As you have seen on our Instagram feed, we first heard about Wazoo Survival Gear while listening to NPR’s How I Built This. I was so impressed with the ideas and application of necessities to everyday garments that I made my husband google them as soon as we came out of the canyon.
Needless to say, my out of the blue email led to us discovering some amazing gear and I could ‘t be more pleased to bring it to you! We have tested and reviewed the Cache Cap- 6 secret pocket cap and the Cache Belt.
Cache Cap- 6 Secret Pockets Cap
From simple hikes in our foothills with the dogs to camping and overnighters this hat can carry an impressive amount of gear. Now, it is not going to carry your weapon but it is going to hold money, poop bags, matches, lens wipes, etc.
The construction of the Cache Cap is impressive. It is well made and well thought out. As the name suggests there are in fact 6 pockets for your gear. All pockets are in the underside of the cap.
The first three are on the bill of the Cache Cap. The lateral pockets are small in width but are longer allowing you to store zip ties, straws and toothpicks. The middle pocket allows for money, a key or two, ceramic knife or even an additional SD card. This was a suggestion by my uncle who is an avid photojournalist. I should point out that the hat and the pockets are not water tight so keep that in mind in case it falls off into the stream or lake.
Wazoo Cache Cap
The three pockets inside the cap are large enough to hold a credit card, sanitary wipes (1 or 2) and single dosage medications. My oldest is a target for bee stings so I have outfitted mine with Benadryl, Band-Aids and antiseptic wipes. These Cache Caps are not just for the hunter in your life. They are, in fact, perfect for the mom on the go.
Personalization
You can easily personalize your cap with a patch on the front. We do a lot of work with a local veteran organization called Mission 43 so I quickly slapped on my patch from them. The color way of the Cache Cap differs from the one on their website at the time of this article. The color is much deeper and richer. I would call it a dark charcoal gray. Perfect for that Gray Civilian.
The Fit
The Cache Cap fits perfectly on my head and as long as the pockets aren’t loaded down, it is as comfortable as my Headsweats that I wear everywhere. Er, that I USED to wear everywhere.
The Cache Cap has quickly found its place in my daily wear and go-to wardrobe.
Family Friendly
The Cache Cap is a great gift for the littlest hikers in your house as well. Offering not only sun protection on their little faces but a place to store their treasures, candy and their very own Band-aids (because kids just can’t get enough of those things). I have even had our 9 year old carry a copy of the map and a whistle in the bill pocket. For his patch, I should have one made that says “Pacer” since he likes to boss everyone around and will fight his brother to (basically) the death to be the leader.
If you are considering this for a younger adventurer, I would highly suggest pairing it with one of their educational bandanas. My favorite is the Foraging Field Reference because I am always looking for food.
The Cache Cap retails for $20. That is a week of coffees for most Americans and this cap will outlast most coffee chains. It’s safe to say you are safer for picking one of these up.
Cache Belt
Initially launched on Kickstarter for the funding, the Cache Belt was widely received and overwhelmingly supported by their community. Their initial request was a mere $15,000. They raised $275K. If that support doesn’t sell you on this belt, I hope I can provide a tipping point and you can join the rest of us Wazooers.
The Fit and Look:
The Cache Belt is available in 2 sizes and will fit waists from 26” to 55”. They have a sizing guide available on their site to help with the correct purchase of your Cache belt.
The aesthetics of the belt alone allow you to wear it with a business suit, mountain biking shorts, ski pants and those infamous dad shorts, the cargo shorts.
Cache Belt is constructed with a two foot Velcro pocket that allows you to customize the belt to your adventure or lifestyle. Being TSA compliant, you can store anything TSA approved in the belt. The buckle is simple and easy to use. It is reminiscent of my ROTC issued BDU belt n all the best ways. The teeth on the buckle do not let it slip while in use. The top flap is easy to lift and adjust.
What to Pack
Just past the paracord loops you can store money, keys, SD media cards, zip ties, copies of travel documents, first aid items, liquid IV drink supplements, medications, etc. I could list off a thousand more items or you could trust the experts at Wazoo Survival Gear and pick up a Cache Belt kit that suits your needs. I have even stored my wedding rings in it while we were out climbing so I wouldn’t lose them.
Cache Belt Kits
Retailing for $40-$80, Wazoo Survival Gear has prepackaged kits containing tools and survival gear. My favorite is the water bag that actually lets you boil water in it. Yes, in it. This option is available in their 23 Tool Survival Kit for the Cache Belt. Whether you plan to use this kit within your belt, it would be the perfect kit to keep in your car, Razor or camper for emergencies.
The 15 Tool Survival Kit is more my speed and provides a great starter pack which allows me to customize my Cache Belt to fit my needs.
Functionality
The top load design of the Cache Belt allows the wearer to access money or keys quickly without undoing zippers or making enough movement to alert skilled pocket pickers.
For the teenagers or city commuters in your life, the Cache Belt is perfect for storing charging cables and metro cards. With some creative folding, I’m confident you could even get a bike tube in there!
The Cache Belt retails for $40 on their site. At the time of printing, the Cache Belt is a pre-order ONLY. It will be available for shipping on March 31, 2019.
We recommend you order one today and surprise yourself with it in the Spring. Just in time for some beautiful hikes and travel!
Safe Travels!
Thank you so much for the review! I was hoping this belt and hat were female friendly – as in, how they fit.