Begin with the greatest cold weather hunting hat ever and add a simple hack to create a headwear "system" for both archery and rifle season.
The Incinerator hat is lined with Berber fleece and the outer shell is GORE-TEX. There are plenty of GORE-TEX and fleece hats on the market, so what makes this one different? Two simple features. . . the ear flaps and the brim. The ear flaps are warm without impeding your hearing and they flip up easily when you don't need them. The short brim on the hat is awesome for shielding your eyes from that bright sun especially when it gets low in the sky in November and December.
Detailed Specs:
GORE OPTIFADE Concealment Elevated II camo pattern
Weight 4.8 oz
Waterproof GORE-TEX
CamLock Adjustable Back for a secure fit
OSFA (one size fits all)
Price $99.00
For years, I've enjoyed wearing this hat in late archery season. And for years, I've been hoping that Sitka would offer a blaze orange version for rifle season. After two seasons of hoping, I came up with a solution and saved almost $70.
Here's the hack. . . I purchased a Sitka Beanie in blaze orange for $30. Next, I sewed small buttons on the left and right side of the hat, just behind the brim (around the temple area). Then, I added two elastic loops inside the Beanie to attach to the buttons on the hat.
Over engineered solution? Perhaps, but given the brush I encounter in upstate NY, I want to know that my safety orange will stay in place. If you don't encounter dense brush when you hunt, then forget the buttons and elastic loops. Instead of the Sitka Beanie, you could also use a blaze orange Buff [Amazon] for $20 and save a few extra bucks -- pun intended ;).