If you speak to anyone about the most important part of an outfit, you’ll usually elicit one of two common responses: the jacket or the shoes. Both obviously matter a great deal – but we’d like to suggest another contender: the humble cap.
What someone chooses to wear on their head tends to say a lot about them. Cycling caps suggest a person who spends their weekends chasing miles and wearing Lycra. Running caps point to early alarms and an unhealthy amount of screentime spent on Strava. And bucket hats on forty-something-year-olds usually mean you’re about to hear, at length, about the Hacienda.
Caps sit somewhere between practicality and personality. They keep the sun out of your eyes, the rain off your glasses, and – perhaps most importantly – offer a small but decisive way to finish an outfit. We’re almost always wearing caps in the Proper office, and more often than not, they lean a bit technical – mainly so we can keep the Manchester weather off our foreheads and our creative genius safely contained inside our skulls.
Below are ten of the finest technical caps on the market right now.
BEAMS Plus – 4 Panel Side Mesh Long Bill Cap
Here we’ve got a lovely technical piece of headwear from the boys at BEAMS. The overall construction – featuring a long bill and vented side panels – seems to be directly inspired by Patagonia’s legendary Spoonbill caps, which we wish they still made. But for now, this BEAMS reimagination sates our appetites nicely.
The profile of this beautifully bright CAYL cap seems to be directly influenced by cycling headwear, but we like to think it would work just fine for most other sporting activities. Or just to sit at a desk typing away about nonsense.
As its name suggests, this Montbell Rain Cap is absolutely perfect for moisture-ridden, temperate climates like the UK’s. The brand’s signature DRY-TEC fabric is sure to provide comprehensive protection from light rain, moderate showers, and even heavy downpours.
Goldwin – Dope Dyed Ripstop Wind Cap
Goldwin have been rather clever here. They’ve combined modern synthetic materials with the traditional technique of garment dyeing, resulting in a cap with a truly distinctive look and feel. And the photos do any justice whatsoever.
Klattermusen – Ansur Five Panel Cap
With all their experience producing super-lightweight, boundary-pushing outerwear, Klättermusen clearly know their way around a technical cap. Big fan of the way the brand’s bright blue logo pops against the otherwise monochrome construction.
For the uninitiated, HOJA is Fjällräven’s answer to cycling kit. The range covers everything from bike bags to ponchos – and, perhaps best of all, this rather lovely cycling cap. It’s lightweight, slightly weather-resistant, and very easy on the eyes. What more could you want from a piece of headwear?
Even though there’s barely any distinguishing features on this cap, you can instantly tell it’s been made by Snow Peak – a testament to the brand’s beautifully restrained, pared-back design language. And if it’s anything like their outerwear or titanium camping gear, it’ll probably outlive you.
We were only going to include one Cayl cap in this round-up post. That was until we saw this beautiful piece of blue headwear. This cap has been designed with trail running in mind, so you can bet it’s lightweight, breathable and looks even better covered in mud.
Power headwear punches much harder than its very affordable price tag. Crispy nylon, five-panel construction, stiff curved peak, and a toggle closure system – all for the low price of £28.
And Wander – Pertex Shield Rain Cap
If you thought we were going to finish this round-up without an offering from And Wander, you’d be sorely mistaken. Their take on the technical cap utilises Pertex Shield fabric to ensure complete protection from the elements.
