Canyon Brown Trout Trucker Hat

Still water, warm stones, one golden fish.

A brown trout on a riverstone bank beside a mirror-calm canyon pool, in golden yellow, sandstone tan and sky blue, for days on the water.

A spotted brown trout noses along a pebble bank beside a still canyon pool. Golden yellow, rust brown and sandstone tan stones meet a sky-blue reflection, with two fallen leaves resting on a grey boulder.

Spotted brown trout on a riverstone bank
Sky and butte mirrored in still water
Two golden leaves on a grey boulder
Rust, tan and slate pebbles throughout
Desert shrubs and grain stalks framing

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 lies along the stones, golden flank dotted with dark spots. Behind it, a calm pool holds the sky, a far butte and a row of desert shrubs upside down. Two yellow leaves have landed on the big grey rock in the middle, and grain stalks lean in from the left.

It wears like a summer afternoon on a low, clear river. The pebbles read as warm colour from across a parking lot, and the trout rewards anyone who looks closer. Good on the bank, good at the gas station on the drive home.

Pebble shading is the part to take slowly. Every stone needs its own charcoal outline and a single cream white glint on the top edge, or the bank flattens into a brown smear.

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: sky blue, dusty blue, sandstone tan, rust brown, slate grey, olive green, golden yellow, charcoal, cream white

Details

Subject: brown trout
Style: illustrated riverscape

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

Sky blue
Dusty blue
Sandstone tan
Rust brown
Slate grey
Olive green
Golden yellow
Charcoal
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 and pool
Far butte
Pebble bank
Warm stones
Boulder and cobbles
Shrubs and grass
Fish, leaves and seed heads
Spots and outlines
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

Sky blue
1 part blue to 4 parts white, a drop of green so it does not drift purple
Dusty blue
Primary blue, a drop of white to lighten it, a drop of black to deepen it; build it in thin coats
Sandstone tan
3 parts white, 2 parts yellow, 1 part brown
Rust brown
2 parts orange, 1 part brown, a drop of red
Slate grey
White with blue and a touch of black, about 4 : 1 : ½
Olive green
2 parts yellow, 1 part black, a drop of red to warm it
Golden yellow
Mix by eye against the photograph; test on the card first
Charcoal
1 part white to 3 parts black, a drop of blue
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 and pool — 0.5 mm · 25–30 PSI
sky blue — a pale sky across the top and its mirror in the still pool below
Mask None on the panel itself: the mesh and the visor are already masked from the prep.
Colour Sky blue — 1 part blue to 4 parts white, a drop of green so it does not drift purple
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 butte — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
dusty blue — the flat-topped rock on the horizon and its soft reflection
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Dusty blue — Primary blue, a drop of white to lighten it, a drop of black to deepen it; build it in thin coats
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 · Pebble bank — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
sandstone tan — the base coat for the riverstones that fill the lower half
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.
4 · Warm stones — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
rust brown — the reddish pebbles and the shadowed gaps between them
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Rust brown — 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.
5 · Boulder and cobbles — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
slate grey — the big flat rock at centre and the cool grey stones
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.
6 · Shrubs and grass — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
olive green — desert shrubs on the far bank, their reflections, and grass blades at left
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Olive green — 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 · Fish, leaves and seed heads — 0.3 mm · 18–22 PSI
golden yellow — the trout's body, two fallen leaves and the grain stalks
Mask The hand-cut subject stencil, inner pieces first, then the outline piece.
Colour Golden yellow — Mix by eye against the photograph; test on the card first
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 · Spots and outlines — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
charcoal — the trout's spots, fin edges, eye, and the lines around each stone
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Charcoal — 1 part white to 3 parts black, a drop of blue
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 — glints on the pebbles, the water's surface and 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

Mask the full artwork panel edge. Spray sky blue across the top and the pool area at about 20 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 15 cm distance. Treat these settings as a starting point and test on scrap first.
Cut the butte mask and lay dusty blue for the far rock and its faint reflection, around 18 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 10 cm away.
Cover the pool and sky. Base the whole lower bank in sandstone tan at about 22 PSI, 0.5 mm needle, 15 cm.
With a pebble stencil, mist rust brown into selected stones and the gaps between them, about 18 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 8 cm.
Mask the central boulder and scattered cobbles open. Spray slate grey at about 18 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 10 cm.
Free-hand or stencil the shrubs, their reflections and the grass blades in olive green, around 15 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 5 cm.
Cut the trout, leaf and grain-stalk mask. Fill in golden yellow at about 18 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 8 cm, heavier along the back.
Add charcoal spots, fin edges, the eye and stone outlines at 12 to 15 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 3 to 5 cm.
Finish with cream white glints on pebble tops, the water line and the trout's belly, about 12 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 3 cm.
Let the paint cure fully per the paint maker's guidance, then heat set if the paint calls for it.
Seal with a thin, even coat of fabric-safe clear sealer and let it dry before wear.

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

Outlining every stone at full darkness makes the bank heavy. Lighten pressure for distant pebbles near the pool.
Rushing the golden yellow over wet tan muddies the fish. Let each layer dry before the next mask goes down.
Overloading cream white turns glints into blobs. Use short taps, one highlight per stone.
Letting the sky blue drift into the bank tints the pebbles green. Mask the shoreline firmly first.

Tips

Vary the rust brown on the pebbles; leaving some stones pure tan keeps the bank lively.
Keep the pool reflection a shade softer than the real shrubs above it so the water reads as water.
Spray the trout's spots in two sizes, larger on the back and smaller toward the belly.
Clean the needle between olive green and golden yellow to keep the leaves bright.

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