Rapha Pro Team Hat review

Warm and water resistant, and fitting easily under your helmet, the Rapha Pro Team Hat could become your go-to hat for the rest of the British winter.

(Image credit: mike prior)
Cycling Weekly Verdict

Warm, water resistant, breathable and comfortable, the Rapha Pro Team hat hits all its most important objectives, but the fit could certainly have been improved in a couple of areas.

Reasons to buy
  • +

    Decent level of warmth

  • +

    Fairly water resistant

  • +

    Fits easily under helmet

Reasons to avoid
  • -

    Tight front

  • -

    Loose ear flaps

  • -

You can trust Cycling Weekly. Our team of experts put in hard miles testing cycling tech and will always share honest, unbiased advice to help you choose. Find out more about how we test.

Bridging the gap between the classic cotton cap and the more thicker Belgian style hats for hardcore rides in Arctic conditions, the brand new Rapha Pro Team Hat is designed for the sort of chilly damp conditions you can expect to encounter in Britain at any time between September and April.

The main body of the hat is constructed from a softshell fabric which has been given a durable water resistant (DWR) treatment. This seems to place the Pro Team hat alongside the new Pro Team softshell jacket we reported on recently, with the hat offering a good level of warmth down to around 0ºC with basic protection against showers.

For a reasonably warm hat, the quarter-panel construction of the main body is impressively thin, meaning that we could easily fit it under helmets without too many adjustments and without the helmets sitting uncomfortably high on the head.

Thankfully, unlike cheaper options such as the Prendas Windtex cap, the warmth of the Rapha Pro Team hat doesn’t translate into a lack of breathability, with the softshell fabric performing well in this regard, and a rear ventilation panel aiding air flow. This makes this hat a natural choice for rides starting early in the morning where the temperature is set to rise throughout the day.

The only qualms we had with this Rapha hat concerned the fit. Perhaps our testers just have particularly elongated heads, but we found the cap a little tight at the front. This isn’t to the point of being uncomfortable, but the mark left on the front of your head for a couple of hours post-ride may prompt a few odd looks.

The flaps over your ears could also have been tighter, and were prone to flapping in the breeze, letting in unwanted cold air. Not a major issue as you’re likely to look for a thicker hat for truly cold conditions, but something we’d prefer not to deal with in a £45 hat.

Head over to the Rapha website for more details.

Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1