Sugoi Walaroo 290 Winter Hat, IMO

When I saw this product in the Spring I knew that when we had them in stock I'd have to buy one. I couldn't have predicted that we'd be sold out by mid September and initially I thought I'd missed out. With more orders placed I had to wait until they arrived, with the temperatures dropping it couldn't arrive soon enough.

Rapha revived this hat which had it's last bastions in the cycling hinterlands of Belgium and Italy. There hats of this guise are common place, although internet searches don't throw up many results but go to any cross race in Winter or the Spring Classics and you will see plenty.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pedaleforchetta/

Much like the Rapha Winter Hat this one from Sugoi uses Merino Wool. Where it instantly scores higher is in the bulk department. It's thinner so making under the helmet use a lot easier, while at the same time retaining the required style elements for those who prefer not to ride with a Helmet. Colour options come from the Henry Ford pantone book, and I'd like to see some colour options, red, white and blue would be welcome.

So this Winter Hat does it's job nicely. It keeps the head and ears warm while not boiling the head. One size fits most with only the very small or large heads not being catered for. It is low bulk item and has survived multiple washes. This bodes well for a longevity test and because of this I throughly recommend you get one. The best bit, it can be all yours for around £20.