Frequenters of the blog as well as our YouTube channel TFBTV will know that we offer our Subscribe Star and Patreon supporters patches as rewards. Upon reaching a certain dollar value our supporters are rewarded with TFB embroidered patches. Many of these patches come from our good friend Milspec Monkey. Milspec Monkey now also makes hats and he sent me over one of the new CG-Hat Notch Adjusts – a patch compatible baseball style hat with integrated hearing protection slots.

TFB Review: The Milspec Monkey CG-Hat Notch Adjust

Milspec Monkey (MSM) has partnered with TFB and TFBTV before on past projects and he’s even responsible for creating the SHOT Show 2020 MTV style patches as well as our Secret $100 patron patch. The quality of the PVC patches he’s made and the embroidered fabric ones has always been what I’d considerer to be the best in the industry – the hat was no different.

First Impressions

Off the bat, I hope you like Loden Green because that is the only color the hat comes in. However, this isn’t necessarily a downside if you’re looking for a rugged and functional hat instead of a fashion statement. That said, fashion and statements are still an option because the CG-Hat Notch comes with lots of space for patches!

The Notch hat came with its utility patented notch which removes any interference between your glasses and your hat. These areas were reinforced with thick plastic material and allowed the brim of the hat to come down much further without interfering with my safety glasses.

Patch Panels

The front patch area is approximately 4″x3″. This offers you more patch space than usual and can accommodate larger patches than other offerings. In addition to the extra-large front patch panel, there is also a 2″x2″ diamond at the top of the hat. I find that the large front panel is just large enough to offer a more generous space without being overwhelming – I don’t know anyone who would want a full hat of loops for patches to go on.

The edges of each of the panels are all sewn down which is a major bonus. I have had patched clothing in the past tear away the loop segments because the sewing couldn’t handle the repeated removal of patches. The CG-Hat Notch patch panels handled my repeated addition and removal of the “Stay Rad” Synthwave themed OD green PVC Patch MSM sent me along with the hat.

MSM RETRACTO-PLUGS

One of the best features that this hat has is a pair of small pockets on either side of the hat. These pockets are specifically designed to be used in tandem with the MSM Retracto-Plugs. These earplugs are on a retractable line which allows you to quickly take out and stow the earplugs. This useful feature is great at the range especially if you’re talking to people frequently.

The earplugs themselves are triple-flange style, 25 dB rated, and are also replaceable using a screw mount. The small kit comes with hook and loop mounts using 3M Tape for mounting to the inside of a helmet. I chose to just stuff the pods inside the pockets on the side of the hat and they haven’t come loose yet. The plugs are attached to the end of a 15″ long line which gives you plenty of options when deciding on a mounting space for the retractors.

The retractors have bonus loops for possible sew-down points. If one ever feels those get in the way, they can easily be cut off. The plugs are extremely intuitive to use. Simply pull on them to insert and when done take them out and press the button on the retractor and your plugs are stored! Milspec Monkey does recommend that you fully extend the plugs before retracting them to provide maximum spring tension, however, I haven’t done the best job of following that recommendation and I still have yet to have any trouble retracting the earplugs.

Final Thoughts

This hat will definitely go into my normal rotation. As a side note, I normally keep my hats on the dashboard of my truck. This has led to several of my hats being sunbleached pretty quickly in the harsh southern sun. The MSM hat held its color very well and so far hasn’t shown any signs of uneven fading. In addition, the patch has held up to the same conditions. My only real gripe is the lack of color options – not that I don’t like OD green.

The Retracto plugs are convenient and they are an affordable alternative to expensive in-ear electronic hearing protection. Over the ear hearing protection tends to get uncomfortable when shooting all day and this is a great way to eliminate that annoyance. Overall the hat is great and I can’t say enough good things about it!

If you’d like to pick up one of your own Milspec Monkey CG-Hat you can check out the Milspec Monkey website, you’ll also find the Retracto plugs and all of MSM’s patches – there are tons to choose from so you’re bound to find something you’ll like! The CG-Hat Notch Adjust is $30 and the retractable earplugs are $9. Let us know your thoughts and comments down below!