Wearing a Cap in Winter: Which Cap Works When It's Cold

Man in a navy corduroy baseball cap, black puffer jacket over a grey hoodie and cargo pants on wide concrete steps in winter sun

Cold out, and you still want your cap on? Go for it. Wearing a cap in winter works, as long as you know what it covers: the top of your head and your forehead. Your ears and your neck stay out in the cold with any cap. That's why ear flaps, ear warmers, a neck tube or a beanie are the add-ons for cold days.

CapUniverse is a streetwear cap shop from Germany. Baseball caps are our best-selling product type over the past year, at roughly three quarters of everything that leaves the shop. So winter isn't the moment to drop your cap game. It's the moment to pick the right fabric, sort out your ears and choose the back that suits you. For the other end of the year, check our guide to caps for hot days.

Wool, wool blend or corduroy: what your winter cap is made of

Woman in a camel coat and dark scarf at a glass tram shelter, wearing a charcoal grey wool flat cap with a short peak

The Kangol Wool 507 is a wool blend: three quarters wool, one quarter modacrylic, with a nylon headband. A flat cap is a cap with a low, flat crown and a short peak, and the 507 is built exactly like that. Curved side paneling gives it what the brand calls an ergonomic, streamlined look.

Flat caps are our number two product type over the past year, about one in ten of everything we sell. Compared with the 507, the Kangol Wool 504 Earflap is pure wool, with the same flat crown and the same short peak.

Corduroy is the third fabric worth knowing. Corduroy means the ribbed weave of a fabric, not the fibre, so cord can be cotton or polyester. Our Basic Cord Baseballcap is pure polyester made from recycled plastic, with a visible cord rib and a hook-and-loop strap at the back. It's among our ten best-selling single products of the last three months, at number eight.

So the pick comes down to the look you want: the wool surface of a flat cap or the rib of a cord baseball cap. For clean, low-key winter fits, start with our army caps and corduroy caps.

Ears and neck: ear flaps, ear warmers and a merino tube

Man in a navy quilted jacket on a concrete deck, wearing a navy wool flat cap with knitted ear flaps folded down over his ears

The Kangol Wool 504 Earflap is a pure wool flat cap with rib-knit flaps at the sides. The brand calls them "cozy fully-fashioned rib knit earflaps": they hug your ears on the coldest days and fold up when you don't need them. A cap built this way is also called an ear flap cap, a cap with ear flaps or an ear flap hat.

Your neck stays uncovered with any cap, flaps or not. That's where the BUFF Merino Lightweight neckwear comes in: pure merino wool, from the brand's lightest merino range. It's made as a low-profile base layer for cool weather. The adult size is given for a head circumference of 50-58 cm (19.7-22.8 in).

Unlike ear flaps, a tube isn't part of the cap: you pull it on or leave it at home. If you want to keep your usual cap, ear warmers handle the ears. If you'd rather swap, a beanie is the move. Beanies are our number four product type over the past year. Both routes are in the shop: beanies and ear warmers.

Fitted, stretch fit or adjustable: the back of your cap and the hood

The back of a cap decides how you get the size right. There are three builds:

Fitted: closed at the back and bought in your head size, like the New Era 59FIFTY. There's nothing to set wider or tighter.
Stretch fit: closed at the back with a stretch sweatband, like the 39THIRTY. The band gives a little.
Adjustable: open at the back with hook-and-loop, a snap or a strap. Our Basic Cord Baseballcap closes with hook-and-loop, so you can set it wider or tighter any time.

Fitted and stretch fit caps share one umbrella term: closed-back caps. We break down the names and the differences in Closed-Back Caps: What They're Called and Which One Fits You.

New Era calls the stretch sweatband of the 39THIRTY patented and credits it with ideal fit and comfort. Both the 39THIRTY and the 59FIFTY get front panel structure for stability. The 59FIFTY adds a full crown, tall and broad in profile.

Under a hood, it's the crown height that matters. A low, flat crown like on the Kangol 504 and 507 takes up little room under a hood. A tall, broad crown like the 59FIFTY's takes more. Whichever cap you wear, the peak or visor stays outside, in front of the hood.

New Era is the strongest outside brand in our shop over the past year, second overall behind our own label. The range sits under New Era. For the styling side of your street look, read how to wear a baseball cap.

Wearing a cap in winter: quick answers

Can you wear a cap in winter?

Yes. Pick the fabric and the build: a wool or wool-blend flat cap, a corduroy baseball cap or a cap with ear flaps. Add ear warmers or a neck tube for the parts a cap leaves uncovered.

Does a cap keep your head warm?

Only the top of it. A cap covers the top of your head and your forehead, while your ears and your neck stay uncovered. For those, add ear flaps, ear warmers or a neck tube, or switch to a beanie.

What cap should I wear if my ears get cold?

A cap with ear flaps. The Kangol Wool 504 Earflap has rib-knit flaps at the sides that cover your ears and fold up when you don't need them. Ear warmers with your usual cap are the other option.

Can you wear a cap under a hood?

Yes, though the crown height makes a difference. A low, flat crown like on the Kangol 504 or 507 takes up little room under a hood. A tall, broad crown like the 59FIFTY's takes more, and the peak or visor stays outside, in front of the hood.

Is a corduroy cap made of wool?

Not by definition. Corduroy means the ribbed weave of a fabric, not the fibre, so it can be cotton or polyester. The cord of our Basic Cord Baseballcap is polyester made from recycled plastic.