Fit notes

Adjustable, stretch or one size: what the fit word means

Hats are sold with a single word about fit where a shirt would get a number, and the word tells you more than it looks like it does.

Adjustable

There is a drawstring inside the crown, a toggle, or a strap at the back. You set the width once and it stays there. This is the fit to look for if a hat has ever sat too loose on you, because it is the only one you can correct.

On a sun hat the drawstring usually sits where the crown meets the brim, so you can tighten it against a breeze on the water and let it out again when you are back on land.

Stretch

Ribbed knit with give. It takes the shape of your head and holds the ears covered through a brisk walk, which is most of what a winter cap has to do.

The trade is that it relaxes slightly over a season of wear, and it relaxes a lot if it has been through a hot wash. That is the whole argument behind the care notes on this site.

One size and loose

One size means the crown is cut to a single width with nothing to set. It fits a wide middle band of heads and is honest about not fitting the extremes.

Loose is a choice rather than a compromise. The cap is meant to sit back and slouch rather than grip, so if you want the band tight on your forehead this is the word to avoid.

When the listing says nothing

Fit is spelled out on a good two thirds of our styles and left blank on the rest. Where it is blank, the material answers the question: knit gives, woven straw does not.

We print the head measurement on the handful of listings that carry one and leave it off the rest rather than guessing a number. A made up size chart would look more helpful and be worth less.