Get hooks that go around the length of their room. Use the hats as a decorative feature. I used a 3 strike rule on hats around my house. Third time unhung (ie: left on table) it's OUTTA HERE! Now... I'll be honest. I can't say it worked 100% or that I didn't "sneak" and hang them sometimes... but it helped, at least for awhile. Ya know kids... you gotta change things up sometimes to keep it interesting enough for them to buy into it.

Remodelfla, you made me laugh. I've tried similar things...and maybe if it were just DS, I'd have some success but the biggest obstacle to making those rules effective is DH who seems to think every baseball hat is worth more than it's weight in gold and isn't real big on throwing away much of anything anyway! My mom used to put everything we left out in a closed box...at the end of the week, if we could tell her what we were missing, we got it back and another chance to keep it picked up. If we couldn't name it, she didn't tell us, just threw what was left in the box away! But, to be honest, there was a lot less STUFF to try to keep track of in those now-ancient days! I just try to have a spot where it belongs...helps keep me sane.

How about some kind of decorative trunk or such that they could toss them into? Funny... my boys would say that "it'll ruin the shape of my hat"... yet, they'd leave them on the floor/vanity of the bathroom, on the kitchen table, under their bed, couch, wherever and think nothing of it! But, in the end... I long for those little boy days. One's out and the youngest is almost out... I'll have to wait a few years for them to settle and marry till I have chubby babies to scatter my home with things again!

This really isn't a solution - but they'd probably LOVE to go to this place up along the Alaska Highway. A little motel/RV park/Restaurant combo in the middle of NOWHERE, has a collection of thousands of baseball caps. Some folks bring them a cap on purpose, others just donate one that they have along on the trip. Yes, we gave them one. They hang them on long strips throughout the restaurant, folded neatly so you can see the decoration or inscription on them.

That's the only solution I could think of anyway - those strips - I've seen them in places such as Lillian Vernon, Miles Kimball, and similar -

DonnaR/CA

::eyes rolling:: only in alaska :oP

I have two older boys (8 & 9yrs) that wear hats a lot and we had the same issue.

I wound up buying an over-the-door shoe storage organizer to store their hats. I hung it in their closet so the hats are out of sight when they aren't wearing them.

They did have a hard time reaching the top but we solved that with a step stool in their room.

I also have one of those over the door organizers in my linen closet and store things like sunscreen, extra toiletries, cleaners..etc. Comes in handy as a storage solution for things you want easily accessible but out of sight.

Actually, igloochic, the place is either in British Columbia or in the Yukon - it's not in Alaska itself. I'd look it up in our trip notes, but DH (a swing shift worker) is still asleep and the notes are in a bedroom drawer. The place was so interesting to us - next to a lake, there was a big beaver population - we stood at lakeside and watched them build a home - and then the moose that woke us up by the dog's growl -

But I'm way off-topic here. The hat collection was very widespread - and well displayed -

DonnaR/CA

Well, it looks like I'm just now reading your replies and answering but in fact I did it yesterday...but once again I must have forgotten to hit the "submit" button. I think sometimes I subconsciously think I'm submitting when it is really a preview! Sorry...anyway, I am liking the idea of a trunk that might go in the front hall and I also find the over the door idea intriguing...the only challenge to that being it would have to not be their bedroom closet doors as they are upstairs and even I would be lazy about constantly running them up there! But maybe there'll be a door in the laundry room....these are good suggestions--thanks! And donnar57 the alaska highway spot sounds like fun...we just may get there because it is DH's fantasy to go to Alaska. Unfortunately, it involves him on a motorcycle and me behind him which I'm not wild about--even in black leather, which he thinks should sound really cool to me! I've offered to drive a jeep and meet him there but he hasn't taken me up on that...I think partly it is his escape fantasy and he's reluctant to give it up with a real-life trip :-) But once he's no longer working and doesn't need the escape fantasy I suspect that'll be one of our first trips, albeit probably not on a "hawg". But we'll have to remember to take some hats to contribute!

Gailrolfe, stay open to the motorcycle to Alaska option. DH and I racked up 50,000 miles, and there is nothing like being that physically close and, well, out there together. Good times.

On the hats, I stumbled on to a drugstore closing and bought up a bunch of long metal rods with alligator clips set every few inches. (think potato chip snack bag displays). Mounted a few rods by the back door and a few in the lower level 'guyland'. Problem solved.

Those baseball caps about drove me nuts for decades before that solution.

There is a million places like that on the Alcan :) I was only teasing. My favorite was a B&B we stayed at I think in Seward that must have had 300 dead animals mounted to the wall...the eyes followed you...and the carabou over the bed...well that was funny (he had a little night cap on) but a bit creapy to wake up to LOL I'd rather be in hat land :)

celticmoon, 50,000 miles! all at once? Did you go to Alaska that way? wow...anyway, your idea is interesting...by any chance do you have a photo of the rods in use? Do your guys hang their hats up themselves or it's not THAT intriguing? :-) I wonder where else these kinds of rods could be purchased?