Antennae up, wings folded, autumn on the stones.
A caddisfly on mossy stones, a South Fork Boise river map and a BWO cripple, in moss, brass and weathered wood, for days on the tailwater.
A caddisfly rests on a mossy river stone beside a winding map of the South Fork Boise, with a small BWO cripple drifting below. It is coloured in moss green, brass contour lines and weathered wood on a bone cream ground.
- Caddisfly resting on mossy slate stones
- Brass contour map of the river canyon
- Last Chance Cripple BWO in sage
- Anderson Ranch Dam and Steel Bridge marked
- Moss, brass and weathered wood palette
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
A caddis sits on a round slate stone, antennae swept long, wings folded into a mottled tent. A moss green river winds past it through brass contour lines, from the Anderson Ranch Dam mark down past Steel Bridge. Under it all, a small Last Chance Cripple BWO floats with one sage wing up.
Wear it on the South Fork Boise River in October, or anywhere the conversation turns to tailwater bugs. People read the map first. Then they spot the caddis, then the little cripple, and ask which one you are tying on.
Weathered wood on the caddis wings is the layer to get right. Lay it light and broken, so the bone cream ground shows through as mottling. Solid brown reads as a moth. Broken brown reads as a caddis.
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
- bone cream, sage, slate grey, moss green, brass, weathered wood, umber
Details
- Subject
- caddisfly with a BWO cripple and river map
- Style
- painterly naturalist illustration with river map
Make it yourself
The palette
- Bone cream
- Sage
- Slate grey
- Moss green
- Brass
- Weathered wood
- Umber
The layers
9 layers, in this order. Each mask comes off and the paint has to dry before the next one goes down.
- Ground
- Bank haze
- Stones
- Moss and river
- Map lines
- Caddis
- BWO cripple
- Marks and names
- 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
Bone cream
White with a drop of yellow and the smallest touch of brown
Sage
2 parts green, 1 part white, a drop of black to dull it
Slate grey
White with blue and a touch of black, about 4 : 1 : ½
Moss green
2 parts yellow, 1 part green, a drop of black to deaden it
Brass
Mix by eye against the photograph; test on the card first
Weathered wood
Mix by eye against the photograph; test on the card first
Umber
Equal parts red, yellow and blue, then a drop of black to deepen it; or burnt umber straight from the bottle
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 · Ground — 0.5 mm · 25–30 PSI
bone cream — the pale field under the whole design
Mask None on the panel itself: the mesh and the visor are already masked from the prep.
Colour Bone cream — White with a drop of yellow and the smallest touch of brown
- 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 · Bank haze — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
sage — a soft green fade behind the stones, upper left
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Sage — 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.
3 · Stones — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
slate grey — rounded river stones beneath the insect
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Slate grey — 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.
4 · Moss and river — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
moss green — moss on the stone tops and the winding river line
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Moss green — 2 parts yellow, 1 part green, a drop of black to deaden 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 · Map lines — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
brass — thin contour lines tracing the canyon around the river
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Brass — 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.
6 · Caddis — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
weathered wood — mottled tent wings, legs and long antennae
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Weathered wood — 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.
7 · BWO cripple — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
sage — the upright wing and body of the small mayfly below
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Sage — 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.
8 · Marks and names — 0.3 mm · 18–22 PSI
umber — dam mark, lettering, wing veins and fine edges
Mask The hand-cut subject stencil, inner pieces first, then the outline piece.
Colour Umber — Equal parts red, yellow and blue, then a drop of black to deepen it; or burnt umber straight from the bottle
- 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 · Glints — 0.2–0.3 mm · 12–15 PSI
bone cream — light on the wing veins and the stone tops
Mask None: freehand, with a shield card held against any hard edge.
Colour Bone cream — 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
Bone cream ground over the full design area, no mask. Start around 20 PSI, 0.35 mm needle, 15–20 cm away. These are starting settings; adjust to your paint and surface. Let it dry fully.
Sage bank haze with a loose torn-paper shield along the stone tops. 15 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 15 cm. Fade it upward and to the left, keeping the right side clean.
Slate grey stones through a cut stencil of the three rounded shapes. 15 PSI, 0.3 mm, 8–10 cm. Darken the undersides and leave the tops lighter.
Moss green on the stone tops freehand, then the winding river line through a thin curved stencil. 12 PSI, 0.2 mm, 5 cm. Keep the river edge crisp.
Brass contour lines through a fine line stencil or freehand with a steady hand. 10–12 PSI, 0.2 mm, 3–4 cm. Short passes; let each line dry before crossing the next.
Weathered wood caddis through a cut wing mask. 12 PSI, 0.2 mm, 4–6 cm. Build the wings in broken dashes for mottling, then the legs and antennae freehand, close and light.
Sage BWO cripple wing and body through a small cut mask. 10 PSI, 0.2 mm, 4 cm. Lift the mask straight up so the wing edge stays sharp.
Umber details: dam mark, lettering through a letter stencil, wing veins and fine edges. 10 PSI, 0.15–0.2 mm, 2–3 cm. Work slowly; thin lines need thin paint.
Bone cream glints on the wing veins and stone tops, freehand. 8–10 PSI, 0.2 mm, 2 cm. A few dots go a long way.
Let the paint cure as long as its maker states, then seal with the clear coat recommended for that paint, in two thin passes.
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
- Brass lines spidering from too much paint close in. Drop pressure, thin the paint and pull back a centimetre.
- Solid wing colour that turns the caddis into a moth. Build the wings in passes and stop early.
- Lettering stencils lifting and bleeding. Press the edges down well and spray light, dry coats.
- Sealing before the paint cures, which clouds the darks. Wait the full cure time before the clear coat.
Tips
- Test every line weight on scrap first. The brass contours and caddis antennae live or die on paint thinness.
- Mottle the caddis wings in short broken strokes. Let the cream show through between them.
- Keep the river line the boldest green on the piece so the map reads from across a parking lot.
- Spray the BWO cripple last among the colour layers so its sage stays clean and does not pick up overspray.
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$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$42
- 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
$1,073
$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$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$98
- 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
$3,124
$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$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$336
- 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
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
0 — nothing entered the score yet, at the Derby's published weights, since . Views are not counted.
- caddis
- caddisfly
- bwo
- blue winged olive
- cripple
- mayfly
- south fork boise
- tailwater
- river map
- anderson ranch dam
- steel bridge
- trucker hat