New Era 59fifty hat size question

[bigjase]

Does anyone have any experience with the 59fifty new era hats being larger than the normal hat size you wear? I typically wear a 7 1/4, but I tried a couple of the 59fiftys today and they all seemed way to big. I'm thinking I need to get a smaller size, but I'm not sure if it would fit better if I bent the brim?

 

Also, does anyone have any experience with "molding" the crown of the hat? I don't want the boxy look, so I was going to run it under water and "mold" it to my head. Does this actually work?

[pitchleague]

my experience with the "new" models (the black underside of the brim; not made of wool anymore) is that they are actually smaller than the size listed on the label. I have bought 7 1/8" for years and they have fit wonderfully. But ever since the "new" models came out, they are extremely tight, almost like the polyester that they use has shrunk or something. I can't wear any of them more than a half-hour before giving me a headache/chaffing my forehead.

[mothershipconnection]

I performed the "5950 surgery" on my last one and it became much more comfortable and didn't look stupid anymore. IMO, it's a really bad design unless you plan on keeping the stickers on the hat and using it to accent your graphic hoodie with a mall kiosk necklace hanging out.

[Crew2323]

Last year I bought two 59/50 size 7 1/2 hats (A white Brewer hat with the flag in the "M" and navy bill and an old school Toronto Blue Jay hat) and they both fit me perfectly. This year I wanted to replace my Brewer hat since it was all grimy and nasty, and I wanted a cleaner one to wear out and about. My old hat is black under the bill and it fits perfectly, always has. At the end of March, beginning of April I ordered a size 7 1/2 59/50 on eBay, and when I tried it on I could barely get it on my head, so I returned it. Right after that I ordered one from MLB shop. Same thing happened. Right after that I ordered one from Lid's and once again I could barely fit it on my head. So just last week I went into Hibbet Sports in Janesville and I wanted to try one on to see if it fit, and to make sure my head didn't grow that much that fast. This time it fit me perfectly. I then went back to Lids and tried one of theirs on and it fit perfectly too. I ended up buying it from Hibbet Sports. The only question I still have is if the hats are as deep in the crown as they have been in the past, which I like. But at least I can get it on my head comfortably.

 

I would imagine that New Era made a mass production of hats but they all were undersized, or in your case over sized. It's pretty frustrating when you know how a hat fits and how it should fit, but it doesn't. I would simply suggest that you go to different places and try them on since it may vary from place to place. Or, simply wait for a while and see if a new shipment may be made more to size.

[Baldkin]

I wear a 7 1/4, just ordered two hats about a month ago when New Era had a big sale. They were about a size 7. Maybe even 6 7/8th. My buddy who wears a 7 1/8th couldn't even get it on his head.... let alone mine.

 

As a result of my horrible experience (they expected me to pay for the shipping to send the hats back) I'll never be purchasing a New Era hat if I can help it.

[Houlie24x]

I bought a new one about 2 weeks ago and my normal size was about 2 sizes too big. I ended up getting one that was too tight hoping it would stretch out. I like that the brim can actually bend somewhat unlike the old ones which seemed to be straight no matter what you did. I also noticed that the front crown part isn't so deep like it was in the past, but that might just be because I bought one that was too small.

 

Either way, I don't know why they can't make a decent hat. I have a hard time believing that a majority of people buying team hats are the ones wearing them a few sizes too big, with the stickers still on them, while sideways. Even if that was the case, they can buy a normal hat bigger than their normal size and not bend the brim. I think this is my last New Era hat unless they fix this.

 

I performed the hat surgery on my last one to take the crown down and it helped a little. It wasn't perfect, but it was a lot better than before.

[PKBadger]

I bought a 39/30 from them recently (stretch fit). Don't think I'll ever buy a regular fitted hat from New Era again. Too much of a hassle, especially the crown issue.

[Teatoe993]

39/30 caps are the equivalent of those AC Slater stone washed jeans with the big elastic waist. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif I've been buying 59/50 hats since 1990. I don't remember their sizing ever being 100% consistent. Knowing your hat size only gets you in the ballpark. You may have to go a size up or down depending on the fit. It also depends on how much hair you have too. Unless you're sporting a wig, your hat size should be changing gradually. It's like trying on shoes. I'm not gonna boycott Puma just because I think my shoe size is a 10 but for some reason a 9 1/2 feels better in this instance. Any piece of clothing is like this. You can roll the dice and order something online, but you really should be trying it on before the purchase.

[hawing]

39/30 caps are the equivalent of those AC Slater stone washed jeans with the big elastic waist. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

Perhaps, but if you have a Mench-sized head, it makes a lot more sense to get the 39/30 Large/XL than to roll the dice on a fitted cap.

This is not my personal experience, but is the case for my S.O.

[PrinceEatMeat]

39/30 caps are the equivalent of those AC Slater stone washed jeans with the big elastic waist. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

Perhaps, but if you have a Mench-sized head, it makes a lot more sense to get the 39/30 Large/XL than to roll the dice on a fitted cap.

This is not my personal experience, but is the case for my S.O.

Yeah, I have a 7 7/8 sized head, 8 for some hats. The stretch fitted are usually a safe bet, but some of those don't even fit me. The 39/30 L/XL usually does though. I have some fitted hats that fit me perfectly though, but I haven't bought any of the new ones yet. I want one of the stars and stripes hats from last year. Does anyone know if those would be the new or old style?

[PKBadger]

I don't love the design of most 3930's, by any stretch. Especially the BP versions. But this one caught my eye. I like the blue M on the blue background.

 

This is a hat that Rod Belding would wear when he was hitting on stewardesses.

http://mlb.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pMLB2-8726050dt.jpg