Let me tell you where the value is here, because it is not where people look. A cap is bought on the logo and worn for the fabric, and this one is built the right way round: lightweight breathable mesh, moisture-wicking treatment, adjustable closure at the back so one size actually works. Mesh construction is the whole argument.
A solid twill cap traps heat against the scalp; a mesh panel lets it leave. On a hot court that is the difference between a hat you wear and a hat you carry.
The rest is what the rest of a cap always is, and I am not going to inflate it. Wicking fabric pulls sweat off the forehead and moves it out to where air can take it, which keeps it out of your eyes on a serve. The adjustable strap means it stays on when you look up. That is the object.
The Dunlop logo is on the front.
What makes it a good buy is that nothing here is a paid-for extra — the mesh and the wicking are the two things that determine whether a cap works, and they are both present. Everything above that on a shelf is usually the badge, and you are paying for the badge.
The Old Bazaar is cobbled lanes of low shopfronts under newly laid roofs, restored and busy, and walking it costs nothing. The Mirahori Mosque was finished in 1496 and is among the oldest still standing in the country — again, nothing.
Which brings me to Korçë, a town that hands out an enormous amount for free.
The Resurrection of Christ Cathedral puts red and yellow towers up over the boulevard and you can look at it all evening. The one I would actually pay for is the National Museum of Medieval Art, rooms of Orthodox icons, and it is worth every unit of whatever they ask.
You will get use out of this hat everywhere from a bright morning session to a hard court back home, and by the way, the best view in town is from a bench in the boulevard, which costs nothing at all.
"The mesh and the wicking decide whether a cap works. Everything above that is the badge."
Buy on Amazon