ASA fitted caps
 

I need a fitted cap from ASA. So my daughter ordered one for me for father's day. I have a couple that I recently purchased and they are size 7 1/8.

So I told her the size.

It came in last week (slight backorder). I tried it on and it's not even close to fitting. I checked the size label on the inside. 7 1/8 Can barely get it to sit on the top of my head.

I've heard about the problems w/ sizing, particularly on the caps. At this point I'm not sure if I should order 1 or 2 sizes up. Or, maybe the next batch of 7 1/8s will be a more accurate fit.

I called Official Gear and complained. They're willing to exchange the hat. But I have to pay return shipping. They think that equitable. I do not.

If I ordered something by mistake or a wrong color, I can see being responsible for return shipping.

The woman on the phone said I could order by phone or internet. I told her that has nothing to do with the quality of the item I've purchased.

GRRRRR!!

Interesting. One of my partners this weekend had just received his order of caps with the new ASA logo in what he thought was his size. It was too loose! He also used his new-logoed gray ball bags for the first time, and after his game, the stitching on one of the belt loops came halfway undone.

I've had problems with the shirts I've ordered from Official Gear. I've always worn a Large shirt with the old logo to do the plate. So I ordered two of each (navy and light blue) with the new logo. The Large navy fits me just fine with my protector, but I can barely get the Large light blue one over my gear. I had to order a couple of Extra Large light blues to work the plate. How do they screw up the shirt sizes of different colors?

It's not color, unless they are getting them from different sweatshops.
if you keep ordering, the next large will be a different large. :rolleyes:

Is this why ASA requires these, to stay in business? :rolleyes:

Hat sizing is notoriously inconsistent.

Chances are if you return your 7 1/8 and exchange it for a 7 1/4, the replacement hat will be too large. The whole industry seems to treat hat sizing as some kind of random lottery.

This is why I will not order plate hats on-line unless I have absolutely no other option.

Base hats, where the sizing is not so critical, I will order on-line, especially if they have the flex-size construction.

This issue is not new for ASA Official Gear, I guarantee you. In fact, my guess would be it is so common that they can't afford to pay for return shipping!

I ordered the new hats last year as I was preparing to do a state tourney. They were way too big. (Two sizes, even though they were the same size I had been ordering from Official Gear for 20 years.) So, I ordered four more, two in the next smaller two sizes each, then waited to return the non fitting hats after I got back from the tourney.

Same here. My old plate hat was 7 5/8, and that fits me so tight that it leaves red lines on my head and I get headaches if it's been longer than 3 days since my last haircut. Imagine my surprise when the size 7 1/2 fit me perfectly this time around.

You would think that Official Gear would get with the program and make Flex-Fit hats, if they really have that many problems.

But even those can be a little dicey. One place I've ordered plain Flex-Fit hats carry either S/M or L/XL. I wear a 7-3/8" fitted, and on their website, they list S/M as 7" to 7-3/8", and their L/XL as 7-3/8" to 8". I figured the L/XL would be too large, so I went with the S/M. And the damn thing feels like a vice around my head.

What is your alternative for ASA logos? Do you have vendors at clinics?

Do you buy caps seven other people have tried on? :eek: :)

Sometimes the state UIC comes prepared, sometimes not.

Probably, but there is no guarantee against that with the on-line vendors, either. No head lice yet!

In our former ASA regime here, the state ASA commissioner's office maintained an umpire gear store. That's where I bought my ASA-logo-ed hats, with an in-store visit. And, my plate hats sport a variety of marked sizes!

These days, we have little or no need for any ASA-logo-ed gear for any games in the state, so I haven't needed to buy any ASA-logo-ed hats for several years. I still have one set that is practically brand new (but the old logo... sigh).

Which leads me to this: QUIT CHANGING LOGOS FOR NO REASON OTHER THAN USING UMPIRES AS A CASH COW FOR YOUR BUSINESS!!! (This applies to all of them, not just ASA!)

ditto !

USSSA is the absolute worst to this end. :cool:

Amen and praise the Lord brother! You are preaching to the choir.

MTD, Sr.