Finally found the hat that fits my needs for the cold days of rifle hunting in northern MN. The Gore Windstopper is amazingly warm and quite when paired with the Berber liner. The only downfall is the ribbed stretch fabric on the back of the hat which brushes up against coat collars and makes noise.

I take this hat everywhere mid to late season. Warmest hat I own and useful in any occasion that requires blaze orange head gear. Start to get too warm? Flip up the bottom around the ears and the stretch material at base will hold up and off your skin. This is a must have for every gun hunter.

I have had this hat since fall 2016 so I wanted to get a full winter and now January 2018. I work outside in neg 15 / stupid cold with the windchill in South Dakota in a bucket boom up to 75 feet off the ground which means it’s insanely windy and basically I just stand there freezing all day. This hat is amazing I wear it everyday it stops the wind. Fit is a touch larger which is ok because it covers all the way down to my safety glasses and most of my neck in the back. I thought I would have issues with my hard hat sliding or falling off in the wind but no it stays put even with the gusts.

The only issue I have ever had with it is if I move material around on the ground too long I start sweating and have to swap out for a fleece hat plus I remove my outer jacket layers until I’m finished. But I quickly put it back on when I’m done with the strenuous activity because my ears get cold under the fleece hat and without my jacket on the cold wind cuts through my insulation layers very easily.

I actually wear it everyday shopping, date night, playing in the snow with my kids, running up the river in the boat, hunting, whatever activity I do outside it really doesn’t matter I have it on!

Yes I recommend this hat to everyone.

FYI... I’m still waiting for you to sell a solid black and or gray one?

I wish this was offered in two sizes. The one size fits most is too small. I wear a 7 1/2 fitted hat.

Everyone else about the hat appeals to me but I have to rate it 3 stars due to sizing.

Very warm, very comfortable. I have a small head (7 1/8) and, unlike for some previous reviewers, the fit is fine. Maybe Sitka has changed their sizing. Paired with a balaclava or neck gaiter and with a hood up on top of it, I've worn it in some very extreme wind and cold and been pleased. I only wished that my hands and feet could be as warm as my head.

I wanted a warm hat for elk hunting in the mountains - not so much for wearing while walking around, but for keeping warm when sitting still glassing or waiting by a meadow at the beginning/end of the day. I think this hat will be great for that. I like the wind resistance of the fabric in upper portion and forehead areas. It's not billed as "windstopper" but it's almost as impermeable to wind. I wear hat size 7-3/8 and the ballistic beanie fits me fine. It does have a bit of a Darth Vader look to it because it drops low in the back to cover the top of your neck. But then again, most really warm hats look at least a little bit ridiculous to me. I won't mind looking like a medieval sanitation worker if the elk don't mind! And yes, it is warm as hell. I'm giving it a 3.5 star rating instead of 4 star because the lower edge of the hat could use a small cinch adjuster in the back so that you can snug that lower edge down really tight over you ears when the cold wind is blowing.

This hat is incredible! It feels like your not wearing a hat at all, no itchy head, you can hear as good as without a hat, and it is unbelievably warm. They say most heat escapes out of your head... not in this thing.

For reference I have a smaller head and think it fits great. It isn't the tight fit you get with a beanie. The fleece fur gently touches my dome. I think this is by design to trap air/heat and provide insulation.

Can't say enough good about this. Get one you won't regret it.

The commenter who said this hat is huge on anyone with less than an enormous jug head is spot on. Realistically the hat band size on this hat is about an 8. I popped it on my shaved head and immediately felt qualified to fire the laser beam on the Death Star.

On the plus side, it is warm as hell, and when paired with the Neck Gaiter it becomes more of a hood-like system. Would I buy this again? No. Do I want my friends to see me wearing it? Hell no. Have I seen a more ridiculous hat? Once.

To give a little constructive feedback, Sitka could do a lot to improve this by reducing the dome height by 1/2" and by adding an adjustable elastic band around the lateral seam. I might actually even increase the length of the back of the hat, because at this point you might as well go whole hog and make it a medieval style hood. Right now it is the mock turtle neck of hat-hoods; like you got stuck in between business up front and party out back and wound up with an orange mullet dickey.

In sum, if you want to look like a medieval sanitation worker, but be really warm and comfortable doing it, this is your hat!

Hat looks very warm which is why I bought it for late season hunting. Unfortunately, it is not one size fits all. If you are on the medium to small head size you will drown in this hat. It is huge. Seems to be a pattern with Sitka's none adjustable hats they all run big. I have one of the adjustable ball caps and I love it but all the beanies are way too big.