Coolmax Headcovers by Headsweats

Coolmax headcoverings by Headsweats are billed as "cloth to keep you cool." The idea is that, by wicking away sweat, these will help you stay cooler and drier.

If you're a person who will sweat buckets no matter what, that might be a fine thing for you. But what I found is that in trying the Headsweats products -- Coolmax Shorty, the Coolmax Classic and the Coolmax Skullcap -- I was actually warmer than without, and probably sweated more than before. The headcovers were effective in handling perspiration, but if you're wearing this to stay cool, unless you already sweat a lot anyway, you may prefer to go without.

Headsweats offers a variety of head toppers for cycling and other sports. Made with Coolmax Fabric, the principle of these lids is that the high-tech fabric rapidly wicks away moisture from your skin and transports it to the outside within seconds, leaving your skin dry and fresh even during strenuous exercise. The CoolMax fabric dries 3 to 4 times faster than cotton.

Headsweats' primary products for cycling are the CoolMax Classic, which is essentially a CoolMax bandana with tails that drape down in the back; the CoolMax Shorty, which is a bandana-style topper, but with a short tab in the back (as opposed to the longer tails) and the CoolMax Skullcap.

I had the chance to try all three, and admire the products. They are comfortable and do effectively transfer perspiration, but would in my own case probably only wear the Headsweats when it is either pretty warm or pretty cool. If I'm sweating already, then I liked the Headsweats' ability to draw moisture away to help it evaporate and to keep sweat out of my eyes. And if it is cool, the Headsweats ability to give an extra layer of warmth is a good thing and I like Headsweats for that reason. But in those middle temperatures, I found that Headsweats made me warmer than before, and actually caused me to sweat when I otherwise wouldn't have. So the key lies in finding your own personal comfort level related to the right temperature to wear them.