Customized headwear is a great promotional tool. You get brand outreach every time someone wears your headwear. Your recipient gets a fashionable, functional hat that protects them from the sun and keeps them warm in the cold.
Diehard Custom offers both custom hats with logo and custom beanies with logo. But customers often struggle to choose between hats and beanies.
There are several differences between Diehard Custom's hats and our beanies. Both make great gifts, giveaways, or sale items. But each serves a different purpose, both as headgear and as a branded item.
So, we’ve put together this guide to help you understand the nuances between a beanie vs hat. Keep reading to learn more, or get in touch with our customer service team for personalized guidance choosing and branding your goods!
What’s the Difference Between a Hat and a Beanie?
You wear both hats and beanies on your head, and both provide protection against the cold. But they serve slightly different functions and are generally worn in different seasons. A quick way to distinguish between them by looking at their edges to see if anything sticks out.
Hats typically have both a crown and a brim. The crown covers the top of your head and the brim sticks out from the crown’s base. Some hats have a brim around the entire base. Others have only a forward-facing brim called a bill.
Beanies generally have neither a brim nor a bill. Instead of a brim, they come with a folded-up cuff to keep your ears warm. They’re typically knitted with soft materials like wool, cotton, or fleece. Here’s a closer look at the difference between a hat and a beanie.
Overview of Custom Hats
A well-designed custom hat can be a great advertisement. People remember an attractive logo on a stylish hat. That creates a favorable impression they’ll remember when they see the logo on your sign or your website.
Diehard Custom offers customized hats of all types. You’ll find performance hats, trucker hats, sun hats, baseball hats, rope hats, dad hats, and more, all at a wide variety of custom hat prices.
We also offer many customization options. You can choose between embroidery or woven, EMB, printed, PVC, or leather patches. When you’ve made your choice, send us a high-resolution logo file. Our expert designers will make sure it’s formatted for the best result.
Overview of Custom Beanies
Matching beanies help build team identity and a sense of belonging. And your recipients will appreciate their custom beanie when the temperature drops. While beanies are generally more seasonal than hats, recipients will wear their custom beanie frequently in cold weather.
In addition to beanies from top manufacturers, Diehard Custom also offers fully custom beanies made from scratch. When you order our Custom Pom Beanie USA, you can embroider your name and logo on the front of your beanie and also add knitted text to the top.
If you’re not sure which beanie is best for you, or you’re still torn on the hat vs beanie question give us a call. Our customer service reps will work with you on beanie design ideas.
Is a Beanie Technically a Type of Hat?
Strictly speaking, every beanie is a hat but not every hat is a beanie. “Hat” is a general term for any piece of headwear. But in practice, the hat vs beanie question comes down to the brim (or lack thereof) and the materials used.
Custom Hat vs Beanie: Which Style is Right For Your Business, Team, or Event?
What’s the difference between a hat and a beanie when you’re torn between promotional items? Here are a few factors to consider.
Consider the Season and Climate
The value of a beanie vs hat increases during the late fall and winter. If your business is winter-focused – a ski lodge, for example, or a snow plowing service – you would probably do best with beanies.
Hats, by contrast, can be worn throughout the year. Landscapers and baseball teams might go with baseball hats or trucker hats. They can be worn during the warm summer season when your team or business is most active.
What Kind of Look Are You Going For?
There’s a cultural difference between a hat and a beanie. Beanies typically convey a more youthful, cool look. They’re particularly popular with skaters and urban subcultures. If beanies are fashionable among your customers, promotional beanies are a great choice.
Hats are an obvious choice for sports fans, rural customers, or anyone else for that matter. You’ll find hats just about everywhere, from factory floors to golf courses. Their near-universal appeal makes hats a safe choice for any promotion.
Who’s Receiving the Merch?
Beanies are popular with hikers, campers and outdoors lovers. Spring, fall, and winter nights and mornings can get damp and chilly. A warm beanie helps them start and end their day in comfort and style. And everybody appreciates a beanie when it snows.
Billed hats shade against the sun on a hot day and provide warmth on a cool evening. You’ll see hats at festivals, sporting events, and beaches. A hat is a good choice for large events or campaigns where you’re trying to appease a broad audience.
Event Type or Distribution Setting
When choosing between beanie vs hat, ask yourself which one the recipient will find immediately useful.
At sunny outdoor events, attendees will appreciate sun hats, trucker hats, or wide-brimmed bucket hats. Late summer events are a good time to hand out beanies that will be very useful in a few weeks, or as the evening gets chilly.
We’ve produced promotional hats and beanies for many events and campaigns. If you’re torn between hat vs beanie, give us a call.
Customization Flexibility and Logo Visibility
You can customize a hat with embroidery or with a decorative leather or embroidered patch. While some services screen print hats, we advise against it as the curved surfaces and materials don’t hold the dyes well and the printing soon fades.
Custom beanies can also display your logo and slogan using jacquard knitting. To understand how knit-in displays work, check out our guide on how to make custom beanies.
Finding the Right Fit for Your Budget
Custom beanies are slightly less expensive than custom hats, so budget-conscious shoppers may want to look at the different beanie options. The more challenging issue is determining how many items you need.
That said, spending a little bit more can bring you big dividends. A custom hat holds greater value to a customer who prefers hats to beanies. An item your recipient wears regularly provides your organization more brand exposure than one they put in a drawer and forget.
Many custom manufacturers have high minimum order quantities that leave you with a closet full of excess hats. Our MOQ on hats and beanies starts at just 10 items. With Diehard Custom you can order only the hats and beanies you need without worrying about unwanted extras.
Embroidery and embroidered patches cost a bit more than leather and leather patches, and unit prices go down the more you buy. So, the only way to know for sure how much you’ll pay for custom beanies or hats is to get a custom quote for both here at Diehard Custom!
Should You Order Beanies AND Hats for the Best of Both Worlds?
The question of beanie vs hat doesn’t have to be an either/or decision. Offering both might be a wise decision if you live in a four-season climate. Here are some of the advantages of ordering both custom beanies and custom hats.
Reaching Different People With the Same Brand Message
Having two different types of headwear on hand increases your reach. In the battle of hat vs beanie, some folks like beanies and some prefer hats. You get a larger base and increased brand visibility when you offer both.
Seasonal Versatility With a Single Design on Different Products
Custom hats and beanies get your organization seen year-round. We can reproduce your design perfectly on both items, so your custom items will look great in every kind of weather. People will see your message in summer heat waves, winter snowstorms and everything in between.
Great for Tiered Gifting or Merch Packages
When you give away or sell a package that contains both a custom hat and custom beanie, your recipient can wear your logo throughout the year. That encourages brand loyalty and visibility throughout all four seasons.
Joggers and fishermen will appreciate a package with a performance hat that shades them in summer alongside a beanie that keeps them warm on winter runs. A tiered gift offering a choice of either hat or beanie at one level and both at a higher tier encourages bigger donations.
Balancing Budget Across Custom Beanies and Hats
Consider which will be more immediately useful for your recipients or customers when balancing your beanie vs hat budget.
You might want to spend more on a warmer, thicker beanie in a wintertime promotion or campaign, combined with a less expensive but still serviceable cap. You would reverse that equation for a midsummer event.
Diehard Custom is Your Trusted Choice for Custom Beanies and Hats Online!
Whatever beanie vs hat you choose, Diehard Custom has you covered. We have custom knit beanies, custom patch beanies, and many other beanie options. Choose between custom rope hats, custom 5 panel hats, custom baseball hats, or another hat style altogether.
We keep you in the loop through every step of the process. We work with you on making sure your design and colors are perfect. And if any issues arise, we won’t rest until we make it right. That’s our promise and our guarantee.
Send us your logo or idea and we’ll do the rest. Our expert designers will work with you to make sure you get the perfect item. Whether you choose hat vs beanie or both, we’ll provide you with beautiful merch your recipients will love.
Wrapping Up Our Beanie vs Hat Comparison
When choosing between a custom hat vs beanie, focus on your target audience. If your promotional item serves their needs, they will wear it regularly. Every time they do, they promote your brand.
If you want the best custom beanies and hats, you need to call Diehard Custom. Whether you choose our fully custom hats and beanies or put your logo on our stock custom options, we provide you with high-quality headwear that looks great and protects against the elements.
