I was looking at old threads and I found this one.

I know beanies (2 stitch) are considered to be out of style. Are the 4 stitch hats the same way or are they more acceptable in your area?

Those are considered "plate" hats around here (even though they are "combo" in reality). It's acceptable for newer umpires to wear a combo cap for both bases and plate to reduce their start up costs.

Sorry, I should have been more specific. I'm talking about plate only. I wear 8-stitch on the bases always. I'm definitely not going to wear a beanie on the plate, but I'm debating whether or not to get a 4 or 6 for the plate.

Do you have a low pro mask?... I have 2 of them and a * stitch is very hard to get off...

I wear a 4 stitch behind the dish and a 6 stitch on the bases

I can't take my mask off properly with a 6... it always flies off. I've heard tales of guys being able to do that, but I can't take my mask off with anything bigger than a 4 stitch.

I wear an All Star I-Bar Vision mask and can remove it wearing either a 6 or 8 stitch hat. If the harness is adjusted properly, it should not be a problem.

At one time I used a Wilson low profile mask and wore a 4 stitch hat with that mask. It had less to do with removing the mask and more to do with the bill of a 6 or 8 stitch hat sticking out too far to be comfortable with that mask.

Wear a bucket and you do not have to worry about the number of stitches! (except in Alabama?)

Hmmm,
 

Hardly a "tale" in my part of the country. Most all of the upper level umpires in the Portland area wear 8 stitch caps when working the plate.

Here is kind of what I tell umpires that are having "caps for laps" problems:

1) Your mask is much more important than the number of stitches in your cap.

2) If you use a "low profile" type mask you'll never be able to wear an 8 stitch cap.

3) Make sure your mask is worn loosely -- when you look down at the ground your mask should easily swing away from your chin.

4) When you buy a mask the FIRST thing you should do is remove the harness from the inside "ear" connections and move that connection to the outside of the ears.

5) Your mask should "hang" from the bill of your cap . . . under no circumstance should you wear a mask snuggly. When you take a foul ball off directly off your mask your mask should either twist around your head or even pop clear off . . . think of what happens when a Forumla 1 car crashes . . . parts fly everywhere . . . this disapates the energy of the crash (foul ball).

6) Learn (and practice) pulling your mask away from your face and then turning the chin area upwards to clear your cap. Practice, Practice, Practice.

7) Always where a slighly smaller cap when working the plate.

Thanks Tim. Looks like I need a 4 or 6 stitch since I'm using a low profile mask.

Anyone have experience with a 6 stitch with a low profile? Is it doable?

I have yet to see anyone wear a 4 stitch. I have seen some wear a 6 and reverse the cap so the bill is sticking out from behind their heads.(competitive youth games, not HS games.) They say they never have a problem flipping the mask with their hat coming off. I have practiced at home with wearing my 6 stitch both ways and it is a lot easier to wear the heat backwards but I am not tempted to do that yet but I keep practicing as suggested in earlier posts to pull mask forward first then up. Thanks for all the good suggestions. I assume their is a proper protocol for wearing your hat forwards.

I have worn three different low profile masks and....
 

have used 4 and 6 stitch hats under them. I prefer the 6, which I also like on the bases. I now use a Titanium mask so the light weight of the mask really helps with it weighing down the bill of the hat. I never have a problem.

Same.

Low-profile titanium/six-stitch cap ... no problem. I grab my loosely worn mask by the throat extension and peel to the left in a way that has the pads facing the infield, not the ground. It's the way to accommodate the six-stitch with the low-profile mask.

What's the difference between 4 stitch and 8 stitch?

4 stitches

It determines how many rows of stitches are on the bill. An 8 is the longest, then 6, then 4, then the beanie. Go to Ump Attire and it shows them all.