If a balaclava is not for you, then one of the best ways to keep your neck and face warm on the slopes is with a neck gaiter.
It’s a versatile product that you can use both as a scarf, a bandana or as a hat. We have after much consideration choosen 5 excellent neck warmers. These are our favorite products, perfect for skiing on cold days:
Best Neck Gaiters the 2020-2021 Ski Season
Top-rated Neck Gaiters Reviewed
SmartWool Merino 250 Neck Gaiter: The All-arounder
The Smart Woll Merino 250 is a neck gaiter made of a material called Merino Wool. Merino wool has many advantages. It’s naturally antimicrobial so it will reduce odor. It’s also very soft material that wicks away moisture with ease. The biggest drawback of merino wool is that it can be a bit hard to wash. It’s possible to machine wash but be careful with the temperature so it doesn’t shrink and don’t tumble dry it.
It’s a unisex neck gaiter and comes in one size fits all. It has good stretch but it tends to lose its elasticity over time. It’s quite thick, but thanks to the material it keeps moisture away from the skin. It will keep the moisture away from the breath from your mouth so it’s a good option if you want to use it over your mouth and don’t want to get a full ski mask.
Even if it’s warm enough to handle most skiing days, it won’t be the best option for really cold conditions. If you want to have something for the coldest days, I would recommend another warmer option.
However, if you want a good all-around option definitely consider the SmartWool Merino 250 Neck Gaiter. It will keep you warm and dry and fits almost everyone. It’s not the cheapest neck gaiter, but it’s a great option if you can spend a bit more for premium quality.
| Pros |
|---|
 Soft |
| Dries quickly |
| Naturally anti-odor properties |
| Cons |
|---|
 Loses stretch over time |
| Not suitable fpr the coldes conditions |
| Expensive |
Tough Headwear Fleece Neck Warmer: The Budget Choice
The Tough Headwear Fleece Neck Warmer has a double-layered design for maximum warmth. It’s a quality neck gaiter for a affordable price.
The fit is snug around the face. Some reviewers felt it was a bit too snug and preferred a looser fit. The material is fairly thin and lightweight. It’s easy to breathe through, but it’s a bit too thin for cold skiing days. On the outside of the neck gaiter, there’s a smooth wind resistant fabric, and the inside of the neck warmer is made of fleece. One disadvantage of the design is the short neck.
It’s easy to find a color that suits your style; it’s available in nine different colors. The reversible design will allow you to get two colors in one product. You can turn it upside down, and you’ll get a different color than the one on the outside.
The Tough Headwear Fleece Neck Warmer is one of the cheaper options on this list, but that doesn’t make it a worse product. It’s a great neck warmer with excellent wind resistance and good warmth.
| Pros |
|---|
| Warm |
| Lightweight |
| Affordable price |
| Cons |
|---|
| Short neck |
| Noticable seams |
| Too snug fit for some customers |
Turtle Fur Neck Warmer: The Softest
If you want a neck warmer that is really soft and snuggly while keeping you warm and dry, then the Turtle Fur Neck Warmer is what you are looking for.
It’s made of Pontetorto Micro Fur. It’s a really soft, furry fleece fabric with good warmth to weight ratio. The big drawback of the material is that it can start to shed fibers after some time.
The Turtle Fur Neck Gaiter comes in many different colors, and since it stretches really well, it fits most people.
With a width of 10 inches and a height of 10 inches, it’ a perfect alternative to a turtleneck. It’s easier to slide it on and of compared to a turtleneck and it will be an excellent addition to the layers you wear on a cold day in the mountain. The double layers will keep the wind out and stop snowflakes from reaching the ski coat.
It won’t cover the full face, it will only cover the neck and half your face, so if you’re looking for something that covers the full face consider a balaclava or a wider neck gaiter. But if you are fine with smaller size, you should consider the Turtle Fur neck gaiter. It’s one of the softest neck gaiters you can buy.
| Pros |
|---|
| Soft and fuzzy material |
| Keeps you warm |
| Keeps wind and snow out |
| Cons |
|---|
| Can shed easily |
| Won’t cover the full face |
Carhartt Men’s Fleece Neck Gaiter: The Warmest
The Carhartt Men’s Fleece Neck Gaiter is a men’s neck gaiter made of a thick fleece material that provides excellent warmth.
It’s made of 92% polyester and 8% spandex. It’s well made and it will last for a long time. The material is considerably thicker compared to the other neck gaiters on the list.
This means it provides much greater warmth and the best way to describe it is that it feels like you got a warm fleece blanket around your neck. The material is not as fuzzy as the Turtle Fur but it’s considerably warmer. The drawback of the thicker fabric is that it’s a bit harder to breathe through compared to more light materials.
The fit is very snug and if you have a large neck size (over 16 inches), it can often feel too tight. Another minor issue is that there is a wash tag on the inside of the neck gaiter. For some people it’s noticeable but for most people, it’s a non-factor.
This neck gaiter is best suited for someone that has warmth as their top priority. If you are looking for the warmest neck gaiter, then this is this is the product to go for.
| Pros |
|---|
| Excellent warmth |
| Comfortable material |
| Durable |
| Cons |
|---|
| Thick |
| too tight if you have a thick neck |
| Uncomfortable tag |
BlackStrap Neck Warmer: The Lightest
The BlackStrap Neck Warmer is made of a combo of Cashmere, Spandex, and Polyamide. It’s made in the US and has an ergonomic design with good wind protection.
One of the things that makes this neck warmer stand out is the high UPF rating. With a UPF rating of 50, it blocks 97,5% of all harmful UV rays. This means it’s a perfect option if you are looking for a neck warmer to protect your neck from the sun on those sunny skiing days.
It’s best suited for the late season when it gets a bit warmer in the pistes. The fabric is quite thin, so the big advantage it gives you is the solid wind insulation, rather than excellent warmth. Another advantage for warmer days is that the material won’t attract much odor.
The biggest issue people seem to have with this neck gaiter is that that it can cause fogging in the ski goggles.
This neck gaiter runs a bit small in size and it doesn’t stretch very well. It has a tight fit over the head, so if you want a looser fit it can be worth to go up in size.
It’s available in 20 different designs, some of them looking really cool. An advantage design wise is that it’s double sided so if you get tired of your color choice you can turn it around to get it in a more neutral color.
| Pros |
|---|
| Cool design |
| Blocks harmful UV rays |
| Solid wind protection |
| Cons |
|---|
| Tight fit |
| Too thin for reallly cold conditions |
| Can cause fogging in the goggles |
How to Choose a Neck Gaiter
Choosing the perfect neck gaiter can be a challenging task. There are many aspects to consider such as the material, how waterproof it is, how windproof it is, how durable it is and how well it will fit. (can format this as a dotted list)
This guide is our attempt to explain these factors in a simple, yet straight to the point way, so you’ll know what neck gaiter to pick for your next skiing trip. You can follow this buying guide for buying neck gaiters in general. However, since many of our readers are skiers, we’ll focus a bit extra on the things a skier needs.
Material
Three materials always seem to come up when looking at neck gaiters, polyester, merino wool, and microfiber. All these materials have their advantages and disadvantages, let’s take a closer look:
Polyster
Polyester is a good all-around material for neck gaiters. It’s a very versatile material and is one of the most common materials found in neck gaiters. Polyester is not as warm as other materials such as merino wool and can build up odor over time. However, It dries quickly, it’s good at wicking away moisture and is cheap and can easily be washed.
Spandex
Spandex is lightweight material perfect for when you are on the move. It is often combined with either a synthetic material or wool to provide additional stretch.
Merino Wool
Merino wool is a breathable, naturally anti-bacterial material that excels in cold temperatures. Getting a neck gaiter made of merino wool will be an excellent choice, especially if you are going to be skiing on cold skiing days. However, merino wool is often more expensive, harder to wash and won’t dry as quickly as synthetic materials.
How well can it handle the weather
Once you know what material to go for, make sure it can handle the weather on the mountain. When skiing down the mountain, the wind will start to feel really cold, so make sure your neck gaiter can handle cold wind.
Most neck gaiters are made of fleece. After a sunny day late in the season, the fleece neck gaiter will start to feel too hot. Before you get a neck gaiter, make sure to consider how warm or cold the temperatures are where you will ski. Once you know what weather you’ll ski in you can get a neck gaiter suitable for the conditions you’re going to ski in
Size and fit
Just like balaclavas, most beck gaiters come in a one size fits all. They usually fit, but if you have a large neck some models tend to be a bit too tight. A neck gaiter shouldn’t be too loose, aim for a snug fit around the face, it should stay where you put it.
Conclusion
No matter what you look for in a neck gaiter, a good option for you is here on the list of the best neck gaiters the 2020-2021 ski season.
If you haven’t already, click the check price button and you’ll get sent straight to Amazon. There you can do a bit more research and look at customer reviews. Getting a good neck gaiter is definitely worth it and will help you stay warm on the mountain for many ski days to come.