Deschutes Redside Trout Trucker Hat

Clear of the water, canyon all around.

A rainbow trout leaping a canyon river in rose red, olive and turquoise, painted as a full scene for a trucker hat.

A rainbow trout leaps clear of a turquoise river between tan canyon walls under a clouded blue sky. It is coloured in olive green, cream and a rose red stripe, with sage green brush on the banks.

Leaping rainbow trout with rose red stripe
Tan canyon walls and sage green brush
Turquoise river with white spray
Blue sky with soft white clouds
Eleven colour layers, sky to highlight

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 redside rainbow trout arcs out of fast turquoise water. Its rose red stripe runs nose to tail over an olive back and cream belly, all freckled with dark spots. Behind it, tan cliffs stack up under a blue sky and white clouds, with sage green brush on the banks.

It reads well across a parking lot at the put-in and up close at the fly shop counter. The colours sit happily with river dust, sun and a long drift day. People tend to ask which river it is.

The rose red band is what makes it a redside. Lay it in thin passes over the olive and cream so the edges blur a little into the flank, then add the charcoal spots on top so they sit over the stripe, not under it.

The water it was painted from

Deschutes RiverCentral Oregon · OR

River: Deschutes River, Central Oregon
States: OR
Fish: Redside rainbow trout, Summer steelhead
Water type: Freestone

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, cloud white, sandstone tan, canyon brown, sage green, river turquoise, olive green, cream, rose red, charcoal

Details

Subject: rainbow trout
Style: painted canyon scene

Make it yourself

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

IntermediateAbout 5 hours at the bench, plus curing11 layersYou'll need an airbrush, a cap jig and 10 colours

The palette

Sky blue
Cloud white
Sandstone tan
Canyon brown
Sage green
River turquoise
Olive green
Cream
Rose red
Charcoal

The layers

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

Sky
Clouds
Canyon walls
Rock shadow
Sagebrush
River
Trout back
Belly
Redside band
Spots and edges
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
Cloud white
Opaque white from the bottle; two thin coats cover better than one thick one
Sandstone tan
3 parts white, 2 parts yellow, 1 part brown
Canyon brown
Equal parts red, yellow and blue, then a drop of black to deepen it; or burnt umber straight from the bottle
Sage green
2 parts green, 1 part white, a drop of black to dull it
River turquoise
1 part blue, 1 part green, 2 parts white; a drop of yellow if it looks too cold
Olive green
2 parts yellow, 1 part black, a drop of red to warm it
Cream
White with a drop of yellow and the smallest touch of brown
Rose red
1 part red to 4 parts white, a drop of blue if it looks salmon
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 — 0.5 mm · 25–30 PSI
sky blue — a clouded sky across the top of the scene
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 · Clouds — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
cloud white — soft drifting clouds over the canyon rim
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Cloud white — Opaque white from the bottle; two thin coats cover better than one thick 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.
3 · Canyon walls — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
sandstone tan — layered cliffs rising on both sides
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 · Rock shadow — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
canyon brown — seams, ledges and shadowed cliff faces
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Canyon 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.
5 · Sagebrush — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
sage green — brush clumps along both banks
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 · River — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
river turquoise — fast water filling the bottom of the scene
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.
7 · Trout back — 0.3 mm · 18–22 PSI
olive green — the back and upper flank of the leaping trout
Mask The hand-cut subject stencil, inner pieces first, then the outline piece.
Colour Olive green — 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.
8 · Belly — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
cream — the lower flank and belly
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Cream — White with a drop of yellow and the smallest touch of 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.
9 · Redside band — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
rose red — the lateral stripe and gill plate
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Rose red — 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 · Spots and edges — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
charcoal — spots, fin edges, eye and outline
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.
11 · Highlights — 0.2–0.3 mm · 12–15 PSI
cloud white — spray, foam and the glint in the eye
Mask None: freehand, with a shield card held against any hard edge.
Colour Cloud 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

Mask the trout silhouette and the cliff outlines. Spray sky blue across the top at about 20 PSI with a 0.5 mm needle from 15 cm. Treat every setting here as a starting point and test on scrap first.
Drop to about 15 PSI and float cloud white clouds freehand or with a torn-paper mask from 10 cm, leaving blue showing between them.
Mask the sky. Spray sandstone tan over both canyon walls at about 18 PSI, 0.5 mm needle, 12 cm.
Use a ledge stencil and spray canyon brown along seams and shadowed faces at about 15 PSI with a 0.3 mm needle from 8 cm.
With a loose brush-shape stencil, dab sage green clumps along both banks at about 15 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 8 cm.
Mask the banks and fish. Spray river turquoise across the water at about 20 PSI, 0.5 mm needle, 12 cm, darker toward the bottom edge.
Remove the trout mask and cover the scene. Spray olive green along the back and upper flank at about 15 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 8 cm.
Spray cream along the belly and lower flank at the same settings, letting it soften into the olive.
Spray the rose red stripe and gill plate in thin passes at about 12 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 6 cm.
Add charcoal spots, fin edges, the eye and outline at about 12 PSI with a 0.2 mm needle from 4 cm, using a spot stencil or steady freehand.
Finish with cloud white spray around the fish, foam in the water and a glint in the eye at about 10 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 3 cm.
Let the paint cure fully according to your paint maker's directions, then heat set and seal as they recommend.

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

Heavy rose red goes flat and brick-coloured. Build it in three or four light passes and stop early.
Spots laid before the stripe disappear under it. Always spray charcoal after the rose red.
Hard mask edges on the clouds look cut out. Lift the mask slightly or use torn paper for a soft edge.
Rushing the cure leads to smudged highlights. Give each colour time to dry before the next mask goes down.

Tips

Spray the turquoise river darker at the bottom and lighter near the fish so the leap reads against bright water.
Keep the charcoal spots small near the head and a touch larger toward the tail for a natural pattern.
Leave a sliver of cream between the red stripe and the belly so the stripe glows instead of going muddy.

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

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.

rainbow trout
redside
deschutes
trout
canyon
river
sagebrush
fly fishing
trucker hat
leaping trout
turquoise
rose red

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 · Canyon walls — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI

4 · Rock shadow — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI

5 · Sagebrush — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI

6 · River — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI

7 · Trout back — 0.3 mm · 18–22 PSI

8 · Belly — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI

9 · Redside band — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI

10 · Spots and edges — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI

11 · 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