Leather: Muir Cap

Yes Sir, that's the look for the Leatherman. And I can tell that there is a lot of interest in this style of cap since the page about it on my website continues to rank as among the most viewed of all of my leather gear. Here is my snippet about this cap on my Complete Guide to Leather Gear:

If you have a nice head of hair without a bald spot, cut short and masculine, you probably don't need a hat. The tough leatherman's look, however, comes together with a full leather cap. Many Leathermen choose to wear a Muir Cap, as shown in this photo and on my website. Sometimes called a "biker's hat," the style goes back to the tough biker appearance of the 1950s. Leatherman's caps made by the Muir Cap & Regalia Company, Ltd. are made of full leather.

Features to look for:

The fit: You want the hat to fit tightly but not be so tight as to give you a headache, and no so loose as to fall down over your eyes. Measure your head size by placing a flexible tape measure around the circumference of your head, one inch above your eyebrows and around the widest part of your head. Measure the circumference at least twice to be sure that you are getting an accurate measurement. Write down the measurement and use this chart to determine your hat size.

Style: A genuine Muir cap has a solid black shiny peak with silver mylar on the edge, a black plastic expansion strap across the front and the top, and buttons to hold the strap onto it. A silver metal expansion strap and silver buttons on the side add style and class. Personally, I replaced the top expansion strap with a silver chain. Note: there are a number of imitations of a Muir-style cap out there. It's generally okay to buy an imitation -- just make sure the cap is made of full leather. A number of imitators use plastic.

Quality: Make sure whatever cap you get is made of full leather, not plastic or fabric. Look to make sure that plastic parts are not substituted on key components, such as the top, brim, or bill.

What headwear not to wear with leather: A lot of guys like to wear ball caps. That's fine when you're out on the ballfield or in jeans and a t-shirt grillin' burgers. But don't wear a ballcap with full leather. It just doesn't look right. Even ballcaps made of all leather. It just looks dorky. (The exception is a ballcap for a specific police agency when wearing a uniform of that agency. If that's that agency's spec, then wear it. If not, then don't.) Some guys substitute a military "camo" BDU hat. Again, that just looks dumb unless you are dressed in military BDUs. I've even seem some guys try to pull off wearing a black cowboy hat with leather. It really hasn't worked. Wear a cowboy hat with jeans and cowboy boots, not with leather. Go hatless if you don't have a Leatherman's cap.

Muir caps are not (necessarily) for the "old guard," but it is mostly us older guys into leather who have and wear them. I think younger guys would look really hot in such a hat if they wore one.

Check back -- this series on leather will continue with information about leather pants and shirts next.