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Reviews > Clothing > Hats, Caps and Visors > Mountain Hardwear Dome Perignon > Owner Review by Jeremy R. Laporte

MOUNTAIN HARDWARE DOME PERIGNON
JEREMY R. LAPORTE
OWNER REVIEW
December 14, 2008

TESTER INFORMATION

NAME: Jeremy R. Laporte
EMAIL: jeremyrlaporteATjeremyrlaporteDOTcom
AGE: 27
LOCATION: Idaho Falls, Idaho, U.S.A.
GENDER: M
HEIGHT: 5' 10" (1.78 m)
WEIGHT: 163 lb (73.90 kg)

I grew up in France by the sea, camping and backpacking for as long as I can remember. Three years ago I moved to Idaho U.S.A. discovering new environments: wilderness, arid lands, forest, mountain, and snow. I also started to learn rock climbing, ice climbing and mountaineering. Because of many contacts I had with the military I thought they had the best gear available but I recently befriended some hikers and became aware of lightweight backpacking. I'm slowly migrating to that style and learning more about the various environments surrounding me.

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Manufacturer: Mountain Hardware
Year of Manufacture: N/A
Manufacturer's Website: http://www.mountainhardwear.com
MSRP: US$30
Listed Weight: 2 oz (57 g) (size not indicated)
Measured Weight: 2.4 oz (68 g)
Other details: Fleece hat offered in six colors (only the top part changes, the earband is always black) and three sizes based on the head circumference (Small for 22 in (56 cm), Medium for 23 in (58 cm), and Large 24 in (61 cm)).
Mine is Black size Large

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

The hat is made out of windproof fleece. The top part is made out of Polartec 200 fleece while the lower part, the ear band, is in Gore WINDSTOPPER. There is some stretching fleece on the back of the ear panel and the inside of the hat has a WINDSTOPPER liner. The ear band is cut low to totally cover the ears and the back of the neck.

Front view
Front view
Side view
Side view

FIELD USE

Locations: Mountains of eastern Idaho
Locations description: Forest, snow fields, mountains
Weather conditions: cold weather from 37F (3C) to -23F (-31C)

I bought this hat over a year ago to replace my watch cap that I lost. I wanted a warmer hat to face the cold weather found in Idaho during winter and I also wanted a hat that covers my ears. I brought this hat with me on day hikes ranging from cold fall or spring days to a full day of snowshoeing in the mountains. I also used this hat on a summer five-days trip and another three-days trip in the mountain to keep me warm at night. I wore the Dome Perignon for a total of about 45 days.

SUMMARY

IMAGE 1 My wife and I with our hats
My wife and I with our hats, after a whole day on the snow.



The main purpose of a hat is to keep the head warm and the Dome Perignon does a great job at it. It does almost too good of a job because in temperatures above 32F (0C) I almost find it too warm when I'm exercising a lot and my body gets warm. To solve the issue I usually flip the ear flap up, it doesn't look sexy on me but I don't care, what matters is not to sweat too much but still keep warm. At lower temperatures it is great though. Also the fleece makes the hat very pleasant to wear, it is soft and cushy. The hat also remained soft when I wore it in a combination of sweat, snow fall and low temperature. It didn't freeze as much as other pieces of clothing I had with me.

I was concerned that the ear flap would muffle sounds too much but I did want ear protection. After all the hikes I took the hat on, I can say this is truly not an issue. Yes I have something on my ears which muffles the sound a bit but I was able to hold conversations while hiking without any problems and hear animals moving around. The seam between the top of the hat and the ear band is not an issue at all during hikes but I could feel it when I slept with the hat on. I found also it is better to take a little bit bigger size hat than too tight.

In conclusion the Dome Perignon is a great hat that kept my head, ears and the back of my neck warm in cold weather. I would just need another hat when the weather is not extremely cold.

THINGS I LIKE

Comfortable
Wind proof
Light weight
Very warm
Doesn't freeze too easily
Covers the whole head

THINGS I DON'T LIKE

Very warm
Seam when sleeping with it

This report was created with the BackpackGearTest.org Report Writer Version 1. Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Read more gear reviews by Jeremy R. Laporte

Reviews > Clothing > Hats, Caps and Visors > Mountain Hardwear Dome Perignon > Owner Review by Jeremy R. Laporte



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