The Perfect Winter Hat? Jytte Midweight Beanie with Fleece
Written: Feb 23 '05
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Pros: Tough Construction, Warm Wool, Snug Fit, Fleece Ear Lining
Cons: Price, No Windblocking
The Bottom Line: They might seem a bit pricey, but they are well made, will serve you well for outdoor winter activities and will stand up to season after season of use.
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| jps246's Full Review: JYTTE Midweight With Fleece Beanie |
Jytte’s midweight beanie with fleece is a comfortable winter hat that fits snugly over your head and gives you the extra insulation around the ears with the inner fleece band.
These hats come in several different colors and styles (thankfully most designs and color schemes look significantly better than the one pictured here on Epinions). I’ve got two of them, one a solid blue with a large snowflake pattern and another that also has a blue background, but with more stripes and colors in it.
All the different outward styles aside, Jytte’s midweight beanie with fleece is really just a wool hat with an inner fleece lining that runs about 2 inches wide around the base of the hat to provide extra warmth and insulation for your ears and to provide a snugger fit around the base of the hat.
Hat Basics
The hat is made out of 100% wool that is woven tightly, but has a bit of play in it. The easiest way to describe it – the hat will fit snugly over your head but at the same time it will stretch to whatever size your head is. The hats are unisized and generally any normal adult sized head should fit in the hat. The bottom of the hat is sewn is such a way that it will fit snugly around your head and not loosen up or move around as you are wearing it.
In addition to the 100% wool in the hat itself, there is a fleece band that runs around the entire inside of the hat, starting at the bottom of the hat and ending about 2 inches above that. It provides a warm and fuzzy insulating band for your ears and also in a way seals the hat against your head.
And I guess to earn the beanie title – the hat has the little pom-poms on top that will bounce around as you wear the hat and move around. The strings are only a few inches long and you won’t even notice them on your head (they don’t go low enough to block your vision) during most normal activities. They do tend to get snagged on branches though if you’re hiking or skiing through thick vegetation.
The hat can be washed – but all the typical warnings that come with wool are applicable to it. Never, ever, ever put this hat in a dryer – the wool will shrink and it’ll be a toddler hat quicker than you can blink (believe me, it’s happened in the past to me when someone who didn’t realize it was wool dried one I had). If you must wash it – hand wash it and stretch it out to dry to prevent it from shrinking.
These hats can be a bit pricey – the average retail price is around $30 at stores like EMS or REI - but if you catch the winter clearances at the right times, you can find these hats for around $15 to $18 dollars. Either way though – these are well made hats that will stand up to lots of use and are worth $18 or even the $30 because they will outlast most other hats.
Experiences
When you’re out skiing in the backcountry, or even at a ski area, the last thing you want to do is to have to worry about if your hat is going to be staying on your head. That’s why I generally wear my Jytte hat when I’m out there – it fits snugly enough on my head that I can be sure it’ll stay there and I won’t have to keep pushing it up to get it out of my eyes or pulling it down to keep it from falling off my head.
That’s not to say that branches won’t catch the little pom-poms on top and that the hat won’t be pulled of your head – but in general, this hat is going to stay on your head without too many problems.
I have washed the Jytte hats by hand and stretched them out to dry – otherwise they can (and will) shrink to an unwearable size. If you get the hat wet while using it (say it’s raining) make sure you either wear it dry or you stretch it out while you’re drying it out.
When it comes to wear and tear – these hats continue to look good season after season of use. I’ve owned one for several years and haven’t noticed any fraying or any seams breaking on the hat. The fleece liner tends to wear in like any fleece, but it’s nothing that you wouldn’t expect with normal wear and tear.
The only real problem I ever had with a Jytte hat was when my partner accidentally put one in the dryer and did not realize it was wool. Too bad I didn’t have any small children because it would have fit them after it came out of the dryer.
Final Thoughts
Anyone who is looking for a snugly fitting winter hat should enjoy the Jytte midweight beanie with fleece. It’ll stay on your head with almost no movement during your outdoor activities and between the wool of the hat and the fleece lining, you will keep your head warm and toasty.
The only real improvement that could be made that I can think of would be to add some wind blocking material to the hat to make it windproof. But even without the windstopper fabric, that hat is warm in most winter temperatures and is more than warm enough to keep you warm while you’re engaging in outdoor activities.
They might seem a bit pricey, but these hats are well made, will serve you well for almost all outdoor winter activities and will stand up to season after season of use.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 18-30
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