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If you’re like me, Christmas has absolutely snuck up on your and now you’re scrambling to snag a few things to gift to friends and family.
Fear not! If you’re looking to snag a cap for that die-hard Padre fan in your life or want to help add to a special someone’s collection, I’m here to help. Let’s take a look at what’s out on the market cap-wise and see if the perfect cap is out there for you or someone you know.
With the following caps, I recommend at this juncture to splurge on the faster shipping if you really want to ensure landing the cap prior to Christmas. If you have a bit of leeway, then by all means go with standard shipping. Of course visiting the corresponding store is always the safest bet.
For full disclosure, I’m not on the payroll (nor do I make any money) of any of the following. I am affiliated with Billion Creation (with the SD Hat Collectors) as they produce and sell our exclusive designs.
I’ll separate these finds by store for ease of browsing. Please also note that I haven’t included standard on-fields; those are generally available at almost any store you may choose to frequent.
Lids
Lids as always has a unique selection of caps and styles available, though this year’s crop seem to trend more towards the fashion side.
Up first is the Inside Out Padres edition. In the same vein as higher-end streetwear companies like Off-White, this cap is a “permanent” rally cap, so to speak.
The next two caps are from the Lids Retro Edition lines and make great use of the classic Padres wordmarks of the 80s and 90s.
The following three are from the Fall Prism collection and are fully-chromatic designs in rich fall colors such as forest green, maroon, and classic Padres brown. Every detail on the cap is the same corresponding color, including the interior tags and panel tape. A very cool detail for the discerning cap wearer and very good looks overall.
The last featured selection is a great-looking olive green cap featuring a leather patch on the front and a clean oatmeal underbrim. A very nice look overall and definitely a step-up from your average cap.
Sizes online at Lids are waning, so I recommend heading into your local store if you’re looking to snag one of these caps as a gift.
Hat Club
Given the popularity of Hat Club’s releases, it’s usually difficult to keep up with all the drops they issue on a daily basis. With the closure of the two Hat Club locations in San Diego (sob) their Padres selections have become much more scarce though there have been two drops in the last few weeks that are worth a look.
First is a popular look among many Padres fans: the Swinging Friar roundel logo in a yellow/white/brown colorway that makes for a unique cap you’d be hard pressed to find anywhere else.
The second cap takes the ‘85-’90 wordmark and adds it to a brown cap for a simple, clean retro look.
I advise grabbing these as soon as possible if you’re interested; Hat Club drops tend to be popular and fast-moving. The larger sizes in the ‘85-’90 logo have already sold out. You may also have to pony up for expedited shipping as well, so keep that in mind.
Billion Creation
I’d be absolutely remiss if I didn’t mention all the designs myself, Tony Losoya and Jeff Saurwein (The SD Hat Collectors) produced alongside our partners at Billion Creation. Consider this an opportunity to show you what we’ve done so far. Perhaps one of these designs will make a great gift for someone you know!
Up first is our latest and greatest. The Padres Zarape (or sarape) cap takes an amazing traditional Mexican pattern and applies it to the classic Padres logo, Batterman, New Era logo and underbrim with a graphite crown and brim. We’re especially enamored with how this cap turned out.
The next cap is our Padres 1976 National League Centennial. We’re especially fond of the details we were able to add to this cap, especially the National League Centennial patch on the side.
You may recognize the next two caps as our Padres Katakana series, one each in brown and navy. The fun part about designing caps is creating something really unique for the fanbase and I think we did alright with these two designs (yes, they do indeed say Padres)!
The last featured cap is our take on the ‘85-’90 wordmark. We simplified the overall logo and went with Padres across the front in brown and orange, paired with a gray crown and brown brim. Brown and gray are an underrated colorway, in my opinion.
You can order online or stop in at their location in Chula Vista.
Are there any other stores or hats you’d like to suggest to others looking for last minute gifts? Sound off in the comments and I’ll be on hand to help you find the perfect gift cap.