Carhartt Males’s Fleece 2-in-1 Hat

Detailed comparison of Carhartt gray winter hats
I tend to be fairly picky about my winter hats, living in New England and despising any part of my ears feeling cold. After doing a fair bit of research, it became clear that Carhartt hats were consistently the highest rated. From there, however, I had trouble distinguishing between the following 4 styles:Carhartt Men’s Marshfield Wool Hat, Charcoal Heather, One SizeCarhartt Men’s Fleece 2-In-1 Headwear,Charcoal Heather,One Size – THIS REVIEWCarhartt Men’s Akron Hat,Black,One SizeCarhartt Men’s Firesteel Hat, Charcoal Heather, One SizeI decided to purchase all 4, keep the one I liked, and donate the others to charity. This review is specifically to compare these 4 hats in terms of style and warmth. First, an overview of the four and my overall ratings (1 worst, 5 best):Marshfield: 5 Style / 5 Warmth / Small FitFleece: 2 Style / 5 Warmth / Average Fit – THIS REVIEWAkron: 3 Style / 3 Warmth / Slightly Large FitFiresteel: 3 Style / 2 Warmth / Slightly Large FitFor detailed reviews of the other styles, please see my reviews on those pages. Specifically regarding the Fleece…This hat was immediately a very comfortable fit. Not too tight or too loose, it wrapped perfectly around my head with the ear flaps settling properly below my ears and remaining flush against the back of my cheeks (an issue with both the Akron and Firesteel). The bonus with this hat, and what makes it especially valuable, is the pull-out face mask. It remains permanently attached to the interior of the hat (unobtrusive in terms of comfort and appearance) and pulls down to double as a quasi-balaclava. I am able to wear sunglasses underneath it without any bothersome pinch or disturbance of the coverage (note that nose breathing does steam up the glasses a bit with the face mask in place – breathe through your mouth or keep the mask tight to your nostrils).Additionally, unlike my previous winter hat, this particular hat seems to only minimally block hearing (treble sounds mostly transmit clearly). The inside of the hat is the same gray fleece as the exterior (no separate lining), which I find very soft, comfortable, and warm. The lack of separate lining might allow the hat to transmit moisture a bit more easily, but also keeps it fairly thin if worn underneath a waterproof hood.Stylistically, this hat is a fairly bland beanie hat. Style is obviously the more subjective part of my review, but this one doesn’t do a ton for me. I’m by no means embarrassed to wear it, but I would categorize it more as functional than stylish. The gray is uniform and the fold-out mask is black. Because of its neutrality, it should go with just about any color jacket.In the end, the face mask made this hat worth as a backup option and especially for colder days where I might be digging out the car. I kept this hat, have worn it a few times, and plan to pull it out as alternative to my favorite of the bunch (the Marshfield). Definitely recommended if you’re watching your budget or also find value in the utility of the face mask!

Very Warm
I’ve worn this hat while running in 25 degree Fahrenheit weather and stayed plenty warm without even having to use the face covering. The ear flaps are just right and keep my ears toasty. I wear headphones over the ear flaps on my five mile runs and everything works just fine. I’ve worn other cold weather running hats, but from my experience, this Carhartt is the best I’ve worn.

Perfect fit
I really like how it fits and it’s long enough to cover my ears. Plus, the face mask is really nice too. I think it was pretty affordable. Over time, it does stretch a bit, but not quite enough to make a difference. And it’s black, the perfect shade.

Love it
Keeps head and ears hot

This toque/balaclava was super warm in -50°C weather this past winter. The face cover being optional was a bonus. Good quality and perfect fit.

I like the fact it has a built-in face mask, i work out side, (i actually dont use the mask part of it unless i need to go into a store, than i pull it out from under my chin, I wear a neck gaiter on top of it b/c i don’t want that mask wet (you can’t remove it from the hat)The hat slides up if you don’t either tuck the mask under your chin or use it – defeats purpose of ear flaps, but i am a women & i want the sides of my face covered & my ears covered. this hat isn’t thick, it’s fleece minus – 30 you have to have a hooded jacket …..& if you have a big head it’s not gonna cover the back of your neck at allI really like it for what i use it for, i have 2 for the real canadian cold

I wear this fleece when winter theows -20c and this hat does the trjck. Fit is perfdct , ear coverage is perfect and fleece thickness and back of neck coverage is just long enough for any head size you may have.Highly recommended and I bought large and I’m 6ft 180lbs