The Bergland Cap

My brother loves the original SK hats; I'm only so so on them, though I've never tried one. But I had my eye on this cap pretty much since it came out and really wanted one, and my excellent mother in law finally got me one for my birthday recently. There are not many good earflap caps out there. The old Filsons or Woolrich's, if you can find them, are boxy and their visors do not shape. I think Filson still makes theirs, but it is very bulky and crazy expensive, and more of a hat than a cap. Johnson Woolen Mills has one with the ear flaps that tuck up under the cap when not in use. This Bergland is old school - a style that was around many years ago that has vanished. I got the adirondack plaid and it is a nice cap - wool is nice and soft but heavy, cotton lining is soft and not scratchy on your head and forehead, everything works. The cap is a low profile, unstructured crown, and the bill is shorter than a ball cap, but the right length for this style hat. The hat is very warm with the flaps folded up, though hard winter hasn't yet struck New England so I reserve on that, but I am putting my money on Bergland keeping me warm all winter. I haven't had occasion to wear it with the flaps down yet, but they hug the ears nicely and should be reasonably warm - they probably won't be as warm as a knit winter hat but this isn't trying to be a knit winter hat - you can't compare it that way. I was uncertain about how the Bergland is supposed to fit. The picture on the internet shows the model with the cap on, flaps folded up and the flaps come down about half way down his ears. Mine fits with the flaps just above my ears when they are folded up. I considered exchanging for a larger size but decided that the cap should fit like a baseball cap and it would be too large to have it come down over the ears when the flaps are up. Fit the way mine fits, the cap is snug but comfortable and secure on my head. It won't fall off in the wind, etc. When the flaps are pulled down, the cap is more snug and approaches being tight. I was a little concerned by that, but I think it will be fine; I don't expect to wear the flaps down regularly - to me, they are for when the wind picks up while you are crossing a hayfield between woodlots in the wind, or you step out of the bob house to check the flags. You pull them down as needed and then fold them back up. Overall, a great hat and I now see why people love SK so much. I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 for these reasons: 1 - it needs a headband. The way the lining connects to the cap lets it get sort of bunched up at the forehead and the lining can sort of droop or poke out on the forehead. A band of some sort like a ball cap would help, or securing the lining better inside the cap might help. I think this would look better and be a little more comfortable. 2 - not a big deal to me, but it is noticeable that the plaid pattern on the cap is not matched to the bill, so that the plaid is slightly off as it goes from the front of the cap to the bill. It seems like SK would be able to match the two pieces up better. Those are minor things. I love this hat. Concerning the other review's criticisms: the dents are not an issue in my view. It is an unstructured wool cap - the dents are normal and just a function of the hat being unstructured. The exposed snaps are not an issue. You can't feel them when you wear the had (admittedly, I'm not bald so maybe you would feel them if you were bald). I prefer the cotton lining over having the shearling that is on the flaps also lining the hat. I think it would be too hot and scratchy with the shearling inside the hat. It is true that the visor doesn't shape as easily as some caps. But if you keep working it, it will shape and it is so short that it doesn't want a deep curve like how us old guys wear regular ball caps. I love this hat. It is unique, unlike anything your friends will be wearing, it is made from quality materials, and it is highly functional. You could wear it out in the woods all winter, you could snow blow your driveway in it, or you could walk around Manhattan in it in the winter. People will ask you where you got it. I could see having more than one of these and I wish SK hadn't stopped making it in their other, brown colored plaid and that they would consider making it in some of their other plaids - red and black or green and black buffalo plaid would be nice, for example. But as is, in the colors offered, this is an SK hit.

I got this hat for christmas and I think it is amazing. I cannot speak highly enough of this hat. It is very comfortable and durable and you tend to forget that it is even on. Keeps you very warm.

I was shopping for a warmer winter hat and though I would give this a go. The constuction and quality is great, as would expect from Stormy Kromer. It fits like a glove and didn't notice any puckering in the material. Being bald I did not notice any problem with the metal snaps on my skull, even at -20 F. Actually the snap design is great , when you need to fold the flaps back up ,the snaps line up and snap in place without needing to remove the hat. I did not have a problem with the brim, if I did I would try heating it up with a blow dryer and hold the shape , let it cool . Of course why does a bald guy have a blow dryer, this is one of the reasons.The flaps fold down and covers the ears. I have a had standard Stormy Kromer for about 10 years and don't view it as a winter hat because if it is cold and there is a wind , your ears will get cold. This hat solves that and is great winter hat. My standard SK hat is a Fall and Spring hat. So this is a great addition to their line up and hope it sells well and they can add more patterns. This was the style of hat, when I was a kid that my grandfather and his friends would wear, it is nice to see them again.Ben

Ive been wearing my bergland cap for about a month it's very comfortable and wore it musky fishing up in northern Wisconsin a week ago and it kept my head nice and warm. I'm happy with the cap.

Only had the hat for a few days, but after 20+ hours on my noggin, I'd say it's worth 4 stars. I'll agree with the other review - not as stout as I expected. That said, it's just as stout as a standard Kromer cap.Pro's: - Looks good when on - the "dents" don't seem to be that pronounced when the hat's on my head - so no issue with that from me. - Warm, more-so than I expected. - Fold-down cuff is long enough to cover my neck and my ears. - Hat I received was good quality - no loose threads, no poor material cuts. - Made in USACon's:- Bill doesn't seem to hold a shape. Mine tends to flatten out even after being curved by hand. Looks like it's also got the same inner stiffener material as the standard Kromer hat- Nit picking, but the buttons that hold the flap up don't have insulation behind them in the main cap. This allows the buttons to touch your scalpIndifferent on but worth noting:- Sherpa is not throughout the inside. The main hat liner is standard flannel cap liner. This is why I didn't expect the hat to be so warm, but I've had it on outside during mid 30* weather and it's kept my head toasty- Very bottom tips of my ears can still feel cold when flap is folded down. Not enough to cause my ears to get cold, but every now and then I move and the flap comes up enough to feel it- Cost. People may complain about it, but it's made here in the states. I'm happy to spend an extra $10 bucks on a hat that keeps jobs in the country. Only 4 stars because I haven't worn it a ton. So far though I'm happy and would buy it again. ~~Thanks for the helpful review! I will pass this on to our design team to see if there are improvments they can develop. SK~~

The picture looks good, but, when it arrived, it's a bit misshapen with "dents" where the seems meet up in the front. It's flimsy, not stout like in the picture. Not worth the price in my opinion. ~~ We're sorry you're not happy with your new hat. Feel free to return it for a different hat/style or a refund. If you have any concerns, please give our customer service a call at 888-455-2253. SK ~~