If you've bought a leather-patch hat from a small brand in the last five years, there's a good chance it was a Richardson 112. Richardson calls it "America's favorite cap," and for once the marketing is probably right. But when we spec'd our first run of trucker caps, we didn't use the plain 112. We used the 112PFP on every colorway, solids included. Here's what the letters mean and why.
The Richardson 112
The standard 112 is a six-panel, structured, mid-profile trucker with a pre-curved bill and a snapback. The front two panels are a 60/40 cotton-poly twill with a center seam running down the middle; the back four are polyester mesh. One size fits most, roughly hat sizes 7 to 7 3/4. Richardson makes it in more than 50 colorways, and the blank lists at $13.50, which is why it's on every patch-hat wall from Montana to Mount Pleasant.
It's popular for a reason. The structured front gives a patch a flat, stable surface. The mesh back breathes in July. And the shape is the one everybody's head already knows.
The 112PFP
PFP stands for Printed Five Panel. Two things change. First, the front is a single panel with no center seam, so a pattern runs continuous across the whole front of the hat. Second, that front panel comes printed: Richardson's Duck Camo family (Marsh, Bark, Riverstone, Sable, Admiral, and others), plus Realtree, Mossy Oak, and Kryptek prints. Same mid-pro shape, same pre-curved bill, same structure. The closure is what Richardson calls a Softsnap. The blank lists at $16.50, three bucks more than the plain 112.
Material shifts with the print. The Duck Camo and licensed-camo versions are polyester twill up front and polyester mesh in back. That matters for two reasons: the print stays sharp because poly holds color, and the front panel doesn't fade unevenly the way a cotton-heavy front can after a summer in the truck.
Why all six of our colorways are PFP
Three of our caps are camo, so PFP was the obvious choice there: Marsh Duck Camo on a loden mesh, Bark Duck Camo on brown, and Riverstone Duck Camo on charcoal. Those patterns only exist on the PFP.
The solids were a decision. We could have run the Loden/Black, Black/Charcoal, and all-Black caps on a standard 112 and saved a couple dollars a hat. We didn't, because the seamless five-panel front is a better home for a square leather patch. On a six-panel hat the center seam runs right through the middle of the patch. It's not a big deal, but you can feel the ridge under the leather and it's visible from the side. On the PFP the patch sits dead flat on one smooth panel. When your whole brand is "clean," that's the kind of thing you spend the three dollars on.
It also keeps the hats consistent. Same panel count, same shape, same patch placement across all six, so the wall looks like one line instead of two.
The patch
Our patch is genuine leather, laser-engraved with the Ace duck mark, and applied with a sewn border rather than adhesive alone. Heat-press adhesive is fine in Colorado. In a Charleston August, glue is a gamble. Stitching is the difference between a patch that lifts at the corners in year two and one that outlasts the hat.
Sizing and fit
One size fits most, adjustable snap. If you wear a 7 to 7 3/4 fitted, you're covered. If you're above that, Richardson makes a 112XL in the standard six-panel, but not in the PFP, so we don't offer an XL right now. The mid-profile crown sits a touch lower than an old-school foam trucker and a touch higher than a dad hat.
What "112" caps are not
Quick decoder for the rest of the family you'll see on other brands' sites: the 112FP is the five-panel with a solid (unprinted) front, the 112P is the six-panel with a printed front, the 112PM has printed mesh, the 112RE is recycled poly, and the 112FPR has the rope across the bill. We dropped rope caps from our first run to keep the lineup simple. Every Ace Waterfowl cap is a 112PFP, full stop.
See all six colorways on the trucker cap page. $37, preorder, first run ships in 6 to 8 weeks. And if you want to keep it looking right, read how to wash a leather patch hat before you throw it in the machine. Short answer: don't.