My wife is a dermatology resident, so I have become religious about wearing sunscreen, a hat, and sunglasses when outdoors, even in winter.

When I first started running two years ago, in November, I wore an old Pearl Izumi beanie that I found in a drawer. It kept my ears warm, but I didn't like the sun shining directly on my face.

So last winter, I took to wearing my Headsweats running hat (which has a bill like a baseball cap) on top of a cheap headband that covered my ears. That combo improved the sun exposure situation but it was too thin to keep me very warm.

(I did try out a Mizuno Breath Thermo Cap, which is essentially a baseball cap with fold-down ear-warmers. Unfortunately, it was just too tight on my big head. Also, the ear-warmers fold inside the hat, which made it even tighter and, for me, completely unwearable.)

Now that winter has arrived again in St. Louis, I decided to look for another hat and came across the Saucony Wascal Cap II at Running Warehouse.

Like the Mizuno, the Wascal has attached ear-warmers that--unlike the Mizuno--fold out, not in. In the folded-up position, the Wascal looks like an Elmer Fudd-style hunting cap, which is presumably how they came up with the name: "wascal" as in "wascally wabbit." (I do like the fact that Saucony had a sense of humor when naming this product.)

The Wascal is made of thick, soft fleece, and it is much roomier than the Mizuno, fitting my head perfectly. It's adjustable in the back, so I suspect it would fit most people comfortably.

It felt warm when I put it on, but the real test would come when running. So far, I have worn the Wascal on four runs (two 6-milers, a 7-miler, and a 10-miler) in pretty chilly temperatures (low 30's last week, mid-20's this week), and it has done a fantastic job of keeping (a) my head and ears warm and (b) the sun out of my face.

After today's 10-miler, my fingers felt frozen stiff inside my gloves but my head felt fine, even though I sweat a lot. The Wascal couldn't keep me completely dry, of course, but it did a great job of wicking away the excess sweat, so much so that the exterior of the hat was covered with moisture after each run (not sure how well you can see it in the picture below). Even though my hair was soaked with sweat, my head never felt cold while running. 

Does it make me look like a dork? Yes (see below), but I don't care as long as my head is warm.

(Note: I bought this hat with my own money.)