"The baseball cap" Topic

Without waxing philosophic about America's greatest contribution to couture, I'll just pose the questions:

Do you usually wear a baseball cap? If not, stop. This poll is not about you.

If you do, do you exclusively wear either structured or unstructured caps? Which type do you wear exclusively?

If you wear both, please rate the strength of your preference for one or the other, from 9 (I almost always wear structured caps) to 1 (I almost always wear unstructured caps). A 5 means you prefer them equally.

I include trucker caps as a type of baseball cap. I exclude cylindrical caps, like the US Army combat cap of the late 1980s and 1990s.

Not sure why the topic appears twice, with the original paragraph duplicated here.

Well, now it only appears once, as far as I can so, so that's good.

I, myself, would come in at about a 4. I prefer unstructured baseball caps, but I have and wear a lot of structured caps.

Maybe the follow-up poll, or even just the next question, would be: Of the 100 typical occasions when you recently wore a baseball cap, how many times did you wear a structured cap?

There, I think that I would come in pretty consistently at 40%, i.e., I wear unstructured caps about 60% of the time.

I occasionally wear baseball caps, especially to sporting events.
But I have no clue what you mean by "structured" or "unstructured."

A structured cap is stiff and will keep its shape when set on a table. An unstructured cap is soft and can be flattened or rolled up easily.

link

Structured:

Unstructured:

Structured, frequently

Unstructured, flat gray, no logos, advertising etc. Favorite hat.

Unstructured, usually light gray or some other neutral color, one with MM logo, one with EPCOT logo, and the third just says, "Minnesota".

Now for our question, WHY?! Strictly academic interest or do you have some nefarious purpose?

I always thought you were a shoe guy. (smile)

I am also not sure what the difference is between "structured" or "unstructured".

When I wear a hat it is almost always a baseball cap. I usually wear one with the logo of my university alma mater.

Damon.

Both

Being a balding middle aged man, I am very particular about the hat I wear. I have a ‘structured' navy blue baseball style cap made by Nautica. It is 15 years old, faded, and worn out. Nautica no longer makes this particular cap; they have a cheaper non-structured, one size fits all that just doesn't look good on me. Not that I care one iota about Nautica or any brand. I just liked it because it fit well and the Nautica icon is a small sailing boat, so not too obnoxious. And I'd prefer not to wear any sports team image, especially with all the political crap going on these days (wish they would just stick to sports).

I have an extensive hat collection and I never wear baseball caps.

Structured, Army Retired cap, always wear it!

Now that I know what they are, I know that I wear both. I probably prefer unstructured, but it's hardly a big thing, either way.

Baseball caps annoy me, particularly worn backwards and indoors st the dinner table.

@John the OFM: I agree about backwards and indoors at dinner -- and sideways is actually slightly more annoying.

@von Schwartz: I'm actually an accessories guy. Otherwise, I happened to be organizing my baseball caps in the foyer closet and started wondering about what everyone else does.

@USAFpilot: I don't have that Nautica cap, but I do have an unstructured North Face cap that I bought over 20 years ago from the outlet clearance that they used to have. It is the most comfortable hat I own; it feels as if it had been made specifically for my head. It's black, heavy canvas, with a nylon strap and plastic buckle to adjust the fit. I've worn it on four continents, for everything from driving to spring skiing to camping to urban sightseeing. Now that I think about it, I think I'll wear it to work tomorrow.

I wear both, more "structured" than "unstructured".

My wife nags me about the dangers of getting the top of my head sunburned in good weather so I occasionally wear one. My current cap is a structured one for the USS Jimmy Carter bought from the submarine museum in Groton.

Can't beat an Irish Tweed Blarney Hat.

I wear one when I am working outside (to avoid sunburn) and when on a walk – usually structured

John is totally right – hats are for wearing outdoors and the only person who should wear a cap backwards is a catcher

Tony Soprano to a guy wearing a baseball hat in a restaurant. "They don't serve hotdogs here."

Even worse, is wearing it with the scoop to the side.

Being a bit light in the hair department I have a lot of hats, including a few baseball caps. Generally I guess I prefer structured ones, but my running cap is unstructured.

The only real issue I have baseball caps is there is no protection for your neck, so I generally prefer hats with a brim. If I'm out running on a hot day, I'll stick a sun cowl under the back of the cap. I've had sunstroke twice and that is two times too many.

This poll is not about me… I wear Fedora's, almost exclusively. I feel left out -- offended, even! [Just kidding. I don't care. I'm walking away, with my nose up in the air, so high that I will drown, as soon as it starts to rain… If my brim doesn't block it.] Cheers!

I only wear my old faded USMC utility cover. I do have both structured and unstructured baseball caps with "once a marine.." or "US Marine Corps Veteran", but since the scarlet color has now been used by other "causes" these past several years, I no longer wear either.

Also agree with John on the backwards, sideways or indoors wear.

I wear a Absaroka county sheriff's hat. Unstructured.

I wear a navy blue cap with a picture of the ship I served on embroidered on it. It's a great way to meet other Navy vets. I've swapped many a sea story in the grocery story while my wife continued with the shopping.

I own a fair number of ball caps, almost all structured. The only time I ever wear any of them backwards is when the bill would get in the way of my camera and I don't wear any hat when eating indoors.

My favorite, which I only wear these days when following alligators, has a National Park Service Master Ranger Corps emblem on the front. I don't work for the Park Service these days but the Master Ranger Corps doesn't exist any more so I can still wear the insignia (official opinion).

I often wear a structured baseball cap. I like 'em. Typically I wear a Seattle Mariners cap because I love the Mariners-perhaps one of 12 fans in the world. I also have an ERHS cap I like--Emerald Ridge High School--where I taught for 12 years. I also occasionally wear a Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers cap because--A) It's Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and B) my wife bought it for me and I know what's good for me. :)

Bismark --do you still use a cover block to starch your utility cover ??

Russ Dunaway

Russ,

Years ago I gave my cover block and a cover to a younger family member. You know the one, thick white plastic with an adjustable screw. Now, unblocked. Sides indented like the old Korean war salts did. Remember in boot camp, folding the cover flat and tucking it behind you into your belt?

hope you are well brother.

Semper Fi

Sam Lemonds

This poll is not about me… I wear Fedora's, almost exclusively.

Other hat types could certainly be the subjects of future poll proposals.

Thanks, Oberlindes Sol LIC. I am not offended in the least. I just had to post due to my warped, twisted, dark sense of humor. If you had not posted this poll topic, I would not have had such fun reading all the posts here, or putting my own twisted post up. Your poll suggestion gave me an opportunity to try to make my TMP friends and associates laugh out loud. I appreciate that. Cheers!

Glad my topic worked so well!

Mostly wear unstructured, often gifts from the children – I do have two structured hats one from work with a veteran logo and another with U.S. Army Ranger.

The work one I wear when it is raining at work to keep the Scottish eyebrows dry. The Ranger I wear as I wish but less often than other hats as it doesn't always "go with my outfit" as the wife reminds me.

Unstructured. My dad, on the other hand, was a truck driver for decades, and insisted on wearing a half-mesh cap.

@Frederick
John is totally right – hats are for wearing outdoors and the only person who should wear a cap backwards is a catcher

Or an umpire

John is totally right – hats are for wearing outdoors and the only person who should wear a cap backwards is a catcher

Or an umpire

Or anyone shooting from the prone position!

I sometimes wear them in summer, to keep the Sun out of my eyes. But they don't combine very well with a bicycle helmet, so more often they get left at home.