 SD, You should start a new thread as more people will see your questions.
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 why do yer wanna look like a wannabe yank teenager? Get yersel' a man's 'at, a flat un!
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Now thats an idea,a flat cap Victor Meldrew style made from Paramo Analogy fabric. I think Paramo could be on to a winner there and they could make them in all sorts of interesting colours too.
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 Now thats an idea,a flat cap Victor Meldrew style made from Paramo Analogy fabric. I think Paramo could be on to a winner there and they could make them in all sorts of interesting colours too. I'd agree with that. They should also make dog-gear (not just for MR team dogs ) Has the Montane Aero cap been suggested? Black, wicking, warm and a decent DWR. I wear mine with a Paramo Stretch Hat, underneath, when it's a bit chillier.
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