We’re bringing you the top 3 styles for summer based on our community’s feedback. 

Between the cookouts, baseball games, endless sunny days, and Olympics watch parties, your summer is going to require headgear that looks dope, feels amazing, and showcases your personal style. With all the options out there, though, it can be hard to know which cap to go with. To help you out, we’re giving you the rundown on three of the best hats in the game right now, and how you can utilize your originality, and CapBeast’s customizer, to put your own spin on them — because we can’t have y’all showing up to the beach in a knit beanie. 

Top 3 Hat Styles for Summer

We get it — after a loooong winter, you’re ready to get way out wide and have some fun this summer. And while you’re doing that, you’re gonna need headwear that keeps you looking and feeling fresh. Summer hats need to tick a few important boxes, including lightweight/breathable materials, comfortable construction, and most importantly, great looks. So let’s do an Olympic-style deep dive into the three most popular summer styles according to our community. 

Champion Dad Hat

We’re not sure if you’re aware, but dad hats are IT right now. So, with a stupid comfortable brushed cotton fabric, and limitless options for customization, it’s no surprise that the Champion Dad Hat is an absolute must-have for summer. Along with the strapback and buckle closure, this hat boasts some eye-catching colors, including royal blue, white, concrete, black, and scarlet. Champion’s plush, unstructured version of the dad hat fits really smoothly over your head and looks great forwards or backwards (because we know you love the iconic Champion logo on the back). In terms of quality, this is by far the best of the bunch. At $32, it’s also the priciest hat on our list — once you slip it on for the first time, though, you’ll understand why. 

Yupoong Classic Snapback

Need a cap that’s gonna help your team stand out from the rest of the intramural league? Maybe a colorful hat to put your skate company’s logo on? Let the Yupoong Classic Snapback be your blank canvas. This six-panel wool blend cap is incredibly soft, with a super lightweight feel and the tallest profile of our three hats, providing plenty of space for whatever designs you want. The two-toned color schemes available with the Classic Snapback bring a pop of color to the eyelets, button, snapback closure, and bill (which has a green underbrim); and there’s a crazy number of combos. We think the Yupoong Classic Snapback is the best all-purpose cap on the list, since you can customize it almost any way you want. And it’s definitely the best value, at $26.50 — unbeatable.  

‘47 Brand Trucker Hat 

When it gets hot out, no hat puts in more work than a trucker — giving you a relaxed fit, breathability, and timeless style. The ‘47 Brand Trucker brings all of the comfort of a dad hat, with its unstructured six-panel fit, but with a retro twist. The 100% cotton front and porous nylon mesh back means your head is going to be breathing sooo easy; and the unique colorways make it easy to color coordinate, no matter what designs you want to add. The stitching running along the brim and front panel also provides some contrast and texture, as does the mesh back. Plus, the snapback closure helps you get the fit just right. The Vintage Wash Trucker is the hat that you can wear while doing anything this summer. 

How to Design Your Hat 

Making that GOAT custom hat for summer — the gold medal winner, if you will — means pairing your graphics and text with the right style, and vice versa. While dynamic, flashy visuals may look great on a snapback, they might not go as well with a dad hat. And a subtle design that works perfectly on a dad hat might look out of place on a trucker hat. 

Because the Champion Dad Hat has a slimmer profile, you’re going to want to choose text and graphics that will fit inside of a 2”x2” range on the front panel. A throwback-style logo or simple stitched-on image is on trend for sure. But if you really want to lean into the dad hat style, put a short phrase (or just one word) in the center. Trust us.

The Yupoong Classic Snapback, with its taller profile, is gonna look amazing with big, bold text and/or splashy graphics on the front. To make use of all that space, throw some diagonal script lettering with a complementary sans serif font on the front; or add a larger image that might not work on some of the smaller hats.

The ‘47 Brand Trucker’s unstructured front is similar in size to the Champion Dad Hat, so you’re again going to want to make sure your designs work in a 2”x2” space. That doesn’t mean you can’t get wildly creative, though. This trucker was tailor-made for your band, restaurant, or event’s merch, especially with the ridiculous number of color options you have. 

No matter which hat you go with, remember to keep your graphics clean and uncluttered: avoid small text, thin borders, and overly fine detailing. It’s also best to stick to solid colors, instead of complex gradients. Thick, clear designs are going to stand out the most and help turn your hat into a banger. Take a look at our video guide on how to design a custom hat. 

CapBeast’s embroidery experts can stitch a wide range of graphics on any of these hats, so don’t be afraid to get weird with your ideas. Along with giving you the ability to upload almost any image, the easy-to-use customizer includes tons of fonts and design options, so you can make your text look exactly how you want it. Oh, and don’t forget to utilize the sides of your hat, as well. 

Conclusion

Summer is the perfect time to do you; and CapBeast wants to be a part of that self-expression. Whatever you’re looking to get into this summer, CapBeast’s customizer is here to help make sure you’re turning heads while doing it. Get started with one of these trending caps today — and create your own Olympic-caliber custom hat.  

-Christopher Adair