Top 10 Cold-Weather Hats

Alpaca fiber with a windstopper lining. As warm as anything on this list at a fraction of a technical beanie's weight.

Domestic, undyed heavyweight wool. The default Northern woods cap.

Real fur or synthetic pile, ear flaps that actually seal. Nothing else compares in still cold.

Heavy mackinaw wool in a classic 6-panel. Structured, warm, holds up to rough use.

Alpaca with real ear flaps and a chin tie. Very warm, packs flat, extremely inexpensive.

Real shearling ear flaps. Overkill for most, essential for prairie or arctic wind.

Merino balaclava you can wear rolled as a cap. The 'always in the pack' answer.

Dense boiled wool — sheds light rain, holds shape, extremely wind resistant for a knit.

Not a beanie, but a proper wide-brim felt hat is the right cold-and-wet answer on horseback or in shoulder seasons.

Michigan-made wool cap with a pull-down earband. Warm, wind-blocking, and the ear coverage actually stays put in the woods.