Cold hats

Cold Weather Hats:

Ron F., whose long service with the Boy Scouts is his main reason for fame here in the Hall, offers an excellent piece of advice in the comments to the survival post below.

I know you said it above, but if you keep your head, hands and feet warm, keeping the rest of your body warm is one hell of a lot easier. Note that a stocking cap will stay on when you sleep when a Stetson won't. Wear a hat when you go to bed.

That's right. The only time of year when I don't wear a Stetson is when the temperature drops notably below freezing. In my experience, a straw or light felt hat is best in the heat of summer; beaver felt or buffalo felt hats in spring, fall, and early and late winter; but for the depths of winter, you need something designed to keep your head warm, more than to keep it dry and shady.

By far the best thing I've ever encountered for this is the Deerskin shell Mad Bomber Hat. Although it is the most expensive of the Mad Bomber Hats, it's still cheap for the price -- I bought one more than ten years ago, and expect it will outlive me. No matter how cold it gets, your head will stay warm. Wind and snow will not bother it. And, since it has a chin-strap, it will stay on while you sleep.

For cold weather survival, I know of nothing better. It's far warmer, and more impervious to the icy wind, than any synthetic or knit cap I ever encountered.