The baseball cap occupies a rare, coveted space in the fashion accessory game: It’s both utilitarian and stylish, all at once. Sure, it can lean one way or the other, but show me a baseball hat that doesn’t at least offer some function, whether that’s to keep the sun out of your eyes, cover up a bad hair day or hide from the paparazzi (looking at you, Leo).
Cousin of the moisture-wicking running hat, older sibling of the oh-so-popular bucket hat, and essentially the identical twin brother of the ubiquitous dad hat (even we’re not sure how to tell them apart), the men’s baseball cap is a must-have. It’s a surefire way to punctuate or elevate the rest of your wardrobe. Just pop it on for a splash of color, a brand-name statement or a fun, novelty conversation starter. Hang a couple on your coat rack for morning coffee runs when your hair just won’t cooperate, or on bright sunny days when you want to prolong all that hard work you’re putting into your skincare routine.
Of course, today’s actual baseball players rock caps every day, as do many fans of professional sports teams. But for purposes of this list, we won’t be tackling hats of actual teams. The internet wields an endless rabbit hole of men’s baseball caps, with an infinite number of colors, logos, fabrics and brands to choose from. More often than not, you’ll probably have a specific idea in mind when you’re shopping for a men’s baseball hat. So we picked 20 of our favorites — with variety in mind — to provide a strong sense of what’s out there.
1. Amazon Essentials Men’s Baseball Cap
SIMPLE CHOICE
There’s perhaps no more iconic baseball cap fashion choice than the incognito celebrity look. All you need is a blank baseball hat and dark shades to go full DiCaprio. For a budget-friendly way to tackle this approach, we suggest Amazon’s men’s baseball cap, which comes in a variety of colors, including a no-frills black. That $14 price tag makes it easy to snag a few of these, just to make sure your hat always matches the rest of your outfit.
Buy: Amazon Essentials Men's Baseball Cap $13.90
2. Carhartt Canvas Cap
TRENDIEST BRAND
Who knew a construction workwear brand would become a household name, racking up all kinds of dope collabs across the fashion game? Yes, Carhartt is here to stay. And to keep you branded until it’s cold enough to bust out everyone’s favorite Carhartt logo beanie, you can sport this logo canvas cap instead. It’s available in a handful of different rugged colors, all of which prominently display that now-classic square leather logo patch.
Buy: Carhartt Canvas Cap $16.99
3. ’47 Franchise Fitted Operation Hat Track
MOST PATRIOTIC
’47 makes some of the most stylish baseball caps for fans of actual baseball teams. Regardless of your interest in America’s pastime, you might be able to get behind the United States as the “team” to represent on your head. This hat blends cotton and recycled polyester, with ’47 claiming that each cap contains approximately two 20-oz bottles worth of recycled plastic. And though it mostly sports the classic red, white and blue, heads up — it’s Kelly green under the brim.
Buy: '47 Franchise Fitted Operation Hat Track $30.00
4. Nike Sportswear Futura Heritage ’86 Washed Baseball Hat
BEST RETRO VIBES
Urban Outfitters boasts a pretty impressive collection of stylish, colorful men’s baseball caps, including this classic option from Nike. It blends a flashy gold base with a splash of red on the logo for a color scheme that’s very 1980s high school vibes, as the name suggests. With an adjustable strap closure in the back, this cap would add a great pop of color to a very vintage outfit featuring a white t-shirt, denim and Converse.
Buy: Nike Sportswear Futura Heritage ’86 Washed Baseball Hat $22.00
5. Todd Snyder + New Era Cashmere Liquor Store Cap
BEST COLLAB
Prolific modern menswear designer Todd Snyder is known for his brilliant collabs, from New Balance and L.L. Bean to Converse and Timex (a personal favorite timepiece of yours truly). In this case, Todd Snyder teamed up with New Era — which supplies the official hats for Major League Baseball, so basically, the company with the most credibility when it comes to “baseball” caps. This hat opts for the flat brim approach and references Todd Snyder’s “Liquor Store” shopping experience in downtown Manhattan. The cashmere finish adds an extra level of style, in case those other features weren’t quite enough for you.
Buy: Todd Snyder + New Era Cashmere Liquor Store Cap $79.00
6. Everlane The Baseball Cap
BEST FOR FALL
Perhaps more than any other brand, Everlane absolutely smashes the high-quality, affordable basics game (hence its popular Uniform line). Its baseball cap is no different, with a beautifully detailed organic cotton canvas fabric and four simple, stylish colors to choose from. We’re a big fan of the Sequoia option pictured below, which is a perfect punctuation to any earthy autumn outfit.
Buy: Everlane The Baseball Cap $35.00
7. TSSGBL Washed Adjustable Baseball Cap (2-Pack)
BEST VALUE
Another affordable option from Amazon, this baseball cap opts for a distressed denim vibe, though the hat itself is 100% washed cotton. You can purchase a color by itself or combine a pair for a two-pack that costs less than $20. Consider it a great pool or music festival hat, one you don’t mind getting damaged or lost because it’s so freakin’ cheap and you have more than one.
Buy: 2 Pack Vintage Washed Cotton Denim Low Profile Blank Plain Adjustable La Baseball Caps Men Women Summer Sport Soft Distressed Ball Caps Unstructured Outdoor Work Running Hiking Dad Hat Black Green TSSGBL Cotton Washed Adjustable Baseball Caps
8. Coca-Cola Corduroy Baseball Hat
BEST FABRIC
Corduroy on your head? You bet. Urban Outfitters delivers once again with this bright red hat paying homage to the most popular beverage on the planet. The six-panel construction and snapback adjustable closure offers a structured, casual feel that should match nicely with your favorite pair of jeans. Extra points if you literally drink a Coca-Cola bottle while sporting this.
Buy: Coca-Cola Corduroy Baseball Hat $30.00
9. Patagonia P-6 Label Trad Cap
MOST OUTDOORSY
True to Patagonia’s reputation as a premium outdoors brand with a focus on protecting mother nature, the P-6 Label Trad Cap features a brim made entirely from discarded fishing nets, which (as you might imagine) contribute tons of dangerous waste to the world’s oceans. The hat sports an unstructured fit that’s perfect for long days on the trail or boat.
Buy: Patagonia P-6 Label Trad Cap $35.00
10. Billy Reid Make Cornbread Cap
BEST FOR BBQ
Summer might be winding down, but barbecue season lives on inside us all eternally (or at least until next summer). Keep those burger flippin’ vibes steady with this cap from Billy Reid, a fashion designer based in Alabama. Better yet, the Make Cornbread Not War is the unofficial motto of the Southern Foodways Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to studying, documenting and preserving the cultural relevance of food in the American south. Ten percent of the net proceeds of every hat purchased goes toward the SFA.
Buy: Billy Reid Make Cornbread Cap $68.00
11. Adidas Color Reflect Hat
BEST STREETWEAR HAT
The Adidas logo is practically synonymous with the streetwear/athleisure boom of the past 10 years. You’d be hard-pressed to walk through a city and not see someone sporting one of these simple logo caps. Pair it with a bomber jacket, joggers and Adidas kicks and you’ve got yourself a streetwear starter pack.
Buy: Adidas Color Reflect Hat $28.00
12. Burberry Icon Check Men’s Baseball Cap
LUXURY CHOICE
For some, luxury is an absolute priority, even when it comes to baseball caps, the casual everyman symbol. British luxury fashion house Burberry has an eye-catching entry into the men’s baseball hat game that will surely make a statement. The plaid patterned cap is made of cotton with a lambskin leather trim. Whether others know you’re sporting a luxury piece remains to be seen, but you can bet this will be a bold fashion choice nonetheless.
Buy: Burberry Icon Check Men's Baseball Cap $420.00
13. ’47 Cleanup Camo Hat
BEST CAMO
The camo trend isn’t going anywhere, and it’s never too late to hop on the bandwagon. This option from ’47 is as simple as they come, with a faded cotton camouflage print that feels lived-in like you’ve already dropped it on the subway a couple of times or left it out in the sun. And given camouflage’s original intention, you might think this is a great option for that incognito celebrity look, but you likely won’t fool stay hidden unless you’re evading paparazzi out in the woods.
Buy: '47 Cleanup Camo Hat $24.99
14. Madewell x Parks Project Naturalist Program Embroidered Baseball Cap
BEST FOR CAMPING
Parks Project is a brand dedicated to celebrating public lands and also making dope clothes. We can’t argue with that combo. It partnered up with Madewell here on a simple khaki hat for that truly desert, naturalist vibe. It’s made from organic cotton that’s grown without chemicals or pesticides. We highly recommend this baseball cap for your next camping trip.
Buy: Madewell x Parks Project Naturalist Program Embroidered Baseball Cap $29.50
15. Gap Washed Baseball Hat
BEST COLORS
Black, white and khaki hats tend to saturate the baseball cap game. But Gap almost always delivers with soft, worn pastels and refreshing colors that break the trends, including with its washed baseball hat. Even the white color — called porcelain white — is more of an off-white, which just sets it apart from all the other baseball caps out there. We love the mossy campus green and the aptly named aubergine (fancy word for eggplant), in addition to the dusty purple pictured below.
Buy: Gap Washed Baseball Hat $24.95
16. Ebbets Field Flannels Brooklyn Bushwicks 1949 Vintage Ballcap
BEST ACTUAL BASEBALL CAP
We promised we wouldn’t put actual teams on this list. But since we’re talking about the Brooklyn Bushwicks — a 70-year-old independent, semi-professional baseball team — we’ll let it slide. Ebbets Field makes a ton of awesome vintage baseball threads, from classic baseball flannels to wool caps like this one. Many of them come from niche teams like the Bushwicks, which makes it even more of a fashion statement and conversation starter.
Buy: Ebbets Field Flannels Brooklyn Bushwicks 1949 Vintage Cap $49.00
17. Polo Ralph Lauren Classic Sport Baseball Hat
CLASSIC BRAND
If Ralph Lauren gives you preppy dad polo vibes, we don’t blame you. But the brand itself is a historic menswear staple, and this baseball hat adds some contemporary flair to that legacy, largely thanks to the hot pink color. Like most Ralph Lauren products, it’s impeccably crafted, with simple iconic logos on the front and back. Snag this for your remaining 2021 beach days.
Buy: Polo Ralph Lauren Classic Sport Baseball Hat $45.00
18. Alex Mill X Canvas Field Cap
BEST KHAKI
If there’s one khaki canvas cap you go for, let it be this one from Alex Mill. That rusty golden hue makes this hat perfect for an autumn stroll through a meadow, or an ideal choice to tuck in your carry-on when traveling home for the holidays. Alex Mill is elusive when it comes to revealing what the mysterious X logo stands for, but that monochromatic detail adds even more intrigue and style points to an already-great men’s baseball cap.
Buy: Alex Mill X Canvas Field Cap $40.00
19. The North Face Mudder Trucker Hat
BEST TRUCKER HAT
Trucker hats originated as the cap of choice for farmers and —yes — actual truckers, and still maintains that role today. But trucker hats have crept into the mainstream, particularly in skate, surf and other outdoor sports brands. Enter North Face, which supplies a great by-the-books trucker hat, complete with the mandatory mesh venting at the back. This really comes in handy on long hikes and camping trips when you need that ventilation to keep you cool.
Buy: The North Face Mudder Trucker Hat $29.00
20. Madewell Wool Blend Baseball Cap
BEST WOOL CAP
Though baseball caps tend to be a warm-weather favorite, there’s something irresistible about the elegance and appearance of wool. This is the rare case where texture is the fashion statement — not color, print or logo — as a heather grey cap is as simple as it gets. Pop this one on and instantly elevate the classiness of your entire outfit.
Buy: Madewell Wool Blend Baseball Cap $32.00
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