What Are Trucker Caps? Know Everything About Them.
WHAT ARE TRUCKER HATS?
Trucker hats are technically baseball caps. However, they differ in the design and material.
While similar to a baseball hat, a trucker hat will have a foam upper (with two panels), and a plastic mesh back. High quality baseball hats will be all wool, for example, to illustrate the difference.
Suede "B$C" Trucker Cap originated at rural farm stores, and were also called ‘feed caps’, or ‘gimme hats’. That’s because these stores often plastered their logo on top of the hat, and then gave them away to customers buying livestock feed.
The whole appeal of the trucker hat is that they’re ugly - so they are worn ironically. Before the trucker hat, actual truckers wore mechanic caps, you likely know them as the old timey milk man hats.
In the 1950s, the greasers actually took to wearing the mechanic caps - which never made much sense, but nonetheless, it happened. Sometime in the 1970s, the five piece trucker hat became commonplace instead, with truckers usually acquiring the hats at - you guessed it - truck stops.
Mountain Dew and John Deere were two of the biggest advertisers at this point, but many companies jumped on the bandwagon. While the trucker hat is very similar in design to a baseball hat, there are some key differences.
For starters, a trucker hat will have a foam upper, with plastic mesh. A baseball cap, however, will usually be wool, or cotton.
Additionally, a baseball cap will not have a breathable plastic mesh back (usually), and they will also not have a huge, billboard-like design on the front - like trucker hats do. The irony of wearing trucker hats by celebrities, has been sort of lost.
Lots of metal and country bands now wear trucker hats - not ironically, though. They wear them (usually) to symbolize an allegiance with blue collar workers, as the wealth gap continues to increase.
WHY DO THEY CALL TRUCKERS HATS?
Originally, these hats were given away by rural stores. If you needed to buy chicken feed, for example, you might get a free trucker hat from the store when you bought your chicken food.
Over time, many truckers wore these hats (and hardly anyone else) - leading to the now-common name. In the early 2000s, these hats (against all odds) became popular with celebrities.
WHAT MAKES A TRUCKER HAT A TRUCKER HAT?
The design, mostly. A foam upper with two panels, and a mesh cap will define the classic trucker hat look - while wool hats are something entirely different (usually baseball caps).
ARE TRUCKER HATS IN STYLE 2020?
It’s safe to say that no matter what the year, trucker hats never truly go out of style. They have a billboard on the front, and a regular cap in the back - making their ugliness the appeal of wearing the hat.
Originally, these hats were given away by rural stores. If you needed to buy chicken feed, for example, you might get a free trucker hat from the store when you bought your chicken food.
Over time, many truckers wore these hats (and hardly anyone else) - leading to the now-common name. In the early 2000s, these hats (against all odds) became popular with celebrities.
DID ASHTON KUTCHER GET RID OF ALL HIS TRUCKER HATS?
This is an important question, because Kutcher became known for wearing trucker hats constantly, in the early 2000s. The New York Times even claimed he wore 5 different trucker hats in just one episode of Punk’d - his MTV prank show.
Therefore, it may sadden some readers to know that Kutcher has apparently gotten rid of all of his trucker hats. While it has been over a decade since Kutcher was wearing them regularly, it still saddened us to learn of this fact.
WHAT IS THE BEST TRUCKER HAT BRAND?
We don’t think there is one trucker hat brand that’s best. Instead, we think there are a variety of brands that make high quality hats.
You can opt for many different brands, but as long as they are well reviewed, and the hat is made from strong materials - you should be fine. We prefer darker colored hats, but to each their own.
WHAT COLORS ARE POPULAR FOR TRUCKER HATS?
Dark colors are popular for trucker hats. They will go with most anything, especially a neutral color hat (like gray).
White hats look cool, but will show dirt easily. Ultimately, it comes down to what you prefer - girls may like pink trucker hats, while guys may always stick with navy, black, or gray.
HOW DO YOU WEAR A TRUCKER HAT?
Trucker hats are usually not worn tightly on the head (though they can be). Instead, they are often worn high on your head, in a relaxed manner.
