Transparent shoe boxes to store and display my fitted hats seems like the obvious choice but it was a journey to get to this satisfying set up.
I would like to share my other storage and organization set ups that led me to my current one. You may find that you like one of the others more than my current one or you may join me in the same storage set up I have too.
Disclaimer: This blog post contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission to fund my love for the minor leagues if you use these links to make a purchase. You will not be charged extra and will end up helping me fund my minor league fanaticism.
Floating Shelves
My first idea to store and display my fitted hats was to use floating shelves. It was a simple way to display all my hats in a convenient location and see all of them at once. I was able to organize the hats by color and fit several across all at once. This made it easy to see and grab a specific hat.
One of the main reasons I moved away from this display is that the hats inevitably collect a lot of dust. If your a neat freak like me (which I obviously am since I’ve changed the way I store and organize fitted hats several times) then seeing your hats collect dust may be hard to handle.
Another reason you may want to avoid this display is that you may not have sufficient wall space depending on the length of your shelves and amount of hats you own.
Pros:
- Can display many hats on one shelf depending on length of shelf
- Many ways to set up a shelf display in your house
- Can see all of your hats at once making them easily accessible
- Inexpensive option
Cons:
- Hats collect a lot of dust over time
- May not have room to put up shelving
- Have to put holes in your walls
- May be an eyesore to some
Hanging Closet Organizer with Zipper
My second idea to store and display my fitted hats was an enclosed, transparent zipper hanging closet organizer. The hanging closet organizer is originally designed for sweaters or t-shirts. It is collapsible yet sturdy when fully open. The hanging closet organizer has six shelves and hangs snugly on your closet bar with a hook and loop closure. The shelves hold six to seven hats per shelf (36-42 total). If you have a lot of hats then you’d need multiple organizers.
If you do have a lot of hats then the closet organizers will take up a lot of space assuming you would need multiple organizers. You will need to consider your closet space and how many hats you have and plan on getting in the future.
Pros:
- Can hold several hats at a time (approximately 42 fitted hats)
- Zips up to keep dust from accumulating on hats
- Hats are visible through transparent plastic cover
- Relatively inexpensive option
Cons:
- Takes up a lot of space in closet especially if buying multiple
- Hats on the bottom are harder to see
Drop-Lid Transparent Shoe Boxes
The current way I choose to store and display my fitted hats is by using front drop-lid transparent shoe boxes. This had been my ideal way to store my hats but two things previously held me back — cost and design.
Drop-lid shoe boxes have been popular in the sneaker community for some time. They are a nice and organized way to store and display your sneakers instead of keeping them in their original shoe boxes. The reason I didn’t get them until recently is because it took years for someone to finally design a drop-lid on the long edge.
I wanted my hats to be viewable from the side so that I would have an idea of which one’s were inside. The original design for the drop-lid shoe boxes is on the short side. That would mean my hats would face forward and I would only be able to visually see the one in the front when stacked and displayed.
The second reason I held back from going this route is that the store that most people bought the boxes from were very expensive. Luckily, we now have Amazon and people have created the almost perfect design.
One of these boxes holds 10-11 fitted hats. The only issue with I have with the box is that if you want one of the hats in the middle then you have to take all the hats out. There was a company that had part of the perfect design who now seems to be out of business. Their design displayed the hats from the short side but the interior included a pull out drawer. You were able to pull the drawer out to see all of your hats and grab the one you wanted instead of removing them all.
In my opinion, the perfect design would be the long edge drop lid with an interior drawer. Maybe I will just have to do it myself if no one else does it soon.
With that being said, I like this type of display. It is neat and organized, keeps the dust off all of my hats, can hold a lot of hats at once, and doesn’t take up that much space.
Pros:
- Does not take up a lot of space
- Can store a good amount of hats (10-11 per box)
- Able to view hats through transparent window
- Boxes typically able to be stacked
- Keeps dust off hats
Cons:
- Most expensive option on the list
- Will need to find floor or shelf space to stack
- Hard to access hats that are in the middle of the stack
Hat Rack
The fourth option for storing and displaying your fitted hats is a popular one amongst the hat collecting community. Although, I would personally love to store and display my hats this way it should be obvious why I simply cannot. The option I am referring to is actually two different but similar ones; the hanging hat rack or hat hooks.
Using either of these methods requires either lots of wall space or door space. The hat rack looks nice on a wall where the hats cascade down the wall. You can place the hat rack in or outside a door but that would limit how many you can hang up. If I was to do this display then I would prefer it to be across an entire wall.
The hat rack will hold up to 18 hats per strap and is the least expensive choice on this entire list. Imagine seeing all of you beautiful hats displayed right in front of you every time you walked in the room. Kind of sounds like heaven to me! I would just have the most difficult time with the inevitable dust and the resulting cleaning of each.
The hat rack will need to be hung with a strong screw or nail and for some putting holes in their walls is a no-no. The holes would be less invasive than the shelving but holes nonetheless.
Hat Hooks
Which bring me to the final suggestion — hat hooks. Hat hooks display hat similarly as the hat rack but you can set up the hook however you want. Each hook comes with a strong adhesive that you stick to the wall so no holes in your walls in needed. The cost of the hooks is in the middle of the road but relatively inexpensive.
My concern, remember I’ve never used this display before, is how strong the adhesive is and how well it will hold over time. We already know how I feel about dust so this display is a no for me but I think it would look really good and seems very easy peasy.
Pros:
- Very inexpensive display
- Hat rack holds 18 hats per strap
- Hat hooks come 10 per pack
- Minimal or no holes in walls
Cons:
- Will collect dust on hats over time
- Adhesiveness may wear over time for hat hooks
- Wall or door space is needed to store
- Clips may pinch your hat causing unwanted shape
How to choose which one is right for you
The first things to consider is how much space you have to dedicated to storing and displaying your hats. That can help eliminate some of the options mentioned right off the bat. You’ll also want to consider cost and availability.
Cost becomes a factor if you are a hat enthusiast and plan on building your collection. The more you collect the more storage you’re going to need. The more storage you need the more it will cost you.
Availability will then come into play. Will the model that you are purchasing be available when you need to purchase it again? The links in this post are suggestions and most of the items I have used personally or know someone who has. They are merely a suggestion but I also know that they have been around for awhile so they will be available the next time you find yourself in need of more storage.
Another thing to consider is your feelings on cleanliness and the shape of your hat. This post referred to fitted hats which are structured hats. If you accidently sit on a structured hat it can be permanently damaged in the sense that the hat will now have creases. This doesn’t matter as much in an unstructured hat like a twill hat aka dad hat.
Do you need to store your hats?
Throwing your hat in tub container may be all you need but for some hat enthusiasts storing and/or displaying your hats is cathartic. Keeping your hats in pristine condition after spending your hard earned money on your hats may be worth the additional money. It honestly comes down to your relationship with your hats.
Conclusion
There are many ways to store and display your fitted hats. It may be a personal journey for you just like it was me. I did not change from one option to the next quickly. It actually took me years to go from the shelves to the boxes. It may all come down to trial and error. In the end, if you are interested enough in this post to want to find what is out there then you care enough about your hats to want to store them safely.
@minorleaguefanclub ♬ original sound – Minor League Fan Club