Boise Canyon Stonefly Trucker Hat

Fall light pouring down the canyon.

A mid-century travel poster scene of a basalt canyon, river and stonefly, in sagebrush green, basalt grey and bone white, for days on the water.

A stonefly rests on contour lines below a basalt canyon, where a turquoise river runs down from Anderson Ranch Dam in autumn. Sagebrush green benches, basalt grey rims and a bone white sky carry the scene, with aspen gold trees along the bank.

Turquoise river winding through basalt grey cliffs
Stonefly resting on charcoal contour lines
Anderson Ranch Dam at the canyon head
Aspen gold trees for autumn
Mid-century travel poster in flat colour

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 turquoise river bends out of a pale lake behind Anderson Ranch Dam and cuts down through stacked basalt. The benches go soft sagebrush green, and the trees on the far bank have turned gold. Down in the corner, a stonefly sits on contour lines with its wings folded flat.

Made for the South Fork Boise River, Idaho. Wear it to the put-in in October and to the diner after. From across the room it reads like a map of a good day; up close, people find the bug.

Charcoal line work is where this one lives or dies. Keep the cliff strata and contour lines thin and steady, and lay them down only after every colour is in, so the edges stay crisp.

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: bone white, dry-grass tan, sagebrush green, basalt grey, river turquoise, aspen gold, charcoal

Details

Subject: stonefly over a river canyon
Style: mid-century travel poster

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 7 colours

The palette

Bone white
Dry-grass tan
Sagebrush green
Basalt grey
River turquoise
Aspen gold
Charcoal

The layers

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

Sky and lake
Hills
Slopes
Cliffs
River
Trees
Stonefly
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

Bone white
Opaque white from the bottle; two thin coats cover better than one thick one
Dry-grass tan
3 parts white, 2 parts yellow, 1 part brown
Sagebrush green
1 part yellow to 1 part blue; more yellow for a warm green, more blue for a cool one
Basalt grey
4 parts white, 1 part black; a drop of blue for cool grey, a drop of brown for warm stone
River turquoise
1 part blue, 1 part green, 2 parts white; a drop of yellow if it looks too cold
Aspen gold
3 parts yellow, 1 part brown, a touch of white so it stays opaque
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 and lake — 0.5 mm · 25–30 PSI
bone white — the pale sky and the still lake held behind the dam
Mask None on the panel itself: the mesh and the visor are already masked from the prep.
Colour Bone white — Opaque white from the bottle; two thin coats cover better than one thick 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 · Hills — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
dry-grass tan — the far rolling hills and the canyon floor
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Dry-grass 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.
3 · Slopes — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
sagebrush green — grassy benches and slopes along both banks
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Sagebrush 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.
4 · Cliffs — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
basalt grey — stacked rims, canyon walls and the dam face
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Basalt grey — 4 parts white, 1 part black; a drop of blue for cool grey, a drop of brown for warm stone
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 · River — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
river turquoise — the river winding from the dam down to the foreground
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour River turquoise — 1 part blue, 1 part green, 2 parts white; a drop of yellow if it looks too cold
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
aspen gold — the autumn trees on the right-hand bank
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Aspen 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.
7 · Stonefly — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
dry-grass tan — the stonefly's body and folded wings in the lower left
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Dry-grass 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.
8 · Line work — 0.3 mm · 18–22 PSI
charcoal — outlines, cliff strata, contour lines and the stonefly's legs and segments
Mask The hand-cut subject stencil, inner pieces first, then the outline piece.
Colour Charcoal — 1 part white to 3 parts black, a drop of blue
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 · Highlights — 0.2–0.3 mm · 12–15 PSI
bone white — glints on the river and the lit edges of the wings
Mask None: freehand, with a shield card held against any hard edge.
Colour Bone 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

Clean the panel, let it dry, and tape off the whole design area. Settings below are a starting point; test each on scrap first.
Sky and lake mask open, bone white, about 20 PSI, 0.5 mm needle, 15–20 cm away. Build in light, even coats.
Hills mask, dry-grass tan, 18–20 PSI, 0.5 mm needle, 12–15 cm. Cover the far hills and canyon floor flat.
Slopes mask, sagebrush green, 18 PSI, 0.4 mm needle, 10–12 cm. Fill the benches along both banks.
Cliffs mask, basalt grey, 18 PSI, 0.4 mm needle, 10–12 cm. Paint the rims, walls and dam face in one flat tone.
River mask, river turquoise, 15–18 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 8–10 cm. Work slowly around the bends to keep the banks sharp.
Trees mask, aspen gold, 15 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 8–10 cm. Short passes to keep the crowns rounded.
Stonefly mask, dry-grass tan, 15 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 6–8 cm. Fill the body and folded wings.
Line work mask, charcoal, 12–15 PSI, 0.2–0.3 mm needle, 5–6 cm. Outlines, strata, contour lines and the bug's legs and segments.
Highlight mask, bone white, 12 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 5 cm. A few glints on the river and the lit edges of the wings.
Let the paint cure a full 24 hours somewhere dry and dust-free, then seal with two thin coats of clear sealer, 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

Lifting fresh paint with the next mask. Wait until each layer is dry and press masks down gently.
Spraying the river too close and flooding the bends. Back off the distance and drop the pressure.
Heavy charcoal lines that swallow the cliffs. Use the smallest needle and quick, light passes.
Sealing too soon and clouding the colours. Give the full cure time before any clear coat.

Tips

Cut the river and cliff masks from the same tracing so the banks meet with no gaps.
Let each colour dry to the touch before laying the next mask over it.
Keep the charcoal thinned a little more than the fills; fine lines need flow, not coverage.
Hold back on highlights. Three or four glints on the water read better than a dozen.

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

Every kit size

Trucker · kit for 1 hat

$224

Bought separately $249 · you save $25

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$422 oz × 7
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

$1,073

$89.42 a hat

Bought separately $1,220 · you save $147

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$984 oz × 7
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

$3,124

$21.69 a hat

Bought separately $3,676 · you save $552

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$33632 oz × 7
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

Ezra Rasmussen

@hackle_boisesouth

South Fork Boise River, Idaho regular. Waits on the Caddis.

See everything by @hackle_boisesouth

How it was made

1 iteration led here; the saved one is marked

1 Saved

Remixes

No remixes yet — make your own version.

Where this came from

“a hat made for South Fork Boise River, Idaho”

trucker hat · made October 29, 2026

0 — nothing entered the score yet, at the Derby's published weights, since October 29, 2026. Views are not counted.

stonefly
river canyon
basalt
anderson ranch dam
travel poster
autumn
sagebrush green
turquoise river
contour lines
trucker hat
fly fishing

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 and lake — 0.5 mm · 25–30 PSI

2 · Hills — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI

3 · Slopes — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI

4 · Cliffs — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI

5 · River — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI

6 · Trees — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI

7 · Stonefly — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI

8 · Line work — 0.3 mm · 18–22 PSI

9 · 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

How it was made

Remixes

Where this came from