Eddyline Rainbow Trout Trucker Hat
by @dekasso
Holding in the swirl, eyes on the hatch.
A rainbow trout in green current with bubbles, two mayflies and a nymph, in olive, rose pink and deep green, for days on the water.
A rainbow trout turns through a swirl of green current, with mayflies and a nymph drifting nearby. It is coloured in deep green, olive and rose pink, with white bubbles and curling water lines.
- Rainbow trout with a rose pink stripe
- Swirling white current and rising bubbles
- Two mayflies and a drifting nymph
- Deep green and sage green water
- Black spots across back, fins and tail
The cap
One design, four caps. The front panel is what the paint or the dye sits on, so it changes the hat.
Trucker
The house cap — structured mid profile, foam-and-mesh back, snapback.
Specs
- Profile
- Mid profile
- Build
- 6-panel · Structured — buckram behind the front
- Crown
- 3½ in (8.9 cm)
- Visor
- Pre-curved, 2¾ in (7 cm)
- Closure
- Snapback
- Adjusts to
- 21½–24 in (54.5–61 cm)
- Airbrushed on
- Natural cotton twill
- Sublimated on
- White polyester foam
Rope cap
Structured five-panel with a near-flat brim and a cord across it.
Specs
- Profile
- Mid-high profile
- Build
- 5-panel · Structured
- Crown
- 4 in (10.2 cm)
- Visor
- Near-flat, 2⅞ in (7.3 cm), contrast rope
- Closure
- Snapback
- Adjusts to
- 21½–23¾ in (54.5–60.5 cm)
- Airbrushed on
- Stone cotton twill
- Sublimated on
- White polyester twill
Dad hat
Soft, low and unstructured — washed cotton with a strap back.
Specs
- Profile
- Low profile
- Build
- 6-panel · Unstructured — soft front
- Crown
- 3¼ in (8.3 cm)
- Visor
- Curved, 2¾ in (7 cm)
- Closure
- Strap back, brass buckle
- Adjusts to
- 21–23½ in (53.5–59.5 cm)
- Airbrushed on
- Washed khaki cotton
- Sublimated on
- White polyester twill
Five-panel camp
Flat brim, low crown, packs flat in a vest pocket.
Specs
- Profile
- Low profile
- Build
- 5-panel · Unstructured
- Crown
- 3¼ in (8.3 cm)
- Visor
- Flat, 2½ in (6.4 cm)
- Closure
- Strap back, side-release clip
- Adjusts to
- 21½–23½ in (54.5–59.5 cm)
- Airbrushed on
- Field olive nylon-cotton
- Sublimated on
- White polyester
Fit
| Cap | Profile | Crown height | Visor | Adjusts to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trucker | Mid profile | 3½ in (8.9 cm) | Pre-curved, 2¾ in (7 cm) | 21½–24 in (54.5–61 cm) |
| Rope cap | Mid-high profile | 4 in (10.2 cm) | Near-flat, 2⅞ in (7.3 cm), contrast rope | 21½–23¾ in (54.5–60.5 cm) |
| Dad hat | Low profile | 3¼ in (8.3 cm) | Curved, 2¾ in (7 cm) | 21–23½ in (53.5–59.5 cm) |
| Five-panel camp | Low profile | 3¼ in (8.3 cm) | Flat, 2½ in (6.4 cm) | 21½–23½ in (54.5–59.5 cm) |
One size per cap. Run a tape around your head just above the ears, keeping it level — anything inside the range above will close on it.
Two finishes
The same design, made two ways. Pick one in the panel; the cap and the quantity are yours to choose too.
Hand airbrushed
$85 for one hat, on a trucker
Painted to order — would ship in about 2 weeks
How it is made
- How it is made
- Sprayed by hand through this design's own stencils, one layer at a time, each left to dry before the next mask goes down.
- How it looks
- Soft gradients and hand-cut stencil edges. Every cap is a little different.
- What it sits on
- On a natural cotton twill front.
- Durability and care
- Water-based paint, heat set and sealed. It takes rain and a season on a boat; spot clean with cool water, never a washing machine.
Sublimation printed
$32 for one hat, on a trucker
Printed to order — would ship in 5–7 business days
How it is made
- How it is made
- The design is printed in dye onto transfer paper, then pressed with heat so the dye soaks into the polyester fibres.
- How it looks
- Full colour edge to edge, and identical every time.
- What it sits on
- On a white polyester foam front — sublimation only takes on white polyester.
- Durability and care
- The dye is in the fibre, not on it, so it will not crack or peel. Gentle wash, air dry.
The artwork
A rainbow trout swings through deep green water, mouth open, rose pink stripe bright down its flank. White current curls over it and loops beneath. Bubbles rise all around, and two tan mayflies and a nymph drift at the edges.
Wear it to the river, the fly shop or the tailgate after. The trout reads from across a parking lot, and the bugs reward anyone who leans in for a closer look.
Rose pink over olive is the part to get right. Build the stripe in thin, misted passes so the edges melt into the green back instead of sitting on top as a hard band.
What arrives
- The hat
- A care card
- On a hand airbrushed hat, a numbered tag naming the water it was painted from, when the design names one
Looking after it
Hand airbrushed
- Spot clean with cool water and a soft brush. Never a washing machine.
- Keep it out of a hot car for long stretches — heat-set paint is tough, but a dashboard in July is not a test worth running.
- Reshape the brim by hand while damp.
Sublimation printed
- Spot clean, or gently hand wash in cool water. No bleach.
- Air dry. Do not iron the print.
- Reshape the brim by hand while damp.
- The dye is in the fibre, so the print will not crack or peel.
Details
Airbrush palette
- Colours
- deep green, sage green, white, silver gray, olive, rose pink, tan, black
Details
- Subject
- rainbow trout
- Style
- illustrated underwater scene
Make it yourself
The palette
- Deep green
- Sage green
- White
- Silver gray
- Olive
- Rose pink
- Tan
- Black
The layers
10 layers, in this order. Each mask comes off and the paint has to dry before the next one goes down.
- Water
- Shallows
- Current
- Bubbles
- Trout base
- Back and fins
- Stripe
- Insects
- Spots and eye
- Highlights
The kit's stencil set is cut from these layers; with the cutter (12 hats and up) you cut your own from this design's layer files.
How to mix each colour
Deep green
1 part yellow to 1 part blue; more yellow for a warm green, more blue for a cool one
Sage green
2 parts green, 1 part white, a drop of black to dull it
White
Opaque white from the bottle; two thin coats cover better than one thick one
Silver gray
Metallic silver, or 6 parts white to 1 part black in a pearl or metallic medium
Olive
2 parts yellow, 1 part black, a drop of red to warm it
Rose pink
1 part red to 4 parts white, a drop of blue if it looks salmon
Tan
3 parts white, 2 parts yellow, 1 part brown
Black
Black from the bottle, sprayed in light passes; a heavy coat bleeds
Setup
- Ventilation or a spray booth. Water-based paint still throws a fine mist, and you will be breathing it for hours.
- A half-mask respirator rated for paint mists. A dust mask is not one.
- A compressor with a moisture trap, set and tested on a card before you start: wet air spits water into the paint.
- Reducer and a cleaning pot within reach, so a clog is a ten-second fix instead of a ruined panel.
- Spray a test card for every colour before it touches the cap. Colour reads differently wet, dry and on twill.
Prep
- Lint-roll the front panel. Every fibre left on it prints as a speck in the paint.
- Mask the mesh, any seams you want clean and the whole visor, underside included, with low-tack tape and paper.
- Stretch the crown over the cap jig so the front panel is taut and curved the way it will be worn. Spraying a slack panel flat distorts the design when it is worn.
- Spray one light coat of transparent base so the colour sits on the fabric instead of soaking into it.
Layer by layer
1 · Water — 0.5 mm · 25–30 PSI
deep green — a fill across the whole design, darker at the edges and lifting toward the middle
Mask None on the panel itself: the mesh and the visor are already masked from the prep.
Colour Deep green — 1 part yellow to 1 part blue; more yellow for a warm green, more blue for a cool one
- Needle
- 0.5 mm (a 0.35 mm works, it just takes longer)
- Pressure
- 25–30 PSI
- Distance
- 6–8 in from the panel
- Passes
- 3–4 light passes, building the colour
- Dry
- 10 minutes, or 60–90 seconds with a heat gun on low, before the next mask goes down
Tip Fade wet to dry and never lay one heavy coat: twill wicks paint sideways and the edge blooms.
2 · Shallows — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
sage green — a soft glow behind the trout and through the lower water
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Sage green — 2 parts green, 1 part white, a drop of black to dull it
- Needle
- 0.35 mm
- Pressure
- 20–25 PSI
- Distance
- 4–6 in from the panel
- Passes
- 2–3 passes
- Dry
- 10 minutes before lifting the stencil
Tip Spray away from the stencil edge, not into it, so the air does not push paint underneath.
3 · Current — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
white — curling surface line along the top and swirls looping under and around the fish
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour White — Opaque white from the bottle; two thin coats cover better than one thick one
- Needle
- 0.35 mm
- Pressure
- 20–25 PSI
- Distance
- 4–6 in from the panel
- Passes
- 2–3 passes
- Dry
- 10 minutes before lifting the stencil
Tip Spray away from the stencil edge, not into it, so the air does not push paint underneath.
4 · Bubbles — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
white — rings of small and large bubbles scattered through the water
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour White — Opaque white from the bottle; two thin coats cover better than one thick one
- Needle
- 0.35 mm
- Pressure
- 20–25 PSI
- Distance
- 4–6 in from the panel
- Passes
- 2–3 passes
- Dry
- 10 minutes before lifting the stencil
Tip Spray away from the stencil edge, not into it, so the air does not push paint underneath.
5 · Trout base — 0.3 mm · 18–22 PSI
silver gray — the full body shape, belly and fins
Mask The hand-cut subject stencil, inner pieces first, then the outline piece.
Colour Silver gray — Metallic silver, or 6 parts white to 1 part black in a pearl or metallic medium
- Needle
- 0.3 mm
- Pressure
- 18–22 PSI
- Distance
- 3–4 in from the panel
- Passes
- 2–3 passes per tone, light to dark
- Dry
- 10 minutes between tones
Tip Light tones first: a light colour over a dark one needs many coats, a dark one over a light one needs two.
6 · Back and fins — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
olive — the upper body, dorsal fin and tail
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Olive — 2 parts yellow, 1 part black, a drop of red to warm it
- Needle
- 0.35 mm
- Pressure
- 20–25 PSI
- Distance
- 4–6 in from the panel
- Passes
- 2–3 passes
- Dry
- 10 minutes before lifting the stencil
Tip Spray away from the stencil edge, not into it, so the air does not push paint underneath.
7 · Stripe — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
rose pink — the band along the flank and the blush on the gill plate
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Rose pink — 1 part red to 4 parts white, a drop of blue if it looks salmon
- Needle
- 0.35 mm
- Pressure
- 20–25 PSI
- Distance
- 4–6 in from the panel
- Passes
- 2–3 passes
- Dry
- 10 minutes before lifting the stencil
Tip Spray away from the stencil edge, not into it, so the air does not push paint underneath.
8 · Insects — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
tan — two mayflies and a nymph drifting at the edges
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Tan — 3 parts white, 2 parts yellow, 1 part brown
- Needle
- 0.35 mm
- Pressure
- 20–25 PSI
- Distance
- 4–6 in from the panel
- Passes
- 2–3 passes
- Dry
- 10 minutes before lifting the stencil
Tip Spray away from the stencil edge, not into it, so the air does not push paint underneath.
9 · Spots and eye — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
black — scattered spots over back, fins and tail, the pupil and the insect legs
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Black — Black from the bottle, sprayed in light passes; a heavy coat bleeds
- Needle
- 0.35 mm
- Pressure
- 20–25 PSI
- Distance
- 4–6 in from the panel
- Passes
- 2–3 passes
- Dry
- 10 minutes before lifting the stencil
Tip Spray away from the stencil edge, not into it, so the air does not push paint underneath.
10 · Highlights — 0.2–0.3 mm · 12–15 PSI
white — glints on the eye, belly edge and bubble rims
Mask None: freehand, with a shield card held against any hard edge.
Colour White — Opaque white from the bottle; two thin coats cover better than one thick one
- Needle
- 0.2–0.3 mm
- Pressure
- 12–15 PSI
- Distance
- 1–2 in from the panel
- Passes
- Freehand, in short controlled strokes
- Dry
- 10 minutes, then check it before you cure
Tip Low pressure, close in and moving: stop the stroke before you release the trigger.
Step by step
Mask the outer edge of the design area and wipe the surface clean. All settings below are a starting point; test on scrap first.
Deep green water: open fill, 20–25 PSI, 0.5 mm needle, 15–20 cm away. Heavier at the edges, lighter toward the centre.
Sage green shallows: freehand glow behind where the trout will sit, 18 PSI, 0.35 mm needle, 10–15 cm.
White current: cut swirl stencil for the surface line and loops, 18–20 PSI, 0.35 mm needle, 5–8 cm for crisp curls.
White bubbles: circle template, 15 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 3–5 cm. Spray rings, not solid dots.
Silver gray trout base: full body stencil including fins, 20 PSI, 0.35 mm needle, 8–10 cm, even coverage.
Olive back and fins: keep the body mask on, 18 PSI, 0.35 mm needle, 8–10 cm, fading down toward the flank.
Rose pink stripe and gill: freehand along the flank, 15 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 5–8 cm, in several light passes.
Tan insects: small mayfly and nymph stencils, 15 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 3–5 cm.
Black spots, eye and legs: dot stencil or freehand, 12–15 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 2–4 cm.
White highlights: freehand glints on the eye, belly edge and bubble rims, 12 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 2–3 cm.
Cure: let the paint dry 24 hours, then heat-set following the paint maker's guidance.
Seal: two light coats of fabric-safe matte sealer, 15–20 cm away, drying between coats.
Cure
- Heat set at 300°F / 150°C. Water-based textile paint is not wash-fast until it is heat set.
- Cap press: 3–5 minutes with a teflon sheet over the design.
- Or heat gun: 2–3 minutes per panel, keeping it moving 2–3 in off the fabric so it does not scorch.
- If you have neither, air cure for 72 hours before the cap touches water.
Seal
- Two light coats of matte fabric sealer, UV-resistant, from 8–10 in, 15 minutes apart.
- Leave it 24 hours before the cap is worn.
- Never a gloss sealer on cotton twill: it shines, cracks along the creases and looks like a sticker.
Clean-up
- Flush the brush with water, then airbrush cleaner, until it sprays clear.
- Strip the needle and wipe it toward the tip, never away from it.
- Never soak the brush body overnight.
Common mistakes
- Hard-edged pink stripe: too much pressure or too close. Drop to 15 PSI and build in thin passes.
- Muddy olive over green water: let the silver gray base dry fully before the olive goes on.
- Spidering on fine black spots: paint too thin or pressure too high. Thicken slightly and lower PSI.
- Lifting the body mask too early: wait until the olive is touch-dry before peeling.
Tips
- Spray the white current before the trout so the swirls tuck behind the body rather than across it.
- Keep the trout's spots uneven in size and spacing; a grid of identical dots looks stamped.
- Leave a thin unpainted gap between bubble rims and their centres so the green shows through.
- Warm the rose pink slightly toward the gill plate so the face carries more colour than the tail.
Every kit size
Trucker · kit for 1 hat
$229
Bought separately $255 · you save $26
Includes Starter airbrush set · Cap jig · and 7 more
Every item in this kit · 9 items
Blanks
- Trucker blank, natural cotton twill front$9
Stencils
- Pre-cut mylar stencil set for this design — 10 layers$18
Paint & masks
- Water-based textile airbrush colour, 2 oz — one per colour in this design$48
- Transparent base and reducer, 4 oz$7
- Low-tack masking film and ¼ in tape$8
- Matte fabric sealer, 4 oz$12
Equipment
- Starter airbrush set — 0.3 mm dual-action gravity brush, mini compressor, braided hose$129
- Cap jig — holds the crown taut while you spray$24
Guide
- Printed step-by-step guide for this designIncluded
Trucker · kit for 12 hats
$1,085
$90.42 a hat
Bought separately $1,234 · you save $149
Includes Dual-action gravity-feed airbrush · Quiet compressor with tank and moisture trap · Cap jig and two spare crown forms · Tabletop spray booth with exhaust fan · and 11 more
Every item in this kit · 15 items
Blanks
- Trucker blank, natural cotton twill front$78
Stencils
- Desktop stencil cutter, 12 in — the "stencil printer": cuts mylar from this design's layer files$299
- Stencil mylar, 7 mil, 12 × 12 in$22
- This design's layer files, every layer (SVG)Included
Paint & masks
- Water-based textile airbrush colour, 4 oz — one per colour in this design$112
- Transparent base and reducer, 16 oz$16
- Low-tack masking film$18
- Matte fabric sealer, 16 oz$28
Equipment
- Dual-action gravity-feed airbrush, 0.3 mm$135
- Quiet compressor with tank and moisture trap$179
- Cap jig and two spare crown forms$64
- Tabletop spray booth with exhaust fan$149
- Cleaning pot, brushes and a half-mask respirator$99
- Heat gun for curing$35
Guide
- Printed step-by-step guide for this designIncluded
Trucker · kit for 12 × 12 hats
$3,165
$21.98 a hat
Bought separately $3,724 · you save $559
Includes Two dual-action gravity-feed airbrushes · Production airbrush · Twin-piston compressor with tank and two regulators · Production spray booth · and 13 more
Every item in this kit · 17 items
Blanks
- Trucker blank, natural cotton twill front$756
Stencils
- Stencil cutter-plotter, 24 in — the production "stencil printer"$649
- Stencil mylar, 7 mil, 12 × 12 in$85
- This design's layer files, every layer (SVG)Included
Paint & masks
- Water-based textile airbrush colour, 32 oz — one per colour in this design$384
- Transparent base and reducer$49
- Low-tack masking film$54
- Matte fabric sealer$89
Equipment
- Two dual-action gravity-feed airbrushes, 0.3 mm$270
- Production airbrush, 0.5 mm, for base fades$95
- Twin-piston compressor with tank and two regulators$329
- Production spray booth, two fans$289
- Three cap jigs$192
- Cleaning station, respirator and spare cartridges$139
- Cap heat press for curing$279
- Drying rack, 24 caps$65
Guide
- Printed step-by-step guide for this designIncluded
The creator
Remixes
Remixed from
- Eddyline Rainbow Trout Trucker Hatyou are here
No remixes yet — make your own version.
Where this came from
“make it look like its in Ennis Montana”
trucker hat · made
0 — nothing entered the score yet, at the Derby's published weights, since . Views are not counted.
- rainbow trout
- trout
- mayfly
- nymph
- fly fishing
- trucker hat
- green water
- bubbles
- current
- trout hat