Put A Lid On It: The Coolest Men’s Baseballs Caps
The key to finding the perfect baseball cap lies in knowing what to look out for and which brands to buy from. These are the hottest names in the game right now.
Bad hair day? Sun getting in your eyes? Bald patch being frazzled by UV rays? For all of the above concerns and more, there’s only one sensible course of action: pop a baseball cap on.
These peaked head coverings may have their roots on the pitch, but they’re so much more than mere athletic accessories. They’re practical, they’re versatile, and if you arm yourself with a good one, it can be a valuable addition to your everyday outfits too. Hell, style it right and you can even wear it with tailoring.
At this point, we think it’s more than fair to call the baseball cap an essential. It’s something nobody should be without, but on the off-chance you haven’t yet found the right one, or even if you’re just looking for the latest addition to an already top-heavy hatstand, the information below should help you in your quest.
The key to finding the perfect baseball cap lies in knowing what to look out for and which brands to buy from. To streamline the process, we’ve pulled together all the info you need in order to make an informed purchase.
What makes a good baseball cap?
Fabric
Stiksen
Baseball caps are most commonly made from cotton twill, but that’s by no means the only option. As this type of headwear has grown in popularity, so has the list of fabrics from which it can be cut.
Think about seasonality when selecting a material. Felt, corduroy, tweed and even fleece are great for the winter months, while lightweight synthetic fabrics and breathable cotton weaves are best for warm weather.
Fit
Stiksen
Most baseball caps are adjustable, which means you can alter the size to fit your head. Even so, not every cap is going to be a perfect fit, so it’s a good idea to try a few and see what works.
The important thing is that the hat isn’t too big or small. It shouldn’t be coming down over your ears, but it shouldn’t be perched atop the crown of your head like a kippah either.
Colour
Varsity Headwear
The sky’s the limit when it comes to baseball-cap colour options, but we’d advise choosing a neutral option if versatility is important to you.
Plain colours like grey, navy, olive, beige or black will work with more of your wardrobe, which ultimately means you’ll get more wear out of your purchase.
Pattern
Aime Leon Dore
If blending in isn’t your style then you could opt for a patterned baseball cap. Stripes, paisley swirls and even tie-dye can all work well on baseball caps if they’re styled right.
The key thing is to make sure they’re not fighting too hard for attention with any other patterned pieces you might be wearing.
Details
Varsity Headwear
If you’re a fan of nice things then you’ll know that quality is in the details. To get the best baseball cap you’ll want to look out for things like the type of adjustment, whether any logos or graphics are printed or embroidered and what sort of metal any hardware is made from.
Many baseball caps feature metal buckles, and cheap ones tend to be made from nickel, which can trigger skin irritation in some people.
The best men’s baseball cap brands
New Era
New Era is to baseball caps what Levi’s is to jeans. It’s the oldest and most respected name in the game, and pretty much single-handedly brought this type of headwear to the masses.
It became the official supplier of Major League Baseball in the 90s, and its 59Fifty fitted caps are some of the most popular around.
It’s not all fitted styles though, the NY-based brand makes pretty much any style of cap you could imagine, ranging from dad caps to official MLB team headgear.
Stiksen
Scandi minimalism for the crown. That is the one and only objective for Stiksen, a Swedish brand that literally makes nothing but caps.
Classy, well-made and free of logos (minimalism, remember?), the label works on the basis that we live in a post-dress code world. So it believes that caps should be worn with anything and everything, and its simple designs are created as such.
Wool, canvas and ventile options are all in the collection and the brand makes all its caps from organic materials, free of pesticides.
Foret
Danish brand Foret brings a little bit of the great outdoors to an everyday wardrobe. Earthy natural colours and earthy natural materials run through the entire collection, caps included.
Aside from the occasional contrast peak or whimsical slogan, the headwear is muted and casual, designed to pair with a versatile everyday wardrobe that could take in town and country alike.
Carhartt WIP
Probably the most coveted workwear brand in the world, Carhartt WIP takes well worn blue-collar classics and adapts them with an eye for modern urban living.
Pairing perfectly with the label’s chore jackets and carpenter pants, its collection of caps include five-panel and six-panel styles, many with a modern, low profile. Whether your look is muted or colourful, there’s a shade for you.
“Honest value for an honest dollar” has always been the Carhartt motto, and it holds true today.
BAPE
One of the OG hype streetwear brands, A Bathing Ape was founded in 1993 by Japanese DJ Nigo. Renowned for statement prints, slogans and illustrations, it brings all of its trademark designs into its collection of caps.
Whether you’re looking for hip-hop-friendly snapbacks, low-profile five-panel styles or something else, BAPE is a great place to start for anyone whose look is bold enough.
Loro Piana
Stealth luxury is the game at Loro Piana, the high-end Italian label renowned for its cashmere. Its caps, much like the rest of its collections are simply designed in beautiful fabrics and (mostly) neutral colours.
It even brings its signature fabric in with a number of styles using baby cashmere. (Who wouldn’t want that softness next to the forehead?) Elsewhere, the brand fashions caps from cotton-linen blends as well as chambray – just the thing for the perfectionist who needs that textural detail even in his accessories.
Ebbets Field Flannels
If you like throwback looks then Ebbets Field Flannels will be right up your street. The brand recreates team baseball caps from way back when, with all the original details, cut from heavyweight wool and cotton twill.
Don’t expect them to fit like modern baseball caps either – you’ll have to check the size chart thoroughly and take your measurements to ensure you get the correct one.
Norse Projects
Danish contemporary menswear label Norse Projects has been around for almost 20 years now. Caps have formed a core part of the label’s offering since the very beginning.
At the start, it was five-panels the brand was known for, but these days it’s the ‘N’-logo sports cap that has become the signature style.
It’s a simple twill dad cap with a fabric adjustment strap at the back – simple, versatile and effective.
Ciele Athletics
Ciele is THE name to know when it comes to quirky running caps. The brand’s designs are often brightly coloured, eye-catching and made from performance fabrics for comfort.
Expect big logos, multicoloured panelling and lots and lots of different styles to choose from.
Aimé Leon Dore
Streetwear isn’t dead, it has just evolved, and Aimé Leon Dore is very much the new generation’s answer to something like Supreme of Palace a decade ago. It produces in limited runs, releases clothes in drops, sells out of items regularly and has built a tangible hype around its name.
Like any good streetwear brand, caps are a key part of the offering. There are all sorts of styles to choose from, but we’d suggest checking out the label’s New Era collab MLB caps if you’re looking for a place to start.
Polo Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren’s Polo cap is nothing short of iconic. It’s a delightfully simple design with a fuss-free unstructured construction, polo-player logo to the front and ‘POLO’ lettering to the back.
It’s also pretty affordable, making it a cheap way to add a touch of Ralph to your everyday outfits.
Kavu
You may not have heard of Kavu. The American outdoor brand isn’t anywhere near as big as the likes of Patagonia or The North Face. However, where caps are concerned it offers one of the most unique and instantly recognisable products on the market.
The label’s ‘Strap Cap’ has a unique four-panel construction with a colourful webbing strap that runs around the brim. This is designed to keep the cap secure even in strong winds, with the added benefit of looking pretty cool too.
Varsity Headwear
You probably don’t think of a baseball cap as a luxury item, but that could be about to change.
Varsity Headwear is a Norwegian brand dedicated to crafting the perfect baseball cap using premium materials and exercising meticulous attention to detail.
There are a range of fabric options to choose from, including Italian linen, denim, quick-drying sporty synthetics and more, and each cap comes in its own presentation box with a handy fitted pouch for transport and storage.
Gucci
Obviously there is a point of diminishing returns when it comes to the price of a baseball cap. After a certain point, you’re really just paying for a label.
This is very much the case with Gucci’s caps, but it does have some iconic designs. And for deep pocketed individuals who love their labels, there are few more appealing brands to buy from.
Check out the original GG canvas cap, featuring all-over monogram branding and two-tone webbing strips to the sides.
Lock & Co. Hatters
Lock & Co. is a traditional British hat brand with a history stretching back over 300 years. In fact, it’s the 34th oldest family-owned business in the world, and it even holds its own Royal Warrant.
The brand specialises in traditional headwear like bowlers, top hats and trilbies, but there are a few different baseball cap styles to choose from for those who are looking for something a little more modern.
We’re big fans of the Scout cap, which is a five-panel design cut from technical fabric and made in the UK.
The key types of men’s baseball caps
Unstructured / Dad cap
The unstructured baseball cap (commonly referred to as the ‘dad cap;) is probably the most common style of cap.
The main body of the cap is simply made from single-layer fabric with no additional supporting material to give it shape. Because of this, it has a low-profile fit and sits close to the head.
Fitted
Fitted baseball caps have no adjustment and must be purchased in the correct size.
You can do this by measuring the circumference of the widest part of your head and checking the measurements against your chosen brand’s sizing chart.
The most popular brand for fitted caps has long been New Era.
Five panel
Where traditional baseball caps are made from six triangular pieces of fabric stitched together, five-panels are (perhaps unsurprisingly) made from five.
They have two side panels, two top panels that run right the way down to the back of the hat and one front panel.
They’re often made by board sports and outdoor brands, with the likes of Supreme and Patagonia offering some of the most notable examples.
Snapback
The snapback gets its name from the ‘snap’ adjustment system at the back. It’s usually a six-panel design with reinforcement behind the front two panels to give it shape and structure.
Trucker
A trucker cap is a type of snapback with a foam front panel and the rest made out of mesh.
They were popular during the 2000s but have somewhat dipped since then. Who knows, maybe you could be the person to bring them back.
Running
Running caps are unstructured, cut from quick-drying synthetic fabric and have foldable peaks so that they can be crushed and stuffed into a pocket.
They’re designed for running and hiking, but can be worn casually too.
