Goldlight Rainbow Trout Trucker Hat

A quiet bend, and then the splash.

A rainbow trout jumping below a woman on red cliffs, in a painterly desert river scene of rust, teal, sage and gold.

A rainbow trout jumps from a teal river pool while a woman in a gold wrap stands quietly on the rocks above. The scene is coloured in rust red cliffs, sage green scrub, river teal water and a pale gold sky.

Rainbow trout breaking a teal pool
Woman in a mustard gold wrap
Rust red cliffs under pale gold sky
Sage green scrub along the banks
Cream white splash and water glints

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 river winds between rust red walls under a pale gold sky. On the rocks, a woman in a mustard wrap bows her head, hands held close. Below her, a rainbow trout breaks the surface in a spray of white, pink stripe flashing, with sage scrub at the water's edge.

Wear it on the drive to the river or around camp once the rods are down. People see the trout first, then the bend of water, then her, standing still while everything else moves.

Feathered edges on the distant cliffs make the depth. Keep the dusty rose layer soft and low so the far buttes fall back into haze and the rust red walls up front hold their sharp lines.

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: pale gold, dusty rose, rust red, river teal, sage green, mustard gold, forest green, olive, rose pink, espresso brown, cream white

Details

Subject: rainbow trout and a woman above a desert river
Style: painterly landscape

Make it yourself

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

AdvancedAbout 5 hours at the bench, plus curing11 layersYou'll need an airbrush, a cap jig and 11 colours

The palette

Pale gold
Dusty rose
Rust red
River teal
Sage green
Mustard gold
Forest green
Olive
Rose pink
Espresso brown
Cream white

The layers

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

Sky
Distant cliffs
Near walls
River
Scrub
Figure
Sleeve
Trout body
Trout band
Shadows
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

Pale gold
3 parts yellow, 1 part brown, a touch of white so it stays opaque
Dusty rose
1 part red to 4 parts white, a drop of blue if it looks salmon
Rust red
2 parts orange, 1 part brown, a drop of red
River teal
2 parts blue, 1 part green, a touch of white to lift it
Sage green
2 parts green, 1 part white, a drop of black to dull it
Mustard gold
3 parts yellow, 1 part brown, a touch of white so it stays opaque
Forest green
2 parts green, 1 part black, a drop of blue to cool it
Olive
2 parts yellow, 1 part black, a drop of red to warm it
Rose pink
1 part red to 4 parts white, a drop of blue if it looks salmon
Espresso brown
Equal parts red, yellow and blue, then a drop of black to deepen it; or burnt umber straight from the bottle
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
pale gold — a warm glow above the far rims
Mask None on the panel itself: the mesh and the visor are already masked from the prep.
Colour Pale gold — 3 parts yellow, 1 part brown, a touch of white so it stays opaque
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 · Distant cliffs — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
dusty rose — buttes and mesas fading into haze
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Dusty rose — 1 part red to 4 parts white, a drop of blue if it looks salmon
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 walls — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
rust red — stepped cliffs framing both sides of the river bend
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 winding ribbon of water and the pool at the bottom
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 · Scrub — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
sage green — bushes along the banks and the shrubs in the foreground
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 · Figure — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
mustard gold — the woman's long draped wrap
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Mustard 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 · Sleeve — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
forest green — her sleeve and the dark leaf shadows in the shrubs
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.
8 · Trout body — 0.3 mm · 18–22 PSI
olive — the trout's back and spotted flank
Mask The hand-cut subject stencil, inner pieces first, then the outline piece.
Colour Olive — 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 · Trout band — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
rose pink — the stripe along its side and gill plate
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Rose pink — 1 part red to 4 parts white, a drop of blue if it looks salmon
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 · Shadows — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
espresso brown — her hair, the trout's spots, cliff creases
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Espresso 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.
11 · Highlights — 0.2–0.3 mm · 12–15 PSI
cream white — the splash, glints on the water, the trout's belly
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

Clean and dry the panel, then lay a light base of cream white across the whole design area. Settings throughout are a starting point: here 25 PSI, 0.5 mm needle, about 15 cm away.
Sky mask open, spray pale gold in a soft fade from the top edge down to the far rims. 20 PSI, 0.5 mm needle, 15 cm, light passes.
Distant cliffs mask on, mist dusty rose over the far buttes, keeping it faint so they read as haze. 18 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 15–20 cm.
Near walls mask, build rust red on the stepped cliffs either side of the bend in thin coats. 22 PSI, 0.5 mm needle, 10 cm.
River mask, lay river teal along the winding water and into the pool at the bottom, darker toward the banks. 20 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 10 cm.
Scrub mask, dot sage green along the riverbanks and fill the foreground shrubs. 18 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 8 cm.
Figure mask, spray mustard gold over the draped wrap, deepening the folds with a second pass. 18 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 8 cm.
Detail mask, add forest green to her sleeve and the shaded undersides of the shrubs. 15 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 5 cm.
Trout mask, spray olive across the back and upper flank. 15 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 5 cm.
Same mask, lay a rose pink band along the side and onto the gill plate, softening its edges. 15 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 5 cm.
Freehand or fine mask, add espresso brown for her hair, the trout's spots and the creases in the cliffs. 12 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 3–5 cm.
Finish with cream white for the splash, water glints and the trout's belly. 12 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 3 cm, short bursts.
Let the paint cure at least 24 hours, then heat set per your paint maker's guidance and seal with two light coats of clear fabric topcoat.

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 far cliffs too strong flattens the depth; keep dusty rose at low pressure and pull back.
Heavy wet coats bleed under masks on fabric; spray thin passes and let each one flash dry.
Losing the pink band in olive overspray; mask the belly and band before the olive layer.
Sealing too soon traps solvent and clouds the colours; wait the full cure time first.

Tips

Test each colour on scrap fabric first; pale gold and dusty rose shift a lot over a light base.
Build the river from light to dark so the centre of the water stays bright and reads as moving.
Keep the splash loose and uneven; a few broken droplets look more alive than a neat ring.
Cut the figure and trout masks from the same reference print so their scale stays true to the cliffs.

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 — 11 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