Mesh caps are baseball style caps with a cotton front panel and bill, and rear nylon mesh. The hats can be one color or two-toned, and are often custom printed for leagues, teams, clubs or businesses.
Most mesh caps are made with a plastic band at the rear of the cap with adjustable snap enclosure to accommodate a range of sizes. Depending on the quality of the cap, the rear adjustable band may vary in its design from the snap enclosure to a gathered elastic strap, Velcro or slide buckle. Mesh caps can be bought in two general sizes, adult or child, and in regular style or low profile. A low profile cap features a lower crown. The interior may include a terry cloth sweatband or twill lining.
There are two main differences between mesh caps and baseball hats. The first is the mesh itself, as a baseball cap is made of solid cotton material. Secondly, baseball caps have a center seam crossed by two diagonal seams to form a six-panel hat. Most mesh caps have a solid front panel with a four-panel back, for a total of five panels, though hybrids can feature six. The solid front panel, however, makes an excellent area for screen printing, making the affordable five-panel cap a prime choice for custom printing.
Custom printed mesh caps are commonly used for little league teams and softball teams, as they come in every color, making them an easy match to any uniform. The caps can be printed with a number, letter, team name, personal name, saying, or other design. They can also be embroidered. Businesses often purchase mesh caps for employees, putting the business logo, name or maxim on the cap. Custom printed mesh caps are so affordable that many businesses use them as give-aways to customers or sell them near cost as an additional means of marketing.
Mesh caps, sometimes called trucker hats, can be found in department stores, drug stores, and nearly everywhere hats are sold. If you wish to buy in bulk or get custom printed caps, there are many online vendors where one can view the variety of caps available and receive pricing information.