Henry's Fork of the Snake, hand airbrushed

Henry's Fork Rainbow trout Trucker

Eastern Idaho · one at a time

Henry's Fork Rainbow trout Trucker — a trucker hat by John Derek Leavitt
Shown on the low profile blank, stone front panel.

A trucker cap hand airbrushed with a rainbow trout and the Henry's Fork of the Snake, sprayed in five stencil layers and sealed by hand.

  • Hand airbrushed, never printed
  • Five stencil layers plus freehand detail
  • Palette pulled from the Henry's Fork of the Snake itself
  • One size, adjustable

The cap it is painted on

The same artwork, sprayed on any of these. The front panel colour changes what the paint sits on, so it changes the hat.

  • Classic trucker

    Natural front panel

    $85

    Crown
    6-panel structured cotton twill
    Build
    Structured — buckram behind the front panels
    Back
    Polyester mesh back
    Closure
    Snapback, plastic tab
  • Low profileshown

    Stone front panel

    $85

    Crown
    5-panel unstructured cotton
    Build
    Unstructured — soft front, no buckram
    Back
    Soft poly mesh back
    Closure
    Snapback, plastic tab
  • Waxed canvas

    Field tan front panel

    $110

    Crown
    6-panel waxed canvas front
    Build
    Lightly structured — the waxed canvas holds its own shape
    Back
    Heavy poly mesh back
    Closure
    Brass buckle strap

Fit and measurements

BlankProfileCrown heightVisorAdjusts to
Classic truckerMid profile3¾ in (9.5 cm)Pre-curved, 2¾ in (7 cm)21½–24 in (54.5–61 cm)
Low profileLow profile3¼ in (8.3 cm)Pre-curved, 2½ in (6.4 cm)21½–24 in (54.5–61 cm)
Waxed canvasMid profile3⅝ in (9.2 cm)Pre-curved, 2¾ in (7 cm)21–23½ in (53.5–59.5 cm)

One size. Run a tape around your head just above the ears, keeping it level — anything inside the range above will close on it.

How it is painted

5 passes, in this order. Each mask comes off and the paint has to dry before the next one goes down, which is most of why a cap takes what it takes.

  1. sky

    Soft fade, weed green into pale amber

  2. ridgeline

    Frisket-cut skyline, Eastern Idaho

  3. water

    Masked river channel, morning grey

  4. subject

    Rainbow trout, hand-cut stencil, three tones

  5. detail

    Freehand spray for fins, foam and highlights

The artwork

Flat, clear spring-creek water where the fish get a long look and usually take it.

Every cap is sprayed by hand on a blank, one at a time. Five layers go on in order — sky, ridgeline, water, fish, then freehand detail — and each one has to dry before the next mask goes down. There is no print run and no transfer.

The palette is taken from the water itself: weed green, pale amber, morning grey, lodgepole. That is why two hats of the same river still differ, and why a hat of a different river looks nothing like this one.

Water-based paint, heat set, then two light coats of matte sealer. It will take rain and a season on a boat. It will not take a washing machine.

The water it was painted from

Henry's Fork of the SnakeEastern Idaho · ID

River
Henry's Fork of the Snake, Eastern Idaho
States
ID
Fish
Rainbow trout, Brown trout
Water type
Spring creek

Specifications

Airbrush palette

Paint
Createx Wicked, water-based, heat set
Colours
weed green, pale amber, morning grey, lodgepole
Finish
Matte sealer, two light coats

What arrives

  • The hat
  • A care card
  • A numbered tag naming the water it was painted from

Looking after it

  • Spot clean with cool water and a soft brush. Never a washing machine.
  • Keep it out of a hot car for long stretches — heat-set paint is tough, but a dashboard in July is not a test worth running.
  • Reshape the brim by hand while damp.

Paint your own

Henry's Fork Rainbow trout Trucker by @jderekleavitt — Dekasso