Needing a first class baseball cap

Stand By · Mar 31, 2015

Hi guys,
This is new to me - straying from the comfort of the Outerwear section and my love of vintage jackets - but I need some advice on where to find a really good quality, vintage style baseball cap.
I feel at my best in my Aero ANJ-3 and ELC B-3/B-6 jackets (very 1943) and in my cargo pants and, for some time now, have wanted a nice baseball cap to finish off my look, but I don't want anything modern or cheap-looking. I once saw a young guy who was a tourist up the CN Tower who had a really terrific looking cap that was plain and desert tan coloured, great quality heavy cotton and really nicely cut - but I didn't want to ask him in case he thought I was a creep looking to make cheap conversation! But still, I wish I'd known where he got it - it would have been perfect for me!
I've seen the ELC ones and they're nice, but I wondered if you guys had any other or better suggestions? Any advice is gratefully received.
Thanks guys!

Gromulus · Mar 31, 2015

Early jump on April 1 ?

Stand By · Mar 31, 2015

Well, you could say that … I am still wearing my B-2 caps on the pre-dawn dog walks out of sheer necessity! This winter feeling can't drag on much longer … it's enough already. UNCLE!

DougC · Mar 31, 2015

Ideal caps is the place to get a great wool ball cap

gtdean48 · Mar 31, 2015

http://www.lids.com/Blanks/Style_The-Closer

javadave61 · Mar 31, 2015

Stand By said:
...a really good quality, vintage style baseball cap.

This is the only vintage baseball cap I can recommend. I can smell Opening Day from here!

navarre · Mar 31, 2015

A ball cap hasn't been on my radar for a long time, but some years back I owned a nice reproduction of a wool cap from the earlier days of Baseball. The short kind with the small brim, think the Ty Cobb era. If memory serves me it was part of a Cooperstown collection. I think there is a reproduction company called Ebbets Field that does vintage patterns, but it sounds like you're after a plain color so I don't know if those ideas will help your search as they will probably all be team specific.

ingineer · Mar 31, 2015

a suggestion
http://idealcapco.com/Solid-Color-Caps.html

hatflick1 · Apr 1, 2015

I just bought and received an Ideal Cap Co., solid color,
blue, 1940's style.
It is classic. Real wool, real leather sweat band, perfect
fit. The crown is lower than current New Era hats,
and I prefer that.
Apparently, the dark blue I got was pretty much
the cap worn by navy fliers in WWII.

RJR · Apr 1, 2015

Ideal seems to have about as broad a selection as possible.

Slacker Drummer · Apr 1, 2015

I like the looks of these folks' stuff.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/StockbridgeSewing

DougC · Apr 1, 2015

You might also want to check out tactical tailor in Washington state. I have one of their cotton caps that a buddy in the special forces swears by. Color is coyote, its adjustable, and heavy duty; but, it is a tactical cap and has velcro for patches on the top (for an IR tab--I don't need one) and a velcro patch on the front. My ideal cap and this one get lots of wear at the gym and at sporting events.

Stand By · Apr 2, 2015

javadave61 said:
This is the only vintage baseball cap I can recommend. I can smell Opening Day from here!

It's "The Wonder Years"! Great photo!
I never played baseball, hailing from England originally (so it was just a bit of Rounders at school - as close as I got) and never got in to it here, but have enjoyed the occasional Blue Jays game here. And I'm just making my way through Ken Burns' historical documentary "Baseball" and am totally surprised by how much I enjoy it - and I'm loving it!

Stand By · Apr 2, 2015

Many thanks for the great suggestions - and I looked them all up and have enjoyed looking them over and yes, they're in the ball park (forgive the pun!) for what I'm after …
The tactical cap is great - but I fear it would "over cook" my military look with my jackets a little, as nice as they are. I'm after something that complements my jackets more than matches, if you know what I mean …

The Ebbets Field caps (for J. Crew) are very safe buys too, I think.
But I think I'll opt for the Ideal Cap Co. in the end … I'll post what I end up acquiring.
Thanks again, fellas! It's very much appreciated!

Mustang · Apr 10, 2015

I know I'm late to the game, but if I were buying a ball cap, this is the one I'd buy:

http://www.stormykromer.com/products/the-curveball.asp

Stand By · Jul 9, 2015

As a follow-up to my question so long ago, I wanted to say a big thank you to you guys here for pointing me in the direction of Ebbets Field baseball caps.
And after a long (and enjoyable) hunt, I finally settled on a cap that was just right for me - and one that would go perfectly with my Aero ANJ-3 jacket.
I eventually found a cap that was made by Ebbetts Field but made for someone called Mr. Porter (I got mine on eBay - unworn and new with tags and at a great price. The ones from Mr. Porter are long sold old out apparently and would have cost me double what I paid. My sincere thanks go to Nick123 for assisting me with shipping from CA for less than what was quoted from the seller. It sneaked up here without a pit-stop at Customs too. Bonus! Thanks Nick!)- and it's a great wool broadcloth material and in a lovely, deep red - a colour that perfectly lifts out the red on my Texas leather patch on the sleeve.
The quality of the cap is just astounding - it totally exceeded my expectations - and the lining materials are incredible. Totally worth the money - you clearly get what you pay for!
So many of the Ebbetts Field caps have vintage baseball logos on them - and a plain one was quite hard to find. I didn't want any logo as the jacket is busy enough with the art work I've done on the front and back panel, plus the leather patches I had made for me and were fitted on the sleeves.
So I'm absolutely over the moon and I couldn't have found what I wanted without asking here first on TFL - so thank you all!

pawineguy · Jul 9, 2015

Great looking cap, and the irony that it's from Mr. Porter is just too much. I need to get something from Ebbets.

Stand By · Jul 9, 2015

pawineguy said:
Great looking cap, and the irony that it's from Mr. Porter is just too much. I need to get something from Ebbets.

Thanks!
Just give in and do it, Pawineguy. You will not regret it. I wasn't so sure at first, but the moment I opened the package … WOW! I wish I could show you the cap and let you feel the quality. I'll never buy anything but Ebbets Field after this.

PS. And in the interim time, I also watched the documentary "Baseball" by Ken Burns. I've never played baseball (being from England) but it was so fantastic and inspiring that it really made me wish I had at school - I totally lapped up the entire 18 1/2 hours of it all - and I learned what the name Ebbets Field meant! And I went to see the Blue Jays play a few weeks ago and I must say that I loved it and had an all-new appreciation for the game after that too …

pawineguy · Jul 9, 2015

Stand By said:
Thanks!
Just give in and do it, Pawineguy. You will not regret it. I wasn't so sure at first, but the moment I opened the package … WOW! I wish I could show you the cap and let you feel the quality. I'll never buy anything but Ebbets Field after this.

PS. And in the interim time, I also watched the documentary "Baseball" by Ken Burns. I've never played baseball (being from England) but it was so fantastic and inspiring that it really made me wish I had at school - I totally lapped up the entire 18 1/2 hours of it all - and I learned what the name Ebbets Field meant! And I went to see the Blue Jays play a few weeks ago and I must say that I had an all-new appreciation for the game after that too …

Baseball is so ingrained in our culture that I'm sure it's a puzzle to those who didn't grow up with it. It's overly long now, which hurts it terribly. That is a truly great documentary. Headed out to a little league sectional final right now and putting on a nice cap that also happens to be 97% polyester.

hatsRme · Jul 9, 2015

DougC said:
You might also want to check out tactical tailor in Washington state. I have one of their cotton caps that a buddy in the special forces swears by. Color is coyote, its adjustable, and heavy duty; but, it is a tactical cap and has velcro for patches on the top (for an IR tab--I don't need one) and a velcro patch on the front. My ideal cap and this one get lots of wear at the gym and at sporting events.

I just ran across one of their hats for the first time last week. If ball caps are your style, Tactical Tailor is a great choice, too.

JaveDave, assuming that's you in that great photo in the parking lot, does the hat still fit?

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