Hatchlight Rainbow Trout Trucker Hat
by @dekasso
The water is full of wings.
A pair of mirrored rainbow trout rising through a hatch of amber flies, in deep teal, olive and rose red, for days on the river.
Two rainbow trout rise toward each other through a thick hatch of small winged flies. Rose red side bands and olive backs sit on deep teal water lit by pale gold shafts from the surface.
- Two mirrored rainbow trout, rising
- Amber-winged flies scattered through the water
- Pale gold light shafts from the surface
- Deep teal and bottle green water
- Rose red side bands with charcoal spots
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
Two rainbow trout swing up from the deep, mirror images, mouths open. Amber-winged flies drift everywhere around them. Pale gold light falls through the surface in long shafts.
Wear it on the drive to the river or at the boat ramp at dawn. The teal reads dark from across the parking lot, then the red stripes and the scatter of flies show up close.
Rose red needs a cream base under it. Lay the bellies and side band area pale first, and the stripe stays bright against the olive instead of sinking into the teal.
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 teal, bottle green, pale gold, olive, cream, rose red, charcoal, amber orange
Details
- Subject
- rainbow trout
- Style
- illustrative underwater scene
Make it yourself
The palette
- Deep teal
- Bottle green
- Pale gold
- Olive
- Cream
- Rose red
- Charcoal
- Amber orange
The layers
9 layers, in this order. Each mask comes off and the paint has to dry before the next one goes down.
- Deep water
- Mid-water
- Surface
- Trout backs
- Bellies
- Side band
- Detail
- Hatch
- Glints
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 teal
2 parts blue, 1 part green, a touch of white to lift it
Bottle green
1 part yellow to 1 part blue; more yellow for a warm green, more blue for a cool one
Pale gold
3 parts yellow, 1 part brown, a touch of white so it stays opaque
Olive
2 parts yellow, 1 part black, a drop of red to warm it
Cream
White with a drop of yellow and the smallest touch of brown
Rose red
1 part red to 4 parts white, a drop of blue if it looks salmon
Charcoal
1 part white to 3 parts black, a drop of blue
Amber orange
3 parts yellow, 1 part red, a drop of black to deepen it
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 · Deep water — 0.5 mm · 25–30 PSI
deep teal — the full field, darkening toward the lower edge
Mask None on the panel itself: the mesh and the visor are already masked from the prep.
Colour Deep teal — 2 parts blue, 1 part green, a touch of white to lift it
- 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 · Mid-water — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
bottle green — a soft band behind the fish and through the centre
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Bottle green — 1 part yellow to 1 part blue; more yellow for a warm green, more blue for a cool 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.
3 · Surface — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
pale gold — light shafts and a rippled surface line across the top
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Pale gold — 3 parts yellow, 1 part brown, a touch of white so it stays opaque
- 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 · Trout backs — 0.3 mm · 18–22 PSI
olive — two mirrored trout, noses meeting at the centre
Mask The hand-cut subject stencil, inner pieces first, then the outline piece.
Colour Olive — 2 parts yellow, 1 part black, a drop of red to warm it
- 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.
5 · Bellies — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
cream — lower sides and bellies of both fish
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Cream — White with a drop of yellow and the smallest touch of 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.
6 · Side band — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
rose red — the lateral stripe and gill plates
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Rose red — 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.
7 · Detail — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
charcoal — spots, eyes, fin edges and outlines
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Charcoal — 1 part white to 3 parts black, a drop of blue
- 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 · Hatch — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
amber orange — dozens of small winged flies scattered through the water
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Amber orange — 3 parts yellow, 1 part red, a drop of black to deepen 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.
9 · Glints — 0.2–0.3 mm · 12–15 PSI
pale gold — sparkle on wings, scales and the eyes
Mask None: freehand, with a shield card held against any hard edge.
Colour Pale gold — 3 parts yellow, 1 part brown, a touch of white so it stays opaque
- 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 panel. Spray deep teal over the whole field at about 20 PSI with a 0.5 mm needle from 15 cm, heavier at the lower edge. These settings are a starting point; test on scrap.
Free-hand bottle green through the centre band at around 18 PSI, 0.5 mm needle, 12 cm away, keeping the edges soft.
Place the surface stencil. Spray pale gold light shafts and the ripple line at 15 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 10 cm, fading the shafts downward.
Lay the two-trout body mask. Spray olive on the backs at 18 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 10 cm.
Mask the backs and spray cream on the bellies and lower sides at 15 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 8 cm.
Place the stripe stencil. Spray rose red along the lateral band and gill plates at 15 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 8 cm, two light passes.
Use the detail stencil for spots, eyes, fin edges and outlines. Spray charcoal at 12 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 5 cm.
Place the hatch stencil. Spray amber orange flies at 12 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 5 cm, rotating the stencil between groups so no two clusters match.
Dot pale gold glints on wings, scales and eyes at 10 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 3 cm.
Let the paint dry fully, then heat-set following your paint maker's guidance.
Seal with two thin coats of a flexible fabric topcoat, letting each dry before the next.
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
- Spraying rose red straight onto olive turns it muddy. Put cream down first.
- Too many flies in one area looks like a pattern. Spread clusters across the whole field.
- High pressure on the charcoal spots causes overspray halos. Drop to around 12 PSI and move in close.
- Pulling masks while paint is wet smears edges. Wait until it is dry to the touch.
Tips
- Mirror the trout stencil by flipping it rather than cutting a second one, so both fish match exactly.
- Vary fly size slightly toward the top so the hatch feels thicker near the surface.
- Keep the light shafts soft and uneven; a few wider ones read more like real water.
- Let each layer dry to the touch before the next mask goes down.
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 — 9 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
- Hatchlight Rainbow Trout Trucker Hatyou are here
No remixes yet — make your own version.
Where this came from
“make it appear is there is a salmon fly hatch going on in the scene”
trucker hat · made
1 save
8 — from 1 save, at the Derby's published weights, since . Views are not counted.
- rainbow trout
- trout
- hatch
- fly fishing
- trucker hat
- rising trout
- underwater
- teal
- dry fly
- river