Redrock Leaping Trout Trucker Hat

Out of the water, into the light.

A leaping trout in a red-rock river scene, in rust, sage, gold and blue, made for days on desert water.

A golden trout breaks the surface of a blue river below red sandstone cliffs, with sage and yellow brush along the bank. It is coloured in rust red, sandstone tan, river blue, sage green, golden yellow and a white burst of spray.

Golden trout mid-leap with white spray
Rust red sandstone cliffs behind the river
Sage and yellow brush on the bank
Navy sky over the whole scene
Ten colour layers, background to highlight

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 trout clears the water, golden and spotted, jaw open, spray flying white behind it. Red sandstone walls rise across the river. Sage brush and yellow plumes crowd the near bank, and a navy sky sits over it all.

Wear it on a hot day along slow, clear water, or around town when you miss the river. People see the fish first, then the cliffs, then the little splash under its tail.

White spray is the last colour on and the easiest to overdo. Keep it to small flicks and ripple lines so the river blue still reads as water.

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: navy, rust red, sandstone tan, river blue, sage green, olive green, golden yellow, black, white

Details

Subject: leaping trout
Style: illustrated landscape panel

Make it yourself

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

AdvancedAbout 4½ hours at the bench, plus curing10 layersYou'll need an airbrush, a cap jig and 9 colours

The palette

Navy
Rust red
Sandstone tan
River blue
Sage green
Olive green
Golden yellow
Black
White

The layers

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

Sky
Cliffs
Cliff light
River
Shrubs
Trees
Grasses
Trout body
Spots
Splash

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

Navy
3 parts blue, 1 part black; mix it, do not use black straight, which goes flat
Rust red
2 parts orange, 1 part brown, a drop of red
Sandstone tan
3 parts white, 2 parts yellow, 1 part brown
River blue
Primary blue, a drop of white to lighten it, a drop of black to deepen it; build it in thin coats
Sage green
2 parts green, 1 part white, a drop of black to dull it
Olive green
2 parts yellow, 1 part black, a drop of red to warm it
Golden yellow
Mix by eye against the photograph; test on the card first
Black
Black from the bottle, sprayed in light passes; a heavy coat bleeds
White
Opaque white from the bottle; two thin coats cover better than one thick one

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
navy — a deep band across the top of the panel
Mask None on the panel itself: the mesh and the visor are already masked from the prep.
Colour Navy — 3 parts blue, 1 part black; mix it, do not use black straight, which goes flat
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 · Cliffs — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
rust red — sandstone walls, ledges and shadowed buttes
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.
3 · Cliff light — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
sandstone tan — sunlit rock faces and the stony far bank
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Sandstone 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.
4 · River — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
river blue — calm water across the lower panel with soft reflections
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour River 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.
5 · Shrubs — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
sage green — silvery brush clumps on the left bank
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.
6 · Trees — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
olive green — the leafy tree, willows and far-bank greenery
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Olive green — 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 · Grasses — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
golden yellow — feathery plumes in the foreground and yellow brush
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Golden yellow — 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.
8 · Trout body — 0.3 mm · 18–22 PSI
golden yellow — the leaping fish, belly and fins
Mask The hand-cut subject stencil, inner pieces first, then the outline piece.
Colour Golden yellow — Mix by eye against the photograph; test on the card first
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.
9 · Spots — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
black — the trout's spots, eye, mouth and fin edges
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 · Splash — 0.2–0.3 mm · 12–15 PSI
white — spray, ripples and highlights on the water
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 everything below the cliff line and spray navy across the top band. Start around 20 PSI, 0.35 mm needle, 15 cm away. These settings are a starting point; adjust to your paint and airbrush.
Cut the cliff stencil and lay rust red over the rock shapes at 18 PSI, 0.35 mm needle, about 10 cm, building darker in the shadowed clefts.
Shift the cliff mask slightly and mist sandstone tan on the sunlit faces and the stony far bank at 15 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 8 cm.
Mask the banks and fill the river with river blue at 18 PSI, 0.35 mm needle, 12 cm, lightening toward the centre for reflection.
Place the shrub mask on the left bank and spray sage green in rounded clumps at 15 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 8 cm.
Use the tree and willow stencil for olive green, dabbing leaf masses at 15 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 6 to 8 cm.
Spray golden yellow through the plume and brush stencil in the foreground at 12 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 5 cm.
Mask the trout silhouette and fill the body with golden yellow at 15 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 8 cm, slightly heavier along the back.
Lay the spot and detail stencil over the fish and add black spots, eye, mouth and fin edges at 12 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 4 cm.
Finish with white spray, ripple lines and eye glint through a splash stencil or freehand at 10 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 3 to 4 cm.
Let the panel cure fully as your paint maker directs, then heat-set if the paint calls for it.
Seal with a thin, even clear topcoat compatible with your paint, in two light passes rather than one heavy one.

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 too wet at short distances causes runs on the cliffs; drop pressure and work in light passes.
Black spots that bleed look muddy; use a tight mask and a fine needle close in.
Too much white turns the river to foam; stop once the splash reads under the tail.
Skipping the cure before sealing traps solvent and dulls colours; wait the full time.

Tips

Test each colour on scrap fabric first so you can see how golden yellow sits over river blue.
Register every stencil to two fixed marks on the panel so the trout lines up with its splash.
Let each layer dry to the touch before the next mask goes down, or the edges will lift.
Keep the cliff shadows darker on one side so the light reads as coming from a single direction.

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 — 10 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