Running caps are big business these days, with most brands offering impressive technical options to tackle the sun, wind and rain. In this video, we test out some of the best options out there and pick the ones we think are worth looking at.
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Jump right in:
00:00 – Intro
Nick’s Picks
00:36 – On Lightweight Cap
01:32 – Montane Minimus Lite Waterproof Cap
02:46 – Tor Running Caps
Tom’s Picks
03:44 – Brav Artemis Cap
05:12 – Saysky Combat Cap
06:48 – Melin Pace Hydro
Kieran’s Picks
08:26 – On Lightweight Cap
09:13 – Boco KIITD Cap
Mike’s Picks
10:49 – Janji AFO Hyperlight Cap
11:58 – Fractel Cap
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Hey Tommy from the Run testers and Welcome to another of our running guides In this video we are going to be looking At running caps so something that I have A massive collection of I love running Caps I know the other run testers are Big fans of them as well we're going to Be talking about all of our favorite Running caps that you can wear in the Summer and in the winter let's Dive In So my first pick for the best running Hats is the on lightweight cap it's fair To say it's one that we're all a big fan Of here at the Run testers it's just a Really nice well-rounded cab that Doesn't cost the Earth though the price Has been rising a little bit I've Noticed over the past year or so with Inflation it's 36 pounds or 44.99 it Fits like a standard baseball cap which I like probably more than the somewhat Flat fit you get with some of the softer Caps these days you've got very large And firm brim which does a great job of Keeping the Sun or rain out of my eyes When I'm on the run and the design is Nice and subtle like there's lots of Fairly plain designs here it's not as Wild and wacky as some of the ones out There but it's nice to have a fairly Subtle cap to wear from time to time it Is up to its name of being very Lightweight very breathable and despite That effect does absorb a lot of sweat
So it's not going to start dripping on You if you get really sweaty after an Hour or so it will absorb all that swear It dries quickly it still feels nice and Light on the head so yeah that's my First pick the on lightweight cap my Second pick is the montane Minimus light Waterproof now this is the only Waterproof cap I think I've ever tested That really is lightweight and enjoyable To use while running it doesn't make you Overheat like I've used this for hard Sessions on the track even up to Temperatures in the kind of mid-teens Celsius here in the UK and it just it Doesn't feel too hot and sweaty and will Protect you from the rain throughout Those workouts so you can use it for a Couple of hours in the pouring rain and If you're someone like me who wears Glasses quite often on the run the peak Will keep the rain off your glasses Throughout the run which is invaluable Because it rains a lot here in the UK And I run a lot and I'm often running in The rain as a result and it's nice to Have a cat that you can pull on that Doesn't feel like a waterproof cap Doesn't feel very hot and sweaty or Anything like that but it will keep the Rain off you throughout it's also just a Really lightweight cap in general folds Down nice and small if you want to stuff It in a pack it's got a perforated Peak
To help with that so there's like Internal structure but gaps in that Which keeps the weight down it also Means it's more foldable some nice Reflective details as well which is Always handy on anything you're going to Run in they're definitely the main Feature is that it just doesn't get Really hot and sweaty which is a problem For lots of waterproof cabs I've tested In the past it does feel nice in that Way you can just wear it as a cap if you Like although I still would probably Prefer something that isn't waterproof On days when it isn't raining 30 pounds UK 39 in the US so again it's not a very Cheap cap but for a waterproof product Like this I think that's pretty good Value so my last pick is one for people Here in the UK it's tours running caps Which costs 26 pounds 20 a piece now I'll declare my interest here that uh The guys up tour is a friend of mine Called Dave a really good guy and but I Do really really like this caps to the Point where we're hope you're getting Some run tester one soon with uh the Same design but our logo on them they're Just really good caps they're the Classic Soft five panel design you see a Lot of cats these days very easy to Scrunch up very small and wash they dry Quickly they regain their shape very Quickly or if you do scrunch them up
They fit really comfortably absorb a lot Of sweat on the Run uh you've probably Seen me wearing the videos where I'm Very sweaty so you can see that for Yourself in action and they come in a Small range of really nice designs and It is nice to get a cat from a small Company like tour because it's a little Bit different to what you'll see out There it's a good logo at name all round So they've been the Caps I've used the Most uh day to day over the last couple Of Summers yeah then there's really good Hats with nice bright designs My first pick is the brav Artemis cap Now brother is a brand that you probably Know more for socks but they do do lots Of other apparel as well so including Caps now the Um Artemis cap is Just a solid cap really there's not Really any standout things I would say About this cab it's just very Comfortable to wear it's nice fits Nicely on the head some running caps I Do find can sit a bit High I don't like That I like to have a cat that really Sits further down on my head it's nice And flexible you can store it in you can Kind of scrunch it up and put it in your Bag when you're not wearing it or you And then you can put it out and it all Sort of goes back to its original shape It's machine washable it's made from
This like mesh material which is Designed to be lightweight it's not the Most lightweight one out there there are Some better Alternatives like the on cap Which um I think Nick is going to talk About but it's a solid cap very Comfortable if you like these sort of Neon designs I think Mike's probably the Sort of person who's probably more Likely to to go for this sort of color Um then this is what you want to go for Brav is essentially a brand that has Lots of exciting uh cool young looking Designs well probably not necessarily For me but I think it's a solid cap it's Very comfortable I've been rearing this For a few runs now and I think it's Great it has some reflective elements on It as well and it dries quite quickly Once it gets really sweaty so that's Another bonus as well so solids cap and Definitely one if you like those sorts Of designs now Sasuke do loads of Different caps um and largely they make The cargo caps which is the same design But they change the actual colorways on Them and they tend to do that quite a Lot throughout the year so this design Here which I think is the mint designer Or something that was designed for the Summer there's they've got a whole range That you can get in this colorway Um that's good that will finish at some Point and there will be a new design
That comes out for this type of cap so You can get this cap in loads of Different designs and they're all Generally designed to be quite Fashionable now this is probably a Little bit too much for me I don't tend To wear really colorful caps but I do Have a few other versions of the cap With different colors on as well which Um I really like I didn't think about The Stacy caps is that they are very Fashionable they're clearly designed for People that really care about The style of the kit that they're Wearing but they're also really Functional as well so even though I'm Not necessarily that bothered about Fashion I do wear these quite a lot Because they do a really good job and They're very comfortable to wear so There's quite a lot of space in the top Which I really like I have got a lot of Caps that go too high I mentioned that Earlier but they're very comfortable a Lot of space in them you can sort of Bend the um the the brim as well which I Like doing it's also machine washable UV Protective Um and it is designed to be sweat Wicking as well so if you go your head Really sweaty the moisture should Evaporate off it's not as good as some Of the really like weight caps I've seen It's not the lightest cap out there
There are some other caps that some of The guys will talk about which are Probably a little bit better if you Really do sweat a lot but it's not bad And I do use this quite a lot in the Summer okay so this is more my style This is the melon paste Hydro now Berlin Is a brand that is fairly new and the Designing uh quite hard wearing caps not Necessarily always for running but this Is their running specific one now it's Very similar to the other caps that I've Talked about but I think the thing about This one is that it's really nicely Designed so it's a little bit more Subtle not just the colorway but the way That the seams are sort of designed and Little uh design features on here There's like little logo underneath that And on the side and it just looks really Nice and cool it's quite an expensive Cap but it does have a few little Features on it that are quite nice to Have in the brim there is a rubber Guttering system that sits under there And the idea is that when you're Sweating it doesn't drip down your eyes It sort of goes over the top of the Rubber and drips down the side of your Face have found it to work quite well I Do find that when I wear this this cap I Don't tend to get as much sweat in my Face I do sweat a lot in the summer um So it's definitely a good one for that
Like many of the other cats we talked About it is designed to be sweat wicking It is designed to be relatively Lightweight and not keep your head Really wet if you're sweating loads it's Very good at that again it's not the Lightest one out there I would still say The on cap is probably the best if you Really want the lightest possible cap Out there but it is a solid cap and very Subtle very nice I believe this colorway Is currently sold out on the website but There is another a gray colorway that You can get as well so it's solid bit Expensive but there are some features in It that are quite nice to have um if you Really into your caps like I am So this on running lightweight cap has Been around for a while but it's a long Time favorite of mine in certain Conditions namely when it gets really Hot when I want something that's a bit More lightweight when my um my baldy Head needs a bit more sun protection uh I use this the ventilation is pretty Good and no matter how much ventilation You get though my cap still gets soaking So to combat some of the torrent that I Get of leaky sweat it's got a built-in Sweat Band it does a pretty good job of Slowing down the leaks into your eyes The other thing I like about is thin and Fast drying so after a run you can avoid Getting that cold head from a wet cap
It's machine washable I find the easy Clasp at the back and the sliding Adjusted great for getting a good fit It's on the pricier side but I've had This one for about three years now it's Still going strong where cheaper caps May have given up much sooner so that is My first pick next up I've got this Boko Five panel technical tracker performance Cap so if your regular Watcher of the Channel you'll know that I'm one of the People who usually wears their cap Backwards and that means only certain Styles of hats really work for me and This five panel trucker hat is one of Them now I love the airiness of these Sort of side mesh panels it's got a Wicking internal Sweat Band as well that Works pretty well I can get a decent fit With the Snapback closure I don't feel Like that Wiggles Loose as well like Some fastenings can so it stays firmly Put they are hand wash only but I think They clean up really quickly in a clip In a sink of soap and water you don't Have to do too much with them this one Is a customized kick it in the design It's made and sold by my ultra running Iron Man dentist I'm a big fan of the Rainbow unicorn but you can get other Designs direct from the Boko site too But one of the reasons I really like This not just because I think it's got a Really nice design but this hat is all
About kind of supporting people who have Mental health issues and using movement To do so so it's about spreading Positive awareness about that so yeah I Think it's got a really positive message I love running in it as well Thank you So I do love a running cap I would say That my running cap rotation is Significantly bigger than my shoe when I've tested a lot of different brands Um I like a good looking cat but also Ultimately it has to deliver in terms of What I look for and mainly that's Something I prefer something a little Bit more low profile particularly in Terms of the brim Um something that you can adjust the fit Uh with really quickly something that's Packable as well I like something that I Can you know maybe squeeze into a Running belt or a bag because ultimately Sometimes I go out with a cap and I Don't want to wear it the entire time so It's nice to have that option to do that So my cap choice is this the janji afo High plight cap now again a bit like the Say ski cap it is really really thin and Light and you can kind of just see it Really stretchy material and that you Know again that's something I like and That also means that you can kind of Squash it kind of scrunch it and pack it Away and it's the same with the brim as
Well it's low profile but you can kind Of scrunch it and it makes sure you can Kind of fit it in I like the fact that It's got this kind of Bungee um kind of Cord sometimes I have issues in terms of Are the kind of mechanisms that some Caps use whereas with this I know that I'm going to be able to tighten and Loosen this I'm not going to have to Play around with it at the back as well It's got some nice elements inside of The cap to make sure it's kind of Absorbing sweat and you know when it Does get sweaty and it gets wet you know It doesn't kind of hold that moisture in A really kind of annoying or kind of Irritating way so for me this is a cap That I've really really liked it's super Light it's in the name of course Packable but also I like the fact that You've got that kind of bungee cord Actually makes it very easy to kind of Tighten and loosen if you want to take It off Um or the fit hasn't just quite worked With you when you first gone out running With it so my last pick is from a cat Brand called fractal Australian brand And I've had a couple of their caps Before I think this is kind of the Midnight Edition one that has a kind of Like reflect more of these kind of Reflective elements in the design and This one as well because I just gonna
Love that color and it's all kind of got That kind of ventilated mesh kind of Design as well to make it more Breathable but it's this one that I've Got in recently so this is the um it's F Series cap and I think this is the iris Edition and what I like about this again A little about the janji and the safe Ski caps again it's a little bit low Profile I like the fact it's got a Shorter brim in it it's got some nice Kind of UPF Protected panels here as well on the Sides and on the front of the heart so If you're wearing it from all kind of Backwards and you've got that kind of Extra Protection there as well and I Also like I think the main thing for me Is you've got this really thick kind of Sweat Band inside of the cap so if you Do sweat a lot then there's a big kind Of area to kind of absorb that here as Well and again it's one that I've been Able to throw in the wash without any Issue Um and I think a lot a lot like the Other caps as well I think that's a you Know a big deal for me if you can do That and it doesn't kind of damage the Cap as well so yeah my last pick is this The fractal F series I think this is the Iris Edition Um new addition to my kind of cap Rotation and one that I'm really liking
And enjoying at the moment okay so That's it from us thanks a lot for Watching this guy don't forget to like Subscribe click the little bell and also If you go into the caption below you can Find a link to our podcast and if you're Watching this in July you will be able To listen to the latest podcast we've Done which is all about cushion shoes so If you're into cushion shoes there's a Whole podcast for you to listen to about That thanks a lot for watching catch you Next time Foreign
