Back 40 wasn’t built overnight.
It started long before the first hat was ever made.

Growing up, my grandfather — James E. McKeel, “Papa Fuzzy” — always had a hat on. Every day it was a different one. He’d get excited to show me a new one, and before long, I became obsessed just like him.

Every picture I have of him, he’s wearing a hat — except one. The family photo. One of the rare moments without it.

So yeah… I came by it honestly.

It’s all Papa Fuzzy’s fault.

He was a hard worker — a baker for most of his life, getting up before the sun came up, putting on his all-white hat, and going to work. Then coming home, putting on a different hat, and spending everything he had on his grandkids.

I got to feel that firsthand.

Back 40 comes from that same place.

This brand is about more than headwear — it’s about building something with meaning. Something honest. Something that reflects the people, places, and stories that matter most.

Every patch, every design, and every hat carries that mindset:

Purpose over hype. Quality over shortcuts. Story over noise.

More than a hat. A story worth wearing.