CarharttMen's Fleece 2-in-1 Hat

I tend to be fairly picky about my winter hats, living in New England and despising any part of my ears feeling cold. After doing a fair bit of research, it became clear that Carhartt hats were consistently the highest rated. From there, however, I had trouble distinguishing between the following 4 styles:Carhartt Men's Marshfield Wool Hat, Charcoal Heather, One SizeCarhartt Men's Fleece 2-In-1 Headwear,Charcoal Heather,One Size - THIS REVIEWCarhartt Men's Akron Hat,Black,One SizeCarhartt Men's Firesteel Hat, Charcoal Heather, One SizeI decided to purchase all 4, keep the one I liked, and donate the others to charity. This review is specifically to compare these 4 hats in terms of style and warmth. First, an overview of the four and my overall ratings (1 worst, 5 best):Marshfield: 5 Style / 5 Warmth / Small FitFleece: 2 Style / 5 Warmth / Average Fit - THIS REVIEWAkron: 3 Style / 3 Warmth / Slightly Large FitFiresteel: 3 Style / 2 Warmth / Slightly Large FitFor detailed reviews of the other styles, please see my reviews on those pages. Specifically regarding the Fleece...This hat was immediately a very comfortable fit. Not too tight or too loose, it wrapped perfectly around my head with the ear flaps settling properly below my ears and remaining flush against the back of my cheeks (an issue with both the Akron and Firesteel). The bonus with this hat, and what makes it especially valuable, is the pull-out face mask. It remains permanently attached to the interior of the hat (unobtrusive in terms of comfort and appearance) and pulls down to double as a quasi-balaclava. I am able to wear sunglasses underneath it without any bothersome pinch or disturbance of the coverage (note that nose breathing does steam up the glasses a bit with the face mask in place - breathe through your mouth or keep the mask tight to your nostrils).Additionally, unlike my previous winter hat, this particular hat seems to only minimally block hearing (treble sounds mostly transmit clearly). The inside of the hat is the same gray fleece as the exterior (no separate lining), which I find very soft, comfortable, and warm. The lack of separate lining might allow the hat to transmit moisture a bit more easily, but also keeps it fairly thin if worn underneath a waterproof hood.Stylistically, this hat is a fairly bland beanie hat. Style is obviously the more subjective part of my review, but this one doesn't do a ton for me. I'm by no means embarrassed to wear it, but I would categorize it more as functional than stylish. The gray is uniform and the fold-out mask is black. Because of its neutrality, it should go with just about any color jacket.In the end, the face mask made this hat worth as a backup option and especially for colder days where I might be digging out the car. I kept this hat, have worn it a few times, and plan to pull it out as alternative to my favorite of the bunch (the Marshfield). Definitely recommended if you're watching your budget or also find value in the utility of the face mask!

Very warm and wind resistant. Snug and stylish. Affordable and easy to use and wash. Colors is the same in the picture.

Great fit, stays in place. Easy to fold the mask away inside the cap. Very comfortable and warm.

OK, if you are into fashion, look elsewhere, ha ha! This is a snug fit on my average size female head. I only wear this when it is deathly cold outside. In the picture (lake in the background) I am modeling the hat under a hood and ski mask, so you can't see much of it. This day was a 2019 Polar Vortex day in the Great Lakes Region. The actual temperature was 15 below zero, the windchill about -40 F. I left no skin exposed and was very warm.I like that it can cover the nose and mouth and that is very important when dealing with sub-zero conditions. It is not at all bulky, and so it can easily fit under a hood. It doesn't move or change position like 99% of my other hats, which I always have to tug back into place (which is a pain when shoveling or blowing snow.)Sadly, like most cases where you cover your mouth and nose, your glasses/goggles/ski mask is gonna fog up. That particular day, it fogged the mask up so badly that it was like trying to see through wax paper. So I blindly pushed the shovel until I met resistance, then lifted and heaved! I would call that the Helen Keller method of snow removal, but that would be insensitive! So this hat with mask in place, fogged & obscured my vision by 90%. But, in those temperatures, skin can freeze in 10 minutes. This saved my skin!On not-so-brutally cold days, this works just fine. I own nothing better. This is my cold weather go-to. Surprisingly warm for such a lightweight item. Oh, and another fashion note...it WILL totally crush your hair. Yup!

I like the 2 piece idea that it is a balaclava/face mask and hat together as I use to carry them separately and wear together. Used it in this year's winter and the face mask portion keeps my face warm from cold winds and the hat covers my ears and head. The only issue is it is one size and it may be fine for small and medium size heads but for me having a big head and face, it will be a little squeezed but not too tight. Another issue is for glasses wearers, having the mask up may fog them but that is typical for a lot of masks so there's not much that can be done. If possibly a bigger size was made, then it may fit me better but this one still works and I'll continue to use it.

Bought for my husband for hunting and fishing out on the boat in the winter! You don’t have to worry about it flying off when cruising across the water in the boat! Keeps your ears and face warm when cold!

-4 degrees currently in western PA and this mask is great. It’s warm and fits comfortable under my hard hat. The only bad thing is my safety glasses fog up when the mask is on but they do with any type of face mask/ respirator. Overall this is a quality mask and I would recommend it.

Nice earflaps for cold wind. Nice retractable facemask. I have had a hat like this for many years. I bought this one for my son. The orange hat I bought has a black face mask... Some pics show a camo mask.