The Endura Equipe Thermo Skull Cap is lightweight, comfortable, and fitted with a short and effective peak, but proved a little light for the coldest conditions.
I am not a regular cap wearer. Most I have tried have a peak that blots out the road ahead, leading to much neck craning and near misses with street furniture, parked cars, livestock etc.
This offering from Endura overcomes this common failing with a peak just 4cm deep, which during our seven-week acquaintance has done good service, protecting the eyes on the rare appearance of the sun, and, more importantly, offering a ‘roof’ to glasses during showers.
In the coldest conditions, it was a little too light, and we’d favour our battered but still effective Endura helmet liner, sans peak, but fully lined and with side panels that cover the ears completely.
Should spring ever arrive, however, the Equipe Thermo Skull Cap is likely to become the ‘go to’. Endura have opted for a windproofing material in the side panels, a nice idea and one that may yet yield benefits in warmer conditions when fleece in the crown will perhaps be as much as is required.
A necessary improvement for current temperatures, however, is a lengthening of the side panels. These left our lobes exposed, and chilled by the Baltic conditions that have spread to the UK.
That aside, the cap makes an elegant addition to the wardrobe, its peak bestowing the look of a pro cyclist upon its owner when worn beneath a helmet and a rakish appearance when worn ‘free’ (at café stops, naturally, not on the road). The black-on-black peak logo we considered especially stylish; likewise the small, green tag at the rear.
It’s likely to find its way into regular use if spring is ever sprung, when its short peak and light insulation should prove a good match for temperatures just into double digits. Below that, however, we’d reach for something entirely fleece lined and with side panels with sufficient length to cover our lugs completely.
Website: Endura Equipe
UK distributor: Endura
Sizes: S-M, L-XL
Price: £24.99
