I'm in the military and we have CEP's which are basically the same
"earplugs" as the Clarity Aloft headsets, which plugs into the back of my
HGU-56 helmet. I have flown over 1000 hours with this set-up so it doesn't
bother me at all. I bought a Clarity Aloft, since I was already familiar
with how it worked, and I was sure of the comfort. I have flown my 172 with
them for around 25 hours now, and I love them. I have not had any issues
wearing sunglasses or a hat with them, and they are extremely light. The
earplugs, if fitted properly (which means basically selecting the right size
from the dozen or so sets they provide) will last a pretty long time if you
take care of them. You can even put them through the washing machine if you
leave them in your pocket. Just let them dry out before you use them. Yeah,
I know...I did it! I just picked up a Bose headset which I can't wait to try
out to compare the 2, but I still can't imagine flying with some huge thing
on the top of my head again...