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I currently use a buff. It works, but does slowly move off my neck and ears, you end up with a big floppy bit like Scrooge's hat.
Does anyone make a really thin, wicking hat with ear and neck coverage?
Surely that's a balaclava sir! Not been cold enough to warrant one though so far.
Yeah, buffs need to be about 10cm longer to cope with larger heads. The merino Buffs are longer and might work for you. (I'm assuming you're wearing it folded over, like a skull cap?)
I’ve had a Polaris skull cap for years, thin enough to fit under a helmet but covers your ears too.
What method are you using when you put the buff on your head?
I use it either folded over like a skull cap (that's when it slowly pulls up over ears, they are not long enough) or just on head with excess draped to the back.
Edit: scotroutes has it - too short to double, not best when single.
Ideally Buff would use their summer fabric and make a beanie with ears and low back.
Rapha do a collar that's like a slightly more shapely Buff works for me as it approaches 0deg.
You can get more length by not fully covering the top of your head. Even a small gap at the top should do the trick.
As the owner of a cranium with it's own gravitational field, I've found that buffs actually work better chopped in half, then worn single layer as, essentially, a really wide headband. Stays on the ears fine, and there's enough fabric around and over the top of my head to act as pretty much a full hat.
When it's really cold I use a full-length buff, but just halved as a tube so it's essentially a double-layer version of the above. Turning it into a skullcap wastes too much fabric ( and it really does look like skullcap on my head...)
Ah - chopping a third off an old one might be the answer here..
https://alpkit.com/products/kepler-beanie
not tried one, but it might be on the list for the winter. Always used buffs before. Got a small head, so don't have the same issues as you, but they are a bit faffy getting them folded just so.
You just need a roadie skullcap, and possibly a separate buff round your neck if that's getting too cold.
There's some fairly inexpensive looking ones on Amazon. Worth a punt there I reckon.
Buff actually do a seamless Skullcap beanie although its 2-layer fabric.
I've picked up a couple of non-brand buffs which are a fair bit longer which work much better for ear coverage either pirate or beanie fold depending on temp.
an 80's skateboarder trick - cut the sleeve off an old t-shirt...
As per @chakaping I alternate between a DHB ear-only coverer and a DHB skull cap, (both I've had for years now), which covers ears, and a Buff, or if its really cold a high collar top - I have a zipped Icebreaker baselayer that when zipped up covers my neck nicely too.
I have something like this - essentially a thin beanie.
It's fine, but make the helmet feel a bit perched on my head, which is nonsense really because no different. But in a thread about wearing cycling caps under helmets (which is my preference) someone else made mention of caps helping to make the helmet feel more snug. Likely a false sense of security, but it's all about the feelz.
I've got Endura and Gore skullcaps. The Gore is warmer and comes down further over the ears.
Full face helmet shirley
You know you want to…
https://www.bike-discount.de/en/castelli-bandana-headscarf?number=20041423-40095817&__delivery=11
Paging Pantani
I wear a lycra/fabric swim cap which seems to evaporate sweat and stay dry better than a buff.
However, there's no ear and/or neck coverage.
edit - something like THIS for £2.99
For a very long time, i have used a buff cut in half. when it's warmer, then the buff is entirely in the helmet, protecting my (used-to-be) shaved head from sunburn, bugs etc and making the helmet a bit more comfy.
If it's a bit cooler, the buff gets pulled down to cover the top half of my ears.
It's it's really cold, i wear a Castelli Bandito, which is a thin peaked cap that covers my ears and the back of the neck.
I prefer a skull cap with drop ears that lays flat under a helmet and doesnt gather.
Something akin to this:
I do the buff pirate technique which definitely stays on, only downside is where the knot ends up so you may have to fettle it to keep it out of your cough helmet
I've got a Galibier Super Roubaix Skull Cap - it's great, in fact it's so warm I only wear it if the temps are hovering around zero
Like IHN ,I have a v. Large dome. I have tried various roadie skull caps but they always seem to leave ears flapping in the wind while Buffs migrate around my head however carefully they are folded. Tried a fleece headband but too thick too play with helmet. Now going to try the half-a-Buff idea.
Thanks all - some ideas here, liking the swim hat!
My issue is that if I go too insulated with all these winter hats (See all the comments about being warm) I just get a head that is too hot and sweaty. I am after something that keeps the worst of the wind off, but wicks like billy and doesn't add insulation.
I have a windproof skull cap from kayaking days - but it just is a sweaty mess...
Ideal is thin Buff-like fabric but with the ear and neck flaps. I might get mrs_oab to get the sewing machine out.
My issue is that if I go too insulated with all these winter hats (See all the comments about being warm) I just get a head that is too hot and sweaty. I am after something that keeps the worst of the wind off, but wicks like billy and doesn’t add insulation.
Single layer half-buff 'headband ' does exactly this. I wear it in summer, off my ears, to wick away sweat and stop it dripping in my eyes. In winter it goes over the ears to keep them warm.
If it's reeeeeally cold, like approaching or below zero, it's the full-buff, double layered tube, over the ears.
Bandana.
Recipe:
75cm x75cm thin bit of cotton for me. Nothing fancy.
worst bandana bread recipe ever
I've got an IceBreaker merino beanie hat - it's perfect. Thin, cosy, breathable. Looking on their website they now do a few different options so think mine's the Pocket Beanie.
I've got one of these for v cold days as it's pretty hot. With regards to buffs, I actually cut one or two in half for helmet liners. Sounds a bit counter-intuitive I know as others have said they're not really long enough, but I've found that half a buff is enough to act as an ear-tip warmer and sweat band, doesn't get as bunched up under your helmet, and can leave enough bare head so as not to get too overheated. If you've got some old buffs laying about, it might worth a experiment to see if works for you?
Leg of an old set of tights, cut to desired length, roubaix for depths of winter
Skull cap, I have a couple from Aldi, great for preventing brain freeze. combined with a buff/neck tube to keep neck warm.
On really cold days I wear my Alpkit Griffon fleece Hoody that has a close fitting hood which fits under my helmet. When its well below zero a balaclava.
I get buffs and trim them down as above. Also if you get the sewing machine out it's pretty easy to make a little skull cap, this is also very effective.
Two buff halves, one on my head and one on my neck and back of my head that I can pull up over my face and if needed nose is the best option for really cold weather, IME. They are cheap enough, I've got several cut into 5-10cm strips to keep sweat off my face. You do need to add a little extra though as the cut edges roll up and make your cut bit smaller than you'd expected.
castelli viva therma headbands are great, and do a skully for the baldies
I am after something that keeps the worst of the wind off, but wicks like billy and doesn’t add insulation.
I usually run too hot, would melt if I put a proper beanie on but this worked for me on the colder days last winter (but I'm darn sarf so even then it's not proper cold!)
https://www.galibier.cc/product/ardennes-headband/
Sealskinz balaclava. Also waterproof
You just need a roadie skullcap, and possibly a separate buff round your neck if that’s getting too cold.
Another vote for this. Has the advantage that the buff can be easily pulled over your face for those first few freezing minutes. Either can be moved to a pocket if you start getting too hot.
Believe it or not a hairnet works really really well. It just depends on whether you can stand the ridicule - I couldn’t for very long…
Buff actually do a seamless Skullcap beanie although its 2-layer fabric.
Yep, got one in black/grey and it works well. Shaved head currently so also provides that extra bit of padding.
Cycling skullcaps are not sweaty. As a few of us have said, that's what you need.