Notch hats

Ending the war between your hat and your sunglasses

October 1, 2022 By Julie Summers Walker

Paul Cunningham is a veteran of the U.S. Marines who says he had always been frustrated with traditional baseball caps because the curved brim would push his sunglasses down onto his nose.

Notch was born out of his search for a practical, attractive solution to this problem. He and his wife, Terra, started Notch out of their garage.

The Standard Notch is designed to work with most wrap-around or sport style sunglasses, shooting glasses, and safety glasses. These styles have a curved appearance, designed to conform to the contour of the head.

The Terra Notch is designed to work with most aviator or fashion sunglasses as well as prescription eyewear. These styles are more squared off at the corners, causing the frame to sit farther away from the face. For those who wear their long hair in ponytails, there are hat designs that feature an opening for your pony.

Because of Cunningham’s military background, many of the Notch caps have camouflage or military styling, but there are more than 56 patterns and colors.

For every Notch hat sold, the company provides a meal to a child in need through the Children’s Hunger Fund. “Buy an awesome hat, feed a child, that’s a win-win if you ask us,” says the company.

[email protected]

PRICE: $26-$34 (help with custom sizing is on the website)

CONTACT: notchgear.com

Bookshelf

The journey is the destination

West by 180

Following his 35-year airline career, Harry B. Harden set off for what he calls the “most personally rewarding flight of his life.” He flew his 1956 Cessna 180 throughout the Pacific Northwest, over the Rocky Mountains, into the stark outback of Arizona and Utah, and as far east as Maine over a three-month period, and he chronicles his adventures in West by 180, a self-published book with photographs you can purchase on Amazon or by contacting the author.

[email protected]

PRICE: $19

Is your coffee table nice enough?

Jet Dreams

Award-winning aviation photographer and pilot Jessica Ambats has published an 11-inch by 11-inch book of photographs and inspiration that features her stunning air-to-air images. Jet Dreams features awe-inspiring jets in spectacular locations, but, she says, it’s also about something bigger: chasing dreams. “The owners of each of the jets photographed are their own pilots,” she says. “They are entrepreneurs who achieved their childhood dream of learning to fly, and they can inspire us all.” With a foreword by Sean D. Tucker, Jet Dreams is an inspiring book—especially if you love jets. —JSW

baseturn.com

PRICE: $120