Having precisely the right hat for every winter adventure is a luxury I really appreciate. I love having a super-lightweight option for running before work, a heavily insulated Polartec Power Fleece lid for predawn ski tours, and something with both a brim and ear protection for cold sunny days. But if I had to dump out the 16-liter bin full of the 20-plus hats I own and throw all but one into the trash, I know I could get by all winter with just ($20).
I found this two-toned beanie in a box floating around 国产吃瓜黑料鈥檚 gear closet during my first job there in the summer of 2012. Since then, it鈥檚 accompanied me twice to the top of Mount Shasta and on nearly a hundred ski tours. But that鈥檚 just the hardcore stuff. I鈥檝e also worn it to a laid-back wedding, and it has seen the insides of more bars than I care to admit.
The Stanley鈥檚 strength is technical prowess in an unassuming package. It keeps my head and ears warm鈥攆itting seamlessly with both goggles and sunglasses鈥攚ithout getting in the way, thanks to the shallow fit and single cuff. Made from 100 percent acrylic, it dries fast and shrugs off light snow. It comes in a medium-thick, loose herringbone knit that has proven plenty warm to wear on its own while skinning up amid dumping frozen snow, but it didn鈥檛 make my head sweat last week on a 50-degree fall day walk with my wife and daughter. The Stanley is basically my security blanket, living in my pack in case the weather takes a turn for the worse or a buddy forgot his hat before a day of skiing.
Now, the Stanley doesn鈥檛 wick as well as performance-specific beanies, like my Patagonia Capilene Thermal Weight Scull Cap ($25). But I can deal with that, because I don鈥檛 feel like I鈥檓 wearing a condom on my head (something I have been told on at least three different occasions while wearing performance beanies). I鈥檓 fine with a super-snug fit on trail runs, but I don鈥檛 care for it anywhere else. And that鈥檚 why the Stanley wins for me: Its simplicity lends it exceptional crossover potential. While I always change my pants and shirt after a ski tour, the beanie stays on. The bold colorway is perfect with my 鈥渙utdoor business casual鈥 uniform鈥攋eans and a flannel. It鈥檒l hold onto musty smells, but that鈥檚 the beauty of a 20-buck beanie鈥擨 don鈥檛 hesitate to throw it in the wash when it gets really nasty.
Every year around this time, as winter rolls in and I take stock of all the cool new dome-swaddling hats, I can鈥檛 help but turn to the simple, inexpensive but reliable Stanley.