Stormy Kromer Hats Make an Upper Peninsula Fashion Statement (Yooper Chook Caps)

Some call it the “Yooper Hat” or “Yooper Chook), but Stormy Kromer hats are a very popular hat made in Michigan's Upper Peninsula with an awesome backstory…

I have five of them. Jennifer has three.

I'll probably get another one this year. And even though they are available everywhere now, we always buy ours in the Upper Peninsula when we are on an RV trip.

What Are Stormy Kromer Hats?

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First, let me set the stage with this video we did TEN years ago on the background of Stormy Kromer hats and how they also became known as the Yooper Hat.

Did you watch the video? OK, now let's talk about these Yooper Hats and our love affair with them.

We picked up our first Stormy Kromer hats while doing some winter camping about ten years ago in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

It was really cold that January. Something like 10 below during the daytime. It seemed like every Yooper we saw was wearing one, with the wool ear flaps pulled down.

We asked folks what they were, and we were proudly told that they are known as Yooper hats up there.

They were sold pretty much everywhere, in department stores, hardware stores, clothing shops, outdoor supply centers, even gas stations.

So Jennifer and I both got one, me a rakish black (it's still my favorite), Jennifer's a demure grey with pink trim and a dainty flower pedal.

As we returned from that trip to the UP but kept wearing our hats, we met lots of other people who either had one, knew someone who had one, or wanted one.

Lots of people call them an Elmer Fudd hat. Don't do that. A true Yooper will take great offense.

The brand has become proudly synonymous with the UP and Yoopers are not folks you want to get on the bad side of. Stormy Kromer was cool way before Elmer Fudd.

The Official Story of Stormy Kromer Hats

The Stormy Kromer hat is steeped in UP tradition. Here's the official story, from the Stormy Kromer website:

“George “Stormy” Kromer was a real guy – a semi-pro baseball player and railroad engineer. Not the kind of guy you'd expect to start a clothing company, in other words, but one who happened to create a cap that became known for long-comfort and the ability to stay snug, even in the fiercest winds.

“This final feature, in fact, is the reason he made his famous headgear in the first place, but we'll get to that in a bit.

“Mr. Kromer, known as “Stormy” to the folks who knew his temper, was born in 1876 in Kaukauna, Wisconsin. He grew up with baseball and would eventually play on nearly 30 semi-pro teams throughout the Midwest. He might have continued to play that field, too, but he met Ida, and before Ida's father would allow her hand in marriage, our ballplayer needed to find real work.

“That meant the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad and long, cold trips across the plains. Stormy was an engineer, and to see where he was headed, he had to stick his head out the window – into the wind. Mother Nature stole his cap more than once, and as the story goes, he set out to get her back.“

“In 1903, he asked Ida (now his wife and an excellent seamstress) to modify an old baseball cap to help keep it on in windy weather. The all-cloth cap with the soft, canvas visor was a departure from the traditional fedoras of the day, but it was more comfortable and because of its six-panel fit, it stayed put.

Soon other railroad workers wanted one of Stormy Kromer's caps for themselves, and when Ida could no longer keep up with demand, they hired a few employees and the business was born.

A lot of things have changed since those first few caps – new colors, new fabrics, new styles – but we haven't changed the way we make 'em. They're hand-stitched right here in the good old U-S-of-A, and they're still made to fit better than anything you've had next to your noggin. Stormy Kromer caps are true to the original, and that means you get all the comfort and function that made them famous.

Wear one, and you'll know what we mean.“

The Yooper Hat Is in Style Everywhere Now

The first Stormy Kromer hats we bought can be seen below. The photo was taken in downtown Marquette, MI, in the Upper Peninsula, right after we bought them.

We liked them so much that we had to visit the actual factory where they were made, in Ironwood, at the far western end of the UP, right on the Wisconsin border. So, I made an appointment with Bob Jacquart, the CEO, and arranged for a factory tour.

Again, from the website:

“In 2001, Bob Jacquart (CEO of Jacquart Fabric Products, in Ironwood, Michigan) got wind that the Kromer Cap Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was about to discontinue production of its legendary Blizzard Cap.“

“Bob had a mind to make a call to Milwaukee and see if he couldn’t make those quirky wool caps a part of his sewing factory.  A month later, Bob was the proud new owner of the Kromer Blizzard Cap, and Ironwood officially became home to the legend it had always struck a certain sentimental claim to. 

“You see, folks in Ironwood (and the rest of the U.P.) have been wearing Kromer caps for generations, and it seems this has always been their true home, where the North Wind blows cold and the snow falls harder than almost anywhere else.

“When the cap came to Ironwood, Bob made a few subtle changes to the iconic headgear, changing the name from the Kromer Blizzard Cap to the Stormy Kromer Cap, and adding Stormy’s signature and the founding date to the back of every cap.“

“Over the next 10 years, Bob invested in Stormy Kromer – particularly through branding and marketing – and today, annual production of the caps is 20 times what it was in 2001.

“Bob and his crew have also expanded the product line significantly – adding outerwear, apparel, and a full women’s line in honor of the debt we all owe Ida for creating this winter masterpiece. Today, Stormy Kromer products are still hand-stitched in the U.S. of A.  It might be cheaper to sew things overseas, but it just wouldn’t feel right.

“That’s why every piece of Stormy Kromer gear is hand-crafted in America from the finest fabrics on earth. That not only makes for a legendary cap or article of clothing, it means the hundreds of hard-working folks we employ in the heartland get to keep working hard. And if that’s the style of authenticity you’re looking for, well, you just found the perfect fit.“

The Yooper Hat Has a Cult-like Following!

Hollywood and rock stars now wear them, they're showing up in trendy magazines and a new marketing campaign is about to make them even better know.

The hats are guaranteed for life. That's a good thing because Stormy Kromer hats are expensive!

Figure $50 for the original design. The cheapest is around $35. The most expensive is the Trapper version. It goes for $100!

Stormy Kromer Factory Tour

The Stormy Kromer factory in Ironwood offers free factory tours. Make a reservation for the next time you are through the area. A wall of photos tells the history and story of this cool hat. You can watch the Yooper ladies in the sewing room assembling the hats.

And afterward, shop a retail area of the factory to get your own.

And yes, I got a new one to add to my Stormy Kromer hats collection, this Yooper Hat in a lightweight summer khaki color. You can see me wearing it at the end of my Yooper Hat video.

Explore a hidden gem – Michigan's Upper Peninsula

This ebook is a seven-stop guided exploration of the Michigan UP. We provide a suggested route and itinerary, links to multiple campgrounds and boondocking spots, and the best spots to see along the way. Don’t plan your trip to the Upper Peninsula without it!

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