What Are the Differences Between New Era Hats?

New Era caps are to hats, what Nike is to sneakers. They’ve dominated the market for almost a century, and so thoroughly, you might not even realize you’ve owned one. Nevertheless, like all major brands associated with quality and style, New Era has designed so many caps it can be difficult keeping up track of what’s meant to fit whom – check out MyFitteds for the variety of styles available – so we’ve come up with a comprehensive breakdown of the somewhat subtle differences between the various New Era cap styles.

Where to begin…

  • 59FIFTY: like most name brands, New Era has a style guide, that unless you’re familiar with some cap terminology (no one really ever is), might not understand. So, we’ll begin with one of their most popular brands, the 59FIFTY, and describe other caps relative to it.

You know those NY, LA caps with super flat, but wide brims every hip-hop artist used to wear in the 90’s and early 000’s, yeah those were 59FIFTY caps. They have this constructed crown that fit your head – and your head only – really snugly due to reinforced panels. They have no adjustments so you really have to get your head circumference right before ordering – good thing they come in multiple sizes. Over time, some people curve their cap brims, to get a “new look”, and that’s how most of the other styles came into being (just kidding… sought of).

  • 9FIFTY: is literally the same thing as the 59FIFTY, just with a slightly less wide brim (has a more squared look) and adjustments (a plastic snapback) at the back to entertain more head sizes – usually 2 extra inches. It’ll fit the average head, but particularly welcomed by families with growing children – who happen to have a thing for caps.
  • 39THIRTY: this design was New Era’s first attempt at moving away from their traditional flat brim caps. Like the fifties, the 39THIRTY has a well-structured crown, however it has a much better fit because of the spandex inserted at the back. Though the spandex sweatband inside makes it fit most head sizes, a common complaint is that it becomes slacked with time, especially when shared with others.
  • 9FORTY: is a “one size fits all” cap designed in just one size but with various adjustments – Velcro, or buckle. It has a pre-curved visor and a low structure profile. The 9FORTY comes in a separate A-Frame design that reminds of the ultimate rockstar, you can find them on MyFitteds. 9FORTY is one of the trending styles till date, and probably New Era’s biggest comeback since the 59FIFTY cap since it’s gotten millennials interested in caps again.
  • 9TWENTY: the most discernable difference with the 9TWENTY is the obvious lack of structure. So down the road, you should expect its incredibly soft style to lose its shape. But because of the softness, the 9TWENTY is something that’ll fit into your luggage, or even your back pocket. It was primarily designed as a 20th century homage to baseball, so get this if you’re feeling nostalgic of that era. It also has adjustments at the back, so fits a lot of head sizes.

 

Checkout MyFitteds for some of the New Era hats above, and more.