Sagebrush River Trout Trucker Hat

Cool water, warm rock, last light.

A spotted trout under a teal river lined with sagebrush and rust cliffs, a painterly landscape for days on desert water.

A spotted trout cruises just under the surface of a clear river, with silver sagebrush on the banks and rust cliffs rising behind. The scene is coloured in river teal, sage silver, rust red and olive gold under a twilight blue sky.

Spotted trout just under the surface
Silver sagebrush crowding both banks
Rust cliffs under a twilight blue sky
Coral belly and fin edges
Teal river with visible weeds below

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 holds just below the surface, olive gold on top and coral along the belly. Silver-blue sagebrush spills down both banks. Rust cliffs stand behind, and the sky fades from twilight blue into lavender.

It belongs on a river trip in dry country, or a gas-station stop on the way there. People see the fish first, then the cliffs, then the quiet sky.

The waterline is the detail to get right. A thin cream white glint across the river teal splits the trout from the air above it, so keep that line crisp and unbroken.

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: twilight blue, lavender mist, rust red, sage silver, river teal, deep olive, olive gold, coral, cream white

Details

Subject: trout
Style: painterly landscape

Make it yourself

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

AdvancedAbout 4½ hours at the bench, plus curing9 layersYou'll need an airbrush, a cap jig and 9 colours

The palette

Twilight blue
Lavender mist
Rust red
Sage silver
River teal
Deep olive
Olive gold
Coral
Cream white

The layers

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

Sky
Far walls
Near cliffs
River
Sagebrush
Weeds and shade
Trout body
Belly and fins
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

Twilight blue
Primary blue, a drop of white to lighten it, a drop of black to deepen it; build it in thin coats
Lavender mist
Mix by eye against the photograph; test on the card first
Rust red
2 parts orange, 1 part brown, a drop of red
Sage silver
2 parts green, 1 part white, a drop of black to dull it
River teal
2 parts blue, 1 part green, a touch of white to lift it
Deep olive
2 parts yellow, 1 part black, a drop of red to warm it
Olive gold
2 parts yellow, 1 part black, a drop of red to warm it
Coral
Mix by eye against the photograph; test on the card first
Cream white
White with a drop of yellow and the smallest touch of brown

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
twilight blue — a cool fade down from the top edge
Mask None on the panel itself: the mesh and the visor are already masked from the prep.
Colour Twilight blue — Primary blue, a drop of white to lighten it, a drop of black to deepen it; build it in thin coats
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 · Far walls — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
lavender mist — distant flat-topped cliffs in soft haze
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Lavender mist — 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.
3 · Near cliffs — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
rust red — tall layered rock walls on both sides
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.
4 · River — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
river teal — the open water band and the clear depth below it
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour River teal — 2 parts blue, 1 part green, a touch of white to lift 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.
5 · Sagebrush — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
sage silver — rounded brush crowding both banks
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Sage silver — 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 · Weeds and shade — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
deep olive — underwater stems, brush shadow and trout spots
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Deep 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 · Trout body — 0.3 mm · 18–22 PSI
olive gold — the long spotted flank and back
Mask The hand-cut subject stencil, inner pieces first, then the outline piece.
Colour Olive gold — 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.
8 · Belly and fins — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
coral — the gill blush, lower flank and fin edges
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Coral — 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.
9 · Highlights — 0.2–0.3 mm · 12–15 PSI
cream white — the surface glint, brush tips and the eye
Mask None: freehand, with a shield card held against any hard edge.
Colour Cream white — White with a drop of yellow and the smallest touch of brown
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 whole panel except the sky. Fade twilight blue down from the top at about 20 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 15 cm away. Treat all settings here as a starting point and test on scrap first.
Lay a torn-edge mask for the far wall line. Mist lavender mist lightly at 18 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 15 to 20 cm away, so the distant cliffs stay hazy.
Cut a stencil for the near cliffs. Spray rust red at 20 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 10 cm away, then darken the ledges with short passes for the layered look.
Mask the banks and sky. Fill the river with river teal at 20 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 10 to 12 cm away, deeper toward the bottom edge.
Use a rounded, cloud-shaped stencil for the sagebrush. Dab sage silver at 18 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 8 cm away, overlapping clumps down both banks.
Freehand or stencil deep olive for underwater stems and brush shadows at 15 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 5 cm away.
Mask the trout silhouette. Spray olive gold over the body at 18 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 8 cm away.
Shift the mask to the lower flank and fins. Add coral at 15 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 6 cm away, blushing up into the gill plate.
Dot deep olive spots along the back and tail at 12 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 3 to 4 cm away.
Finish with cream white at 12 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 4 cm away: the surface glint, the brush tips and a catchlight in the eye.
Let the paint cure for 24 hours at room temperature, then heat set or seal with a clear fabric-safe topcoat in two thin 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

Spraying the sky too heavy so it bleeds into the cliffs. Mist in light passes and let each dry.
Hard edges on the distant walls. Use a torn paper mask held slightly off the surface for haze.
Spots too large or too even. Vary the size and space them loosely along the back.
Skipping the surface glint. Without that cream white line the trout seems to float in the air.

Tips

Keep the sky and far walls soft and the trout sharp; the contrast pulls the eye to the fish.
Vary the sagebrush clumps in size and tilt so the banks look grown, not stamped.
Leave a little river teal showing through the coral so the belly reads as underwater.
Test each colour on a scrap of the same fabric; teal and coral shift on darker grounds.

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 — 9 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