West Branch Brown Trout Trucker

Last light, and a brown on the move.

A brown trout over river cobbles under a lavender dusk, a full-scene illustrative landscape in gold, teal and slate blue for days on the water.

A brown trout cruises over a cobbled riverbed beneath wooded hills and a lavender evening sky. The scene is coloured in olive gold, amber and black spots on the fish, with river teal water, sandstone tan stones and slate blue ridges behind.

Brown trout in olive gold and amber
Lavender dusk sky with violet clouds
Slate blue ridges above forest green banks
Sandstone cobbles under river teal water
Black and cinnabar red spotting

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 brown trout glides low over sandstone cobbles, its gold flanks peppered with black and a few red spots. Behind it the river runs teal between green banks, the ridges go slate blue, and the sky turns lavender with violet clouds.

It suits an evening on the home river, when the light goes soft and the fish start looking up. Across a parking lot or a fly shop counter, people see the trout first, then the whole valley behind it.

Olive gold into amber is the blend that makes this fish. Lay the gold along the back, then mist amber over the belly in thin passes so the two meet without a hard line.

The water it was painted from

West Branch of the DelawareCatskills · NY, PA

River: West Branch of the Delaware, Catskills
States: NY, PA
Fish: Brown trout, Rainbow trout
Water type: Tailwater

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: lavender, violet, slate blue, forest green, river teal, sandstone tan, umber brown, olive gold, amber, black, cinnabar red, cream white

Details

Subject: brown trout
Style: illustrative landscape

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 12 colours

The palette

Lavender
Violet
Slate blue
Forest green
River teal
Sandstone tan
Umber brown
Olive gold
Amber
Black
Cinnabar red
Cream white

The layers

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

Sky
Clouds
Mountains
Woods
River
Boulders
Shadows
Trout body
Belly and fins
Dark spots
Red spots
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

Lavender
Mix by eye against the photograph; test on the card first
Violet
2 parts blue, 1 part red, a drop of white to keep it from going muddy
Slate blue
White with blue and a touch of black, about 4 : 1 : ½
Forest green
2 parts green, 1 part black, a drop of blue to cool it
River teal
2 parts blue, 1 part green, a touch of white to lift it
Sandstone tan
3 parts white, 2 parts yellow, 1 part brown
Umber brown
Equal parts red, yellow and blue, then a drop of black to deepen it; or burnt umber straight from the bottle
Olive gold
2 parts yellow, 1 part black, a drop of red to warm it
Amber
3 parts yellow, 1 part red, a drop of black to deepen it
Black
Black from the bottle, sprayed in light passes; a heavy coat bleeds
Cinnabar red
Primary red from the bottle; a drop of yellow warms it, a drop of blue cools it
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
lavender — a soft fade across the top of the scene
Mask None on the panel itself: the mesh and the visor are already masked from the prep.
Colour Lavender — Mix by eye against the photograph; test on the card first
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 · Clouds — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
violet — drifting cloud banks through the lavender
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Violet — 2 parts blue, 1 part red, a drop of white to keep it from going muddy
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 · Mountains — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
slate blue — layered ridges fading into the distance
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.
4 · Woods — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
forest green — tree lines on both banks down to the water
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Forest 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.
5 · River — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
river teal — the current flowing behind and around the fish
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.
6 · Boulders — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
sandstone tan — bank rocks at right and the cobbled riverbed
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.
7 · Shadows — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
umber brown — the gaps between cobbles and the shaded rock faces
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Umber brown — Equal parts red, yellow and blue, then a drop of black to deepen it; or burnt umber straight from the bottle
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
olive gold — the trout's back and flanks, warming toward the belly
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.
9 · Belly and fins — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
amber — the lower flank, fins and tail
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Amber — 3 parts yellow, 1 part red, a drop of black to deepen 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.
10 · Dark spots — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
black — the scattered spots along the back and sides
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.
11 · Red spots — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
cinnabar red — the few haloed spots along the lateral line
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Cinnabar red — Primary red from the bottle; a drop of yellow warms it, a drop of blue cools 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.
12 · Highlights — 0.2–0.3 mm · 12–15 PSI
cream white — glints on the water, the eye, rock edges and fin rims
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 everything below the skyline and spray lavender across the top. Try 20 PSI, a 0.3 mm needle and 15 cm distance as a starting point.
With the sky mask still on, add violet cloud banks freehand or with a torn-edge shield at 15 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, about 8 cm away.
Place the ridge stencil and spray slate blue, lighter on the far ridges and deeper on the near ones. Start around 18 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 10 cm.
Mask the tree lines on both banks and spray forest green, building darker pools under the canopy. Start at 18 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 10 cm.
Cover the trout silhouette and spray river teal through the water area, with soft streaks following the current. Start at 20 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 12 cm.
Mask the bank boulders and riverbed cobbles and spray sandstone tan. Start at 20 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 10 cm.
Using the cobble shadow stencil, spray umber brown into the gaps and shaded faces. Start at 15 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 5 cm.
Uncover the trout and spray olive gold along the back and flanks. Start at 18 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 8 cm.
Mist amber over the belly, fins and tail, blending upward into the gold in thin passes. Start at 15 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 8 cm.
Place the spot stencil and dot black along the back and sides. Start at 12 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 3 cm.
Add cinnabar red spots along the lateral line with a small dot mask. Start at 12 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 3 cm.
Finish with cream white on water glints, the eye, rock edges and fin rims. Start at 12 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 2 to 3 cm.
Let the paint cure fully for 24 hours, then heat set if your paint calls for it.
Seal with a thin even coat of a compatible fabric sealer and let it dry before wearing.

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 black spots too heavily makes them blob. Use low pressure and short bursts close in.
Letting river teal creep under the trout mask muddies the fish. Press mask edges down firmly before spraying.
Overdoing cream white flattens the scene. Save it for a few bright touches only.
Skipping full cure before sealing can lift the paint. Wait the full time before the sealer.

Tips

Keep the far ridges paler than the near ones; the fading gives the valley its depth.
Leave the trout masked until all the water and stones are done so its edge stays crisp.
Test the olive gold to amber blend on scrap first to find where the two should meet.
Vary cobble sizes in the stencil so the riverbed looks natural, not tiled.

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

Sunny

@sunny

Strips it fast and stays for the grab.

See everything by @sunny

Remixes

No remixes yet — make your own version.

Where this came from

trucker hat · made September 15, 2026

0 — nothing entered the score yet, at the Derby's published weights, since September 15, 2026. Views are not counted.

brown trout
trucker hat
west branch
fly fishing
trout
river
dusk
lavender sky
mountains
cobbles
trout hat
fishing hat

The cap

Trucker

Rope cap

Dad hat

Five-panel camp

Fit

Two finishes

Hand airbrushed

Sublimation printed

The artwork

The water it was painted from

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 · Clouds — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI

3 · Mountains — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI

4 · Woods — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI

5 · River — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI

6 · Boulders — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI

7 · Shadows — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI

8 · Trout body — 0.3 mm · 18–22 PSI

9 · Belly and fins — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI

10 · Dark spots — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI

11 · Red spots — 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