Sealskinz Belgian cap

It's only recently become cold enough to wear Sealskinz' Belgian Style Cycling Cap as it's just too toasty for temperatures above 10°C. It's already obvious that this is going to be a vital winter companion, though.

Like most SealSkinz items, the Belgian Cap has three layers. On the outside there's a knitted acrylic that looks a bit like old-school jersey fabric from the days between wool and modern wonder-weaves. On the inside, there's a thoroughly up to date polyester fleece. The filling in the sandwich is a waterproof, breathable membrane.

The end result is a hat that keeps your head warm—really, really warm—and dry.

There's also a peak to keep the rain out of your eyes or off your glasses and an extension at the sides and round the back for extra warmth and to protect your ears from the breeze.

In merely temperate conditions it's head-boilingly warm, but when the mercury heads south it comes into its own, fighting off both the chill and the wet with aplomb.

There are two sizes, S/M and L/XL. Our L/XL sample is pretty snug on my 58-ish head so those with heads much bigger may struggle. The Waterproof Beanie we tested a while back is also available in XXL; it'd be nice if this hat were too.

I found it was too thick to squeeze under most helmets. That doesn't bother me as I almost never wear one these days. (The failure of widespread helmet use to have any effect on the rate of cyclist deaths and serious injuries shows they actually do bugger all.) But if plastic hats are your thing, you're not going to be able to benefit from the cosiness on offer here. Tant pis.

It would be nice if the Belgian Cap had some reflective material built-in though. It's going to be used in crappy light and low visibility, so a bit of bouncing-back-headlights wouldn't go amiss.

Which brings us to the whole issue of looks. Sealskinz stuff works, but nobody would ever accuse it of being stylish. It doesn't normally matter - who really cares what socks and gloves look like if they keep you warm and dry? But headwear's different and the Belgian Cap is distinctly gimpy. It's better than the Waterproof Beanie, which Shaun Audane reckoned made him look like a radioactive smurf, but that's not saying much.

On the whole though, this is a cap to see you through to March, whatever the weather throws at you. Its combination of warmth and water-resistance is a boon, even if it wins no style contests.

Verdict

Warm, cosy and waterproof hat that doesn't look like you have a plastic bag on your head