I love a hat. I don’t love hair so much, and I’m a hairy one, but I do love a hat. You’ll always find me running with a hat on. I find it helps with the sweat and also the annoying thing that hair does naturally – moving around. Another insight for you, I’ve come to realise that I have a smallish head. Hats don’t always fit….Enter the Inov8 All Terrrain Peak Running Cap. Or to you and I, a ‘cap by Inov8’.
I’ve the s/m size fit which is nice. Nice is good. Many caps are one size only and expect that the clasp mechanism thingy will provide the fit for everyone. On a smaller head that doesn’t work. Besides a poor, loose fit you end up with this flappy bit of material left over from adjusting it as tight as it will go. That’s more annoying than the flappy hair, not ideal. The ‘cap by Inov8’ has a buckle type clasp, that you can pull tighter, which is great. It also has space to fit the excess strapping into the cap’s sweatband (did I mention it has a microfibre sweatband?!). The sweatband is brilliant, it makes the cap the little bit more comfortable to wear and also absorbs the sweat that would otherwise drip down your face into your eyes and cause you to go blind, which is exactly what might happen if your sweat was excessive and toxic, I don’t know.
The style/look of the ‘cap by Inov8’ is trucker-esque. Black with a white front. Simple design. Reflective logo on the front and a logo tab on the clasp strap whatsitt. It’s made from Polyseter that is fast wicking, breathable and has some sun-protection built in. I don’t know what that means exactly but I’m assuming its not had a spray in Factor 50 but something more ‘permanent’. I can’t comment so much on the sun protection as I have lots of hair that also offers sun protection. It is however very breathable and light weight and wicks sweat away super quickly. It is so fast wicking actually. So fast. I put it on, I run, then I sweat into it and it is soaking wet! Wet with Sweat. But, it is so breathable. I never feel like I’m over heating or need to take it off. Then, when I stop running and I do take it off, if I leave it for a few minutes it becomes so dry. This hat is so good.
What I like 
- it is very lightweight
- It wicks sweat away super quickly
- I love the look and style and, if you haven’t gathered already, I like the clasp mechanism.
What I didn’t like
- The reflective logo is, to me, quite cheaply done – it’s like a transfer of some sort. With use and washing (by hand!) it inevitably peels off. This doesn’t bother me too much but it shouldn’t be this way. But, let’s face it, I didn’t buy the hat for the logo!
Conclusion
This is my go to hat. I’ve worn it in Ultras for over 10 hours straight, forgetting it’s there (almost). I like to wear it backwards. Not because I’m cool or a badboy, not because I want a semi-circle patch of sun tan on my forehead, no, but because I like the cooling effect of the sweat dripping off the brim of the cap and dripping down my back. Lovely.
Run With Dai 