Just A Plug For ‘Stormy Kromer’

[cshold]

Just got me an "ORIGINAL WOOL STORMY KROMER CAP".
I must say this is indeed a two thumbs up USA made hat.

http://www.stormykromer.com/

[Pitchy]

There you are, was just about to post a thread asking how your doing with the eyes.

Those are neat hats, was just talking about getting one.

[Old Shatterhand]

I bought one this winter, together with their Mackinaw coat with vest. It's a great cap, but I should have ordered a Rancher or Mackinaw cap instead, as the standard is on the lighter side in cold winter weather. The coat, however, is the best hunting coat for the winter I've ever had. They don't make such woolen clothes here in Europe.

Pete

[yooper2]

Well, that officially makes you a fashionable dude by yooper standards! Come deer season they fly off the shelves year after year at the local shop. It's always fun to go into a diner early in the morning and see three generations eating breakfast all wearing the same hat.

Eric

[Bill in Oregon]

Thanks for that plug. I was unaware of SK!

[ving-thorr]

Here's my son at 3 months in his Stormy Kromer Jr. One of his grandpas is a Yooper from Ironwood (where stormys are made).

[DPris]

I bought mine five or six years ago & was disappointed.
I should have looked for one in person first, but based on its rep I ordered one instead.
While I like the looks & do wear it, it doesn't achieve the purpose I got it for, which was to fold down & cover my ears on the ATV in cold weather.

I have two 1943-labelled wool-lined cotton military versions of what Filson now sells that fold down partially to completely cover my ears or all the way down to cover my neck too.
Thought from looking at the photos on the website the Kromer would do the same thing, earwise.
Ordered the waxed cotton one in the size I normally wear.

When it arrived, I found the thing doesn't fold down completely to cover the ears, and it was sized too big to stay put on the machine at high speeds with the "flaps up".
There was some discussion of this on another outdoor forum a couple years back, apparently the company has changed the dimensions subtly in recent years & they are not the same as those that the Kromer built its reputation on.

I do wear the cap on errands in the winter, but I'm back to the old surplus woolies on the ATV.
Keep telling myself I should buy the Filson oilcloth version for water repellency, and I probably will.
In the meantime, the Kromer appeals for looks, but not for real function.
Denis

[cshold]

I bought mine five or six years ago & was disappointed.
I should have looked for one in person first, but based on its rep I ordered one instead.
While I like the looks & do wear it, it doesn't achieve the purpose I got it for, which was to fold down & cover my ears on the ATV in cold weather.

I have two 1943-labelled wool-lined cotton military versions of what Filson now sells that fold down partially to completely cover my ears or all the way down to cover my neck too.
Thought from looking at the photos on the website the Kromer would do the same thing, earwise.
Ordered the waxed cotton one in the size I normally wear.

When it arrived, I found the thing doesn't fold down completely to cover the ears, and it was sized too big to stay put on the machine at high speeds with the "flaps up".
There was some discussion of this on another outdoor forum a couple years back, apparently the company has changed the dimensions subtly in recent years & they are not the same as those that the Kromer built its reputation on.

I do wear the cap on errands in the winter, but I'm back to the old surplus woolies on the ATV.
Keep telling myself I should buy the Filson oilcloth version for water repellency, and I probably will.


In the meantime, the Kromer appeals for looks, but not for real function.
Denis

Sorry to hear of your dissatisfaction Denise.
Do you think there rancher style wool cap would workout better for you?

[bigbore442001]

I have two pairs of their Bunkhouse pants. One is olive green and the other is a gray color. Great fit and they keep you warm.

[DPris]

Cas,
Looks like, from the photos, that'd be functional for full ear coverage.
I don't recall seeing it as an option when I ordered.
The one I have isn't a bad hat, just doesn't cover the ears fully & that was 50% of the reason I wanted it.
Denis

[edwardyoung]

Cas,
Looks like, from the photos, that'd be functional for full ear coverage.
I don't recall seeing it as an option when I ordered.
The one I have isn't a bad hat, just doesn't cover the ears fully & that was 50% of the reason I wanted it.
Denis

Was there a picture of you wearing that hat in an article about rimfire pistols several years ago? Seems like I remember that. If I'm mistaken, nice talking to you, anyway. Hope you are well

[DPris]

G&A showed the surplus hat in, I think, '07 in a rimfire piece.
The Stormy's been in a couple other things.

How are you doing, Edwardy?
Get the rash all cleared up?
Denis

[edwardyoung]

G&A showed the surplus hat in, I think, '07 in a rimfire piece.
The Stormy's been in a couple other things.

How are you doing, Edwardy?
Get the rash all cleared up?
Denis

Doing fine. The rash never cleared up. The whole thing finally just fell off, so no more problems.

[DPris]

Well, that's certainly one way of solving the problem....
Denis

[BenT]

What color of hat did you buy ? Because they have a lot. This is not a below zero hat or cold and windy day, when you need better ear coverage hat. It is more of a early winter / late winter hat . I like mine , but I have a Broner hat with the ear flaps for the cold stuff. They are very dapper and quite stylish . I like mine in red plaid.

[DPris]

Mine's the brown oilcloth.
It's not the material, it's the design. In the standard model Kromer, the flaps just don't come down far enough to cover the ears.

In reading about the Kromer before I ordered it, I had high expectations since it sounded like what I needed: supposedly wouldn't blow off & looked like the flaps were functional. But, pretty much not.

The original dimensions might have been more effective, but as far as I'm concerned the current flaps are mostly just for decoration.
Not the kind of cold weather gear I thought I was getting.
Denis

[edwardyoung]

Maybe your head's too big, Denise

[Rustolium]

I bought the standard version at Cabela's years ago. It is definitely a very cold weather cap, I wore it last winter when it got below zero and had to switch back to a regular ball cap. Now, if I could wear one on the flightline, I'd love it! The wind just cuts right through you out there!

[DPris]

Edwardy,
Naw, not the head, just the EARS!

Rust,
The best head cover I ever saw in Mountain Home was a BLUE AF issue parka.
Most people don't understand how a proper snorkel parka works, but when I put the top up & zipped it all the way, that tunnel between my face & the outside world kept me from freezing my nose off when it got REALLY cold.

Spent a lotta time in that thing & later sage green versions.
Denis

[Rustolium]

DPris,
Well, I'm maintenance, so no parka for me. We get the APECS parka and it blows.

[DPris]

Would they object if you bought your own N3B & wore it?
I was SP, we did have some WARM stuff to wear.
It's been a while for me, are they no longer issued or allowed?
Denis

[ollogger]

Been wearing kromers for at least 30 years,have 4 in the house now
had one on today,but took it off with wind up to 70 mph i thought
there was a chance of losing it, Red & Black is my color but have one
oilskin
I like the short brim while in the timber it gives you more vision
and your less apt to poke yourself with a branch & yes that happens
Best Bang for the Buck & aint nuttin wrong looking like a yooper
ollogger

[turnkey]

I own three Kromers. One green, one camo, and one blaze orange, and I really like them. BUT....the flaps only come down so far. When it gets really cold I wear a Crown Cap made in Canada. Same design as a Kromer, but it also has internal ear flaps that can fold down, completely covering the ears and back of the neck. It also is reversable between camo and blaze orange.

[MikeNV]

This year was my first for Stormy Kromer.... I always had the imitations, that had earflaps tucked into the hat. I found Cabela's had SK for 40% off so I bought an original with goretex lining and a rancher. I was disappointed with the original as the flaps don't quite cover the ears very well, I loosened the tie and was able to pull them down a bit but not enough to cover the entire ear. I found with the rancher model if you buy a size bigger you can tuck the ear covering into the hat and have the best of both worlds, other than the rancher model seems to have more insulation in the hat so on not so cold days like during this winter it gets a bit warm. Great looking hat but for twice the price of the imitations that have full earflaps, you would figure the SK ear flaps would be more functional on the original model.

[cshold]

I purchased the SK classic in hunter orange.

I would have loved to have gotten my SK in the red & black plaid
to go with my vintage wool plaid hunting outfit.

PA. requires 250 square inches total of safety orange to be worn
on the head back & chest during the regular deer firearms season.

So the orange wool SK hat fit the bill as best as possible for what
I was trying to achieve.

For me the ear protector is perfect. Comes down far enough to
protect the tops of my ears. I really don’t like to cover my ears
if at all possible while on stand. I need all the unobstructed hearing
ability I can get.

And for the safety orange requirement for the back and chest,
I picked up a very lightweight mesh hunter orange vest to slip on
overtop my vintage wool plaid coat. (wallyworld)

[DPris]

For me, I need more than just the tops of the ears covered.

I've worn my surplus woolie in a snow storm in the '20s, I've worn it on the ATV in the '50s.
Wind aggravates the chill factor, speed does too on the machine.
When it comes to conditions like those, I don't want to risk freezing my earlobes off, I want 'em totally covered.
The current Kromer's flaps are just inadequate in that area.

I was quite surprised when mine arrived. Reading up on the supposed history of the cap, being designed for use in the open cab of a steam locomotive (if the hype's accurate) in the winter, I thought it would be a more practical hat. They'd get some pretty cold drafts swirling through those cabs, sorta like what I get through the cab of my two-seater.

In the photos, it looked like you'd untie the shoelaces & fold the flaps down, and I made the error of assuming they'd come down far enough to do a complete job.
Looks like, with a little re-engineering, they COULD, without changing the overall looks of the cap too much.

Having been in some truly cold places, I understand the value of watching out for the peripheral parts of the body. Covering the ears only partially doesn't accomplish what I wanted the hat to do.

Still good for around town in the winter, still good for water repellency, just not the hard use cold weather backcountry hat I thought it was.
Denis