Madison Drift Boat Trucker Hat

Three old souls, one river, one fish.

A painterly river scene of three anglers, a drift boat and a landed trout, in cobalt, pine green and ochre, made for days on the water.

Three anglers share one mountain river: one casts from the bank, one lands a trout mid-current, and one rows a white drift boat. It is coloured in cobalt water, pine green forest, ochre hats and a swirling sky blue sky, all tied together with charcoal line work.

Three anglers sharing one mountain river
A white drift boat under oar
A trout landed mid-current
Swirling sky blue sky over slate peaks
Cobalt water ringed with pine green

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

A cloth tape measure around the crown of a blank cap

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 bearded man in a straw hat stands in the current with a trout in his hands. On the bank, an angular figure in rust and olive patches lifts a rod. Behind them a robed rower pulls a white drift boat, while the sky curls overhead like wet brushwork.

Wear it to the boat launch, the fly shop or a long float with friends. People tend to lean in, find the fish first, then start counting the anglers.

Charcoal line work holds this scene together. Keep it crisp and thin so the swirling water and the blocky figure on the left each keep their own character.

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

A cap being spot-cleaned with a soft brush

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: sky blue, slate blue, pine green, cobalt, sand, white, ochre, rust red, denim blue, olive, charcoal

Details

Category: Brown Trout
Subject: three anglers and a trout on a mountain river
Style: painterly folk scene

Make it yourself

A hat-painting bench with a blank cap, stencils and an airbrush

AdvancedAbout 5½ hours at the bench, plus curing12 layersYou'll need an airbrush, a cap jig and 11 colours

The palette

Sky blue
Slate blue
Pine green
Cobalt
Sand
White
Ochre
Rust red
Denim blue
Olive
Charcoal

The layers

12 layers, in this order. Each mask comes off and the paint has to dry before the next one goes down.

Sky
Mountains
Forest
River
Rocks
Drift boat
Hats and oars
Angular angler
Wading angler
Trout
Line work
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

Sky blue
1 part blue to 4 parts white, a drop of green so it does not drift purple
Slate blue
White with blue and a touch of black, about 4 : 1 : ½
Pine green
2 parts green, 1 part black, a drop of blue to cool it
Cobalt
Mix by eye against the photograph; test on the card first
Sand
4 parts white, 1 part yellow, a drop of brown; a drop of green for khaki
White
Opaque white from the bottle; two thin coats cover better than one thick one
Ochre
2 parts yellow, 1 part brown, a drop of black
Rust red
2 parts orange, 1 part brown, a drop of red
Denim blue
Primary blue, a drop of white to lighten it, a drop of black to deepen it; build it in thin coats
Olive
2 parts yellow, 1 part black, a drop of red to warm it
Charcoal
1 part white to 3 parts black, a drop of blue

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 · Sky — 0.5 mm · 25–30 PSI
sky blue — swirling strokes and curled clouds across the top
Mask None on the panel itself: the mesh and the visor are already masked from the prep.
Colour Sky blue — 1 part blue to 4 parts white, a drop of green so it does not drift purple
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 · Mountains — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
slate blue — a jagged ridgeline behind the trees
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Slate blue — White with blue and a touch of black, about 4 : 1 : ½
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 · Forest — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
pine green — tall conifers lining both banks
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Pine green — 2 parts green, 1 part black, a drop of blue to cool 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.
4 · River — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
cobalt — a looping, swirling current through the middle
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Cobalt — Mix by eye against the photograph; test on the card first
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 · Rocks — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
sand — boulders on the banks and stones in the shallows
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Sand — 4 parts white, 1 part yellow, a drop of brown; a drop of green for khaki
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 · Drift boat — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
white — the hull on the right and the rower's pale robe
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.
7 · Hats and oars — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
ochre — two wide-brimmed hats, the oars, the rower's skin
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Ochre — 2 parts yellow, 1 part brown, a drop of black
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 · Angular angler — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
rust red — blocky patches of the left figure's clothing
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Rust red — 2 parts orange, 1 part brown, a drop of red
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 · Wading angler — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
denim blue — the coat of the bearded man mid-river
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Denim blue — Primary blue, a drop of white to lighten it, a drop of black to deepen it; build it in thin coats
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 · Trout — 0.3 mm · 18–22 PSI
olive — the landed fish, its back and flank
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.
11 · Line work — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
charcoal — outlines, beards, the fly line, fish spots, lettering on the hull
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.
12 · Highlights — 0.2–0.3 mm · 12–15 PSI
white — foam, glints on the water, sparkles in the sky
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

Settings here are a starting point: test on scrap fabric first and adjust for your paint and airbrush.
Mask the full panel edge, then spray sky blue across the top in loose swirls at 20 PSI, 0.35 mm needle, about 15 cm away.
Lay the ridgeline mask and spray slate blue for the mountains at 18 PSI, 0.35 mm needle, about 10 cm away.
Cut the conifer mask for both banks and spray pine green at 18 PSI, 0.35 mm needle, about 8 cm away, darkening the tree bases.
Mask the river channel and spray cobalt in curved passes that follow the current at 20 PSI, 0.35 mm needle, about 10 cm away.
Mask the boulders and stones and spray sand at 15 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, about 6 cm away.
Mask the drift boat hull and the rower's robe, then spray white at 15 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, about 6 cm away, two thin coats.
Mask the hats, oars and skin and spray ochre at 15 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, about 5 cm away.
Mask the angular patches on the left angler and spray rust red at 15 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, about 5 cm away.
Mask the wading angler's coat and spray denim blue at 15 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, about 5 cm away.
Mask the trout and spray olive at 12 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, about 4 cm away, fading lighter toward the belly.
Use a fine detail mask for outlines, beards, fly line, fish spots and hull lettering in charcoal at 10 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, about 3 cm away.
Freehand white highlights on foam, water glints and sky sparkles at 10 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, about 3 cm away.
Let the paint dry fully, heat-set as your paint maker directs, then finish with a light clear topcoat.

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

Charcoal outlines that run thick and fuzzy. Drop the pressure, move closer and make quick single passes.
Pine green drifting into the sky. Mask the sky fully before spraying the forest.
Muddy faces from overlapping ochre and denim blue. Let each layer dry before laying the next mask.
Lettering on the hull lost in overspray. Cut it as its own mask and spray it last before highlights.

Tips

Spray the cobalt river in curving strokes that follow the current; the swirl is what makes the water feel alive.
Cut the left angler's mask in hard-edged facets so the blocky shapes read clearly against the round water.
Keep the white boat coat thin and build it in passes so the cobalt underneath does not turn it grey.
Sketch all three figures to scale before cutting masks so the trout stays the focal point in the middle.

An airbrush, compressor, moisture trap, six colour bottles and a cleaning pot. — The kit

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$91

Stencils

Pre-cut mylar stencil set for this design — 12 layers$181

Paint & masks

Water-based textile airbrush colour, 2 oz — one per colour in this design$482 oz × 8
Transparent base and reducer, 4 oz$71
Low-tack masking film and ¼ in tape$81
Matte fabric sealer, 4 oz$121

Equipment

Starter airbrush set — 0.3 mm dual-action gravity brush, mini compressor, braided hose$1291
Cap jig — holds the crown taut while you spray$241

Guide

Printed step-by-step guide for this designIncluded1

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$7812

Stencils

Desktop stencil cutter, 12 in — the "stencil printer": cuts mylar from this design's layer files$2991
Stencil mylar, 7 mil, 12 × 12 in$2210 sheets
This design's layer files, every layer (SVG)Included1

Paint & masks

Water-based textile airbrush colour, 4 oz — one per colour in this design$1124 oz × 8
Transparent base and reducer, 16 oz$161
Low-tack masking film$181 roll
Matte fabric sealer, 16 oz$281

Equipment

Dual-action gravity-feed airbrush, 0.3 mm$1351
Quiet compressor with tank and moisture trap$1791
Cap jig and two spare crown forms$641
Tabletop spray booth with exhaust fan$1491
Cleaning pot, brushes and a half-mask respirator$991
Heat gun for curing$351

Guide

Printed step-by-step guide for this designIncluded1

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$756144

Stencils

Stencil cutter-plotter, 24 in — the production "stencil printer"$6491
Stencil mylar, 7 mil, 12 × 12 in$8550 sheets
This design's layer files, every layer (SVG)Included1

Paint & masks

Water-based textile airbrush colour, 32 oz — one per colour in this design$38432 oz × 8
Transparent base and reducer$491 gal
Low-tack masking film$543 rolls
Matte fabric sealer$891 gal

Equipment

Two dual-action gravity-feed airbrushes, 0.3 mm$2702
Production airbrush, 0.5 mm, for base fades$951
Twin-piston compressor with tank and two regulators$3291
Production spray booth, two fans$2891
Three cap jigs$1923
Cleaning station, respirator and spare cartridges$1391
Cap heat press for curing$2791
Drying rack, 24 caps$651

Guide

Printed step-by-step guide for this designIncluded1

The creator

Dekasso

@dekasso

Wherever the truck rolls to a stop.

See everything by @dekasso

Remixes

No remixes yet — make your own version.

Where this came from

“make a hat thats as if picasso, van gogh, and da vinci are all fly-fishing the madison river in a clackcraft drift boat”

trucker hat · made September 20, 2026

0 — nothing entered the score yet, at the Derby's published weights, since September 20, 2026. Views are not counted.

More brown trout trucker hats

trout
drift boat
fly fishing
anglers
river
mountains
pine forest
painterly
folk art
cobalt
ochre
swirling sky

The cap

Trucker

Rope cap

Dad hat

Five-panel camp

Fit

Two finishes

Hand airbrushed

Sublimation printed

The artwork

What arrives

Looking after it

Hand airbrushed

Sublimation printed

Details

Airbrush palette

Details

Make it yourself

The palette

The layers

How to mix each colour

Setup

Prep

Layer by layer

1 · Sky — 0.5 mm · 25–30 PSI

2 · Mountains — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI

3 · Forest — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI

4 · River — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI

5 · Rocks — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI

6 · Drift boat — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI

7 · Hats and oars — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI

8 · Angular angler — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI

9 · Wading angler — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI

10 · Trout — 0.3 mm · 18–22 PSI

11 · Line work — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI

12 · Highlights — 0.2–0.3 mm · 12–15 PSI

Step by step

Cure

Seal

Clean-up

Common mistakes

Tips

Every kit size

Trucker · kit for 1 hat

Trucker · kit for 12 hats

Trucker · kit for 12 × 12 hats

The creator

Remixes

Where this came from