The Best Running Caps

You’ll know when you’ve found the right running cap. You’ll start reaching for it before every run without even thinking about it, and you’ll feel underdressed if you happen to walk out the door for a run without it.

Running caps are at their most useful when running in the heat, when they provide shade, wick sweat away from your scalp and help keep your head cool. However, they’re also useful when running in the rain by keeping droplets out of your eyes, so even if you buy a hat to use in the summer you may well find you end up wearing it all year round. In which case it needs to be either easily cleaned or odor-resistant. Or, ideally, both.

I’ve tested lots of running headwear, and have recommended the best running caps that tick most or all of the boxes listed above—including a few that do so while looking pretty sharp as well.

The Quick List

Here are my top picks in various categories and why I rate them so highly. You'll find full reviews of each further down the page, click on the links below to jump to the reviews.

How I Test Running Caps

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I run almost every day and log around 50-60 miles a week, and almost all those miles are done while wearing a running cap (sometimes I’ll opt for a running snood worn as a headband). As such, I get ample opportunity to test a wide variety of running caps in a range of conditions throughout the year. 

Best Overall

Unlike shallower caps like the Buff option on this list, the On cap fits like a standard baseball cap, but there the similarity ends. It’s much lighter for one, and the sweatband around the rim does a grand job of soaking up the perspiration you produce on hard runs—even, in my experience, if you take it to marathon distance. The peak is long and keeps both sun and rain out of your eyes, and the ventilation holes all around the cap help on hot days too. It’s available in a range of classic colors—no wild Ciele-style designs here—and it dries quickly after either a downpour or a wash. 

Best Soft-brimmed Cap

Australian brand Fractel is all about headwear, and it turns out that when you commit a lot of time and resources to making really good running caps, the result is really good running caps. I found Fractel’s caps to be essentially perfect: they’re comfortable, they fit well and are easily adjusted, they absorb sweat like nobody’s business, and they offer UPF50 protection (UPF being the more hardcore version of SPF). Fractel also makes visors, multi-use bands and legionnaire-style hats that protect your neck too.

Best Designs

If you want to cut a dash on your run then Ciele should be your first stop on your hat hunt. And it’ll probably be your last stop too, because the massive range of designs on offer will satisfy all comers. The caps don’t just look good: They’re also lightweight and breathable, and can handle machine washing without losing their shape. My only criticism is that the sheer range of caps available is overwhelming, it’s like logging into Netflix without a clear idea of what to watch—suddenly it’s two hours later and you haven’t started a show, or indeed picked a cap.

Best Waterproof Cap

It’s hard to find a waterproof cap that doesn’t cause you to overheat on mild days, but the Montane Minimus Lite is that cap. I’ve used it for hard runs on rainy days when temperatures have been as high as 15°C/59°F, and it’s kept the rain off my face without making my head unpleasantly sweaty. The cooling, sweat-absorbing internal headband helps on that front, as does the general lightweight design of the cap, which has a perforated peak to reduce weight there.

Best Packable Cap

This soft cap can be rolled up into a ball to make it easy to pack in a rucksack or jacket pocket for your run, and it will spring back into shape ready to use as soon as it’s unrolled. The wicking fabric keeps your noggin free of sweat, and the drawstring makes adjusting the size quick and simple. 

Best Reflective Cap

The USP of this hat is that, like most of Proviz’s running gear, it’s made of reflective material that shines like a beacon when light hits it, making you highly visible to car drivers and other road users when running at night. The cap is also breathable, though I didn’t find it quite as lightweight and sweat-absorbing as some of the other, less shiny options on the list.

Best For Wet Winter Runs

There are some disadvantages to this waterproof cap—I found my head getting pretty sweaty on hard runs—but on cold and wet days it’s another useful layer to keep your head warm and the rain out of your face. That’s especially the case for easy runs when there’s less risk of overheating, and the cap is handy to have for walking and hiking too.

Best Winter Cap

The sun doesn’t just come out in the summer, something I realized this winter when I spent most of one run squinting into the glare. I’d worn a headband to keep warm, rather than a cap, and missed the sun protection of a peak immensely. Next time out I pulled on this Ciele winter cap, which has a fleecy top and ear flaps to keep you warm, plus a peak to keep the sun out of your eyes. It’s a great winter option for those running in cold conditions and has reflective details to make you more visible once the sun goes down.

More About Running Gear

• Keep sweat at bay in style with our picks of the best running headbands.
• Take your pick of the best running water bottles and stay hydrated on the move. 
• Instead of squinting, sweat in style with the best running sunglasses.
• Find the best running shoes for you with our recommendations of road running shoes, stability shoes, trail shoes and more.