New Cottage Industry Brand Makes the Best Beanies for the Alpine

Miller, who has lived in Aspen, Colorado for 15 years and skis about 100 days a year, obsessed over both the performance and style component of this hat for over half a decade. While working with Polartec, Miller was frustrated by how little its powerful high performance fabrics were being used for headwear. He knew from his own days skiing that headwear deserves greater consideration because it’s a first line of protection from the elements and key to temperature regulation. “I feel like this has largely been ignored up until now because the category has mostly been an accessory afterthought or more of a fashion piece, or just kind of like a merch quality giveaway for anyone looking to put their logo on something,” he said.

Beyond the flattering, on-trend silhouettes, the real story here is the Polartec material. Power Wool blends both wool and synthetic materials mechanically to deliver the comfort and warm-when-wet properties of wool along with the stretch and durability of synthetic fabrics. The blend happens in two distinct layers that keeps the wool touching my skin, and pulling moisture off of it, and the synthetic material an outer layer above. The beanie’s snug fit and soft material was especially noticeable while on a recent early-morning, just-above-freezing run—it kept my ears toasty without allowing sweat to freeze to my head.

I also appreciate that Miller hasn’t covered the hats in logos, instead offering just two colorways in each with the option of both tonal and contrast stitching. With this I didn’t feel like a teenager or billboard when wearing with a flannel to dinner with my wife.

Source: https://www.fieldmag.com/articles/thurston-unlimited-headwear-wool-power-beanies