Who would have thought it would be so hard to find a woolly hat when my trusty go-to gave up the ghost? In The Lake District - land of walking gear shops!
But boy was it hard. Ignoring retailers, love of putting the security tag inside the top of a hat so you can't actually try it on, so many just don't seem to work. I trawled the whole of Keswick, Kendal & Ambleside with my big head, finding hats that covered my whole face, sat so high I would be blown away by the slightest breath of wind or were just not made to simply....sit on your melon & keep you & your ears warm.
So in a market crowded by also-rans, yet again I am throwing my money at Montane gear. You just get things right. The guy in the shop said he had exactly the same challenge & bought exactly the same hat last year. I'm not alone! (Except he got a staff discount, though had to settle for the orange one they had left at the end of the season. I paid full whack so got to choose black.)
It immediately saw action on a breezy day climbing Helvelyn. (My most crowded mountain since Ben Nevis & Snowdon, which is why we try to find the path, Munro or Wainwright less travelled by & large.) Picture attached - a rare lull at the trig-point.
Whilst I'm sad to retire the hat that's kept me warn for over 30 years in all weathers & countries, I've found a worthy successor.
To anyone thinking about pulling the trigger on one of these - I don't think you need worry. It does what it needs to beautifully. Get one. It's my new…