Field Report: Outdoor Research Motion Fleece Watch Cap
June 21, 2004

Tester Bio

Name: Mark Orton
Age: 27
Gender: Male
Height: 5'7" (1.70 m)
Weight: 175 lb (79 kg)
E-mail: Backpkrmn at aol dot com
City: Vacaville
State: California
Country: USA
Date: June 21, 2004


Backpacking Background

I have been hiking and backpacking my whole life. Backpacking became a serious hobby for me in the mid 90s.  I have hiked several sections of the Appalachian Trail (AT), taking on 100+ mile (161+ km) sections at a time.  I have also hiked 100 miles (161 km) along the Vermont Long Trail.  Living in California gives me access to some great backpacking opportunities out here, such as the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT).  I try to get out at least once a month on an overnight backpacking trip and at least once a week on a dayhike.  Once a year I plan an extended trip, a trip that is at least 100 miles (161 km) long and will take the better part of two weeks.

In the past couple years I have begun converting to the ultralight way of backpacking.  I am known amongst friends as a gear head, I always have the latest and greatest lightweight gear.  I now have a basic pack weight (without food or water) of less than 10 lbs (4.5 kg).


Product Information

Manufacturer: Outdoor Research
Manufacturer's Website: www.orgear.com
Model: Motion Fleece Watch Cap (Formerly the PS50 Watch Cap)
Year of Manufacture: 2004
MSRP: $17
Size: Small
Color: Solid Black
Listed Weight: Not given
Verified Weight: Just under 1 oz (28.4 g)


Field Report Overview

In my initial report I provided my initial impressions of the Outdoor Research (OR) Motion Fleece Watch Cap.  I told of its overall appearance, and gave a detailed description of how the hat appeared.  Since that information is all found on the initial report I will not be restating it here.

I have been using the OR Motion Fleece Watch Cap as my exclusive hat for all of my backpacking and camping excursions for the past two months.  It has accompanied me to warmer locations and served as a warming cap while sleeping.  It has also been used in much colder climates, such as while snowshoeing at Crater Lake National Park.  This hat has proved much more useful than originally thought.  I have used this hat nearly every morning since I received it.  I have used it under a mountain bike helmet, under my pilot headset and when out on early morning or late night jogs.  In the actual report section I
provide a more detailed description of the locations, the elevation and the temperatures encountered while using the hat.


Field Testing

My first extended trip using the OR Motion Fleece Watch Cap was a four-day trip to Big Basin Redwoods State Park in CA.  Altitudes ranged from Sea Level to 2000 ft (51 m) and temperatures ranged from 38 to 65 F (3 to 18 C).  The mornings and evenings were quite chilly and the addition of the hat was very welcome.  The wind was generally calm on this trip, never getting above 10 mph (16 kph).

I continued to use the hat as a sleeping cap while exploring the coastal areas of Northern California.  As the temperatures began to rise with the coming of spring and summer, the need for the hat during the day was becoming less and less of an issue.  I really wanted to see how this hat would stand up to really cold temperatures and wind.

The next trip I went on was in Oregon.  I spent a long weekend exploring Crater Lake National Park and the surrounding areas.  While on this trip I got to do some experiments that I had wanted to do but had thought I wouldn't get the chance to.

Crater Lake National Park is gorgeous, and in mid-May there is still a considerable amount of snow on the ground.  The depth of the snow at the park headquarters was 91 in (2.3 m).  The altitude of the park ranges from 6450 ft (1966 m) to 8929 ft (2722 m). The snow allowed me to do some snowshoeing which I hadn't gotten the chance to do all
year long due to an injury early in the season.  I was excited about that. It also gave me an opportunity to test the OR Motion Fleece Watch Cap in colder, windier environments. The daytime highs while I was there were in the 50s F (10 C) and the nighttime temperatures dipped to the lower 20s F (-6 C).  This was the perfect place to see
if the hat was sufficient for use as a stand-alone hat for real winter weather.
One of the days while exploring the park, I decided to snowshoe up to Garfield Peak.  It was a colder day, only about 40 F (4 C).  The wind was blowing very strong, probably 25 mph (40 kph).  I was wearing the hat during the entire hike.  As I was moving through the snow I noticed that I was sweating quite a bit, but my head wasn't feeling cold as it had with my previous hat.  The wind wasn't penetrating the hat as I hiked along either. This was a substantial wind, one that easily would have penetrated all of my previous hats and left me feeling chilled, especially while sweating.

About half way up the ridge I stopped to boil some water and make some hot chocolate. It was here that I realized the limitations to this hat.  While moving it was perfect, however, once I stopped and started to cool off my internal body temperature, I started to get chilled.  The hat was still blocking the wind effectively, however the lack of thickness of the hat wasn't keeping my warm.  Everything has limitations; I found my own personal limits for the OR Motion Fleece Watch Cap while on this hike.  Each person is going to have their own threshold for what they can deal with and what they can't.  I decided that if I was venturing out in winter, I would like to carry a more substantial hat for warmth.|

If I was going to be participating in a sport in winter, this would be the perfect hat.  It wicked the sweat away from my skin very effectively.  It shielded my sweaty head from the wind very effectively.

Along with using this hat on hiking/backpacking trips, I have also used this hat while mountain biking.  Because of it's low profile, thin fleece material, it fits very nicely underneath a bike helmet. It's stretchy material is great.  I ride almost every morning; the
mornings are still very chilly here in Northern California, usually in the mid 50's F (10 C).  I put the hat on underneath my helmet and pull the stretchy material down to cover my ears.

Using the hat for this purpose almost seems like what it is made for.  Although the hat is great for use as a sleeping cap, or a hat for those chilly mornings around camp, it's use under my bike helmet is where it truly excels.  Bike helmets have lots of air vents in
them; on cool mornings, it's not always pleasant to have a lot of air hitting my head.  In fact the cool air can be painful some mornings.  That's where this hat has come in so handy.  Due to its construction of Powerstretch 50 windproof fleece, it blocks that air from hitting my head.  As I begin to perspire from the exertion of biking, the fleece effectively moves the moisture away from my skin, keeping me warmer.

I have also used this hat while flying.  As a pilot of small airplanes, it can get a little chilly inside the aircraft when flying at higher altitudes.  I use the OR Motion Fleece Watch Cap while flying, I wear it underneath my headset.  I need to have my ears exposed so that I can hear what is being transmitted over the radios.  In order to do this, all I have to do is fold up the fabric on the sides of the hat to match the sewn up front section of the hat.  This allows my ears to be unobstructed, allowing me to hear air traffic control.



Summary of Observations to Date

The warmth of this hat surprised me.  When looking at it's construction, I was fooled into thinking it would be too light to keep me warm when the temperatures really dipped anywhere near the freezing point.  However, I was pleasantly surprised that while sleeping in temperatures as low as 38 F (3 C) I found my head and ears to be quite toasty.

The hat blocks wind extraordinarily well.  I have used it while biking at speeds of over 30 mph (48 kph) without getting chilled from the wind on my head.

The hat wicks away moisture very well.  When snowshoeing or mountain biking, the exertion forced me to sweat, the hat pulled the sweat away from my skin.  This was  something that I really enjoyed about the hat.  Although I was sweating, my head never felt wet.  The hat also seemed to dry very quickly.  As I was sweating during these
activities, I never noticed the hat getting overly wet.  As it moved the perspiration away from the skin and to the outer surfaces of the hat, it must have been drying at the same time.

I did find my own personal limits of where I'd wear the hat during this testing period. In cool to mild temperatures, the hat performs very well.  However, I found that in cold, windy environments, I was not comfortable wearing just the OR Motion Fleece Watch Cap.

This hat has found a welcome place in my pack.  It takes up very little room, packing down to the size of a golf ball.  It has been a great hat that I have taken on every outdoor excursion I've taken in the past two months and it will continue to accompany me on many more.


Long Term Testing Plan

I have now been using the OR Motion Fleece Watch Cap as my exclusive hat for over two months.  It has been a wonderful experience being given the opportunity to test this hat. I will continue to test this hat over the next few months.

I have plans to spend a long weekend in the mountains near Big Bear Lake late in the month of June.  I also plan on a weekend trip during the month of July.  In August I will be embarking on a cross country journey stopping in 5 states along the way.  The OR Motion Fleece Watch Cap will accompany me on all of these trips.

I thank Outdoor Research and BackpackGearTest for giving me this opportunity!