I get it, we all want to save money. When I needed a simple, everyday orange baseball cap, I thought I could skip the research. I just clicked "buy" on the cheapest option I found online.
Big mistake. The cap arrived, and it was a mess. It didn't fit right, the color was dull, and the stitching looked ready to unravel. I realized quickly that buying a simple cotton cap takes more effort than I thought. I made these mistakes buying an orange baseball cap so you don't have to waste your time or money.
Before you purchase your next hat, use this guide to learn from my errors:
My first big error was believing that a $4 cap would be just as good as a $20 cap. I told myself, "It's just cotton, how different can it be?" Very different, as it turns out. The rock-bottom price tag always hides a cost in quality.
My ultra-cheap cap had these problems:
When shopping for a cap online, pictures can lie. I focused only on the color and missed checking the details that tell you how well the hat is built. I realized later that quality hats use better techniques.
I failed to look for three specific indicators:
The stitching on my cheap cap was messy. The thread color didn't quite match the orange fabric. More importantly, the stitching around the bill and the eyelets (the small air holes) was loose and uneven. Loose threads mean the seams will pull apart quickly.