National Park Hats for Crater Lake, Big Bend, and Carlsbad Caverns

Designed and marketed by Sendero Provisions Co. (2014-) the National Parks collection of hats serve as an homage to what the company calls “America’s best idea,” the National Park Service. The company was founded by two geologists, Aaron Bryant and Hunter Harlow, who became tired of their day job and found themselves losing the connection with nature. “Sendero” is Spanish for trail as the products aim to literally and metaphorically move the owner to get outside and connect with the spirit of the west. Part of the Sendero cohort is an all-white team of sponsored “pioneros” who spread the company’s message.
In a sense one transcends the label of a tourist to earn the designation of a tour guide and becomes a part of the pionero community by purchasing a hat. The braided rope traversing the hat’s rim is reminiscent of hats worn by park rangers, conferring the role of advocacy and defense to the wearer. The prominent woven label on the hat displays the park’s name and founding year, while “highlighting the spirit of the majestic wild lands.” Each monument serves as the centerpiece around which the themes of discovery and action center. The characters in the patches—notably all male silhouettes—are all interacting with the landscape in some form that pinnacles the majestic environment. The intimate topographical maps stitched to the underside of the brims suggest familiarity with the terrain. Ultimately this collection serves a new desire among millennials to provide wearable evidence of their journeys.