dry heads & softshells

Yesterday I took a ride in the cold rain...I had on 3 layers of wool and my showers pass jacket...my keens over..yup..merino wool socks... and my regular fingerless gloves. and my helmet of course...
The most uncomfortable part was my fingers..YOW!! cold cold and wet...so I just spent my last dime on a pair of gloves from sierra tp...Marmots.

What do you use under your helmet to keep your head dry?

and all this talk about softshells...esp by other PNW riders ..which softshells work the best in the rain? I'm pretty comfortable in my showers pass jacket..it seems very breathable...but just in case?

http://www.teamestrogen.com/brands.asp?brandID=100

I use this hood w/my Showers Pass jacket and it works like a champ. On colder days, I wear a buff under the hood.

If you're happy with your jacket, stick with it. (if it ain't broke, don't fix it) Or do you just want to do some more shopping...;)

I wear an Ibex helmet liner under my helmet. It keeps me warm, but not necessarily dry. I'm a big sweat monster, sweat a LOT, and the wool keeps me warm even though I sweat through it one way and rain is coming through it the other way. Half the time I end up getting hot and taking it off while I ride, then putting it back on when I stop riding and start to cool down.

Try a helmet cover. Cuts the wind and keeps the rain out. But it doesn't cover your ears, so you'll need a helmet liner or ear band for that.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by elk

What do you use under your helmet to keep your head dry?

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I go under the helmet for warmth...over the helmet for dry.
I have one of these (but an older model) for wet-weather rides. I did the Seagull Century in Maryland in '06 in the rain, and the top of my head was the only dry thing!

I've never tried a helmet cover, but I wear a Buff cut in half when it's not too cold, a Buff folded in two down to about freezing (can cover ears or forehead as much as you like), and a Gore softshell helmet cap when it's cool+raining or below freezing. I like the cap a lot, not bulky but cuts the wind completely, but I can't hear a thing when I'm wearing it. I rode home yesterday with a friend of mine, and we were both wearing these caps, yelling at each other the whole way... :rolleyes:

Plenty of options from TE:
http://www.teamestrogen.com/categories.asp?catID=36

I have two Louis Garneau balaclavas. They are silky and stretchy, not clumsily thick.
You can pull them around to cover your chin or not, etc, and if it gets really cold I put the second one on as well, it slides nicely over the first one. If I get a bit warm with just the one on, i can even just pull the top down in back of my head and use it as a nice silky neck gaiter to just keep my neck warm. It's not waterproof though, just for warmth.

You might need to get some wool glove liners from smartwool or Ibex etc, to put under your new gloves when it gets really cold.
Fingers and toes get the coldest of all your parts- they need the heavy protection.