Outdoor Research Motion Fleece Watch Cap Field Report

 

Name:  Andrew Henrichs
Age:  23
Gender:  Male
Height:  6’2”  (1.88 M)
Weight:  200 lb  (90.7 kg)
Email address:  a_henrichs@yahoo.com           
City, State, Country:  Westminster, CO, USA
Date:  June 25, 2004

Backpacking Background: 

I first started backpacking about 3 years ago when a friend and I took a road trip out west (I was living in Wisconsin at time).  I was hooked immediately, and have taken many, many trips since then.  Most of my trips are 2-3 days, but I have taken some trips of 5 days.  Now that I live in Colorado, I hope to get out even more, including some trips of 1-2 weeks or more. 

Recently, I have been leaning more and more towards the lightweight side of the spectrum.  I shave ounces when I can, but I still prefer a solid frame in my backpacks, and usually take a couple of luxuries on trips.  Most of my backpacking has been in the mountains of Colorado and Wyoming, as well as the desert in the southwestern U.S.  I’ve gone winter camping several times, but I still prefer backpacking in the warmer months.

 

Product Information:

Manufacturer:   Outdoor Research (www.orgear.com)

Year of manufacture:  2004
Manufacturer’s listed weight:  not listed
Weight as delivered (size: L):  1.0 oz (28 g)
Product description:  lightweight fleece hat

 

Test Conditions:

I’ve primarily used this hat in the Central Colorado Rockies, with one trip to southern Utah and one to southern Wyoming.  Elevation ranged from approximately 4,500 to 14,060 ft (1,372 to 4286 m).  The coldest temperature that I experienced with this was approximately 10° F (-12° C).  I have worn this hat in light snow, light rain, and winds up to 55 mph (88.5 kph). 

 

Field Report:

In the last 2 months, I’ve used the OR Motion Fleece Watch Cap on one 6-day backpacking trip, as well as approximately 8 day hikes.  During my backpacking trip to Escalante National Monument in southern Utah, nighttime temperatures rarely fell below 35° F (2° C), so I didn’t get to use the hat very much.  A cool breeze on the first night chilled me a little, but soon after I threw my cap on, I was toasty warm again.  I slept with it on that night, and never experienced any discomfort from the seams. 

Back in Colorado, I was able to use the hat more often.  I throw it in my pack on every hike I take, and being only 1.0 oz (28 g), I usually forget about it until I need it.  The temperatures of most of the day hikes that I’ve taken along the foothills of Colorado have been around 45° F (7° C).  I typically won’t use a hat in that weather, but I found the Watch Cap invaluable when the wind picked up and cooled things off.  I was initially very skeptical of the wind-resistance provided by this hat, but I’m sold on it now.  During my first day hike with the hat, the afternoon brought clouds and winds with gusts up to 40 mph (64 kph).  When I started to get chilled, I put my hat on and warmed up almost instantly.  This proved to be the case on several other day hikes as well.  The only time that I had to switch to my thicker, windproof hat was during a hike at 12,500 ft (3,810 m) along the Continental Divide.  My friend and I were blasted with constant winds of over 55 mph (88.5 kph); I could barely even keep my footing.  The conditions experienced on that day were more than I would expect any lightweight liner hat to deal with. 

Besides the warmth and wind-resistance mentioned above, there were several other aspects of the hat I paid particular attention to.  These include fit, durability, wicking ability, and drying time.  I’ve worn the hat for roughly 20 hours, and haven’t had any complaints about the fit.  The seams don’t rub, and the hat doesn’t itch like some that I’ve worn.  The hat is also holding up very well.  Despite being crammed in various pockets of my pack, the seams don’t show any signs of wear, and the fleece is not pilling at all.  I still haven’t been able to get a good feeling of wicking ability, mostly because I only use the hat when I got cold, so I’m typically not sweating.  I’m hoping to get a better feel of this during the next few trips.  Finally, I was a little disappointed in drying time.  I’ve worn this hat in the rain and snow, and while it was only slightly damp, it seemed to take quite a while to completely dry out.  This is another aspect that I’m going to have to pay particular attention to in order to get a better idea of how well it works.