Best cold water swimming hats and thermal swim caps in 2024

If you plan to continue your open-water swimming though the winter then a cold water swimming hat is an absolute essential.

That’s because a lot of heat escapes from your head, which is something you want to slow down. By wearing a hat or hood, you’ll help maintain your deep body temperature, which will in turn help maintain blood flow to the extremities.

As a result, you may be able to stay in the water a little longer, or your experience might feel nicer for the time that you are in it. That’ll especially be the case if you also invest in cold water swimming gloves and cold water swimming socks.

Below, we’ve tested a selection of the best cold water swimming hats, but first, here’s an explanation of what they actually are…

What is a cold water swimming hat?

Similar to your classic silicone swimming cap, these hats are thicker and made from neoprene material.

They will often have a neck loop or hood to ensure it stays on your head and has a snug fit for optimum insulation benefits. A minimum thickness of 3mm is recommended.

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Tried and tested: Best cold water swimming hats and thermal swim caps at a glance

• Best thermal neoprene swim cap overall: Orca Thermal Neoprene Swim Cap | Buy now from Wetsuit Centre
• Highly rated: Zone3 Heat-Tech Neoprene Swim Cap | Buy now from Zone3
• Best for those on a budget: Huub Neoprene Skull Cap | Buy now from SportsShoes

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Best cold water swimming hats and thermal swim caps

Orca Thermal Neoprene Swim Cap

• £35 / $45

I went for the smallest size in this neoprene cap – S/M – but it also came in L/XL and XXL, offering three size options where most brands only have two.

This gave me the perfect fit and I loved the thermal lining, which made the cap feel very soft and comfortable as well as keeping my head warmer as I swam.

The neoprene is 3mm and a Velcro chin strap allowed plenty of room for adjustment, yet stayed in place well as I swam.

I wore this cap with a bright normal swim cap on top for visibility, but the fit was so good with this one that I could have worn it without.

Orca is fast cornering the market in winter swim kit, though, and as well as this thermal cap the brand offers a plain neoprene one in orange, as well as a skull cap (no strap), a balaclava and a neoprene headband.

Huub Neoprene Skull Cap

• £17.99 / $24.11

I was impressed by Huub’s pricing strategy on its accessories.

Where 2XU, for example, prices all its items the same at £45, here Huub comes in less and also charge a lower amount for its swim cap, arguably the least technical item to produce.

This is a great price for a cap made from coated neoprene that’s 3mm and warm and well-fitting.

There’s also a sturdy neoprene chin strap, which was easy to adjust with cold or gloved hands and also stayed in place securely throughout my swim.

Graphics are minimal, but I would usually wear a neoprene cap under a brightly-coloured one for safety and visibility anyway.

Three sizes are available – S, M and L – and I found a size medium to be perfect for this female tester with no gaps or water ingress as I swam. 

Lomo Smoothskin Neoprene Swimming Cap

• £16

We’ve said it time and time again – and more than once in this feature alone – but alongside never swimming alone, being visible in open water is one of the most important things you can do to stay safe and improve your chances if you do get into trouble.

So props to Lomo for offering their open-water swim cap in bright orange or pink, as well as the usual black.

This gives you visibility without having to wear another cap on top, plus this 3mm cap was stretchy while also feeling soft and comfortable.

You also get a Velcro chin strap, which allowed good range of adjustment and stayed in place well. Sizing ranged from S through to XL which should allow most swimmers to get a good fit.

We can’t argue with that price tag either – once again, Lomo have nailed performance on a budget.

2XU Propel Neoprene Swim Cap

• £45 / $59.99

The Propel neoprene cap comes in two size options – S/M and L/XL – so it should suit most swimmers.

It’s made from 3mm smoothskin neoprene, which means it’s coated, much like a triathlon swimming wetsuit, to make it more hydrodynamic and slip through the water more easily.

In testing, I found the fit was good and the cap did a great job of keeping my head waterproof.

The coated fabric didn’t allow water ingress and the fit was good (though a gap appears at the nape in the photo, that disappears once in a swim position).

I liked the addition of a yellow X on the back for visibility (though we would usually wear a silicone cap on top anyway),

Meanwhile, the Velcro chin strap was easily adjusted and stayed put throughout my swim sessions. Not the cheapest, but a good option.

Zone3 Heat-Tech Neoprene Swim Cap

• £39 / $59

With a £10/$10 premium versus Zone3’s regular neoprene swim cap (also available in orange, handily, for visibility) I was keen to try the Heat-Tech version after a positive experience with the similar gloves and boots.

And, happily, this cap did a superb job of keeping my head warm.

The red lining was almost felt-like and immediately felt cosy, plus this hat was slightly larger than the others and offered better coverage of the sensitive forehead area.

A chin strap gave adjustability, while logos were on a par with the Huub for visibility.

Dhb Hydron Thermal Neoprene Swim Cap

• £28 / $40

This is the thermal version of the Hydron cap which, like the gloves, features the same soft thermal lining as in the corresponding wetsuit.

The fit and feel was very similar to the Orca (below) but offered a tiny bit more coverage in the size M here against the S/M from Orca.

You don’t get an adjustable chin strap, but I didn’t find that hampered the fit on this cap and it was easy to pull on and off.

One thing I did like, though, were the orange stripes. In an activity where safety is key, I’m amazed visibility isn’t considered by all brands.

Zone3 Neoprene Swim Cap

• £29 / $49

This is Zone3’s regular neoprene swim cap, available in black or orange (again, kudos for offering a brightly-coloured option), but if you want the Heat-Tech version that’s reviewed above, you’ll have to stump up a £10 premium.

It’s worth it though, if you’re serious about retaining heat in your bonce.

Here the standard offering comes without the thermal lining, but still offers a good level of warmth thanks to the 4mm neoprene used here (most brands only use 3mm), which is combined with a Velcro fastening on the chin strap.

The hat stayed in place well as I swam and the fit was snug – sizes XS through to L are available.

It’s worth noting that smoothskin will give a small speed advantage over uncoated neoprene too, if that’s important to you.

How we tested

These neoprene swimming hats have been tested by the editor of 220 Triathlon, Helen Webster, who is also a fully-qualified open-water swimming coach.

Helen has tested hundreds of wetsuits and neoprene accessories over the last decade, including earlier versions of the products listed here.

All of these cold-water swimming caps have been used for multiple swims in cold water – most often in at the South West Maritime Academy near Bristol, which is an open-water swimming venue in the former site of a quarry.

We’ve used these hats in a mixture of water temperatures as low as 5°C, and many of these products have been used for swimming over several months.

Looking for ways to keep your fingers and toes warm in the water to keep you swimming for longer? Check out our top affordable neoprene gloves and socks picks below:

• Best cold water swim gloves
• Best cold water swimming socks
• Best swimming goggles for pool, open water and triathlon

Top image credit: Remy Whiting