A Tale of the Mid-Order Rug Pull, a Global Scavenger Hunt, and the Origin of the “Pretty Good-ish” Edition 

If you’ve ever had a plan that was so clean, so dialed… and then the universe walked up, made eye contact, and kicked it right in the shins… welcome. You’re among friends.

This is the story of the Cache Beanie, our watchman-style merino wool beanie with a hidden pocket built into the fleece liner. Sleek on the outside, comfy-capable on the inside.

Lifestyle merino wool beanie outdoors on bearded man

What is the Cache Beanie?

The Cache Beanie is a watchman-style merino wool beanie built to be your cold-weather companion. The outer layer is fine Italian merino wool knit that regulates temperature.  Keeps you cozy and warm while it vents out excess heat and wicks moisture away. The inside is stitched with a soft fleece band to keep your ears toasty. Hidden inside the fleece liner is a discreet pocket designed to stash small essentials like cash, cards, keys, or compact EDC tools. It’s one of those “you’ll forget it’s there until you need it” kind of features.

If you want more product and less story, head on to the Cache Beanie product page.

Why was the Cache Beanie sold out for so long? 

Well that’s a little longer answer. In September 2025, we were lining up a new batch for the holiday season. We checked in with the manufacturer to see what yarn colors were available. He sent us the list of his current inventory and approximate number of beanies we could get from each color. An order was submitted and everything was on track to launch an exciting mix of new colors. 

Wazoo Cache Beanies in production process


Then rug pull!

The maker casually drops the bombshell that he sold his knitting machine and couldn’t make beanies for us anymore.  Not a delay. Not a workaround. Just no machine and no order. Mind you this is only a few days after sending us inventory counts intended for us to place an order. 

Why did we switch to overseas manufacturers?

Because you can’t manufacture beanies with vibes and optimism alone.

We had to find a new partner who could handle our custom design, dial in samples fast, and hit the quality bar. The hard part isn’t finding someone who can make a beanie. It’s finding someone who can make this beanie, with the details we care about.

We searched around the US, unable to find anyone able (and/or willing) to work on such a custom product and tight timeline. We found some potential overseas but communication is always a hurdle and physical samples have been proven to be the cheat code. When you can send a golden sample of what you’re looking to make, everything gets clearer, faster.

Which brings us to the funniest part…

 

 

We had just “Crap Bag’d” all our leftover beanies (truly impeccable timing)

We had a few odd-and-ends beanies leftover from earlier in the year. They had been on the shelf all summer (no surprise there) so we wanted to clear them out to make room for the new run and fresh new colors.  There’s no better way to move a product than to toss it in our legendary Crap Bag! So, with the new order on the horizon, we cleared out every last beanie. Hooray!  Right? 

Bag Of Crap seconds, rejects, junk, grab bag of randomness

The power of community

We dug deep and scrounged a couple samples that were still in like-new condition in-house but limited samples meant limited attempts at finding a manufacturer.

Then a surprise gesture caught us off guard.  At the Georgia Bushcraft fall gathering in November, someone asked about the beanies.  We relayed a quick summary of the story and how they were temporarily dead in the water.  This was overheard by a customer that had recently got one in a Crap Bag. He had it with him at the event and insisted we take it back to send off as a sample. 

That’s not just customer loyalty. That’s a selfless “other people will benefit from bringing the Cache Beanie back, so take mine and go make the next run happen.” Truly an amazing gesture!

Dustin goes full manufacturer-wrangler

Dustin found manufacturers, shipped samples, and worked the back-and-forth until we had a version worthy of the Wazoo name. Over a few weeks time, dozens of emails and photos, and a few global shipments, a sample came back and it was on point!

We kicked off the production run. We found a new manufacturer in record time. It felt like a weight was lifted. The skies cleared. A small choir of merino sheep sang in the distance. (Probably.)

Then the shipment arrived.

Batch of Wazoo beanies in a box


What is the “Pretty Good-ish” Edition?

The full production run didn’t quite match the quality of the approved sample. There were more variances and discrepancies than we like to see. Wazoo has high standards (sorry, not sorry) and these didn’t quite hit the target. 

Still 100% functional. Still useful. Still a beanie you’ll wear constantly. But not fully at the standard we want long-term. The cuff height is too short, and the dome shape is not as rounded as it should be which can make small “bumps” near the ends of the seam when worn.  So instead of pretending everything was perfect, we’re calling how we see it and labeling it the “Pretty Good-ish” Edition.

We’re discounting it heavily so we can move these out quickly and roll straight into a new batch to get this quality dialed in and bring back the Cache Beanie to its full glory. 

You can see the notes and the current pricing here:
https://wazoogear.com/products/cache-beanie

Is the Cache Beanie still worth it if it’s “Pretty Good-ish”?

Still 100% functional, just a little cosmetically flawed. If you want a warm, functional, merino beanie with the hidden-pocket at a steep discount, this is your moment. If you like being an early adopter and want one of the “first run” beanies from the new manufacturer, grab one while you can. 

And either way, you’re helping bring the Cache Beanie back to the community!

Merino Wool Cache Beanie by Wazoo with minor flaws

Where this goes next

We know you’re excited to have the Cache Beanie fully back. We are too. Winter doesn’t last forever and we’d love to get another run in production before it’s too late. 

Grab your Pretty Good-ish Beanie here:
https://wazoogear.com/products/cache-beanie

And if you like the idea of hidden pockets and secret tools, there’s a whole ecosystem to go along with your beanie:

[Image placeholder: lifestyle shot: beanie + belt/cap]