There’s only so much you can say about a small thing like a hat. Even if it’s from Lululemon.
Form vs Function
One of my family members has a pair of Lululemon running shorts, and my wife has some of their biker shorts and leggings. Both of them love how buttery soft and smooth the materials are. So, when my wife got me Lululemon’s Fast and Free Running Hat, I expected to have the same response.
And that’s exactly what happened.
The hat is exceptionally soft, and the materials are definitely more luxurious than my other running hats.
However, if there’s one thing that I’ve learned about luxury items or experiences, they favor more to form than function. For example, the materials are fantastically plush, but they struggle with airflow. You could say this makes the hat great for winter running, because it keeps your head warm. But most of the time it makes you run hot on summer runs.
Luxury Tax
The Fast and Free Running Hat costs $38, while my old Nike running hat cost ~$30. The Nike hat breathes better, while coming in more colors and weighing less. (Which you can usually find on sale for ~$20.) Thankfully you can find “Final Sale” options on Lululemon’s site that cost ~$24.
For me though, the luxury tax comes in when cleaning it. Because of how much I sweat on 6-10 mile runs, I can’t reuse running hats for another run.
The Lululemon standard requires next level maintenance. It’s supposed to have a particular type of wash cycle (delicate or hand wash with cold water), and then it can’t go straight into the dryer with the rest of my clothes. It has to be air dried.
I’m not a fan of this. It’s my personal opinion that workout clothes should be built to be thrashed and quickly cleaned. They shouldn’t need additional planning and coddling.
I’ve found that a normal cycle with cold water, which I use for my colored clothes, works best. Then I just hang it to dry and it’s ready by the next day.
The Recap
Do I like this hat, absolutely. It’s been an amazing Christmas gift from my wife, and after 6 months it’s still going strong. Discolored, but strong.
The only thing lacking when wearing it, is the poor breathability. Making me wonder what the newer WovenAir hat is like?