Best in show on the CDT goes to this diminutive Icebreaker Chase Headband. I carried this instead of a beanie for the entire trail. I added a beanie in Northern New Mexico and the South San Juan, but then went straight back to using just this as soon as I started pushing the beanie off during the night.
Honestly, it was the most heavily used item I carried in my pack. It could pull down over my eyes to keep the sun out, kept my head warm, weighed almost nothing, took up almost no space and was cool enough I could wear it whilst I was hiking. That was really its biggest benefit. It helped keep the cold air out of my ears and off my forehead, but didn't make me over heat like a standard beanie. I will never hike again without one of these in my pack.
Comments
How does this compare to a Buff?
@toesalad it's smaller and lighter than a buff. It's about 1/4 the size, but it is just a headband (so has none of the multipurpose functionality). I used it a lot more than my buff just because I find buffs a little too thick and tight to wear as headbands. I mainly only had my buff around my neck, or occasionally pulled it up over my nose and mouth in cold winds/weather whereas I used this every morning until I got warm enough to take it off/swap for my hat. It also stayed much nicer since it is merino wool, where some town stops I desperately needed to wash my buff to ease down the stink factor.
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