WWII Khaki Officer Crusher Cap by Society Brand

[RayR]

My cap arrived a couple of days ago. Short story is I'm thrilled with it.

View attachment 49219

Quality is astounding, and although I wasn't alive back when these caps were used in-service, I am sure that this cap is virtually indistinguishable from what was custom made by Bancroft and other companies.

This thing is beautiful. I can barely work up the desire to remove it from my head.

I have found that it is just a tad too big for me, so I applied some surgical tape, which is not very sticky, and easily removable without damaging the leather sweat. It sits a little better on my head now.

I have had luck with hats that are just slightly large by folding a piece of paper towel the width of the sweat band (as many folds as you need to fit) and tucking it inside the band. It cant be seen and usually snugs the hat nicely.

 

[scottyrocks]

I have had luck with hats that are just slightly large by folding a piece of paper towel the width of the sweat band (as many folds as you need to fit) and tucking it inside the band. It cant be seen and usually snugs the hat nicely.

Thanks for reminding me of that. I didn't realize this hat had a double layer of structural integrity to accept that type of mod without just expanding outward, making it useless. It fits properly now.

 

[scottyrocks]

Looking for little more permanence, I replaced the folded paper towels with this:

It's lightly sticky so it stays put, but is removable if so desired. And the foams gives a bit, allowing for a more comfortable than stock fit. I put it under the sweat as close to the the stitching as possible.

Home Depot, less than four bucks.

 

[societybrandhatco]

Scotty,

I'm terribly sorry the cap was large. I measured it after making it to be sure of the size and it came out a perfect 7-3/8. Is it possible you are closer to a 7-1/4?

 

[scottyrocks]

Scotty,

I'm terribly sorry the cap was large. I measured it after making it to be sure of the size and it came out a perfect 7-3/8. Is it possible you are closer to a 7-1/4?

Yes, but all my hats are 7 3/8, and fit me as close as possible to correctly, given they were not custom made. Some of my hats have required some sweat stuffing, at least for a while, until the sweat shrinks to fit. The sweat in the crusher is of such high quality that it probably won't shrink, though.

7 1/4s I have tried on have always been a little too small, and even slightly small hats are completely unwearable for me, so I err on the side of big rather than small when shopping standard sizes, especially by mail. I'd rather have a slightly too large hat that I can pad out than a small one that I can't wear at all.

I think with a hat like a crusher, the structure of the hat itself doesn't lend itself to be self-supporting the way a fedora does, if slightly too large. No worries, though, as the hat fits great with a little bit of padding under the sweat. I get tons of compliments when I wear it, and I have barely taken it off my head since I received it couple of weeks ago.

 

[Sco Atao]

Beautiful! Can't wait for my custom cap to arrive.
What I like with Society Brand Hat Co (apart from the quality itself) is the custom-made spirit, just like it was back in the 30s-40s. The caps we have now are cheap and mass-produced. Different times...

 

[Tiki Tom]

I want one! The Khaki version at the top of the thread.
But what on earth would I do with it? Can't really wear it ...I'm not a reenactor. And I don't have any historic or family connection to the US armed forces in WWII. It would look lovely on my bookshelf, but I should be thinking about thinning-out my collectibles (aka, my quirky junk collection) not adding to it. Then there's the price. Hard to justify. (Sigh.)

 

[Sco Atao]

Sorry to bring this old thread back to life, but has anyone been in touch with Society Brand Hat Co recently?
I have been desperately trying to get a reply from him since November, I have tried his email addresses, Messenger, his PM here on the forums, and even on his eBay profile, I posted on his Facebook page... still got no reply.
I am very upset as well as surprised, since he usually has a good feedback. Don't know what to do as I absolutely need my cap by late April, I sent him the materials 3 years ago and there was always an excuse for the increasing delay.

 

[EngProf]

My latest contact with Society was in mid 2017 when I received a WWI Officers hat and we e-mailed each other about that.
It only took about two months to get the hat made. A first-class hat...
Based on his communications with me I'm surprised that he is not communicating with you.
The email we used at that time was
wwiihats@hotmail.com

 

[Justhandguns]

My last contact with Society Brand was Nov 2017 on FB. The latest update on his FB was in Feb.

 

[ShanghaiJack]

I've been on a "waiting list" for a Crusher for over 2 years...
I doubt that it well ever happen.