Personal Information
Name: Chad Fike
Age: 33
Gender: Male
Height: 5’ 10” (1.77 m)
Weight: 150 lb (68 kg)
Email address: abnersdonkey@hotmail.com
City, State, Country: Oakland, Maryland, USA
Date: July 5, 2006

Backpacking Background
    I have gone camping, usually very close to home, for several years, but only started seriously backpacking about four years ago. I do mostly weekend trips and often take day hikes. My backpacking experience has been mostly in West Virginia, Maryland, and Virginia, including parts of the Appalachian Trail. Each trip has been a learning experience about techniques and equipment. I try to balance weight, durability, and cost with my gear choices.

Product information
Manufacturer - Outdoor Research
Year of manufacture - 2006
Website - www.orgear.com
MSRP - $35.00 US
Average listed weight (size L/XL) - 2.6 oz (74 g)
Weight as delivered (size L/XL, using a kitchen scale) - 2.5 oz (71 g)
Lifetime guarantee

Product description
   The Outdoor Research Prism Cap is a baseball cap style hat with fold down ear flaps. The Outdoor Research website advertises the following: “Tour through spinning flakes and dense winter storm systems: Gore-Tex® fabric provides waterproof and breathable protection in backcountry white outs. The tricot lining manages moisture when you’re making a steep ascent, and offers warmth as you make your turns. A shaped, plastic-stiffened bill deflects winter glare and channels precipitation away from your face, while the tuck-away, tricot-lined earflaps provide warmth when needed. The external hook and loop cinch adjustment keeps the Prism firmly seated in all conditions”. The cap tested is size L/XL in Mojo Blue.

Field information
   Testing took place mostly in forested terrain of the Appalachian Mountains of western Maryland and West Virginia at elevations from around 2500 to 4800 ft (762 to 1463 m). Temperatures ranged from around 25 F (-4 C) to 85 F (29 C) during the test period. I used the cap on day hikes, backpacking, and jogging. In addition to these outdoor activities I wore the cap for everyday tasks such as walking to work and working around the house.
   Unfortunately I have not had many opportunities to test this cap since the time of the Field Report.   The cap is advertised for winter use and is not really designed for warmer temperatures. In general, hats tend to make me overheat rather quickly so I was not surprised to find that I found this cap uncomfortable as temperatures rose much above 60 F (15 C). The cap does not have a large amount of insulation, only a thin tricot lining. However, since wearing any rain gear in warm conditions can be uncomfortable I am always looking for the coolest gear possible, not a winter cap with a lining. I did find that as long as I was not exerting myself too much the cap could still be used in warmer temperatures. It was still an option while taking a casual stroll in the rain or for wear around camp. I do not consider the limited use of this cap in warm weather as an indictment against the cap itself since it is very clearly advertised for winter use. The limitations arose as I tried to stretch the use of the cap beyond the time I would have normally stored it away with the rest of my winter gear.
    During the colder temperatures I faced the hat worked as advertised. It was warm enough and blocked wind well. It was also completely waterproof. Breathability was on par with other Gore-Tex items I own. I did not encounter temperatures very far below freezing so I am unsure how the cap would function in extreme cold. I have no reason to think it would not be warm enough, at least during high energy pursuits. During a cool and rainy spring backpack trip the cap seemed to be the perfect headgear choice. As an added bonus the cap looks good enough for wearing around town.
   I have had no problems with durability. I do not see any stains, loose stitches, or other signs of wear. Even though it was not worn much since the Field Report it was subject to wear while stuffed in packs and pockets in hopes of use. I took it along on nearly all my hikes, but either warm temperatures or a lack of rain conspired to reduce the opportunities for testing. I am impressed with the construction of the cap and would expect to get several more seasons of use from it.
    The biggest negative I encountered was that the ear flaps sometimes turned up when caught by the wind. This usually only happened in strong headwinds. This became rather annoying but the flap was large enough that it still covered most of my ears, only exposing the bottom part of the earlobes. What was just an annoyance in the warmer temperatures I faced could be more of a problem on a really cold winter day with biting wind.
   Overall I found the cap to be a comfortable choice for cool fall or spring hikes, especially with the threat of rain. I really liked the option of fold down ear flaps on those days when the temperature could drop. Due to receiving the cap at the end of an already mild winter I did not really get to test the cap in ideal conditions, but the durability and quality I have experienced so far have me looking forward to getting some more use out of this cap next winter.

Thanks to BackpackGearTest.org and Outdoor Research for the opportunity to test this cap.

Read more reviews of Outdoor Research gear
Read more gear reviews by Chad E. Fike

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