5-Panel vs 6-Panel Hat: Differences and Use Cases
A 5-panel and 6-panel hat have subtle differences that can affect…
Some fashion trends take off and stay relevant for a few years, then disappear from the scene. Other trends stick around long enough to go mainstream and become part of our everyday lives. Baseball hats belong to the latter category.
Baseball hats have been around for centuries. Fun hat fact of the day; the first hat was worn in 1849 by the New York Knickerbockers and was made of straw.
Baseball cap design has changed significantly over the years. The materials have become more comfortable and durable, and the designs more stylish and practical. That’s led to a lot of opportunities for customization.
Given the demand and the opportunity for customization, it’s no wonder many clothing brands are using custom baseball caps to build awareness. This article will take you through 14 of the best baseball caps on the market at the moment. You’ll learn what’s special about them, and hopefully, get some ideas on how to make the perfect custom baseball cap for your brand.
1. Carhartt Canvas Cap
Carhartt is an established fashion brand. The Canvas baseball cap is one of the most popular hats in their product line. It also tops our list of the best baseball caps thanks to a combination of excellent build quality and good design.
The hat is made of 100% washed cotton with a leather Carhartt logo at the front and a pre-curved visor. The FastDry technology gets rid of sweat to keep the wearer’s head cool and fresh throughout summer. It’s also designed with a Force sweatband to fight odor.
The adjustable hook-and-loop closure makes it easy for anyone to find the perfect fit regardless of head shape and hair size. It’s available in various colors, including brown, boreal, asphalt, and a vibrant Jasper.
This style of baseball cap design could work perfectly for a custom baseball cap. It’s easy to customize. Adding a stitched logo design gives a cool laid back vibe. It’s a perfect fit for many people, especially ones who prefer modest baseball caps. The other nice thing about the hat is the marketing.
If you’re selling custom baseball caps, highlight some of the key features. In the case of Carhartt, they talk about things like FastDry technology and the Force sweatband.
2. Amazon Essentials Unisex Baseball Hat
The Amazon Essentials Baseball Hat is a nice example of the importance of providing a quality hat at an affordable price point to your customers. The hat is made of machine-washable cotton. The stitching is good, it comes in one uniform color, and it’s durable and extremely comfortable.
Essentially, most consumers want something that’s high quality, and cheap. The Amazon Essentials hat ticks these boxes which is why it appears on so many best baseball cap lists.
As a shop owner, remember, hat quality is a critical factor. Get this wrong, and even though people might love your design, you’ll be getting lots of customer complaints. That’s why Acme Hat Co. only sources high-quality stock.
3. Polo Ralph Lauren Classic Baseball Cap
The Polo Ralph Lauren Classic Ball Cap design is a nice example of a timeless baseball cap.
The six-panel Polo Ralph Lauren Classic Men’s Baseball Cap features 100% cotton with embroidered eyelets and branding. The iconic polo logo at the front is just the right size to make a statement but not too big to ruin the modest design. You also have the Polo branding sewed at the back.
The pre-curved visor also makes the hat very practical.
The elegance of the hat comes from the rather simple design. All you have is a simple stitched high contrast logo. It’s an easy look to imitate. Don’t go overboard with the design. A stitch logo at the front and maybe your motto on the back closure can be all you need.
4. Nike Heritage 86 Cotton-Corduroy Baseball Cap
The Heritage 86 is the first example of a classic textured baseball cap on this list. The textured design combined with the 90s Swoosh branding gives the cap a vintage vibe.
The baseball cap is made of cotton-corduroy. It has an adjustable back tab and this particular version is only available in midnight blue.
Most people who appreciate retro caps will like The Heritage 86 design. The fabric makes the hat stand out, as you’ve probably already noticed. That’s an important consideration for custom caps. Regardless of whether you’re selling caps or giving away branded merchandise, you want something that stands out and is memorable.
5. Calvin Klein Denim Monogram Logo Cap
Another cap that plays with different textures is the Calvin Klein Denim Monogram Logo Cap. The cap is made from faded washed cotton denim. The company has gone for a two-color stitched logo, which works well. You have the dark blue CK in the background, while Calvin Klein is stitched on the front in smaller white font.
When designing a custom cap, play around with the size of your font, and the color contrasts. The right design will always be eye-catching.
The denim fabric and the logo make the hat stand out. Outside of that, it’s just a good-quality hat. It has six eyelets that add a bit of air circulation and a curved visor. The stitching is nicely done as well.
6. Everlane The Baseball Cap
Everlane provides another example of a popular baseball cap that’s based on a simple model. There’s no visible branding on the front of the cap. It does have Everlane branding on the adjustable back tab, but it’s sewed in the same color as the crown, so it’s barely visible.
The baseball cap is made of 100% organic cotton canvas.
As this example proves, there’s always a demand for simple branded baseball caps. Assuming, that is, you’re providing a high-quality product.
7. Adidas Relaxed Strapback Cap
The Adidas Relaxed Strapback Cap has a bit of a timeless dad hat vibe. The logo takes pride of place across the central panels. It just goes to show, when you have a recognizable brand, putting a stitched logo front and center of the cap works.
When looking at the different types of baseball caps that Adidas sells, you’ll see they often play around with the color scheme while keeping most other elements standard. That’s a nice reminder that there’s plenty of scope to play around with the design even if you’re using a single standardized design.
When thinking about the color scheme, consider how your logo contrasts against the background too. The blue and yellow above work well on black, but the results are not so great with other colors.
8. TSSGBL Washed Adjustable Baseball Cap
Another simple baseball cap is the TSSGBL. The washed denim fabric gives it a nice vintage appearance. It is designed with machine-washable cotton, an adjustable slide metal buckle closure, and six embroidered eyelets.
Assuming you wash it, sweat and odor should never be an issue.
One of the interesting things about TSSGBL is that they sell caps individually and as pairs. A single cap costs around $12, while you can buy two caps for $18. I’m sure a lot of people decide to buy two caps instead of one, which no doubt pushes up the company’s profit margins.
If you’re planning to sell custom hats, you need to think about what will make your offer stand out. TSSGBL has a nice approach, which is part of the reason why their caps are a best seller on Amazon.
9. Herringbone Cotton Baseball Cap
The Herringbone baseball cap is another popular choice. The cap has a nice appearance, with textured lines crossing the fabric. The Herringbone baseball cap’s visor is almost flat, so it looks a bit like a snapback or trucker hat.
The brim aside, everything else about this design is very modest. The embroidered designer emblem is on the side towards the back of the cap. It’s a nice example of a cap where the logo isn’t the primary focus.
10. Nike Unisex AeroBill Featherlight Cap
Nike Aerobill Featherlight design makes this cap stand out. It’s made of 100% recycled polyester and comes with Dri-Fit technology for added comfort. The mesh panels and moisture-wicking fabric maintain optimal air circulation at all times.
It can be worn in both casual and professional settings. You might want to consider this design if you want a multipurpose custom baseball cap. But you’ll want to print a simple logo just like what Nike has done here.
11. Billy Reid Baseball Cap
Sometimes, you want the design on your hat to make an immediate impression. That’s exactly what the Billy Reid Baseball cap does with their bold stitched “Make cornbread Not War” emblem.
The logo can’t be missed. It will appeal to people who love cornbread, which I’m sure fits perfectly into their target market.
Creating content that some people will love is a great marketing strategy. If you’re launching a brand, you need products that appeal to your target audience. A prominent design, like the one one on the Billy Reid cap above, fits the bill.
As you might expect, the quality of this baseball cap is high. It’s made of 100% cotton with an adjustable back tab and eyelets around the crown.
12. Tommy Hilfiger Organic Cotton Classic Flag Cap
The Tommy Hilfiger Flag Cap takes the opposite approach to the Billy Reid hat discussed above. It’s simple and elegant. The emblem is small. Yet, it’s instantly recognizable as Tommy Hilfiger.
That type of hat, with minimal branding, will appeal to people who want to look stylish but don’t want a company’s logo emblazoned across the front of the cap. You might find that your employees, for example, would happily wear a hat if the company logo is not a prominent feature of the overall design.
13. Smathers and Branson Needlepoint Performance Hat
The Smathers & Branson Performance Hat design features a patriotic navy blue color with an adjustable nickel slide closure. It’s fitted with breathable materials and several eyelets to fight sweat and moisture.
But the biggest draw of this cap is the American flag at the front.
The hand-stitched needlepoint American flag grabs people’s attention. It makes a statement, without the need for any accompanying text. The color contrast works nicely as you might expect with the US flag set against a navy blue cap.
Targeted messaging will appeal to a certain demographic. A lot of people love a hat that makes a statement.
14. Lacoste Crocodile Cap
Lacoste proves there’s plenty of scope for imagination with a logo. I’ve always been impressed that they managed to turn a snapping crocodile into a global brand that attracts luxury consumers, but they certainly managed this.
The company’s logo is tastefully displayed on the Lacoste Crocodile hat.
The Cap is made of 100% cotton with multiple eyelets and an adjustable strap. Some color options include Bordeaux, electric, green, ocean, red, and white. Consider this design if your customers value a simple but functional hat.
Wrapping Up
There are lots of great baseball caps. This guide highlighted 14 great designs and discussed some of the things that make them best sellers. Those factors range from clever marketing, for example, the almost two-for-one offer by TSSGBL, through to experimenting with different fabrics, color combinations, and logo sizes.
One of the things you’ll have noticed is that regardless of the style of the cap, the quality is always consistent. If you’re going to be giving away branded merchandise or selling your swag, never go with low-quality products.
Hopefully, this roundup provided you with some inspiration for new hat designs. If you’re planning to release some new baseball caps, be sure to keep us on top of your mind. We’ll work with you to source high-quality custom baseball caps, and customize the design to your specifications.
