Outdoor Research Motion Fleece Watch Cap Long Term 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:  Glenwood Springs, CO, USA
Date:  October 18, 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 14,420 ft (1,372 to 4395 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). 

Test Results:

This hat has accompanied me on every backpack trip, day hike, summit attempt, and climbing trip since I received it.  My longest trip was a 6-day backpacking trip where it was used mainly at night.  I would estimate that I’ve used the hat approximately 30 times other than the 6-day trip.  It continues to be quite reliable. 

My main focuses when reviewing this hat were fit, warmth, wind-resistance, durability, wicking ability, and drying time.  My final verdicts are as follows:

Fit:

This hat fits me very well.  I can wear it all day and hardly notice it.  I can’t feel seams when it’s on, and I’ve never had it start itching like some of my other hats.  I have worn this hat once under my climbing helmet, and it worked extremely well.  It’s so thin that I hardly noticed it, but kept me warm.  One minor thing that bothered me is the brim.  The bottom portion of the hat is rolled up, but there are only 2 stitches holding it up.  They are both along the front.  The only real purpose this serves is to ensure that the “OR” logo is showing.  The back of the hat rolls down and allows for more coverage.  It just seems like a strange feature to me.

Warmth:

I find that this hat is most useful when I’m active.  I tend to heat up rather quickly with activity, so most of the time I don’t even wear a hat.  If I’m not active (sitting around in camp or such), I like to throw on a thick, warm, wool hat to stay nice and toasty.  This hat shines when I’m active, but it’s just cold enough where I want a little extra warmth.  It’s very thin material, so it doesn’t provide a great deal of warmth, but when I’m active, it’s just right.

Wind-Resistance:

This category relates very closely with the previous one.  It’s not a “Windstopper” material, so I find that this hat is most useful when I’m hiking and a decent wind kicks up.  If the wind is really howling, I’ll often put on a thicker, windproof hat.  This hat seems to have just the right amount of wind-resistance to take the edge off of a stiff wind.

Durability:

I’ve been very impressed with the durability and construction of this hat.  Despite being thrown into my pack on every hike, it shows little to no signs of wear.  I’ve noticed only 2 seams that seem to be fraying slightly, but not enough to make me think that this hat is going to fall apart.  The fleece still looks new, with no signs of pilling.

Wicking Ability:

This hat wicks very well.  As stated earlier, I tend to wear this hat when I’m active and it starts to get chilly.  Since I’m active, I’m usually sweating when I put this hat on.  When I have it on, I never feel like sweat is dripping down from under the hat.  One downside of the absorbency of this hat is that it tends to soak up any water that falls on it. 

Drying Time:

The drying time of this hat depends on whether I’m wearing it or not.  If I’m not wearing it and it’s wet, it’ll take a long time to dry.  If I’m wearing it and it becomes wet from sweat or light rain, it seems to dry extremely quickly.  Like almost any garment, body heat will dramatically decrease the drying time of this hat. 

Conclusions:

This is a great hat to always have along.  It’s so light and small that it’s virtually unnoticeable.  I think the optimal conditions for this hat are in the evening during summer backpacking trips and during cold-weather activities where there is a light to moderate wind.  Is that specific enough for you?  Those are the conditions where it seemed to work best for me.  I will continue to keep this hat in my pack, but if I’m expecting rain or very cold weather where I won’t be active, I’ll always be sure to back it up with another type of hat.