Reviews > Clothing > Hats, Caps and Visors > ShredAlert Hippy Beanie > Test Report by James E. Triplett

ShredAlert

Hippy Beanie



Reported by James E. Triplett

Initial Report - February 21, 2011
Field Report - April 26, 2011
Long Term Report - June 20, 2011

Personal Biographical Information:

Backpacking Background:

I am an experienced hiker, backpacker, and camper, and am gaining more experience with winter camping every year.  I hike every day, and backpack when possible, which leads to many weekends backpacking and camping each year.  I try to take at least one annual week-long backpacking trip in addition to many one to three-night weekend trips.   My style can best be described as lightweight, but not at the cost of giving up too much comfort.  I generally sleep in a tent, and seem to be collecting quite a few of them to choose from.

Manufacturer Information:

Product Information:

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The Hippy Beanie has a cord and cord-lock for tightening the cap.


Initial Report
February 21, 2011

The Hippy Beanie is currently found in the "Global Collection" on the 

logo integrated into one of the panels in the headband.  The beanie I received does not have this logo.  Besides the pictures, the only additional information is the price and the following: [SA10.018], polartec® recycled poly/fleece, $32.00.


The decorative band is also functional in that it anchors the tightening cord.

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Decals, Tags, and a nice note which accompanied the Hippy Beanie.

Made in the U.S.A.", and the third saying "Body-100% Polyester, Band-100% Organic Cotton", and the washing instructions of "Hand wash Cold, Do Not Bleach, Dry Flat".


Inside-out view of the Hippy Beanie.


The Hippy Beanie seems reasonably thick, and has a soft fleece-like feel to it.  The fit is perfect.  Not too tight, and with enough height for me to leave a little space at the top, or pull it down fully over my ears. 

Field Report
April 26, 2011


ShredAlert Hippy Beanie on a snowshoeing trip.

Test Conditions:
I have worn the ShredAlert Hippy Beanie on a daily basis for morning hikes during the week, and longer day hikes on the weekends.  This is in addition to three overnight car-camping trips to Pinicon Ridge County Park in Eastern Iowa, and several snowshoeing day-trips.  Since I started wearing the Hippy Beanie in February I estimate that I have worn the cap for approximately 55 hours and roughly 100 miles (161 km) of hiking and snowshoeing.

Temperatures have ranged from around 0 F (-18 C) to over 50 F (10 C), and the elevation has been around 800 feet (245 meters).

Fit and Comfort:
As described in the Initial Report section, the Hippy Beanie fits me perfectly.  The fit is loose enough to not seem "tight" while tight enough to not feel "loose".  I can pull it down as far as it will go and it will cover my ears, or leave it up a little, so there is a space between the top of my head and the cap, for occasions when maximum warmth is not needed.


Hippy Beanie in the woods near my house.

Field Testing:
When hiking in temperatures below freezing, the ShredAlert Hippy Beanie has kept me warm and toasty.  I have found it easy to get my body fully warmed up after hiking for 20 to 30 minutes, indicating to me that the Beanie is effective at preventing heat loss through the top of my head.  At that point I usually need to unzip a shirt or jacket or untuck my shirt in order to allow some body heat to escape.  When snowshoeing this happens much more quickly, and on several occasions I have found my head perspiring rather heavily.  I have also worn the Hippy Beanie while shoveling snow, and sawing and hauling firewood resulting in the same perspiration activity.  This has been to the point where sweat is trickling down my face, but I will say that the Beanie is absorbent and even when I've had it fairly soaked it has been comfortable to wear.

When I am inactive, or less active, around camp or on short less strenuous outings, the Hippy Beanie has kept me warm and comfortable.  I find it particularly comforting when out in the dark or when there is a breeze blowing.


Warm and toasty on a cloudy and windy day.

Care and Cleaning:
Due mostly to lots of heavy exertion when snowshoeing, and when working on firewood, I have perspired heavily in the Hippy Beanie.  As a result I have washed the cap four times during this test period.  When returning from a trip I have simply washed the Beanie in the sink with some mild dish soap, and then either hung the cap outside in the breeze or placed it over a heat register in the house.  The instructions say to "dry flat" so I have been careful not to distort the shape of the cap when hanging it out to dry.  In low humidity and good ventilation the Beanie has dried within four hours.

Other Notes:
One thing I find curious that I haven't mentioned above is the way the cord-lock works.  The Hippy Beanie fits well enough that I haven't really had to mess with tightening or loosing the cinch cord.  But I have played with it just to get an understanding of how effective it is.  On one of the first few days I squeezed the spring-loaded cord-lock and found that it stayed open, and thus not locking on the cord.  I was wearing the cap at the time, and thought it had broken.  In my mind I was trying to decide if it would be necessary to replace it since I didn't really need it anyway.  When I took it off and examined it I discovered that squeezing on the tabs on the side of the lock it snapped back into a functional position.  (You can see these tabs in the picture in my Initial Report.)  I'm not sure what advantage this feature offers, but it does seem to be an intentional design, and not broken at all.


Just a little bit of snow left this spring.

Summary:
The ShredAlert Hippy Beanie has worked quite well for me this late winter and early spring.  It is warm, really warm, and has been perfect for protecting me in rather cold temperatures, and in the wind and blowing snow.  After several washings it still seems to have the nice deep black appearance it had when new.  I look forward to wearing the Hippy Beanie as much as possible while the temperatures are still reasonably cool.


Hippy Beanie under a Full Moon.

Long Term Report
June 20, 2011


Hiking in the Iowa Springtime.

Test Conditions:
I continued to wear the ShredAlert Hippy Beanie on daily hikes until the weather just got too warm.  This included the end of April, about 50% of my hikes in May, and only a couple of times on the trails in June, although it did get some camp use in June.  Interestingly we had an unusual snowfall in April (picture below), but unfortunately we also had temperatures as high as 95 F (35 C) here in Eastern Iowa.  So the temperature range for this portion of the test period was around 30 F (-1 C) to 95 F (35 C), although I didn't wear the Beanie in temperatures above about 60 F (16 C).  I estimate that for the Long Term testing phase I wore the Beanie for 25 to 30 hours while hiking, as well as camp time on two different overnight trips.


Unusual April snowfall.

Field Testing:
As with most pieces of cold weather gear, any individual item's performance is dependent on the "clothing system" being used at the time.  Because of this, I was able to continue to wear the Hippy Beanie with temperatures in the 40s and 50s F (4.5 to 15 C) by reducing my other clothing to less-warm attire.  During snowfall, or cool rain, I would wear the Beanie under a wind and rain shell.  In warmer dryer conditions I could wear it with a single long-sleeve base layer, light gloves, and even shorts.  As the temperature increased during the day, and my body temperature warmed, I would pull off the gloves, and push up my sleeves.  Eventually, on several occasions, the Beanie was just too warm and had to come off.  That being said, on many hikes in a little bit cooler temperatures, and overcast, damp, or windy conditions, the Beanie was a most welcome cap to have along.

Fit and Comfort:
The Hippy Beanie remained soft and comfortable throughout the test period.  Even though it is made from "at least 50% recycled content using Repreve 100 - a recycled fiber made from 100% post-consumer plastic bottles" it has a nice soft fleece feel to it.  When perspiring in warmer temperatures the Beanie seemed to be quite absorbent, and was still a comfort to wear. 

Durability:
Because of perspiration, and totally soaking the Hippy Beanie, I have washed it probably 10 times during the entire test period.  I have always hand washed it, which is easy, and the Beanie comes clean quickly.  The color of the Beanie has stayed close to the original black, and the colorful band doesn't seem to have faded significantly.  I have noticed that the circumference of the cap has stretched a tiny bit, so I have actually used the cinch-cord to snug up the Beanie just a little.  You can see in the picture below that the cord has been cinched slightly.


I started using the cinch cord toward the end of the test period.

Summary:
The ShredAlert Hippy Beanie has been a comfort to wear and I have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to participate in this test.  The Beanie is very warm and very soft, and has proven to be quite durable in the four months of testing from late winter into early summer.  The Hippy Beanie is my go-to cap, and I look forward to next fall when I would undoubtedly be enjoying it again.


June, 2011.  About time to store the Hippy Beanie for the summer.

This concludes my reporting on the

Reviews > Clothing > Hats, Caps and Visors > ShredAlert Hippy Beanie > Test Report by James E. Triplett