Customer Reviews Outdoor Research Swift Cap

Very lightweight and fits as expected

been looking for a comfortable hat to replace the Outdoor Research Echo Lite hat that I really like a lot, this is a nice hat but still not as comfortable as the Echo Lite

Nice light hat! Fits well, stays on. Haven't tried around mosquitoes yet.

Good looking cap, but the adjustment strap is a bit clumsy.

With one caveat, this is a great cap for four season outdoor activities. In sunny weather, it helps keep me cool: its solid top and bill keep the sun off my head, while the mesh sides allow plenty of airflow. In cold weather, however, it provides a bit of additional warmth. This hat has been on my head in all sorts conditions, including spring running, mid-summer backpacking trips, and a blowing snowstorm on the summit of Rainier. The one flaw with the hat is the buckle, which depends on tension to keep fastened. This means that it works fine while it's on your head, but cannot be relied on to stay fastened in other situations. I sometimes like to take my hat off and clip it on a carabiner, but this cap kept falling off when I did so. I don't know why there is a buckle at all - I can't think of any reason to unbuckle it, so it is really worse than useless. My solution was to superglue the two halves of the buckle together.

This is an overall great hat. Awesome feeling, and fits very well. It breathes well and I almost want to buy another just to have.

Great for hiking. Much cooler than canvas caps.

I really like the shape and style of this cap. I haven't tried it out yet, but with the smooth top I hope it will feel nice under a climbing helmet for a little extra sweat absorption and sun protection. I do have a pretty huge melon, so it feels just a hair shallow- you can cinch it down, so hopefully it won't blow away on a windy ridge hike. Maybe if there's a s/m and l/xl to choose from in the future that would be helpful. Other than that it's a pretty sweet cap!

I ordered this just to kick up the total dollar amount so I could get free shipping (and I DID need a new hat). Turns out to be a great hat so far. I haven't had the chance to wear it much but it has a lot of great features. I have a very small head and it's hard for me to find a cap that isn't too big and doesn't go too far down on my head. I have to adjust to the smallest setting but it fits well. The adjustable strap tucks neatly into the sweat band on the inside of the hat so you don't have a strap flapping around in the back - love this feature. I would definitely recommend this. It's honestly the best cap I've ever had.

So far I've used this hat on a couple of runs. I've been happy that there haven't been sweat stains on it. The construction also makes me think it might fit nicely under a climbing helmet, to provide a brim on sunny days or in the alpine - but I haven't tried this out yet. Would recommend.

I wear one every day very light and breathable

Like many people, I love this hat. It's practically perfect. But I think it can be improved. After wearing Nike's Tailwind Dri-Fit cap for a while, I've grown to love a few things about its design: 1) its sweatband is completely sewn down all the way around the hat, 2) the waffled polyester material of the sweatband wicks really well and is less likely to pill, 3) the sweatband is anatomically shaped to have more material where it can soak up the most sweat in areas of close contact to your head, and 4) the brim is both flexibly stiff and light due to a stiff outer brim and a light foam material along the inner brim (which makes it both lighter and more comfortable when in contact with the forehead). Not sure if Nike has patents on these designs, but I think OR could take a cue from these design features and make the Swift Cap even better.

Hello. i lost my 15 yr old OR Swift Hat. Bummer. That one had a soft flexible "bill". While going into a headwind that seemingly hinged "bill" would go straight up in the air, but hat never fell off. It was a fantastic hat with a mind of its own. Your new design is now similar to many other hats in the marketplace. I think you now lost a unique advantage. Not sure your designers are now aware of how valuable that older design really was. If you have the opportunity please manufacture a swift hat with a soft lightweight flexible "bill" that flies upward in a headwind the way this hat used to be. THANKS. Steve

I owned an OR Swift . I lost it in the ocean and upon returning home started searching for a replacement. This cap does exactly what it is supposed to do. It fits well, feels secure in a wind. I specifically wanted a cap for the beach and in particular for sailing. Due to a visual acquity issue I do not use a camera so I have no photos to share. My original had a folding brim which was a nice feature for carrying and storage.

Lightweight and holds shape after being packed away.

I bought this as an alternative to OR's Sun Runner Cap (I don't always need the cape and putting it back on after removing it is annoying). It has worked well. Like the Sun Runner, it's breathable and lightweight, making it ideal for warm and hot weather. I don't wear it in temperatures below the mid 40s.

This is the second one I've bought. I wish the OR logo was smaller, or not on the front!!

light weight and comfortable

I own four of these hats. I wear them daily as well as for backpacking. It really regulates heat well. With vented sides your head never gets hot, and the strip down the middle helps with the direct sun. The only reason I gave this hat a 4 vs. 5 is the adjustment strap buckle. This buckle unhooks too easily. I glued mine together, otherwise it comes unbuckled a lot when you take your hat off. This buckle is also too delicate for my liking. I had one break in the clothes dryer.

Looking for a lightweight hat that I could wear year round. I backpack and I trailrun. Great hat for both activities and just wearing around the house. Seems durable so far. My only concern is the fastening system. I'm sure OR chose it to save weight and maintain simplicity but I always find it disconnecting from itself. The other concern I have is that the hat does not fully sit down on top of my head. I large gust of wind makes it feel like it would fly off. Not sure if that's the overall design or the mesh. That's it. Great hat!

These hats have had known problems for a long time, including the clasp not being tight enough. They still aren't great, but at least OR has a good warranty process.

Unlike the sun runner hat, which i love (i now have three new ones replacing old!!), this hat's clasp ought to be a secure velcro. Instead, the plastic buckle will pop out frequently when hat is not in use. Also, I'd recommend bringing circumference of hat lower down all round the head

I loved this hat until I looked in the mirror. I thought it was the lettering at first but it's the bill that is crooked. So bummed.

It fits well but the clasp in the back is weak. I don't see it lasting. Also the build is not keep its shape and is constantly deforming. Once in awhile I catch myself in the mirror wearing a crooked cheap-looking hat with a deformed bill. It's really no wonder they're pushing these so hard to get rid of them.

found one of these in a store and tried it on, it was not nearly large enough to fit my MONDO sized head. Wish there was an offering in a larger size. Even with the strap maxed out it still didn't fit my head. I undid the strap to see how much more adjustment i would need, and i would need about another inch of strap to fit my head. however this hat also has a super shallow fit and i don't think it would feel secure on my head with just a longer strap, i would also want a deeper fit. Didn't end up buying the hat because it was just wayyyy to small