Magpul Cap

The always amazing Magpul utilized the design skills of my pal Andrew Kent to design some soft goods, including their MS2 slings and these patch panel caps. (He designed some other really sweet stuff for them, but it’s all on the back burner for the time being as they have their hands full just with the polymer AR accessories end of their market.)

The core idea here isn’t really new. Usually once a year, usually right at the start of the year I buy a cheap ball cap, rip the stupid bauble at the top off, and sew velcro on the front and velcro on the back to stick cool patches on. Then at the end of the year, I unstitch the velcro, throw away the cap and sew it back on to a new cap. (I know it isn’t nice of me to contribute to landfill like that, but to me caps are a disposable commodity. After a few months of wear, they get to be....repugnant. Stained and malodorous and no amount of washing gets them nice again, so I’d rather chuck the cap and get a new one.)

A few companies have been offering these sorts of “tactical” or “operator” caps for sale for a while now. Same as I make, same ball cap, with some velcro sewn on, only they charge 4 or 5 times as much. 

Andrew gave me one of the prototypes of these caps to try out. What makes them nice is the fact that instead of sewing velcro over the material, a breathable soft velcro like material is sewn in, rather than on. Much more comfortable.

The hat is designed with shooters in mind, so the bauble usually found on ball caps is missing altogether, making it much more comfortable for someone wearing ear muffs. The little patch of velcro there is for putting a reflective or infrared IFF (Identify Friend or Foe) patch to distinguish themselves to helicopters. Doubt many ever would, but the option is there for those that want it.

The back right side features a subtle embroidered Magpul logo.

The underside of the bill features the same soft velcro material. Stick a spare patch under there maybe?

The velcro panels are quite porous, making for a slightly more breathable, hence more comfortable cap.

I suffer from a medical condition known as Cranius Giganticus, and this cap handily accommodates it.

Patch is the Tyrell Corporation logo.

Rocker says Amsterdam, and the two skulls are TadGear v.1 Ranger Eyes. Sadly not so glowy, but hey, they’re skulls, so still pretty cool.

Very nice cap, very comfortable, with the usual Magpul attention to detail. The only bad part is that I’ve had this cap longer than most. All others I would have chucked by now, but this one I’ve held on to for over two years now, just because I like it so much. High time I order another one.